RELATIONSHIP SYMBOLS

Animals, reptiles, birds and insects often represent aspects of relationships in dreams. Birds in particular can take on a specific meaning. For example a bird or prey, or a thieving magpie might suggest adultery or the threat of it, whilst the sweet singing of the dove or nightingale suggests harmony or the need for reconciliation between loved ones. Feathers, aside from their phallic form as quills, often represent warmth, affection and tenderness. To dream of a spider’s web might suggest insecurity about your relationships in general or the need to remove yourself from a current relationship that you are entangled in. The dream may also be warning you against becoming entrapped in an obsessive or destructive relationship.

In dreams, hotels, inns or guesthouses are symbols of the short-lived nature of some relationships, although hotels can also suggest that your relationship may be heading towards a new level of intimacy. Pay particular attention to the view from your hotel room. Is it beautiful and bright, or dark and gloomy? A harmonious serene landscape bathed in gentle light is always a comforting image and may suggest nostalgia for a lost friend or lover.

Fire gives both heat and light, and is the symbol of strong emotions such as love and anger and self knowledge. In dreams, the appearance of flames or fire may therefore be suggesting some kind of resolution or compromise with your partner. Bear in mind, though, that flames flicker and can be extinguished, so you need to act quickly before they go out.