I am in a room with a guy named Ben- coworker from Seattle Mental Health (he was an intern, now works in Access, a Christian). He tells me he wants his protector token. I take him and an older man to the drawer in the room where there are an assortment of these small sculptures used for protection. Ben chooses 6-8 inch tall sculpture of a gold snake curled up. He looks at the snake for awhile, saying it will protect him. He then tells me he doesn't want it. He gives it to me to put away. At some point, the snake comes to life. I try to hold it so it doesn't bite me, but it does bite me- twice on the top side of my right arm near my elbow. It hurts. I think I am able to put it away, or I wake up.
Seeing a snake or be bitten by one in your dream means 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.
In some cultures snakes are highly regarded and symbolise the ability to transcend into higher levels of consciousness or into areas of knowledge that exist outside perceived time and space. In the pre-Christian days, snakes were considered symbols of fertility, healing, and nurturing (the healing serpent representing a god). Post Eden, snakes are often considered symbols of temptation and evil, anger, and envy. Snakes emerging out of the ground may represent your unconscious or repressed materials coming to your conscious mind. Most snake dreams seem to be disturbing and they leave the dreamer feeling anxious and afraid. There are no simple interpretations to the snake dreams. Sometimes snakes may be phallic symbols and other times they represent negativity in our lives that hampers our progress and constantly threatens us. In the long run the snake may be a positive symbol; it may represent difficulties that lead us to the centre of personality and result in feelings of completeness.
Snake symbolic meaning, overwhelmingly and in various cultures, deals with primordial life force and usually turns our attention to gender supremacy (both male and female).
Consequently, snakes span the symbolic bridge between lunar and solar associations as well as aspects between water and fire.
Coiled within this polarity, we clearly see symbolism of duality and the search for balance. Other snake symbolic meaning includes:
Cycles
Rebirth
Patience
Fertility
Eternity
Balance
Cunning
Intuition
Awareness
Healing
Intellect
Protection
Solemnity
Rejuvenation
Transformation
Occult (hidden) Knowledge
Male/Female, Yin-Yang, Duality
As a Native American Indian symbol (depending on the nation/tribe) the snake can be a masculine symbol, associated with the phallus of lightning which is considered a medicine staff of tremendous assertive power. Other tribes lean in the direction of feminine attribution for the snake and pair it with mothering (creation), and lunar (moon) symbolism.
Whether raising itself in masculine authority, or encircling the Earth in a motherly fashion – the snake symbol of the Native American’s was highly regarded; utilized in ritual to invoke an element of pointed focus and weighty influence.
The ancient Celts were extremely nature-wise too, and approached snake symbolism from the behavior and life cycle of this magnificent creature. From the Celtic perspective, the snake was a symbol of secret knowledge, cunning and transformation.
Further, the snake Celtic symbol comes from observations of the European viper (also known as the adder) which is the only (along with the common grass snake) species able to tolerate the colder climate of the ancient Celts.
In the keen Celtic mind, snake symbolic meaning of transformation came from the shedding of its skin. Physical evidence of leaving its form behind (casting off the old self), and emerging a sleeker, newer version made the snake a powerful symbol of rebirth and renewal.
As far as the occult (hidden) symbolic meaning in Celtic and other cultures, this can be connected to the sleuth-like ways of the snake.
Disappearing in colder months and summoned by the sun marks the snake’s connection to the shadow worlds with its successful ability to live within the dark realms for extended periods of time. Alternatively, the snake softly moves into the embrace of the sun, and so it encapsulates the ancient magician's creed of moving in perfect rhythm of natural forces.
In Eastern Indian myth the Sanskrit word for snake is naga and these are associated with the element of water. Picking up water’s symbolism of emotion, love and motion, nagas in this light are considered a feminine aspect and embody nurturing, benevolent, wise qualities.
To wit, the practice of nagayuna in Eastern Indian alchemy seeks to achieve loving harmony between the physical and ethereal. Simply put, all of us striving to better ourselves by calmly easing into places of personal balance within the cosmic balance of the whole are practicing this ancient technique.
Snake tattoo symbolism varies according to the bearer of the mark. For example, I have a back piece depicting two serpents (nagas) wrapped around the seven prime chakras down the length of my spine. This (to me) incorporates the kundalini power available to all humans.
Additionally, this entwined snake imagery hearkens to the caduceus, in which the staves of Asclepius are made of two polar (and copulating) serpents which symbolizes balance, equanimity, union and regeneration.
Double snakes are common in almost all cultural symbolic languages. Ultimately the double snake is an icon representing:
Connection between primal forces
Integration of opposites
Advanced communication
Joining together on a divine level
Making whole what was once fragmented and doing so in a magical, organic way.
Snake Double HelixCarrying this dual snake imagery a step further, we could look to the language of science. Observe the formation of DNA and how it forms a perfect, serpentine double helix (shown left). This prompts us to consider how the energetic mind is connected to the grander whole, and how it so effortlessly makes graceful connections between the basic building blocks of data with the manifestations of the natural world.
There is no doubt, the snake is a unifying force embodying infinite messages to those who are energetically available to perceive them. Alchemists understood this, and thus incorporated the philosophy of snakes in their grimoires, practices, and even their daily life.
Indeed, alchemy literature is rife with the image of the uroboros which is symbolic of conceptualizing totality – embracing the whole of consciousness and devouring it with unquenchable passion.
As an animal totem, the snake surfaces into our awareness with all the power of the symbolic attributes listed on this page (and more). Those who are drawn to the snake (and vice versa) are gifted at perceiving life through an uncommon lens. Other characteristics of those who are connected to snake energy include:
A natural ability to balance energies (you’re likely a gifted healer)
Diplomatic and eloquent in areas of speech and writing
Dynamically intuitive (often knowing other’s thoughts and emotional states without trying)
Impulsive, but not without careful consideration – this may sound paradoxical, but those with the snake totem know what I mean here.
I invite you to step into the calming energy of the snake, and see what this noble creature offers you in the form of messages, growth, and enlightenment.
Further, it should be understood this page is but a miniscule sampling of the diverse snake symbolic meaning s available to us. Therefore, I encourage you to slither into your own personal ruminations, research and meditation of the snake.
You will find your investment to be infinitely rewarding.
By shedding its skin, the snake symbolizes change in the cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth. It counts among its strengths the power of creation, of se xuality, of the soul, as well as of transformation and immortality. Snake-people are higher cast, because as part of their experiences they have had to come into contact with poison (physical or mental) and have been able to transform the poison in their bodies into something harmless. The snake belongs to the element of fire, which causes desire and passion in the physical realm and, in the spiritual realm, creates a connection with the Great Spirit and leads to all-encompassing wisdom. Whenever the snake appears in your dreams, it is a sign of change as you come ever closer to perfection.
This animal gives you the ability to let go of things that are worn out and no longer useful - just like the snake sheds it skin when it is no longer needed.
Rebirth, wisdom, fluidity, wholeness, transmutations, sexuality, look for transitions, changes and new opportunities. Creative forces are awakening with heightened intuition. Snake can teach about shedding what is not needed; perceptions, attitudes, ideals. Snake shows how to access vitality, ambitions and dreams along with intellect and personal power. What things are surfacing that you need to strike out and take advantage of? Perhaps a time to rest and reflect? Listen to your intuition and visions at this time. Contemplate the colors, striking ability and activity of the snake type to further understand what snake is saying.
In Hindu doctrine, gold is the ‘mineral light’. According to Guénon, the
Latin word for gold—aurum—is the same as the Hebrew for light—aor (26).
Jung quotes the delightful explanation offered by the alchemist Michael Maier in
De Circulo Physico Quadrato to the effect that the sun, by virtue of millions of
journeys round the earth (or conversely) has spun threads of gold all round it.
Gold is the image of solar light and hence of the divine intelligence. If the heart is
the image of the sun in man, in the earth it is gold (32). Consequently, gold is
symbolic of all that is superior, the glorified or ‘fourth state’ after the first three
stages of black (standing for sin and penitence), white (remission and innocence)
and red (sublimation and passion). Everything golden or made of gold tends to
pass on this quality of superiority to its utilitarian function. Chrysaor, the magic
sword of gold, symbolizes supreme spiritual determination. Gold is also the
essential element in the symbolism of the hidden or elusive treasure which is an
illustration of the fruits of the spirit and of supreme illumination.
To see gold in your dream, symbolizes wealth, riches, natural healing, illumination and/or spirituality. It is also a symbol of love, longevity and domestic bliss. Negatively, gold may represent greed, corruption and temptation.
To find gold in your dream, indicates that you have discovered something valuable about yourself. This may be some hidden talent or knowledge.
To bury gold in your dream, suggests that you are trying to hide something about yourself.
f you handle gold in your dream, you will be unusually successful in all enterprises. For a woman to dream that she receives presents of gold, either money or ornaments, she will marry a wealthy but mercenary man.
To find gold, indicates that your superior abilities will place you easily ahead in the race for honors and wealth.
If you lose gold, you will miss the grandest opportunity of your life through negligence.
To dream of finding a gold vein, denotes that some uneasy honor will be thrust upon you.
If you dream that you contemplate working a gold mine, you will endeavor to usurp the rights of others, and should beware of domestic scandals.
Finding gold in your dream means that your superior abilities will place you easily ahead of others. Seeing bars of gold and gold jewelry in your dream means your carelessness with the spending of your money. Seeing golden tableware and flatware indicates financial gain and stability. For a pregnant woman, to dream of gold, foretells that your expected child will be a girl.
Dreaming about gold could be a reflection of concerns that you have about your most precious valuables or a reference to "alchemist's gold" which is usually spiritual in nature. If you are losing gold in your dream, it may express your anxieties over a missed opportunity. However, remember, "All that glitters is not gold." Your unconscious mind may be reminding you not to judge things on appearances
In Egyptian hieroglyphs, the sign of the arm stands for activity in
general. Other signs derived from this primary sign stand for special kinds of
activity, such as working, offering, protecting, donating, etc. The hieroglyph
depicting two raised arms is a symbol of invocation and of self-defence (19), a
meaning which is universally recognized. A frequent motif in heraldic and emblematic devices is that of a weapon held by an arm emerging from a cloud, or
from the surround of a picture. This is the avenging arm of the Lord of Hosts, or
a call from the heavens for vengeance (39).
To dream of seeing an arm amputated, means separation or divorce.
Mutual dissatisfaction will occur between husband and wife.
It is a dream of sinister import. Beware of deceitfulness and fraud.
To see your arms as the emphasis in your dream, indicate your nurturance side and your ability to reach out and care for people. Alternatively, it may represent the struggles and challenges in your life. Consider the pun "arm yourself" which implies that you need to protect yourself, be more aggressive and take a firmer stance on things or the pun "up in arms", representing anger and your readiness to argue.
To dream that your arm has been injured, signifies your inability to care for yourself or your helplessness in reaching out to others. You may have been feeling limited and restricted in terms of your freedom or activities. The right arm signifies your outgoing nature and is associated with masculine energy, while your left arm signifies your supportive or nurturing nature and is associated with feminine qualities. Losing either arm may suggest that you are failing to recognize its respective characteristics.
To dream that you rip someone else's arms out, indicates that you are extremely upset with something that this person has done, but you have not been able to fully express your anger. Because you tend to keep your emotions inside, it is finding expression in your dreams in a violent way.
Spreading your arm towards people, could show your generous and caring nature. Your left side being associated to feminine qualities,like nurturing and support, and your right arm being more daring and outgoing and reflecting masculine characteristics. Showing your arms agressivly means that you feel the need to protect your interests and show more assertiveness. When you dream that you have lost your arms, it reflects your feeling of failure, inability to take care of yourself and of others.
To see a bite in your dream, forewarns of danger from someone who wish you harm, either physical or financial. Be careful of people who surround you.
To dream that you are being bitten, represents your vulnerability regarding some unresolved issues or emotions. You may be pestered by a problem or obstacle. The dream may also be a metaphor indicating that you have bitten off more than you chew. Perhaps you have too much to handle.
To dream that you are being bitten by a vampire, signifies your need to shut out a person in your life who has been using you. It is time to open your eyes and stand up for your self. Do not let yourself be manipulated and played for a fool.
To dream of biting someone in your dream, signifies the pressure you are putting on some people causing them great distress. You may have unexpressed, perhaps even childish, feelings of anger or resentment that need to be recognized. This dream is a message for you to lighten up and alleviate the stress that you are putting on others.
Dreaming of bites, forewarns of danger from someone who has wished you harm, either physical or monetary. Be careful of people who surround you. Dreaming that you are being bitten, represents your vulnerability regarding your unresolved issues emotions. You may be pestered by a problem or obstacle. Dreaming that you are being bitten by a vampire means your need to shut out a person in your life who has been using you. It is time to open your eyes and stand up for your self. Do not let yourself be manipulated and played for a fool. Dreaming of biting someone means the pressure you are putting on some people causing them great distress. You may have unexpressed, perhaps even childish, feelings of anger or resentment that need to be recognized. This dream is a message for you to lighten up and alleviate the stress that you are putting on others.
Seeing people you know as statues in your dream, symbolizes a lack of communication with that person and that the relationship is inflexible. On a more positive note, it may represent someone you idealize and admire. Dreaming that you are a statue means that your true self is out of touch with reality.
A symbol of individuality—of private thoughts. The windows symbolize the possibility of understanding and of passing through to the external and
the beyond, and are also an illustration of any idea of communication. Hence, a
closed room lacking windows may be symbolic of virginity, according to Frazer,
and also of other kinds of non-communication. Many rites involving the
enclosureimage are performed to mark the reaching of puberty, all over the world.
The legend about Danae, shut up by her father in a bronze tower, pertains to this
particular symbolism. There is a Siberian legend concerning a ‘dark house of iron’
which is also relevant to it (21). We might also mention the ‘vase with a lid’, one
of the eight emblems of good luck in Chinese Buddhism, and a symbol of wholeness, of the idea with no ‘exit’, or, in other words, of supreme intelligence triumphant over birth and death (signified respectively by the doors and windows of
the room) (5). This explains why the hermetically sealed room may possibly be
a variant form of the ‘vase with a lid’.
To dream that you are in a room, represents a particular aspect of yourself or a specific relationship. Dreams about various rooms often relate to hidden areas of the conscious mind and different aspects of your personality. If the room is welcoming or comfortable, then it signifies opulence and satisfaction in life. If you see a dark or confined room, then it denotes that you feel trapped or repressed in a situation.
To dream that you find or discover a new room, suggests that you are developing new strengths and taking on new roles. You may be growing emotionally. Consider what you find in the discovered room as it may indicate repressed memories, fears, or rejected emotions. Alternatively, such rooms are symbolic of neglected skills or rejected potential.
To dream that you are in an empty white room, indicates a fresh start. It is like a blank canvas where you want to start life anew. Alternatively, the dream means that you are trying to isolate yourself. You do not want any outside influences.
To dream of a yellow room, suggests that you need to use your mind. You are feeling stimulated mentally.
Dreaming that you are in a room, represents a particular aspect of yourself or a particular relationship. Dreams about various rooms often relate to hidden areas of the conscious mind and different aspects of your personality. Dreaming that you find or discover new rooms, suggests that you are developing new strengths and taking on new roles. You may be growing emotionally. Seeing an appealing or comfortable room in your dream means opulence and satisfaction in life. Seeing a dark, eerie or confining room indicates that that you feel trapped or repressed in a situation.
This, like the great majority of symbols, has a double meaning embracing
both the mystic and the psychological planes. On the mystic level, the bite, or,
rather, teeth-marks, are equivalent to the imprint or the seal of the spirit upon the
flesh (since the teeth are the fortress-walls of the ‘inner’ or spiritual man). On the
psychological level, and especially where animal-bites are concerned, it is symbolic, according to Jung, of the sudden and dangerous action of the instincts upon
the psyche (32).
This dream omens ill.
It implies a wish to undo work that is past undoing.
You are also likely to suffer losses through some enemy.
To see a sculpture in your dream, indicates that you are refusing to accept things as they really are. You are afraid that you are not presenting yourself in a positive light or image.
Seeing a sculpture in your dream indicates that you are refusing to accept things as they really are. You are afraid that you are not presenting yourself in a positive light or image.
To dream that you are taller than someone, indicates that you may be looking down on that person. You feel that you are above him or her. Alternatively, the dream represents authority and pride.
To dream that others are taller than you, suggests that you have a tendency to overlook things. Perhaps you feel that a higher power is always looking over you and judging your actions. Alternatively, the dream denotes low self-esteem issues. You are looking down on yourself.
Dreaming that you are taller than someone indicates that you may be looking down on that person. You may feel that you are now above him or her. Alternatively, it represents authority and pride. Dreaming that others are taller than you, suggests that you may have a tendency to overlook things. Perhaps you feel that a higher power is always looking over you and judging your actions.