Inception

There was a big commotion about Inception on my twitter feed. Everybody was talking about it! Some said it was brilliant, some just didn't understand it. Either way, it was a nice break from hearing about Twilight the whole time. (No offence to Twi-hards, I think the Twilight Saga is a teeny bop insult to classic vampirism (?) such as Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles)

After a busy couple of weeks I finally found some time one Friday evening to catch it.

Yes, it takes quite a bit of concentration but I really loved it! Being a very frequent vivid dreamer, I took to the lure of escapism "in limbo" immediately!

I've always respected DiCaprio's work (Blood Diamond, Shutter Island and well... TITANIC!) and the film even featured one of my favourite French actresses of all time, Marion Cotillard. Though I really couldn't shake off Ellen Page's character from Juno. I wonder if anybody else noticed that Joseph Gordon-Levitt really resembled the late Heath Ledger in this film?

A lot of feedback from friends who have also watched the movie is that it's pretty similar to Matrix. Well, I didn't really watch Matrix to be able to comment on that.

Last night, I decided to watch it again with a friend who hadn't watched it before and it got me thinking a lot about my own dreams so I decided to do some research on what certain dreams mean.

• Flying

To dream of flying is usually a pleasant experience and is accompanied by a sense of exhilaration and freedom. It usually feels completely natural as if we have somehow always known how to do this. Rarely is the dream accompanied by a fear of heights or of falling. Flying may symbolise liberation from something that's been troubling you. The obstructions and shackles that have held you down have been released and you can now experience the same sense of freedom that we see in the birds that soar in the sky. The sky may symbolise consciousness and spirituality so to dream of flying can represent the expansion of your awareness and the unfolding of your higher self. (Freud of course took a more materialistic view: to him flying dreams represented sexual release.)

• Snakes

The snake is one of the world's oldestsymbols found in some of the most ancient sculptures. They are often used as phallic symbols and have long been linked with pagan fertility gods. Because it lives close to the ground, the snake is an emblem of the nurturing earth and also the unknown perils of the underworld. Christian imagery emphasises the dark side of this symbol.

It is considered evil, yet it is the snake, created by God, that tempts man to gain knowledge. In dreams, a snake can represent hidden fears. Falling into a pit of snakesmay represent the many worries that are threatening you. Sometimes snakes can symbolise the poisonous words and innuendo of the people around you.

• Teeth falling out

Dreaming of teeth falling out may represent insecurity. These dreams often occur at a time of transition between one phase of life and another. When we lost our milk teeth, we also gradually lost our childhood innocence. Loosing your teeth therefore show that today you have similar feelings of uncertainty and self-consciousness as you did in childhood. The dream could also highlight your worries about getting older or your sexual attractiveness.

Animal teeth may represent aggressiveness and false teeth may represent concern about your self-image. The dream could also be triggered by subtle toothache that you are not yet consciously aware of.

I very often dream about people - some more frequently than others but believe it or not, I swear sometimes I dream about people I haven't even met yet... then I remember it when I finally do meet them at a later time!

• Dejavu

Throughout recorded history, people have associated dreams with premonitions, déjà vu and precognition. I know that I have have experienced déjà vu, instances where I could have sworn I had previously dreamt something that just occurred in my life. Maybe you have as well. Others, including many notable philosophers, have claimed that they can see glimpses of future events in dreams.

If you are prone to these types of dreams, or believe that they can occur, then promoting more frequent dreams with better clarity can only increase the chances of these dream events occurring.

• Nudity

Many sleepers are embarrassed to find themselves dreaming of being in a public place and being either naked or wearing only their underwear. These dreams often express feelings of guilt or inferiority. It is a metaphor that exposes the dreamers perceived faults or feelings of vulnerability to some situation in their life. In the above example, the fact that other people are oblivious to the dreamer's nudity indicates that they should discard as groundless any fears that they will be rejected if their real self is revealed. If you dream of being ashamed or frightened of being naked this may indicate a fear of relationships or of showing your real feelings. (Sigmund Freud once said that his favourite dream was being naked in a crowd of strangers!)

A dream of being disgusted by the nudity of another person suggests anxiety or aversion at discovering the 'naked truth' about a person, a situation or even about yourself. Acceptance of the nudity of others indicates that you see through people and accept them for what they are.

Nudity can also represent your longing for the lost innocence of childhood. It represents the real you stripped of pretence and imposed social conditioning. Nudity also has spiritual connotations: it is an expression of beauty and divinity. The ancient gods such as Venus the god of love, Diana the god of the hunt, or the three Muses who inspire the artist are all usually depicted naked

What are your favourite dreams about?