What Does a Snake Symbolize?

Ferran Pestaña/CC-BY-SA 2.0

The snake symbolizes healing, transformation and life changes and typically appears in a person’s life when he needs spiritual guidance. The snake is also a spirit animal that is connected to the life force or primal energy inside of people.

The snake often appears to people who need guidance about life transitions and changes that are happening at the emotional, physical and spiritual levels. The snake is a representation of the life force because it is close to the Earth energies since it spends much of its time on the ground. It is a reptile, and it therefore is also representational of people’s unconscious drives and desires. People who see a snake in life should examine how they are using energy and where they are drawing it from.

People who see a snake as their spirit animal will need to be sensitive to healing abilities toward themselves and other people. They will need to find support among Earth and nature in order to be happy. Snakes can also appear in people’s dreams.

When a snake appears in a person’s dreams, there are both light and dark sides. The snake can come to warn a person about a personal struggle or event coming into his or her life. When a snake bites a person in a dream, it can mean that the person needs to start paying attention to important life matters that he or she has been ignoring thus far.