Here are a few common dream symbols.
This list is not meant to be comprehensive
just a small guide to help you get started. It is better to interpret symbols within the context of the dream they appear in, rather than piece by piece which would leave too much room for error. There are thousands of symbols, and it depends upon the context of one's own personal dream as to what they all mean for him/her. Look at it this way...a dream is like a puzzle, and although there are several pieces that are quickly pieced together because they are so obvious, the puzzle isn't complete until all the pieces are placed together bit by bit. Then you have the complete picture...until then, you'll only have disjointed images that don't add up to anything coherent, and you'll still be confused.

So please remember that and try not to piecemeal a dream...it needs to be fully interpreted or it will most likely be totally wrong.

Most dreams are NOT precognitive, and once one learns the subtle differences between a precognitive dream v.s. a regular dream, they are easily discernable and will put your mind at ease. The first thing everyone should consider is the typical universal symbology of the dream images. For instance, death symbolizes the end of something that's ready for change, and a new beginning. Most people start out highly resistive to changes of any sort, and see any upcoming change in their life as something foreboding and scary. Death dreams are usually about change.

Dreams about a boyfriend cheating on you are most likely--though not always--fear-based dreams. There may be a nagging fear eating away in your subconscious that is breaking through in a dream, or you may have fear of abandonment issues rooted in childhood that are affecting your dreams and this would then be a signal for you to get a handle on this problem before it grows into something that could hurt the relationship. Or it could be that you noticed inattentive behavior towards you by your boyfriend, while he has been spending less time with you and being cryptic when you ask him questions, so a warning flag in the form of a dream has appeared to help you become more aware and start dealing with this issue.

The above are several examples of how dreams can be fear-based or showing your negative viewpoints more than anything else, and one should not suddenly dump their boyfriend because they dream he cheated on them. It's been done many times, and it's a sad commentary on just how important it is for people to learn how to understand their own dreams more effectively, to save themselves much heartache. Once you learn how to do this, you will be relieved and amazed at how much clearer your life becomes. It no longer seems like one big puzzle. That said, let's get to some common dream symbols!

These are not 100% right in every person's situation, but they are common symbols and their meanings to give you a point of reference to go by. Evaluate your own individual dream against this info to see if it feels right in your case. If it doesn't--chuck it and move on. Have fun exploring!

Every person that appears in a dream is supposed to represent an aspect of one's Self, and not actually be about that other person at all; rather, it is a quality or characteristic about that person that your dream is focusing on, and how it applies to YOU. Try to think about what aspect(s) this could be. It can be something you admire and wish to emulate and incorporate into your own personality, or it could be a more negative characteristic that you may dislike intensely in your waking life, but which is telling you something about yourself and your beliefs, judgements, & attitude. It could be a call to alter your thinking in some manner, in order to be more open-minded and accepting of this aspect in their and your own personality, because it is hampering your spiritual growth & making life harder for yourself. The other person in your dream is always mirroring something back to you about YOURSELF. Try to discover what that something is, and go from there. Once you get it through your head that the other person's appearance in your dream is NOT about them, but really about YOU, then you will get much more successful interpreting your own dreams. This takes constant reinforcing--I still find myself wanting to think it's about that other person instead of me. The only exception I know of is if the dream is precognitive.

FLYING
: usually represents freedom from the physical body, as we experience in sleep & while dreaming where we don't use our physical bodies but instead use our mental & spiritual bodies to experience our dreams. It's one of the first things people attempt to do when they gain control of their dreams and start lucid dreaming. Everybody seems to have a natural inclination to want to fly, unless that is changed by a fear of flying due to a frightening incident in their waking lives. Flying = freedom; either a desire for freedom, an "escape" from restraints in your physical life (like a mini-vacation for the mind) or any number of possiblities. Tie it in with the context of your dream...what were you doing in your dream besides flying? How did it make you feel? etc. Also, the type of flying I'm referring to, here, is the person flying on their own without an airplane or any aircraft at all. That would be a different symbol dealing with spiritual awareness, among other things.

SCHOOL
: This type of dream relates to your current "lesson in life," and if you learn how to interpret it, you'll find out how you are progressing...yes, folks, you're still taking tests and getting graded! Our "true selves" are our souls, and not our physical bodies. You are a spirit/soul having a physical dream, not the other way around. Ever feel like your life is like a play, and you are acting out some role that you don't even understand, even suprising yourself with your actions sometimes? Bingo! When we sleep, that proverbial "Veil of Forgetfulness" that prevents us from "cheating on the test" is lifted, and we are shown what type of progress we are making (or, not making) and given guidance on what to do next. We always have free will in our waking physical lives, though, and if we stubbornly refuse to finish our tests, then we have that right--but we are doomed to repeat it until we pass it; and each time we turn away from it, the next time it will be more unpleasant until finally we are forced to acknowledge it's importance for our growth. The things we consider vitally important in our waking physical lives are not nearly as important as the TRUE reason we are here, which is to overcome our shortcomings so that we may get closer to our Source/God/Higher Power. To avoid learning the lesson is like forcing your soul to a fate similar to the mythical greek god named Sisyphus (thanks, Leah!) who was doomed to keep rolling a boulder uphill for eternity, only to watch it roll back down & have to repeat the same tedious hard labor again & again. That sounds like school to me! So pay heed to the messages in dreams about schools, and you may advance faster. Do you really want to repeat kindergarten AGAIN?

CAR or VEHICLE
: This is supposed to symbolize you in your waking life, in your physical body. Your physical body is used by the soul pretty much like we use a car...it's driven for awhile and we give it gas/nourishment & repairs as needed until it stops running, and then we go back home. Pay attention to your car, which symbolizes your VESSEL/physical body. Are you behind the wheel, or is someone else in control? You want to be in charge of your life, naturally. What is the color & condition of this vehicle? Do you seem to be driving it the right way, on a safe road in good condition, or is the road rocky, winding, or suddenly ends at a cliff? That would signal you need redirection. The bigger the vehicle, the more energy you may be successfully using for your daily lessons, depending on the context of your dream. Note all clues as to how you are faring, and make adjustments accordingly.

HOUSE
: You drive a car, but typically you LIVE in a house/apartment. Dreams about a HOUSE symbolize a larger aspect of your Self, and the aspects of Self which make the whole. Each room is said to symbolize a different aspect of your Self; for example:

AN ATTIC symbolizes your Higher Self, and your spiritual development & progress. Look at other symbols in the attic of your dream, and try to evaluate what they mean. Also pay attention to the feeling you experience in your dream...is it pensive, enlightening or what, exactly? All these things are clues for you.

A BATHROOM would symbolize the need for cleansing/purging/elimination of something in your life that isn't quite working, or that has served it's purpose and now it's time to move on.

A KITCHEN would symbolize the need or act of supplying nourishment or food for the body/mind/soul...whatever is currently "cooking" or developing in your life. If the food is plentiful, you have what you need. If the cupboard is bare, time to go shopping for new nourishment, and you need to figure out what is needed for that "shopping list.

A DINING ROOM is similar to the kitchen, but has more to do with immediate needs for supplying , utilizing nourishment, and less with the preparation or taking stock of those needs.

THE MAIN ROOM or LIVING ROOM symbolizes your daily interactions with others, and often you will have other people appearing in your dreams in this room. Remember, they represent aspects of YOUR Self, and not themselves.

BEDROOMS symbolize the unconscious mind aspect of your Self, rest, dreams, sometimes sexuality issues in your life.

THE UPSTAIRS symbolizes your spiritual awareness aspect of Self, or the Higher Self that holds all the keys or knowledge to this life's role you are acting out, and always has your higher good looked after, no matter how it might seem otherwise.

THE DOWNSTAIRS/BASEMENT symbolizes your subconscious mind aspect of Self, which deals with habits, old coping skills, automation, ego. That's usually the part of our Selves that makes us feel "torn" between knowing we should do one thing, but inexplicably ending up doing the opposite. Old belief patterns fears have to be corrected, if that is the case. Tackle & overcome it, and you will feel much more peaceful about your life.

THE GROUND FLOOR of a house represents your daily agenda; what's currently going on in your life.

REVISITING OLD HOUSES FROM CHILDHOOD OR EARLIER TIMES: This points to issues that probably are resurfacing in your current life, and need to be looked at, analyzed, and healed so you can move forward and not look back. If you find yourself repeating the same old tired mistakes, or dealing with the same old tired fears, chances are you will have this dream.

A HALLWAY symbolizes that you have reached an area that is necessary to journey through in order to get to the other side, and it may be a narrow path that has to be traversed with care and awareness. If you have that "closed in, claustrophobic feeling" then you need to expand your awareness/open your mind to more possiblities for completing this phase of your journey.

A PORCH symbolizes perhaps a metaphor of being undecided, such as the saying, "I'm still on the porch on that decision."  It could be symbolic of being contemplative, or uncommitted or withdrawn.  It could be something entirely different such as being on the threshold of a new sense or an extension of Self.  It depends on the entire context of the dream.  Back or Front Porch? Screened-in or open?  Messy or neat Sparse or furnished? All these details add to the overall symbolism.

TORNADO
:this symbol points to emotional turmoil, as in a "whirlwind of emotions"; and/or rapid or sudden changes in your life. It is a sign to "get a grip" on what is possibly spinning out of control & deal more effectively with your emotions. Meditation and finding some private "think time" for yourself would be a good idea.

PINK
: the color of love in all it's forms. Often used to show healing through love.

RED
: passion, anger.

BLACK
: the unconscious mind; void; death of the old.

GREY
: fear, confusion.

WHITE
: truth, "coming clean", purity; can also be symbolic of death and new beginnings.

GREEN
: healing, growth, newness.

BLUE
: spirituality; could be a metaphor for "being blue" (look at context of dream).

YELLOW
: peacefulness, hope (as in "sunny disposition"); could be a cowardice metaphor.

ONE
: unity, completeness.

TWO
: balance of yin-yang principles, or male/female energies-either it's needed or it's achieved.

THREE
: (common dream symbol) the trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; the 3 principles uniting in harmony, as in body-mind-spirit harmony. This dream has an important spiritual message for you--pay attention!

FIVE
: changes!

BABY
or PREGNANCY
: newness or creation in your life; a new aspect of self is being formed and coming into being!  Or you may just be worried to death about that unprotected sex you had a few weeks ago and will be dreaming next about contracting AIDS, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Chlamydia and numerous other STD's so your subconscious is hammering at you for being stupid.  Hopefully it's the first symbol. Did you know that 63% of these infections occur in persons under age 25?

Bird Symbology :

White Dove
: well known symbol of peace; a symbol of the Holy Spirit descending on Christ, as depicted in many artistic works.  A pair of white doves is a common symbol of love and devotion.

Mourning Dove
:commonly thought of as a potential symbol of upcoming death to someone you know, but only if it is seen in unusual circumstances and not just eating at the bird feeder or sitting on a telephone line.

Eagle
: Among the 7 mortal sins, depicts pride; among the 4 cardinal virtues, justice.  Symbol of John the Evangelist, depicting spiritual cognition, faith, healing and ascension.  Similar powerful symbol of the Great Spirit to the American Indians, who use it's feathers in many ceremonial dress & implements.

Goose
: symbol of fidelity and loyalty.  Could also be a metaphor for
"being goosed" or "acting like a goose."

Ostrich
: closing eyes to unpleasant facts. Also a symbol of meditation, since the Ostrich parent does not sit and hatch it's eggs, but lets the sun do it's work while it guards them vigilantly.

Owl
: wisdom, as portrayed in so many children's stories and cartoons.

Peacock
:pride, vanity and showing off due to the male's proud strut; but the male does this as part of his mating ritual to get the attention of the female, so I would apply this as such.  It is used to symbolize the American CBS network, and a metaphor could be "showing your true colors." The peacock also symbolizes joy in the afterlife. True story:  my mother & I visited my grandmother's grave one afternoon to find a living, breathing peacock standing there staring at us.  When I found out that it symbolized "joy in the afterlife," you can imagine how special that was.   How often does one find a peacock standing on a grave?Coincidence, my foot!

Nightingale
: symbolizes yearning and pain; in Christianity it
symbolizes the longing for heaven.

Raven
: intelligence; oftentimes depicting things we really prefer not to hear.

Stork
: instantly recognizable in our culture as a symbol that a baby has been delivered or is due, possibly due to the young stork's habit of gratefully feeding it's parents when it becomes a fledgling; or due to the stork's return after winter migration, when nature begins anew.

Swan
: transformation, as in from "ugly duckling" into a beautiful swan.  Also symbolizes loyalty and fidelity.

Turkey
: Is any American unfamiliar with the symbology of "Turkey Day?"  Also referred to as a metaphor often used to describe something as being silly, or an embarrassing failure or dud.

Vulture
: impending death, or a metaphor for waiting to take advantage of someone in dire trouble, as in "the vultures are circling."

Egg
: symbolizes primal beginnings from which all life springs forth;

also in Christianity this is a symbol of resurrection (ever wonder where the thought of Easter Eggs came from?), as in Christ breaking out of his tomb similar to a chick breaking free from it's egg. Could also have metaphorical influence, such as the age-old question, "Which came first--the chicken or the egg? In this manner it could be saying, "Some questions can never be answered by mere humans, so quit agonizing over a problem without solutions and deal with what-is, as it is."

Other types of symbology involving birds
: metaphors such as
"bird-brain", "You eat like a bird", "birds of a feather flock
together," "that's for the birds", "A bird in the hand is worth 2 in the
bush", "feathered friends", etc.  Just apply the metaphor to the context of your dream to get the gist of what the symbology entails.  Also helpful is relating bird dream symbols to song lyrics.  Think of how many different songs mention birds in one way or another.