Serpent

Symbol: The serpent is a symbol of self-renewal and profound wisdom, and also of the dragon.

Vision: Seeing a serpent: be careful dealing with other people— somebody has it in for you—a healthy mistrust would be prudent.

If you are bitten by a serpent: avoid disagreements and don’t get involved in the affairs of others—both could have potentially harmful consequences. Are you trapped in an unhappy relationship? In a young girl’s dream, serpents frequently indicate a rear of the power of male sexuality. In the dream of a mature woman, the dream might indicate fear of a rival. In a man’s dream, seeing a serpent could mean that a woman wants to seduce him. It could also be a warning that a conniving woman is after him, or about false friends or deceitful people. In general, however, the serpent is a phallic symbol and being bitten by a serpent indicates repressed desires for sex and erotic pleasures, which will soon be more powerful than ever. Seeing a white serpent: you will receive either a wise or a secret message.

If a serpent is shedding its skin: you have grown beyond your limitations, because you have shed your timeworn existence and personality. Looking at the serpent of the caduceus (the symbol of physicians): your emotional conflicts will be healed.

See Viper.

Depth Psychology: The serpent symbolizes psychic energy.

For women, it is a symbol of a fear of, as well as a desire for, male sexuality, though it can also be used as a weapon against the opposite sex. As a phallic symbol, the serpent might refer to temptation, seduction, and unbridled urges.

A white, yellow, or golden serpent means spiritual insight and experience; a red serpent stands for strong sexual needs; an orange-colored serpent refers to a combination of idealism, emotions, and sexuality; a blue serpent stands for religiosity; a violet serpent is a symbol of intellectual power; a green serpent promises emotional energies and budding hopes. In any case, the serpent awakens unconscious energies that influence your feelings, urges, and instincts, bringing them into awareness where they will shape your personality.

The serpent can and will greatly increase your self-knowledge.

It is a very important dream symbol!

Serpents are one of the oldest figures that have a lot of symbolism. In general, they are associated with phalluses and pagan gods of fertility. Given that snakes live sliding across the ground, they are an emblem of caution of the land and of the dangers that guard the underground world. From a Christian perspective, they are a dark and sinful symbol that tempts men to gain knowledge. On the other hand, these animals could be your hidden fears or the start of a period of internal and external conflicts. In this last case, you will have to suffer unpleasant experiences. However, at the end you will gain wisdom that you would otherwise have been unable to reach in such a small period of time.

If you fall in a pit full of snakes, the dream represents the worries that are threatening you. Snakes, lastly, sometimes symbolize venomous words and insinuations from the people around you.

In the representation of the god Mercury (the symbol of the medical profession now) there appear interlaced snakes. For the Greeks, snakes had curative properties. In a similar manner, in India, the cobra is a divine figure of illumination and is associated with the god Shiva.

The serpent is a universal symbol which can be male or female, or it can be self-created. It can signify death or destruction or conversely life and also rejuvenation.

It is the instinctive nature and equally is also potential energy. When the power of the instinctive nature is understood and harnessed we come to terms with our own sexuality and sensuality and are able to make use of the higher and more spiritual energies that become available. In a man’s dream a serpent or snake may appear if he has not understood the feminine or intuitive part of himself, or when he doubts his own masculinity. In a woman’s dream the serpent may manifest if she is afraid of sex, or sometimes of her own ability to seduce others. Because of its connection with the garden of eden, the serpent is the symbol of duplicity and trickery and also of temptation. Also consult the entry for snake in this section.