Tag Archive: shadow

What does a snake mean…

snake dreams, dream symbol, snake in the grass, what does a snake meanDream:  What does it mean when you dream about snakes?

DreamsMaster:  A snake often represents one not to be trusted, as depicted by the expression “a snake in the grass” when describing someone slithering about ready to strike. Is there someone in your life you feel threatened by in this way?

A snake may also be a symbol of transformation, as in the shedding of one’s skin.

What a snake means in any given dream depends upon the dreamer’s personal association to snakes, combined with the events and feelings in the dream and in the dreamer’s waking world.

For example, let’s say a person likes snakes and even has one as a pet. A snake in that person’s dream may mean something quite different from a snake in another person’s dream, who is never around snakes and very much fears them.

If you’d like help interpreting a specific dream about snakes, here are some ideas on how to get started (read more about this on the Dream Interpretation pages):

1) Write out the dream in detail, then look for the general dream theme (for example, someone is doing something to someone else).

2) In regards to the snake itself, write down some adjectives that come to mind when you think of a snake.

3) Try this: role-play being the snake and interview yourself! Ask questions such as, “Who are you?” and “What is your purpose here?” Some very interesting aha! moments can come out of role-playing your symbols!

A change is taking place, some painful growth, as in a snake during the shedding of its skin. It is difficult to adjust because I do not know who is adjusting; I am no longer that old person and not yet the new.

– Peter Matthiessen, The Snow Leopard

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Animal nightmares…

animal nightmaresDream:  A lot of animal nightmares come in my mind and I don’t have good sleep at night. The dreams are very dangerous like when I go to sleep I see a dog in front of me or a bull and many other animals.

DreamsMaster:  To begin, it appears that you are currently under a great deal of stress and have a lot on your mind at night when you go to sleep, which is why your dreaming mind is so active and your dreams are full of threatening images.

A brief explanation about sleep and dreams: Our brains go through different stages when we are asleep, one of which is called REM (Rapid Eye Movement). It is during REM sleep where we have most of our dream activity. We cycle through these stages of sleep on average of every 90 minutes, which means that about every 90 minutes we’ll have a REM period filled with dreams.

When we have a lot going on in our waking world, our dreaming mind is on overdrive. The more emotion-packed the dreams, the more likely we are to be awakened by them during these REM periods.

Before moving on to interpretation ideas, I strongly recommend you start keeping a journal. At night before you go to bed, write down everything that’s on your mind, all of your worries and unfinished business of the day. Write for as long as it takes to get it all out – the more you flush out before falling asleep, the less active your mind will be during the night, and the more restful your sleep will be.

Keep the journal by your bed, and each time you wake up from a dream, take a few notes about it. Don’t try interpreting it in the moment, just write. In the morning or sometime that day, take time to review the dreams in context of what was on your mind the night before, and see what connections you can make.

Ultimately, these abundant, frightening dreams are trying to send you a problem-solving message, and they won’t ease up until you take some action.

You specifically mentioned two animals in your dreams that you perceived as dangerous (dog, bull). Here’s an idea for you to ponder in order to reveal what these animals symbolically represent to you:

In your journal, have an imaginary dialog with the dog and/or bull, asking questions such as these:
– Who are you?
– Why are you threatening me?
– Are you angry with me for something I’ve done?
– What do you want from me now?

Then, based on the answers that come, ask yourself:
– Does this animal represent someone in your life, or is it a part of yourself?
– What problem in your life is this dream trying to help you solve?
– What action could you take, in order to solve this problem?

See also:

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