Photo of snake in field of white flowers in front of mountains and blue sky. — The symbolic meaning of dreaming about snakes & tips for interpreting your snake dream

What does your dream snake dream mean?

Your dream symbols are unique to you, but sometimes it helps to have guidance about what a particular symbol in a dream might mean to get started interpreting your dream. Use the information here about snake dreams as a guide, but don’t let it override your intuitive sense of your snake dream’s meaning for you.

Before you read about what your snake dream might mean, try answering these questions to tap into your intuitive sense of the meaning of your snake dream before you’re too influenced by the information in the rest of this article. It can also help to write out the answers to these questions in a dream journal.

What did the dream snake look like? What color or colors was the snake? What size was the snake?
How was the dream snake behaving? Was the snake sitting still? Was the snake moving? If so, how was the snake moving? What was the dream snake doing? Was the snake aggressive? Was the dream snake interacting with you or anyone or anything else in the dream? If so, how was the dream snake interacting with people and things in the dream?
Where was the dream snake located? What were the surroundings like? What was the dream snake near?
When was the last time you saw a snake?
Does the dream snake remind you of any particular snake you’ve seen before (in real life, a movie, television show, art, another dream, etc.)?
What was your emotional reaction to the dream snake? If there were other people in the dream, how did they respond to the snake?
When you think of the word “snake”, what’s the next word that comes to mind?
What memories do you have of snakes? Is the dream snake reminiscent of any of these memories?
When you think of media or art (TV, movies, books, paintings, poetry, stories, etc.) where a snake appears, what media or art first comes to mind? How was the snake portrayed in that work of art? Does the dream snake remind you at all of the snake from any of these works of art?
Write one poetical sounding sentence about the snake in your dream.
What do snakes mean to you?
How did your snake dream resolve?
Take a few deep breathes and imagine that your dream had continued on for a few more minutes. What happens next in the snake dream?

If you want to do your own full dream interpretation before you read more about what snake dreams mean, check out this Dream Journal Example Entry to learn how. You might also find some helpful ideas for interpreting your snake dream - even if the symbolism is unclear - in this article about a dream study that analyzed 200 dreams (How To Use The 5 Dream Types To Understand Your Dreams).

What do snake dreams mean?

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In Jungian psychology, snakes are commonly thought to represent healing and transformation (because snakes shed their skin), your relationship to men or the inner masculine or sexuality (because snakes are phallic symbols), or your relationship to deep instinctual parts of you – your inner animal so to speak – and the state of your mind-body connection (because snakes are all spinal cord). Psychologist Carl Jung noted that snakes are the most common symbol for the animal (or nature) instincts within us.[1] Psychiatrist James A. Hall, MD, says that when snakes appear in large numbers in dreams, they are more likely to represent this “instinctual energy.”[2] Jung also identified dream snakes as one of the most common animal symbols for the Self (the whole you, your guiding center so to speak).[3] Your snake dream could be about any of these things, but it could also be about something else since all dream symbols are unique to the dreamer.

If your snake dream is difficult to connect up with your daily life and left you feeling emotional, consider that your snake dream may be archetypal (related to universal life themes). Snakes have been important symbols for humanity across time and cultures, so it is particularly worth considering whether your snake dream might be archetypal. In On the Nature of Dreams, Jung wrote that “big” archetypal dreams like this are more likely to occur in childhood, puberty, midlife (36-40 years old), and near death; so, if you are in one of these age ranges you should especially consider whether your snake dream may be archetypal. Jung went on to describe a man at mid-life who dreamt of a snake guarding a golden bowl underground; the dream did not bring to mind anything of note from the man’s daily life, but had a strong emotional impact on him. Jung interpreted the snake dream as being in line with myths about heroic figures journeying out seeking treasure that’s guarded by a dragon. He understood the snake dream to be about the ordeal of facing and accepting that the man had reached mid-life, a universal theme common to humanity and not unique to the dreamer.

Snake dream meanings to consider

The meaning of your snake dream is unique to you, but here are a few snake dream meanings to consider.

Dream of golden snake

Your dream of a golden snake could be a symbol of psychological transformation. If you dream of a golden snake, this might mean that you have brought into the light of your consciousness previously unaccepted aspects of who you are. A dream of a golden snake could mean that you have understood and accepted that there are natural animal instincts at work in you, or it could mean that your mind and body have learned to connect in a new way. If you are female and you dream of a golden snake, this could be a symbol of animus integration (bringing to light and accepting aspects of who you are that you associate with masculine ways of being).

Dream of black snake

A dream of a black snake could symbolize deeper animal instincts in you that you are not consciously aware of (something that is in the black shadows, so to speak). A dream of a black snake could represent fear of change, or fear of something else that the snake represents (sexuality, masculinity, etc.). A black snake in a dream could also mean that you are not yet consciously aware of the need to make a change. Think about what you associate with the color black. Say the word “black” out loud. What’s the next word that comes to mind? How can this influence your understanding of your dream about a black snake? For example, if the word “night” comes to mind, that may confirm that the black snake in your dream represents something consciously unknown to you (hidden in the black of night).

Dream of white snake

A dream of a white snake could symbolize deeper animal instincts, sexuality, or masculine aspects of who you are that are slowly coming into your conscious awareness. If you dream of a white snake, the snake could also represent healing. Say the word “white” out loud. What’s the next word that comes to mind? How can this influence your understanding of your dream about a white snake? For example, if the word “light” comes to mind, this may confirm that the white snake in your dream represents an aspect of yourself that is coming into your conscious awareness (or into the light, so to speak).

Dream of snake changing color

If you dream of a snake changing color, this could represent psychological transformation. What color was the snake and what color did the snake change to? What ideas and feelings do you associate with these colors?

Dream of snakes in your bed

If you dream about snakes in your bed, this could symbolize the animal-like instincts in your unconscious mind that visit you at night when you’re asleep and dreaming. A dream of snakes in your bed could be a reminder that your waking behavior is somehow misaligned with your instincts. Your reaction to the snakes in your bed in the dream could represent how your conscious mind feels about these animal-instincts being part of you. A dream of snakes in your bed could also represent some aspect of your sexuality or sexual experiences.

Dream of snake in basement

A dream about a snake in the basement could symbolize aspects of yourself, your animal-like instincts, or a coming internal change that is currently beneath your conscious awareness. If you dream of many snakes in your basement, your dream is more likely to be about instincts you are not consciously aware of.

Dream of snake in your home

If you dream about a snake in your home, this may represent animal-like instincts or sexuality that exist in your body, but that you do not consciously acknowledge in your waking life. A dream about snakes in your home could also symbolize a time of internal psychological changes or changes in your home life.

Dream of eating a snake

A dream of eating a snake could symbolize acceptance of change or psychological transformation in your life. Dreaming of eating a snake could also mean that you are accepting aspects of your personality that you view as masculine ways of being. A dream of eating a snake might symbolize that you are learning to accept certain aspects of your sexuality, or that you recognize certain animal-like instincts as being part of who you are.

Dream of aggressive snakes

If you dream of an aggressive snake or aggressive snakes, this could represent fear of change or fear of accepting certain aspects of who you are (including aspects of your animal-like instincts or of your sexuality).

Dream about snake biting

If you dream about a snake biting you, this could symbolize being confronted with truths about yourself that are painful to accept; this could be truths about a change you need to make or truths about yourself that you don’t want to acknowledge. If a snake bites someone else your dream, think about what you associate with this dream character. Does this dream character have a personality trait or way of being that you also possess, but don’t want to acknowledge?

Dream of snake in water

If you dream about a snake in water this could represent aspects of yourself that are currently hidden from your conscious mind that are now heading towards conscious awareness. Check out, What Does A Water Dream Mean? for more help interpreting this dream.

Dream of snake in your ear

If you dream about a snake in your ear, this might symbolize some aspect of who you are that is “trying to get your ear” (i.e., trying to get you to listen). Perhaps the dream snake in your ear wants you to make a change or learn something about yourself.

Dream of snake chasing you

If you dream about a snake chasing you, you might be feeling pursued by instincts you don’t want to give in to, or a change you don’t want to undergo. A dream about a snake chasing you could also symbolize running away from an aspect of yourself that you don’t want to acknowledge.

Dream of saving someone from a snake

If you dream of saving someone from a snake, your snake dream could mean that you are trying to protect some part of yourself from change. Who did you protect in the dream? What does this person represent to you? Are there aspects of yourself that correspond to this person?

Dream of saving a snake

A dream of saving a snake may mean that you feel the need to protect your own instincts or deep parts of who you are as a person. What were you saving the snake from? Does what the snake needed saving from correspond to anything in your own life?

Dream of many snakes

A dream of many snakes might represent your own deep animal-like instincts. What were the snakes in your dream doing? Does this correspond in any way to something you’re working through internally or something going on in your waking life?

Dream of being killed by a snake

If you dream of being killed by a snake, this could be a symbol of deep psychological transformation and ultimately re-birth. If you were afraid of being killed by snakes in the dream, your snake dream may also symbolize feelings of fear associated with the need for big changes.

Dream of poisonous snake

If you dream about a poisonous snake, your snake dream could symbolize fear of change, fear of your own instincts, or fear of some aspect of who you are. Specifically, a dream of a poisonous snake might represent fears about what happens if you make a change, follow your instincts, or accept some aspect of yourself.

Dream of giving birth to a snake

If you dream of giving birth to a snake, this snake dream could represent powerful psychological transformation. This snake dream might symbolize a new way of living in the world that encompasses connection with your body, new ways of interacting with aspects of your personality that you view as masculine ways of being, a new and deeper connection between your body and mind, or healing the divide between your conscious mind and your animal-like instincts.

Your dream about snakes

With the ideas above in your mind, re-read what you wrote about your snake dream. What do you think the snake in your dream means?

Keep track of how snakes show up in your dreams over time. Make note of whether the same snake appears more than once. The meaning of a snake dream becomes even more important when understood in the context of your other dreams. Following the progression of your snake dreams can help you understand what they mean.

References for “What Does A Snake Dream Mean?”

[1] Paragraphs 385 in Jung, C. G. 1875-1961, Aion: Researches Into the Phenomenology of the Self. Princeton, N.J., Princeton University Press, 1979.

[2] Page 87 in Hall, James A., Jungian Dream Interpretation: A Handbook of Theory and Practice, Toronto, ON, Inner City Books, 1983.

[3] Paragraphs 356 in Jung, C. G. 1875-1961, Aion: Researches Into the Phenomenology of the Self. Princeton, N.J., Princeton University Press, 1979.

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