Dreaming about snake: Meaning of Snake in a Dream

Meaning of dream with Snake from different traditions

• In Indian tradition, moving snakes symbolize the stirring of kundalini.

• In Freudian terms, snake is a phallic symbol.

• Jung, however, interpreted snakes as symbolic of the conflict between conscious attitudes and instincts.

Dreams with snakes according to Sri Swami Sivananda

Snakes: You have sly and dangerous enemies who will injure your character and state of life.

Excerpt from the book Philosophy of Dreams by Sri Swami Sivananda a sage well rooted in the vedic sciences and traditions. The book gives a quit different view on the analysis of dreams and their cause compared to the ones by western psychoanalysts. The meaning of dreams and interpretation of dreams are important concerns also for the spiritual seeker and can give valuable information on the path towards spiritual growth and enlightenment.

WordIQ on Snake Dreams

Interpretation: A snake, being the ages old symbol of evil or satan, makes it a bad omen to have one show up in a dream. To see a lone snake and feel threatened by it shows that you have a bad enemy that is even then working against you, it also a warning against bodily harm from an enemy. To dream of many snakes in a pit is the foreboding of much bad luck in love or business. Should you overcome and kill a threatening snake in your dream shows that you will overcome your adversary and win out.

See: www.wordiq.com/dream/snake.html

www.dreamsnightmares.com on dreaming about snake

Question:

“I keep having dreams about snakes. I've had them since I was little. They used to be in the backyard in my dreams but now they're moving to different locations. Last night I had one where the snakes were in the school and this kid that died in March was in it and he looked dead. What do the snakes mean? and why do I keep having these dreams?”

Answer:

Snakes are symbolic of different things. Your dream of the dead child inside the snake sounds like a classic dream of the snake being a symbol of transformation. Snakes are often seen as symbols of life, death and rebirth. In North American native tribes, the shedding of the snake's skin is associated with life and a new beginning.

In writing about Snake Symbolism, Gillian Holloway, Ph.D. wrote, "People who are dying or who have lost a loved one often dream of snakes, at or near the time of death. For whatever reason, these dreams seem involved with the psychic awareness of the transition from this life to the next...."

Carl Jung talks about a similar connection between earth and heaven in his discussion on the snake as a symbol for medicine. In Man and His Symbols, he writes, "perhaps the commonest dream symbol of transcendence is the snake, as represented by the therapeutic symbol of the Roman god of medicine Aeseulapius, which has survived to modern times as a sign of the medical profession. This was originally a nonpoisonous tree snake; as we see it, coiled around the staff of the healing god, it seems to embody a kind of mediation between earth and heaven."

Snakes are also seen as symbols representing evil. The bible uses the symbol of the serpent in the Garden of Eden to represent Satan. In other cases the snakes is seen as a phallic symbol.

Recurring dreams indicate a fear or an unresolved issue. One way to deal with the recurring dream of the snakes is to try lucid dreaming. This is when you become conscious in your dream and are aware that you are dreaming. If you are able to do this, then ask the snakes what it is they want and why you keep dreaming about them? If the snakes are hostile and you are afraid in the dream then face the snakes and master the situation in some way. Seeing the dream through to the end is important in overcoming it.

You will have to look at your dream in its entire context and determine how you felt about the snakes in the dream. You should also look at the other associations in the dream. You said they were in the backyard. Why were they in the backyard? What sort of association do you have with the backyard that might account for the snakes being there?

I had a dream about two black snakes chasing me and one of them bit me then I woke up all sweaty. Could you tell me the significance of the snakes?

It would depend on the association you had with the dream. Did you struggle with the snake or did it wither and die after it bit you? Gillian Holloway, Ph.D. identifies being bitten by a snake as meaning different things. She says, "In many dreams a single snake will come to bite you, and you may in fact be bitten after a brief struggle. To your amazement though, you will not die, and may find that the situation is not as bad as you thought." According to Holloway you have this kind of dream if you are struggling with some problem, relationship or challenge. "Such a snake-ordeal is an important signal that you are going through a kind of initiation; a psychological and spiritual trial that has the potential to change your life for the better if you deal with it bravely and with a clear heart. You may have to give up something you thought you couldn't, or take a stand for your principles or faith."

If the snake withered and died after it bit you then it could be a dream of a sexual nature replicating the male orgasm. Snakes can also indicate trouble in your life. It could mean that something is worrying you and needs to be resolved by you.

To see a snake or be bitten by one in your dream, signifies hidden fears and worries that are threatening you. Your dream may be alerting you to something in your waking life that you are not aware of or that has not yet surfaced. The snake may also be seen as phallic and thus symbolize dangerous and forbidden sexuality. The snake may also refer to a person around you who is callous, ruthless, and can't be trusted. As a positive symbol, snakes represent transformation, knowledge and wisdom. It is indicative of self-renewal and positive changes.

See: www.dreamsnightmares.com/snakes