serpent spirits and human have interacted in this world since before time. When they dance together in dreams, the symbolism can be sexual, psychic, and strike fear into the heart of even the most stalwart soul.
Dreams about snakes are one of the most common dreams. The mental and emotional effects can live in a person’s consciousness for many years. Because of this, the deeply intertwined connection of the human psyche to snakes is a ceaselessly discussed, dissected, and debated subject in dream interpretation and analysis circles.
Before we dig into the meaning of dreams about snakes, it’s important to know that based on Gallup’s Fears Poll – 56% of Americans cited a fear of snakes. It makes sense that snake visions are associated with anxiety, terror, stress.
True , this doesn’t bode well in most dreams about snakes. But, beyond the basic notion of being a slithering, sinister reptile, that repulses many (after all, nothing without legs should be able to move that fast), snake dreams can hold a tremendous amount of positive symbolism for you! Hard to believe, we know.
What Does It Mean When You Dream About Snakes
So, Why does dreaming about snakes elicit such outlandish reactions in the dreamer
As stated previously, snake energy and the consequences it has on the human brain is primordial. From the snake gods who protect mankind’s property to the cosmic serpents seen in stars, serpents occupy a lot of the human headspace.
To bring up the historical ties of reptiles to humans, it is important to remind people that when they dream of snakes, they are dreaming from their most ancient collective memories.
Our subconscious brings up centuries of snake imagery when we dream of snakes. This is amazing stuff. It’s no surprise that snake dreams make us nervous!
Bottom line? Our core is impacted by the dream of snakes. Therefore, snake dreams often occur when there is something really pressing on our minds, bodies, or spirits.
But not all snake dreams must be nightmares. Read on to learn how dreams about snakes could be wonderful omens. Really.
Snake Dream Interpretation Meaning By Dream symbol
Before using the BuildingBeautifulSouls.com Dream Dictionary or the snake dream meanings in this article, take a few minutes and read Learn to Interpret The Meaning of Dreams . It will help you to be better able to analyze your dreams.
Most importantly to snake dream interpretation is to consider how you feel upon waking from the dream. Are you scared, hopeful, angry? Sexually aroused? Does the dream feel like a psychic prediction?
The eyes through which you see snake imagery influence how the symbols are perceived by your dream interpretations. Do you have a phobia or love of snakes? Are you neutral about snakes?
Let’s say you fear snakes. Now, take a moment to acknowledge your fear and see if there are other things you fear in your everyday life. Is there something you would rather avoid that requires your immediate attention?
If you have a particular love for snakes is there something you are passionate about in your waking life? Is there something you can really “wrap yourself around” and become incredibly passionate about?
For further analysis, think about the action the snake is doing or not doing when you encounter it in your dream narrative. You can translate the snake’s movements and actions as well as the landscape that it interacts in your dream narrative to find meaning.
Take a look at the following possible scenarios and see how they differ:
Dreams about Snakes in the water
Water is the symbol of primordial waters of chaos. The serpent in water could also signify the creation of the universe. Sometimes, the serpent emerges from the cosmic egg. The symbol of water is emotions, and the snake symbolizes wisdom. This image could suggest the wise use of emotions to control one’s emotions or the gaining wisdom from emotions. Water also represents the subconscious mind. A snake seen in waters here may signify that one dives into the subconscious to find self-exploration. Later, the snake will emerge from the waters with new insights and wisdom.
Dreams About Snakes in the Grass
The snake is natural habitat in grass and will slither about in it, but there is a sinister connotation for the snake moving around on the earth. This association probably stems from the danger posed by poisonous serpents. The symbol is associated with something dark, untrustworthy and dangerous. It also represents potential danger and conniving. Snake lovers might only see the snake in the grass to appreciate its flawless movement, incredible self-control, strength and smoothness. The snake-loving dream of the snake in grass may indicate desirable traits that one can incorporate into their daily lives or act like a snake, with flawless movement and self-control.
Dreams of Snakes and Sexual Symbols
Sigmund Freud considered snake dream imagery as a sign of sexual repression because of the snake’s phallic like qualities and believed the repression had to do with discomfort with male genitalia. However, in some cultures the snake can be a sign for fertility. Hopi Indians used to hold a annual dance to honor Snake Girl and Snake Youth. It was believed that these two were believed to rejuvenate nature’s fertility.
You can have dreams about snakes in your bed
The initial dream scenario shows that there is nothing to make you feel more vulnerable than waking up to a snake wrapped around your body, sucking up your heat. To dream about snakes in your bed is to recognize and feel vulnerable. Translated into waking hours, there is likely something the dreamer is doing or will be doing that incites a sense of danger, vulnerability, or the need to act quickly on the situation before acting on it is no longer an option. Snakes are also associated with phallic signs because of the way they look. With snakes in the bed, the emotion you experience at sighting them may indicate how you feel about sex, intimacy, and someone crossing into your personal space. Moreover, the snake in the bed might show some hostile feelings towards a romantic partner.
Dreams About the Snake Pit
If you dream about falling into a big pit of snakes, your dream may be expressing the feeling of being out of balance, unsteady on your feet, insecure or unprotected in your waking life. This dream is common for leaders and those who are trying to climb the corporate ladder.
Dreams of being chased down by snakes
This dream is interesting because it combines chase symbolism and the symbol of the snake. Chase dreams are not at all uncommon, and often times the person/being/monster/creature chasing you is a symbol of one or more people you are currently dealing with in your waking hours. Think of the word snake when it is used to describe characteristics of a person. It can represent someone who is sneaky, devious or could even be evil. This dream could be a sign that you need to examine the people you deal with and reevaluate your trust in them. You may also feel like you are running from an unhealthy situation or condition. This dream can be a sign you have to face the reality head-on. Also, being chased can make it feel very unsafe and vulnerable.
Dreams About Snake Bites
The dream of being bitten or bitten by a snake can have many meanings. This imagery is common in dreams. First, it is a sign of potential danger. This is most likely due to something toxic in your daily life. The Book of Genesis also mentions the serpent as a symbol of temptation. Therefore, snakebite could be a sign of a temptation that you can’t resist or escape. It is alarming when a snake bites you. This is the moment when you are fully focused on the snake. If this happens, it could be a sign that you need to increase your awareness and pay more attention to other things in your life.
You Dream of Being Bitten by Poisonous Snakes
The destructive effects of toxins on the body are well-known. These may indicate that you are in a dangerous situation. You might feel paralysed or frozen if you refuse to make the necessary changes. Finally, when a serpent bites you, the toxic substances enter the body and create tremendous changes. Snakebite is often used as a symbol for dramatic transformation, initiation, or spiritual transformation. A key point to remember: Pay close attention when a snake bites your dream. The imagery of the snake, which is also a symbol for healing, may indicate the need to give extra attention to that particular part of your body or that there might be a health issue.
Dreams about Fire and Snakes
The venomous snake connects the reptile to the element, fire. This includes passion, creativity. sexuality, purification. However, it also represents destruction, compulsions.
Dreams About Snakes Wild, Tame and Wild
It is dangerous and unpredictable to dream about encountering snakes in the wild. In the Garden of Eden Eve meets a talking snake. The wild serpent also indicates temptation. However, dreaming of a pet snake to love can signify that you will experience greater wisdom and spiritual enlightenment.
Dreams About Snakes & The Shadow Self
Theresa Cheung, the author of “The Element Encyclopedia of 20,000 Dreams”, writes how the snake serves as a symbol for our ‘The Shadow’. Jungian psychology suggests that the shadow aspect of a person is a negative, or unacknowledged, part of their personality. It remains part of our subconscious. Jung asserts that, although not entirely negative, the shadow is more densely coloured and darker the more one avoids it. It could be The Shadow, a part of yourself that is seeking recognition when the snake appears in dreams. Perhaps it is time to embrace a bit of your shadow nature, which is said to lend to creative endeavors and personal growth.
Snake Dream Interpretation in Religion, Mythology and Mythology
You can find so much symbolism in snakes when you see them through the prism of religion, mythology, or another particular mythos. Snakes are a key part of many religions all over the world. You may discover that mythological and religious snake symbolism can be helpful in understanding the dream imagery you are seeing.
The Babylonian and Semite cultures identify the snake as a creature that can live forever. This notion is based on transmutation and the shedding of snakeskin. Snakes always look young and fresh after each shed. This snake symbolises reincarnation as well renewal and rebirth. The sea goddess Tiamat, Mesopotamia was associated with chaos. Images of her depict her as an serpent, thus linking the snake to chaos.
The idea Snakes are a sign of healing has been around for centuries. The Sumerians were the first to worship Ningishzida the god of the belowworld. It was easy to associate the underworld with serpents that crawl on the ground. Ningishzida has a symbol that consists of two intertwined dragons. This is an image which connotes the harmonization between two opposing forces or energies. These mythology are the inspiration for today’s medical symbol.
The symbolism of the Goddesses is often associated with snake symbols. Ancient Egyptians had many goddesses wearing crowns that featured a cobra at the front. Hieroglyphs included images of snakes in their hieroglyphs. Upper Egypt’s patron goddess is Wadjet . She features a cobraheaded female as her avatar. This is where the serpent is recognized in Upper Egypt as a symbol representing immortality. With the cobra’s spot on the back that looks almost like an eye, it became the symbol of inner wisdom.
In Ancient Rome, genius loci were guardian spirits who guarded a specific location. The snake is now playing the role of an extra-terrestrial protector.
Angitia in central Italy is the Marisian healing god, whose name derives from the word “serpent.” She is also associated with the snake charmer and snakes as well as witches.
Greek mythos has plenty of snake images, beyond those of Hermes, including the snakes that Hercules conquers as a young boy, and the Minoan Snake goddess who wields a snake in each hand: Her statue is one that serves as a sign of strength and wisdom.
Of course, in Greek mythology, snake imagery is associated with the monstrous as well, but none so well as the gorgon Medusa who, despite how is often hideously depicted, is actually a sign of feminine wisdom.
Virgin Mary: Sometimes, the Virgin Mary is depicted with her feet on the heads of snakes. This is to show her purity and the fact that she didn’t succumb the temptations of the devil during her life. Mary places her foot on top of the snake’s head to deliver a devastating blow to its head. That being the case, if you see the Virgin Mary with her foot on a snake in your dream, it could signify that you are defying temptation or that you should make every effort to do so in your waking life.
Dreams about Snakes – Shamanic Perspective
Snakes are a totem. They bring fire medicine and teach you how to transform your life. The snake is a symbol for the cord that connects the soul and the body, keeping it tethered. Shamans consider the snake to be a symbol of this cord. Dreaming of this totem is a hint to pay attention to the teachings of the snake in your waking life. At my sister site, WhatIsMySpiritAnimal.com, learn all about snake as a spirit, totem, and power animal .
Rainbow Serpent
This is Aboriginal Australia’s creator deity: The serpent is said that he lives beneath the earth and rises up to form the mountainous landscape. The dream of a colorful snake may signal a desire to reconnect with nature. The serpent is also known as a healer and will, through ritual, pass the skills on to another person. Consider if your subconscious may be hinting at personal healing, or if you are needed to aid in the healing of others.
Kundalini Awakening
Kundalini can be translated as “coiled”, and is used to describe the shakti (or energy) that rises up from below the root chakra to open the energetic wheels. The wheels run from your root chakra to where you are at your head. This is the “sleeping snake” energy that can be awakened to lead to spiritual awakening. The possibility of seeing a sleeping, coiled serpent within your dream could be a sign that this energy is present and hint at a future spiritual transformation.
Dreaming of Snake as the Trickster
The snake is a symbol of trickster energies. It is associated to someone who is cunning, clever, and mischievous. It could also be used as a symbol to denote any trickster-like deity, such as the devil in Christian-mythos, or another deity from an alternate mythology. If you see the snake in your dreams and you believe it has trickster-like attributes, you could be in a situation that creates chaos or behaves maliciously. Often times in many myths, the trickster’s actions end up being a catalyst for a greater good. Think about who is the trickster in you life. What might their motivations be?
Dreams About Snake Handling
Snake Handling is a religious practice in which the practitioner believes that if they maintain a solid faith in God, that He will protect them and keep them safe from receiving any snake bites from the snakes they choose to handle. Handlers believe that God will protect them if they are bitten by venomous snakes, or that God will keep them safe from harm. In your dreams, you may see snake handlers. This could be a sign that your subconscious foretells a test of faith.
Ouroboros
Ouroboros depicts a sea snake swallowing its own tail, and thus is said to be able to swallow all of the oceans. The symbol has become a symbol of the World Snake. It also represents life, death, or rebirth. This snake symbol can be seen in dreams. It is a sign of the World Snake and a sign that you are being reborn.
Astrology, Zodiac Signs & Birth Totems: Snakes
Sometimes, when we dream of snakes we might be dreaming of a particular person if snake is their zodiac sign or birth totem. The Scorpio star sign in Western Astrology is represented by a scorpion and snake. To learn more about snakes, astrology has two versions: the Chinese Zodiac Snake along with the Snake Native American Birth Totem.
Snake Dreams SymbolicKey
Through the lense of religions and mythology, the snake has come to represent many things. These are the principal symbolic meanings for snakes:
- Immortality
- Life, death, and rebirth
- Healing and Medicine
- Goddess energies/The Divine Female
- Immortality
- Wisdom
- Strength
- Inner Vision
- Creation/Birth the Cosmos
- Reincarnation/rebirth
- Chaos
- Primordial waters
- The Monstrous
- Feminine Wisdom
- Snake as Trickster
- Faith testing
- Renewal and Transmutation
- Protection
Dreaming of Snakes
Yes, dreams about snakes can be horrifying. However, they can also be extremely spiritual and deeply meaningful. No matter how freaked-out you feel about the dreaming of snakes — take some time to reflect on what’s really going on in your mind and heart. Do not miss the psychic message from your spirit guides, ancestors and angels.