Snakes in a Mutherf$%@#n’ Dream!
I’m one of those people who tends to remember their dreams quite vividly upon waking, and I’m well aware that I have two types of dream that reoccur regularly.
The first is the chase dream. No matter how hard you run, or how hard you try to hide, or even how hard you negotiate, your enemy pursues you mercilessly. Thanks to 28 Days Later and Dawn of the Dead, in recent years those unstoppable pursuers have become rapid, groping zombies, with speed to match their hunger.
The second reoccurring dream motif is snakes. While I don’t like them, I’m certainly not phobic about the belly crawlers in consciousness / waking life. However, snakes feature in a lot of my dreams, usually biting me or my loved ones. Like last night.
While buying Fathers Day cards at an outdoor toy store (as one is prone to do in dreams) I ended up using a dinner fork to fight off a large black snake with an even blacker mouth. During the fight, the snake bit deeply into my right hand, paralysing my pinkie and ring finger. Despite the ferocity of the snake, people around me weren’t too concerned about my plight, insisting the snake’s venom is harmless.
Anyway, given how often snakes appear in my dreams, I thought I’d look into possible meanings.
From: ExperienceFestival.com
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.
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.
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.
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."
From: SoulFuture.com
A snake within a dream often symbolizes transformation, resurrection or rebirthing
A snake bite may suggest self-sabotage
Mysticism, healing, enlightenment
Being highly sensitive to the vibrations of others
Temptation
A negative association with a snake may denote being afraid of your own power
Choosing an indirect route or being unfocused
For many westerners, snakes represent fear or death
Something that is snaky may represent betrayal or insidiousness
A devious, sneaky or dangerous person, a snake in the grass
From: Lifetreks.com
Snakes as Trouble
The most common type of snake dream involves exposure to one frightening snake, or to a group of snakes in a room, a field or a pit. Many dream of having to navigate over a snake pit, or of being paralyzed with fear when faced with a snake. Typically these snakes represent troubles or one specific problem that is both intimidating and awkward to deal with. Most people can pinpoint a current predicament that is tricky, worrisome and laden with complications that make it tough to straighten out. If this fits for you, then proceed with caution, and realize you'll have to do a lot to bolster your confidence right now. Make a list of all the things you've done right, and try to think positively instead of dwelling on the "what ifs?"
Snakes as Symbols of Initiation
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. This type of dream can come when you have been fighting for your life 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. This type of dream is responsible for the widely held belief that "snakes represent transformation." In my opinion, these dreams state the potential for growth and transformation inherent within a current difficulty. But to harvest this promise, you must walk through your fears and be willing to let go of the old in order to gain the rewards of the future.
Snakes Associated with Death and Afterlife
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. You should not be frightened that a dream of snakes means someone is about to die. Under normal circumstances this is not the case. However if your family is touched by loss, or you are near someone during this transition, you may be comforted to know that some deep awareness of the afterlife seems to arouse dreams of snakes at these times.
---
While I’m fascinated with medical science that focuses on sleep I’ve always been a bit suspect about dream analysis – well, at least the application of other people’s theories to my dreams. As far as I’ve been able to work out myself (and this is hardly “Eureka” material), my dream snakes tend to strike at times when I have a very bloated diary – and my mind is frantically trying to work out how to scratch off items from my To Do List, and squeeze in things I WANT to do, between all these activities. Put simply, it’s an unconscious mental reaction to stress.
So, yeah, sorry for the Friday morning blogging brain fart. I’ve just been trying to process my thoughts on the matter. And I’m curious if anyone else has similar reoccurring in-dream experiences.
The first is the chase dream. No matter how hard you run, or how hard you try to hide, or even how hard you negotiate, your enemy pursues you mercilessly. Thanks to 28 Days Later and Dawn of the Dead, in recent years those unstoppable pursuers have become rapid, groping zombies, with speed to match their hunger.
The second reoccurring dream motif is snakes. While I don’t like them, I’m certainly not phobic about the belly crawlers in consciousness / waking life. However, snakes feature in a lot of my dreams, usually biting me or my loved ones. Like last night.
While buying Fathers Day cards at an outdoor toy store (as one is prone to do in dreams) I ended up using a dinner fork to fight off a large black snake with an even blacker mouth. During the fight, the snake bit deeply into my right hand, paralysing my pinkie and ring finger. Despite the ferocity of the snake, people around me weren’t too concerned about my plight, insisting the snake’s venom is harmless.
Anyway, given how often snakes appear in my dreams, I thought I’d look into possible meanings.
From: ExperienceFestival.com
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.
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.
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.
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."
From: SoulFuture.com
A snake within a dream often symbolizes transformation, resurrection or rebirthing
A snake bite may suggest self-sabotage
Mysticism, healing, enlightenment
Being highly sensitive to the vibrations of others
Temptation
A negative association with a snake may denote being afraid of your own power
Choosing an indirect route or being unfocused
For many westerners, snakes represent fear or death
Something that is snaky may represent betrayal or insidiousness
A devious, sneaky or dangerous person, a snake in the grass
From: Lifetreks.com
Snakes as Trouble
The most common type of snake dream involves exposure to one frightening snake, or to a group of snakes in a room, a field or a pit. Many dream of having to navigate over a snake pit, or of being paralyzed with fear when faced with a snake. Typically these snakes represent troubles or one specific problem that is both intimidating and awkward to deal with. Most people can pinpoint a current predicament that is tricky, worrisome and laden with complications that make it tough to straighten out. If this fits for you, then proceed with caution, and realize you'll have to do a lot to bolster your confidence right now. Make a list of all the things you've done right, and try to think positively instead of dwelling on the "what ifs?"
Snakes as Symbols of Initiation
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. This type of dream can come when you have been fighting for your life 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. This type of dream is responsible for the widely held belief that "snakes represent transformation." In my opinion, these dreams state the potential for growth and transformation inherent within a current difficulty. But to harvest this promise, you must walk through your fears and be willing to let go of the old in order to gain the rewards of the future.
Snakes Associated with Death and Afterlife
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. You should not be frightened that a dream of snakes means someone is about to die. Under normal circumstances this is not the case. However if your family is touched by loss, or you are near someone during this transition, you may be comforted to know that some deep awareness of the afterlife seems to arouse dreams of snakes at these times.
---
While I’m fascinated with medical science that focuses on sleep I’ve always been a bit suspect about dream analysis – well, at least the application of other people’s theories to my dreams. As far as I’ve been able to work out myself (and this is hardly “Eureka” material), my dream snakes tend to strike at times when I have a very bloated diary – and my mind is frantically trying to work out how to scratch off items from my To Do List, and squeeze in things I WANT to do, between all these activities. Put simply, it’s an unconscious mental reaction to stress.
So, yeah, sorry for the Friday morning blogging brain fart. I’ve just been trying to process my thoughts on the matter. And I’m curious if anyone else has similar reoccurring in-dream experiences.
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