In my research, I’ve found that there are three main symbols that seem to be commenting on our health… often warning us about what may be going wrong.  These symbols are the snake, the horse and the house. Certainly there are other symbols that are specific to each individual but these symbols seem to pop up the most when our dreams want to advise us about our bodies. So let’s explore them a little deeper. The following is an excerpt from my latest book Dream On It, Unlock Your Dreams Change Your Life…

The snake  For as long as I have been studying and researching dreams, I am still surprised how often snakes slither into the collective dreamscape. Snakes evoke fear in most of us, even to the point of phobia!  They have sharp teeth, a demonic forked tongue.  They can strike at lightning speed and inject you with their poison.  Shudder.

Because of these widely-feared characteristics, the dreaming mind often uses a snake to represent the dangerous, venomous behavior of yourself, or more often of someone close to you who is typically male.  Yes, the phallic shape of the snake plays a big role in its meaning.

Interestingly enough, snakes in a dream can also signify the onset of emotional or physical healing.  The connection can be found in the Caduceus, the symbol for medicine, which is two snakes wrapped around a winged staff.  We’ve grown accustomed to seeing this symbol on the side of ambulances, in pharmacies and in hospitals and therefore it is embedded in our subconscious that snakes equal healing.  Shelley’s dream below is a great example of the duality of the snake symbol.

I’ve had several dreams about snakes lately. In the first dream I was trying to get away from a multi-colored poisonous snake.  It kept striking at me, but never bit me. A few nights ago, I dreamed I was riding my bike and was being pursued by a snake that kept trying to strike at my ankles.    – Shelley 42

Lauri:  Is there a man in your life that is causing you problems?  Or is there a physical or emotional issue you are trying to heal from?  The bicycle in your second dream leads me to believe you are trying to balance both of these issues.  The fact that the snake never bites is an indication that there is no resolution to either. 

Shelley replies:  Yes and yes! There are issues with my spouse and I am also trying to heal from health and emotional issues: narcolepsy, depression, arthritis and a variety of other things that give me low energy.  I feel like my husband punishes me for being ill.  He walks away from me when I’m grieving the recent loss of my father.  He threatens to get rid of our pets just to get a reaction out of me.  He seems to enjoy upsetting me.  I could continue on and on, but I think you get the idea.

Shelley’s healing has yet to begin because her husband’s behavior only aggravates her illness and her illness only aggravates her husband.  She is in a vicious, poisonous cycle and her wise inner mind will continue to nag her with snake dreams until she puts a stop to it, one way or the other.  Believe it or not, despite the fearful element of a snake in a dream, a snake bite is a good sign that healing, whether it be emotional or physical, is underway.  Think of a snake bite in a dream as an injection of healing serum. 

The horse  When looking at a horse, it’s hard not to respect it as the mighty and noble beast that it is.  And when riding a horse, it’s hard not to feel somewhat powerful and “high on your horse” as you control the muscular steed with just a tug of the reins or a gentle kick to its sides.  Sturdiness, reliability, strength and nobility; these characteristics will show up in our dreams in the form of a horse when circumstances call upon us to behave this way in waking life. But the horse can also show up in our dreams when we need to grab the reins on our health.

Virgil’s dream below not only shows us how a horse represents strong, noble, determined behavior, but can also represent ones health. Remember the old saying, “I’m as healthy as a horse?”  Yep, it certainly applies here.

I am sitting in my backyard when I see my childhood horse, Blaze, sauntering up to the table. He snorted and nudged me until I grabbed the reins and walked with him. We went down to the river and he showed me a campfire which had burned out. In the ashes was a small, tin box. He kept nudging me with his head. I picked up the box. Inside was a shining key. I put the key in my hand and I was flying.– Virgil 56

Lauri: Like the campfire, have you “burned out”? Or has some project or relationship been extinguished? Your horse is most likely your inner strength and your health and they are urging and nudging you to get your energy level back up to where it should be so you can reignite that project or relationship. I think your dream may be showing you that “the key” is to realize that you CAN “rise above” the situation, get back in the saddle and get your life “off the ground again.”

Virgil replies:  I am burned out from working hard and recovering from a bad accident.  I am basically fully recovered from the accident but, it really “burned me out.”  I do feel my inner strength pointing me in new directions. Understanding this dream really made me think about my possibilities.

Virgil’s dream not only shows us how a horse represents strong, noble, determined behavior, but can also represent ones health. Remember the old saying, “I’m as healthy as a horse?”  Yep, it certainly applies here. Virgil’s dream was letting him know that he was healthy as a horse again after his accident and that it’s time to stop worrying, saddle up and persevere.

The house  Our dream homes say a lot about us, probably more than any other dream symbol.  The dreaming mind uses the home in order to show you yourself, your state of mind and even your body in the form of a physical structure so you can better understand your own personality construct, thought construct and even body construct.  Look at your house dreams as an honest blueprint of your current self image and state of health. 

I constantly dream of having to redo a house I am about to move into.  It is old and the walls are mildewed and the furniture is old and dusty, covered in sheets, sometimes decayed even. I am usually walking through the house, kind of afraid, telling whoever I am with about all the work that needs to be done. Often times, the house has secret rooms and or bizarre staircases that wind all over the place and lead to nowhere.   – Crissy 35

Lauri:  You are probably trying to move on from something but aren’t being terribly successful at it.  The house is old because this is an old issue in your life.  The mildew and dust point to something in your life that has been neglected.  Did you ever feel neglected in your life?  In your childhood?  The items covered in sheets represent memories you have covered up because you don’t want to deal with them.  The secret rooms may even be about things in your life that you don’t want others to know.  The staircases that lead nowhere show us that you have not been able to progress past these issues and, to some degree, they have kept you trapped emotionally, perhaps even physically.  Psychological and emotional pain will lead to physical issues if not dealt with.  You keep getting this dream because your inner mind wants to move on from it.  Are you holding on to any resentment or anger from the past?  The dreams can’t move forward until you move forward.

Crissy replies: This was very helpful. I know that I do have issues that need to be dealt with.  I actually was neglected a good bit as a child. I do harbor resentment towards my mother and this has affected my weight for most of my life. The reason I can’t deal with it is because she is mentally ill and can’t be held responsible for the way things happened in my childhood.  I have been in therapy before, but sometimes these issues are just overwhelming to confront.  I guess it is emotional laziness on my part. Time to revisit my therapist.

While the meanings stated above for the snake, the horse and the house are certainly not the only meanings behind these symbols, they are the most common according to my research. Like Virgil, Shelley and Chrissy, your dreams are giving you clues about your health and about your life too. Remember, you and your dreams (your second brain) are partners in monitoring and improving your emotional and physical well being. Like I always say, when you can understand your dreams, you can CHANGE YOUR LIFE!!

The post Three dream symbols warning you about your health appeared first on Lauri Loewenberg | Dream Expert.

Because of these widely-feared characteristics, the dreaming mind often uses a snake to represent the dangerous, venomous behavior of yourself, or more often of someone close to you who is typically male.  Yes, the phallic shape of the snake plays a big role in its meaning (the following is from my nationally syndicated newspaper column The Dream Zone)…

Dear Lauri,
I was on a boat tour in the jungle. It was a canal with trees hanging overhead. They told us about these really venomous snakes in the trees, and almost immediately, one fell on me and bit me. It happened two or three more times, and even though the boat was full they only bit ME. The bites turned into these giant cysts. I started squeezing one on my hand and squirting my dad with what was inside. After that I was in a really cold setting and kept jumping in this pool even though I could get hypothermia. But I swear it was helping the bites heal.   – Teresa 25, Fort Wayne, IN

Lauri:  Is there a man in your life that has been poisonous to you? Perhaps striking at you with biting criticism or other poisonous behavior? And is it someone in your family? Someone who is “above” you like an older brother or… your dad? I ask because trees in dreams tend to represent family and snakes tend to represent men with low down, poisonous behavior.  The cold setting tells us that things have become very icy between the two of you.  It seems that you have to continually keep yourself cold and uncaring towards him so that the emotional wounds he inflicts upon you don’t get too deeply under your skin.  It’s a shame that is the situation but your dream is letting you know that it is working for you.

Teresa replies:  This makes perfect sense, actually. My father is a condescending jerk and last night was being just that. I got into a little tizzy with him and finally just left the room because there’s no arguing with him. This isn’t anything new and the cold feelings have been there for quite a long time.

Our dreams have a really cool way of giving form to our deepest thoughts and feelings. Teresa feels her dad is a snake in the grass and has exhibited venomous behavior towards her for a long time. Giving form to our thoughts and feelings allows us to better understand ourselves and how we react to the people and world around us on a much deeper level. Having this deeper understanding also allows us to make better decisions, improve our relationships and improve our behavior. Teresa’s dream is also showing her that she is effectively dealing with her emotions regarding her father. She is not allowing his biting remarks to fester. Like the cysts in her dream, she releases what is inside.  Good job Teresa!

Your dreams are trying to help you with your difficult relationships too. In fact, every tough issue life throws at you, your dreams will assist you and advise you… you just need to be able to understand them. My book Dream on It will help you understand this magical language, easily! You don’t have to wonder what your dreams mean anymore!! Nor do your friends or family. Why not give them the gift of being able to understand their dreams this Christmas? They’ll think of you every time they get an “Aha! moment” from being able to figure out their dream. Dream books are the perfect gift because they keep on giving and giving and giving…

“Wonderful book. It answered all my questions and more. Great read!!!!
Helped me figure out my dreams. Share with friends and family.”   – Deborah Eldridge, verified Amazon purchase

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The post Getting bit by a snake in a dream appeared first on Lauri Loewenberg | Dream Expert.

Because of these widely-feared characteristics, the dreaming mind often uses a snake to represent the dangerous, venomous behavior of  someone close to you, and most often, of someone who is typically male.  Yes, the phallic shape of the snake plays a big role in its meaning.

I recently dealt with a snake dream in my nationally syndicated newspaper column The Dream Zone. This is a really good example of how the low down people in our life can show up in our dreams as a low down, slithering snake…

Dear Lauri,
Last night I dreamed there were lots of snakes in the carpet and they were fighting spiders.  I was watching from another room.  I could see hundreds of them.  I knew that during the day they hid in the room but at night they took over the rug. I could see hundreds of them, not lethal, just swarming. – John, Chicago, IL

Lauri:  You’re a spectator in the dream so it may be connected to an issue in waking life where you are watching things go down, so to speak, rather than getting involved.  Or perhaps you are feeling disconnected from something you feel you should be a part of.

Snakes can represent health issues but more often they can represent someone with lowdown poisonous behavior. There were lots of snakes so that can mean that the waking issue is either multifaceted or that this issue involves lots of people that you feel are toxic.  And sometimes, the more there is of something in a dream, the more space the issue is taking up in your head.

The spiders suggest that this is something that has really been “bugging” you and that you may even be conflicted about since the snakes and spiders were in a conflict.  The snakes and spiders only coming out at night makes me think that this is about people you feel operate in a dark and shady manner. Since you had the dream last night, something from yesterday triggered it.

I think the main message from this dream is that the snakes weren’t lethal, which is a good indication that this seemingly poisonous situation – while unsettling – is not going to kill you so do not feel threatened. Be at peace.

John replies:  I am in the media and I talked to a friend yesterday who is also in the media. We were discussing our frustrations with how people operate in this field of work and how we are in the same boat, sort of in limbo, as we were both recently passed over for respective opportunities.  It really bugs me the way the media is and it’s so easy to take it personally. I am so over it and do feel I should disconnect from it. That is a daily feeling, actually. Thank you.

The snakes in John’s life are the people in the media he’s been dealing with for quite some time, which is why there were so many snakes… lots of poisonous people over many years (as there are in practically every industry). I love how his dream was showing him two important things: Detach yourself (emotionally) from the situation and it will not harm you.

Our dreams are full of comfort and advice, and when you can understand your dreams you will be able to obtain that made-for-you advice, advice that is best for you because it is coming from you! It’s not that hard to figure out your dreams. My latest book  Dream On It will give you all the tools you need to understand your dreams. You’ll wonder why you didn’t get this book sooner.

“Wow, what an amazing book so full of information! I will definitely be keeping this one on my nightstand and refer to it often!” – Kristi Roach, Angola, IN

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Sometimes our dreams are a menagerie of the most exotic and wondrous animals. No matter how fantastical and Dr. Seuss-like or how real and menacing, the animals our dreaming mind presents to us symbolize our primal instincts and behaviors, the way we naturally act or respond to situations without giving thought to it.

Each specific animal has their own specific behavior they are known for: dogs are loyal, cats are independent, elephants never forget. We also use animalistic behavior in our speech: I ate like a pig, my sister is very catty, you’re as stubborn as a mule, etc. These characteristics that we project onto animals often appear in our dreams in the form of that animal in order to show us our own current actions and behavior, or to show us how the actions and behavior of someone else is directly affecting us.

By understanding our own behavior in this way, or the behavior of someone around us, we can determine if we are currently behaving correctly in a current situation, or if someone we know is behaving in a healthy or harmful manner toward us.

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