What Does It Mean When You Dream About Snakes?

Snake dreams can carry powerful messages from your subconscious or the Universe, often symbolizing change, growth, renewal, or hidden fears.

Dreams about snakes may point to challenges in relationships or situations, with the dream’s context and tone providing valuable insight that you can apply to your waking life.

The Spiritual History and Symbolism of Snakes

Found on nearly every continent, snakes hold symbolic meanings across a variety of cultures, often representing transformation, healing, or danger. The snake’s ability to shed its skin invokes themes of renewal and rebirth, aligning with the transformative powers that are often associated with spiritual practices.

In ancient Egypt, the snake was revered as an icon of transformation, wisdom, and power. The goddess Wadjet was a symbol of protection and sovereignty, often depicted as a cobra snake on the crowns of pharaohs.

Within folklore, snakes are often thought to be entangled with magic and the supernatural. In some traditions, witches were believed to possess the power to communicate with or even transform into snakes, because of their connection to sacred wisdom and healing. The Greek god Asclepius had a staff entwined with a serpent, which has become the archetypal symbol of modern medicine.

Hinduism presents the snake as a symbol of fertility, protection, and spiritual awakening. The popular and enduring design of the ouroboros — a snake eating its own tail — symbolizes the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Similarly, in Aboriginal Australian cultures, the Rainbow Serpent is a powerful creator god, embodying water and land.

Related: The Basics of Dream Analysis

What Snakes In Dreams Symbolize

Just like dreams about teeth falling out, many people may assume that any and every snake dream is a bad dream. However, the meaning of snake dreams can vary significantly depending on how the snakes present themselves to you. The clues are in the context of the dream, such as what the snake is doing, what it looks like, how many there are, and how it makes you feel.

Snake Colors in Dreams

Snakes may resemble their real-life counterparts — or they may appear fantastical and strange, with vibrant colorways or varying sizes.

A snake with multiple bright colors may indicate a new streak of creativity and inspiration. A green snake — one of the most common colors among real snakes — could signify an earthly connection. This could mean that you are on track toward healing, positive change, or growth.

Dream snakes that are dark-colored and large could represent deep fears, mysterious forces, and suppressed emotions.

Conversely, a white snake in a dream is associated with purity, spiritual guidance, transformation at the highest level, and even divine protection.

Dreams about red snakes are less common, but they generally symbolize passion and intense emotions such as love or anger. It can also indicate a struggle for power or vitality.

Types of Snake Dreams

Snake dreams take many forms, each with their own meaning for the dreamer. Here are some of the most common dreams about snakes and what they may mean.

Dreaming of a Snake Shedding Its Skin

When a snake sheds its skin in your dream, it can be symbolic of letting go of beliefs, habits, or relationships that no longer serve you, becoming a new version of yourself, and moving forward. It may also mean you’re nervous or afraid of change.

Dreaming of a Snake That Is Friendly

If a snake is friendly in your dream, it could be a reflection of your growth and acceptance of your current path and spiritual journey. They can also indicate a time of resolution or a growing connectedness with your own spirituality.

Dreaming of Two Snakes

Dreaming of a pair of snakes can symbolize harmony and balance between two important facets of your life. It may also represent a heightened awareness or an unexpected emphasis on the duality between who you are and what you want to achieve in life.

Dreaming About a Snake Slithering Away

Watching a snake distance itself from you during a dream can be a positive sign. It may be a subconscious depiction of a problem or fear that’s losing power over you in your waking life, symbolizing that issue slowly leaving and releasing its hold.

Dreaming About a Threatening Snake Situation

If the snake is an ominous presence in your dream, it may be a warning from your subconscious that you feel threatened or stressed out by something. It can also be a manifestation of the roadblocks you are anxiously avoiding on your life path or other hurdles that are interfering with your growth.

Dreaming of Being Chased By a Snake

If you’re being chased by a snake in your dream, it may reflect an insecurity. It may also be a sign that you have an issue that still requires resolution, even if you are afraid to address it.

Being Bitten By a Snake in a Dream

A snake biting you in your dream could represent a feeling of vulnerability or helplessness. It may also be symbolic of feelings of guilt or betrayal, as this may be the Universe encouraging you to process your feelings about having your trust undermined or being deceived by someone.

Dreaming of Being Surrounded by Snakes

If you’re surrounded by snakes in a dream, it may reflect a sense of chaos in your waking life. It could be a sign that you are feeling overwhelmed by stressors and other invasive energies, which are distracting from your goals and ability to practice self-care.

Related: How To Get Advice in Dreams

Figuring Out the Meaning of a Snake Dream

So much of dream interpretation relies on how you feel during and after the dream. Because of this, it’s a great practice to keep a dream journal somewhere handy where you sleep. This way, you can write down details as soon as you wake up.

Discussing your notes and observations with a Dream Analysis Psychic can help you discern what a snake dream (or any other type of dream) is meant to communicate, allowing you to make the most of its energy and influence.

Have you had a snake dream? Maybe it’s a recurring dream. There’s more to your dreams than you think! That’s why a Dream Analysis Reading can get to the bottom of your dreams and discover what they have to say about your past, present, and future. Our Dream Analysis Psychics know that no two dreams are alike. Aren’t you curious about your dreams? Learn more about our psychics from real testimonials and read through our Dream Analysis Blog. Find a Dream Analysis Psychic or learn more about Dream Analysis Readings today.

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