
People often feel that a snake in a dream is something very negative, and yet this symbol is – just like the symbols of birth and death – one of the greatest symbols of transformation. Therefore, if a snake appears in your dream, you might want to investigate what is going on in your life on the inner and outer levels that might signify a process of transformation.
The symbolism of the snake – a creature that lives on the ground, in pits, under rocks, in caves, in the depths of the water – is that of the unconscious mind, and as symbolized by the snake it is something that is coming to life in the consciousness of the dreamer.
For the serpent shedding its skin, to be, as it were, born again, is likened in the Orient to the reincarnating spirit that assumes and throws off bodies as a man puts on and puts off clothes.Joseph Campbell in Myths to Live By
The shedding of the skin was also considered a sign of immortality by ancient cultures. Campbell also uses the analogy to refer to the kind of rebirth that takes place with reincarnation, likening the shedding of the skin to the shedding of the current body for the next one in the next incarnation.
The snake can also be a phallic symbol, and whether it is interpreted in this vein, and whether this sexuality of the symbol is considered positive or negative in the dream, will depend very much on the other content of the dream, and the dreamer’s feelings during the dream.
Two excellent sources about snake symbolism in transformational dreams are:
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