For many people, snakes are an actual phobia. But have you ever dreamed about a snake or snakes? Just thinking about snakes can fill people with a sense of fear and dread, so having dreams about snakes can be absolutely terrifying. But dreams aren’t always so straight forward, and snakes in your dreams may not literally be about snakes. So what exactly could your dream mean? What things could your dreams be trying to tell you?
What Does It Mean When You Dream About Snakes?
In most cases dreams about snakes relate directly to struggles or challenges that you may be facing in your life. Commonly, a snake represents a few different general concepts.
- A snake is a symbol of your unconscious mind
- A snake can represent the healing process
- Snakes may be a stand in for an untamed or untapped part of your psyche
- A snake may represent your unconscious wisdom
- Snakes appear during times of transformation or transition
As you can see, snakes don’t always have to represent a negative situation or person. In some cases, dreaming of snakes may indicate times of positive change in your life. It all depends on the context, as well as the culture that you live in. When you are interpreting dreams about snakes, either for yourself or someone in your life, make sure that you take a look at every possible aspect – the feeling (does the dream feel positive or negative?), the context (what is happening in the dream? what is the snake doing?), the color of the snake, the size of the snake, etc. Every part of that can represent someone or something that needs more attention in waking life. That makes snake dreams not as straightforward as they might first seem. Dreaming about snakes represent many different things.
Positive Snake Dreams
In some cultures, a snake is a positive thing, associated with healing. If you think about it, while a snake has venom, it is also the key to the antidote. In addition, the official medical symbol is known as the caduceus, which is two snakes wound around a staff. That means the snake is a literal healing symbol, one that might protect you from illness or injury.
Dreams about a snake or snakes may also represent creativity and art. You may have a lot of artistic potential that you aren’t tapping into, and the snake is a reminder that you need to focus more on the creative aspects of your life.
On the flip side, if you are able to kill a snake in your dream, that can also be seen as a positive thing. In this context, killing a snake in your dream may mean that you have every tool that you need in your waking life to overcome a threat or an obstacle that you might be facing. You know how to defeat your fear, and that you will be able to overcome a poisonous situation you are facing.
If the dreams about snakes that you’re having don’t feel negative or fill you with fear, you should pay more attention to the positive aspects. Snakes are often a major symbol of transformation, that you are passing through a major change and will come out better on the other side. If you find yourself dreaming with a snake that doesn’t mean you harm, pat yourself on the back. You’re doing well!
Negative Snake Dreams
Because snakes are often seen as something negative that provokes fear from people, dreams about snakes are interpreted in a negative way. This comes directly from the Bible, where a snake was the one to tempt Eve and destroy Eden. Ever since, snakes are viewed with contempt by many people. For religious people, a dream about a snake may trace back to that story. They may feel like someone is tempting them into making decisions that might have negative, long-lasting consequences.
A snake may be viewed as being unpredictable, without logic, striking when it wants without warning. If that is how you personally feel about a snake, you may equate them with fear. That means, seeing a snake in your dream isn’t about the actual snake itself… it may represent fear as a general concept.
If you are scared of snakes because of how they slither through the grass, hiding from view, a snake can represent betrayal. The term “snake in the grass” is so common because that’s how many people see them… sneaky and ready to strike when you least expect it. For these people, a snake is a hidden threat. This type of snake dream may mean you are worried about being betrayed by people around you. It may also be your unconscious warning you of someone in your life that is ready to betray you, even if you don’t know it in your waking life. That is especially likely if the snake actually bites you. A snake bite is a common warning that someone close to you might not be as honest or straightforward as they seem.
Dreams about snakes can also indicate that you are aware that you have some hidden wisdom or intuition. The meaning of these dreams is a reminder that is is time to look deeper, and the snake symbolizes a deeper knowledge that you can access if you are brave enough to try it. Snakes may be scary, but you don’t have to let that fear paralyze you. Sometimes snakes are just a representation of your inner wisdom. “Follow us,” they say. “We have important information.” These snakes can be trusted, and do not mean you harm.
The Importance Of Snake Color
When interpreting dreams about snakes, make sure to pay close attention to the color of the snake. Snake color has a lot to tell us about what that dream might represent, and what that means for your life.
- Black – A black snake almost always represents danger. Generally, a snake that is dark in color is more likely to be poisonous. If you see a black snake in your dream, someone in your life may mean you harm. Dreaming about a black snake is a warning that you need to pay attention to people around you, as one of them might be the snake.
- Green – A dream about a green snake, depending on the context, can mean that you might be about to come into some money or at least that your life might experience a positive financial turn around soon. Green snakes also indicate fertility, growth and success. Snake dreams aren’t all bad! However, if the snake is seen in a negative context, green snakes represent struggles with all of the above.
- Yellow – Dreams about snakes that are yellow in color can represent confidence, power, joy, and clarity. A yellow snake, in a negative context, can mean you are insecure, being manipulated, or worried that someone is stealing your power.
- Brown – A dream with snakes that are brown speaks directly to the earth, nurturing, and healing. However, if the dream is negative or scary, a brown snake can represent illness, addiction, or toxic people in your life.
- Blue – Dreams about snakes that are blue are dreams about creativity, truth, and heathy communication. When seen in a negative context, blue snakes can mean someone is trying to stifle your artistic expression and stop you from speaking your truth.
- Orange – An orange snake in your dream is a symbol that your life is likely well balanced, that your emotions aren’t out of control. However, if the dream is negative, this could very easily mean the reverse.
As you can see, dreams about snakes with an obvious color can be very specific. If the color of the snake pops out at you and is something you remember immediately on waking, it is trying to tell you something.
What About Snake Size?
The size of the snake can also represent important symbols.
For instance, if you see a baby snake in your dream, it may mean that the threat you are facing is one you may also be underestimating, at least a little bit. It is a warning that it is time to take things seriously, that you are close to tragedy and need to be careful.
Big snakes in your dreams are said to represent a threat from someone that you work with. Having a dream about a snake that is very large is a reminder that you need to be careful in the workplace, and that the threat might be closer than you think.
That doesn’t mean that dreams about snakes that are very small don’t also indicate a threat. Small snakes can just be more hidden in plain site, ready to sneak up on you and betray you. These dreams are warning you to pay attention to people very close to you.
Snakes And Sexual Energy
The famous psychologist Sigmund Freud directly equated the snake with both male energy and male genitalia. This can be either positive or negative, depending on how you feel about sex and sexuality.
Some people may see a dream about a snake as a dream about temptation. Much like a snake tempted Eve, snakes can be viewed as someone using sex to tempt, seduce, or betray them. If you are not comfortable with sexuality and you have a dream in which you are afraid of a snake, it might represent an unconscious fear of intimacy or your own sexuality. That is especially true if the snake is literally on your bed, indicating that you might actually be scared of sex.
If sexual energy is something that you are comfortable with, you may see a snake as a symbol of repressed or forbidden sexuality or sexual attraction. Snakes are a gentle nudge that you need to be more open and honest with who you are and what you’re into, and dreams of snakes in a sexual context can set you free.
Snakes can also literally represent a male figure in your life, one that may intimidate you. This could be a boss, coworker, friend, lover, potential love interest, or even family member. Snakes don’t always have to represent sex, dreams with snakes can also be a warning about the men around you.
Snake Attacks or Snake Bites
A snake attack or snake bite in a dream is so common it needs its own category. Dreams about snakes that attack you represent a huge warning that you should definitely take seriously in your waking life.
If a snake bites you, it should be taken as a wakeup call. A snake in this context represents someone in your life that is poisonous, and dreams like these are warning you that you need to take steps to protect yourself. These warnings may be so important that some people say they can even feel the snake bite in a physical way that remains even after they have woken up.
Where you receive the snake bite is important as well. Dreams where a snake bites you in the back is an obvious symbol of betrayal, that someone might be talking about you behind your back. If the snake bite occurs on your right hand, you might be unsure of what actions you could take in a situation to help. You might be so concerned with creating a fair situation that you are likely to miss something or someone that might mean you harm. Stop to think about how you could handle the situation differently, and if you can figure out the person that could mean you harm. That wisdom is much more close than you think, and that bite is actually a gift to help you fight your fear and take action.
For more information, not only about snake dreams (all rights reserved), follow us. Snakes aren’t always as bad as we think, even though they may fill us will fear, so dreams about snakes don’t have to be negative. Taking a realistic look at your life, and the people in it, and using the wisdom you dreamed about to take action, could have the potential to change your life. And you don’t always have to get bit to learn that.
