by Cortney Litwin 

Have you ever entered into a relationship that turned out to be wrong for you, and wished you'd had a warning? Maybe you were blindsided by a relationship problem, or were misled by a lover who seemed sincere. Guess what? You already have a window that  reveals the truth and enables you to make the best choices. That window is your dreams. Dreams hold the key to resolving relationship issues by offering a view of what's really going on in your love life.

Inside you
Most of your dreams originate from your unconscious, which makes them the ultimate form of guidance. That's because your unconscious recognizes elements about your relationship that you may have missed at a conscious level. These important clues will emerge in your dreams to reveal relationship problems, as well as inner blocks you may have about receiving love. By interpreting your dreams, you'll discover what issues need to be resolved in order to attract or create a fulfilling relationship.

Get started
Chances are that if issues about love are a strong focus in your life, your dreams will offer messages about your love life. Be sure to write down all your dreams upon waking - no matter how ordinary or weird they seem to be. Even the silliest dream can be a treasure trove of wisdom. And for some mysterious reason, the act of writing them down helps to clarify their meanings.

Trust your instincts
When analyzing your dreams, the first thing you'll want to notice is how you felt in the dream - and upon waking. Positive feelings indicate you're on the right track, emotionally. Negative ones indicate that there's something amiss you need to look at. Next, visualize each element and character in your dream, and see what feelings come up for you. Dream symbols can be highly personal, but to get you started we've included a list of common symbols that can contain messages about your love life. Their meanings are archetypal and may or may not be right for you - so do trust your feelings when you're analyzing a symbol.

Relationship symbols

The following symbols are often seen in dreams that focus on relationship issues. They offer insights that can help you heal love.

1. Former partners (dealing with the past)
Dreams about a former partner can reveal past relationship issues that need to be resolved or forgiven.

Lorraine in Asheboro, North Carolina had the following dream of her ex-husband that illustrates this point.

I keep having dreams about my estranged husband. Usually we are reconciling. But I had one a few nights ago that scared me: he had what appeared to be blood all over his shirt. I thought he'd been stabbed, and I offered to go to the police and take the blame for whatever it was he'd done. What does this dream mean? Why do I continue to dream of him? We've been apart for 15 months.

The dream was telling Lorraine that she's taking too much of the blame for their marriage problems, which are a co-creation. Before she and her husband would have any chance of reconciling, he would have to take responsibility for his role in the issues that led to their separation.

2. Water (your emotional state )
Water symbols reveal what's going on with you emotionally. Pay special attention to the state of the water (flowing, stagnant, frozen, muddy), which will offer insights about your inner life and the condition of your relationship.

Clear - emotional clarity
Muddy - emotional confusion
Tidal wave - a sense of being emotionally overwhelmed
Stream - flowing feelings
Ocean, calm - emotional depth and serenity
Ocean, turbulent - emotional turmoil
Stagnant water - a feeling of being stuck and unable to move forward
Frozen water - lack of feeling, or being out of touch with your feelings

3. Automobile (your direction)
Car dreams can reveal whether your relationship is headed in the right direction. Pay special attention to the condition of the road (your path), what's happening with the automobile (your relationship), and who's driving (the one in charge).

Driving your partner somewhere - You're in control of your feelings. You may also be the one directing the relationship
Your partner driving you somewhere - Your partner is in control of your relationship, and may be influencing your feelings just a little too much
Roadblock - An issue is keeping you from moving forward as a couple
Speed bump - There is a need to slow down and assess where you're headed together
Flat tire - You are feeling stuck in a situation that needs to change.
Accident - This can indicate a clash of wills between you and your partner, or signify that a major issue is about to arise in your relationship

4. House (your life)
House dreams can give very specific insights about your life, and each room has a message to share.

Living room - the state of your daily activities
Bedroom - sex and privacy issues
Bathroom - needing to eliminate negative feelings, habits, attitudes or people in your life
Kitchen - how you nourish yourself and others
Basement - unconscious urges and issues
Attic - mental state and attitudes. It may also symbolize your connection to your Higher Self (your soul)

5. Other archetypal symbols of love
A rose, a diamond ring, a dove, an actual wedding, any exchange of commitment vows, a heart, or a chapel, temple, mosque, or other spiritual sites where a weddings might take place.

6. Your personal love symbols
Do you have a favorite symbol for love? Make a list of meaningful places, words, books, souvenirs and other possessions from your relationship and in your life that make you think about love. These items may show up in your dreams!

Put it all together
Combining the feelings you experienced and the meanings of the symbols will give you a good idea of what a dream is trying to tell you, which will illuminate the things you need to do to improve your relationships. It may take several attempts at interpreting dreams to get the hang of it, but the more you work with your dreams, the clearer their messages will be. Then you'll be on your way to a healthier love life.