I went for an acupuncture session this morning and had a very interesting Out of Body Experience (OBE). The acupuncturist is working on re-awakening and repairing my sciatic nerve in my lower right leg, ankle, and foot. There is still nerve damage from my injury and surgery which is resulting in weakness in my foot. She put a number of needles in my calf, ankle and foot, connected them with electrical stimulation, and left the room for me to rest.
I fell into deep relaxation rather quickly, despite the awkward dull pain caused by the electrical current flowing through my extremity. I swiveled my dream body at the hip so that my dream body was perpendicular to my physical body lying on the table. I turned over so that i was belly to belly, allowed my legs to fall and simply stood up. There I was standing beside my physical body. I decided that this would be a great opportunity to bolster the healing of the acupuncture by running reiki on the right leg of my physical body. As I began to do so, I noticed that the rest of my body wasn’t in alignment, so I adjusted my physical body accordingly. I had both the physical sensation of adjustment and was able to visually watch my physical body move (through the eyes of my dream body). I continued working on my leg and noticed a bright red snake uncoil from around my ankle and foot. It swam through the air at me and struck! It bit my dream body on the left side at the upper hip/lower belly. I grabbed the snake behind its head and pulled it off me. I broke its neck and twisted its head off. Instinctively i rubbed the bloody snake into my wound and then took a big bite of the snake, chewed it up, and swallowed it down.
To dream that you are getting acupuncture, suggests that you are in need of healing. You may need to divert your energies to different pursuits. Alternatively, the dream may be a metaphor for a problem or issue that you need to pinpoint.
Dreaming of acupunture means that you are seeking alternative ways to reach healing. It might also indicate the necessity to pinpoint the source of the illness of trouble in order ot treat it efficiently, treating the symptoms only might not be sufficient.
The Chinese practice of inserting needles into specific points (acupoints) along the ‘meridians’ of the body and manipulated to relieve the discomfort associated with painful disorders, to induce surgical anesthesia, and for preventive and therapeutic purposes. It is proposed that acupuncture produces its effects by the conduction of electromagnetic signals at a greater-than-normal rate, thus aiding the activity of pain-killing biochemicals, such as endorphins and immune system cells, at specific sites in the body. Studies have also shown that acupuncture may alter brain chemistry by changing the release of neurotransmitters and neurohormones and affecting sensory perception and involuntary body functions. In recent years, the techniques have been adapted for use in veterinary medicine.
This, like the great majority of symbols, has a double meaning embracing
both the mystic and the psychological planes. On the mystic level, the bite, or,
rather, teeth-marks, are equivalent to the imprint or the seal of the spirit upon the
flesh (since the teeth are the fortress-walls of the ‘inner’ or spiritual man). On the
psychological level, and especially where animal-bites are concerned, it is symbolic, according to Jung, of the sudden and dangerous action of the instincts upon
the psyche (32).
This dream omens ill.
It implies a wish to undo work that is past undoing.
You are also likely to suffer losses through some enemy.
Seeing a snake or be bitten by one in your dream means hidden fears and worries that are threatening you. Your dream may be alerting you to something in your waking life that you are not aware of or that has not yet surfaced. The snake may also be seen as phallic and thus symbolize dangerous and forbidden sexuality. The snake may also refer to a person around you who is callous, ruthless, and can't be trusted. As a positive symbol, snakes represent transformation, knowledge and wisdom. It is indicative of self-renewal and positive changes.
In some cultures snakes are highly regarded and symbolise the ability to transcend into higher levels of consciousness or into areas of knowledge that exist outside perceived time and space. In the pre-Christian days, snakes were considered symbols of fertility, healing, and nurturing (the healing serpent representing a god). Post Eden, snakes are often considered symbols of temptation and evil, anger, and envy. Snakes emerging out of the ground may represent your unconscious or repressed materials coming to your conscious mind. Most snake dreams seem to be disturbing and they leave the dreamer feeling anxious and afraid. There are no simple interpretations to the snake dreams. Sometimes snakes may be phallic symbols and other times they represent negativity in our lives that hampers our progress and constantly threatens us. In the long run the snake may be a positive symbol; it may represent difficulties that lead us to the centre of personality and result in feelings of completeness.
Snake symbolic meaning, overwhelmingly and in various cultures, deals with primordial life force and usually turns our attention to gender supremacy (both male and female).
Consequently, snakes span the symbolic bridge between lunar and solar associations as well as aspects between water and fire.
Coiled within this polarity, we clearly see symbolism of duality and the search for balance. Other snake symbolic meaning includes:
Cycles
Rebirth
Patience
Fertility
Eternity
Balance
Cunning
Intuition
Awareness
Healing
Intellect
Protection
Solemnity
Rejuvenation
Transformation
Occult (hidden) Knowledge
Male/Female, Yin-Yang, Duality
As a Native American Indian symbol (depending on the nation/tribe) the snake can be a masculine symbol, associated with the phallus of lightning which is considered a medicine staff of tremendous assertive power. Other tribes lean in the direction of feminine attribution for the snake and pair it with mothering (creation), and lunar (moon) symbolism.
Whether raising itself in masculine authority, or encircling the Earth in a motherly fashion – the snake symbol of the Native American’s was highly regarded; utilized in ritual to invoke an element of pointed focus and weighty influence.
The ancient Celts were extremely nature-wise too, and approached snake symbolism from the behavior and life cycle of this magnificent creature. From the Celtic perspective, the snake was a symbol of secret knowledge, cunning and transformation.
Further, the snake Celtic symbol comes from observations of the European viper (also known as the adder) which is the only (along with the common grass snake) species able to tolerate the colder climate of the ancient Celts.
In the keen Celtic mind, snake symbolic meaning of transformation came from the shedding of its skin. Physical evidence of leaving its form behind (casting off the old self), and emerging a sleeker, newer version made the snake a powerful symbol of rebirth and renewal.
As far as the occult (hidden) symbolic meaning in Celtic and other cultures, this can be connected to the sleuth-like ways of the snake.
Disappearing in colder months and summoned by the sun marks the snake’s connection to the shadow worlds with its successful ability to live within the dark realms for extended periods of time. Alternatively, the snake softly moves into the embrace of the sun, and so it encapsulates the ancient magician's creed of moving in perfect rhythm of natural forces.
In Eastern Indian myth the Sanskrit word for snake is naga and these are associated with the element of water. Picking up water’s symbolism of emotion, love and motion, nagas in this light are considered a feminine aspect and embody nurturing, benevolent, wise qualities.
To wit, the practice of nagayuna in Eastern Indian alchemy seeks to achieve loving harmony between the physical and ethereal. Simply put, all of us striving to better ourselves by calmly easing into places of personal balance within the cosmic balance of the whole are practicing this ancient technique.
Snake tattoo symbolism varies according to the bearer of the mark. For example, I have a back piece depicting two serpents (nagas) wrapped around the seven prime chakras down the length of my spine. This (to me) incorporates the kundalini power available to all humans.
Additionally, this entwined snake imagery hearkens to the caduceus, in which the staves of Asclepius are made of two polar (and copulating) serpents which symbolizes balance, equanimity, union and regeneration.
Double snakes are common in almost all cultural symbolic languages. Ultimately the double snake is an icon representing:
Connection between primal forces
Integration of opposites
Advanced communication
Joining together on a divine level
Making whole what was once fragmented and doing so in a magical, organic way.
Snake Double HelixCarrying this dual snake imagery a step further, we could look to the language of science. Observe the formation of DNA and how it forms a perfect, serpentine double helix (shown left). This prompts us to consider how the energetic mind is connected to the grander whole, and how it so effortlessly makes graceful connections between the basic building blocks of data with the manifestations of the natural world.
There is no doubt, the snake is a unifying force embodying infinite messages to those who are energetically available to perceive them. Alchemists understood this, and thus incorporated the philosophy of snakes in their grimoires, practices, and even their daily life.
Indeed, alchemy literature is rife with the image of the uroboros which is symbolic of conceptualizing totality – embracing the whole of consciousness and devouring it with unquenchable passion.
As an animal totem, the snake surfaces into our awareness with all the power of the symbolic attributes listed on this page (and more). Those who are drawn to the snake (and vice versa) are gifted at perceiving life through an uncommon lens. Other characteristics of those who are connected to snake energy include:
A natural ability to balance energies (you’re likely a gifted healer)
Diplomatic and eloquent in areas of speech and writing
Dynamically intuitive (often knowing other’s thoughts and emotional states without trying)
Impulsive, but not without careful consideration – this may sound paradoxical, but those with the snake totem know what I mean here.
I invite you to step into the calming energy of the snake, and see what this noble creature offers you in the form of messages, growth, and enlightenment.
Further, it should be understood this page is but a miniscule sampling of the diverse snake symbolic meaning s available to us. Therefore, I encourage you to slither into your own personal ruminations, research and meditation of the snake.
You will find your investment to be infinitely rewarding.
By shedding its skin, the snake symbolizes change in the cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth. It counts among its strengths the power of creation, of se xuality, of the soul, as well as of transformation and immortality. Snake-people are higher cast, because as part of their experiences they have had to come into contact with poison (physical or mental) and have been able to transform the poison in their bodies into something harmless. The snake belongs to the element of fire, which causes desire and passion in the physical realm and, in the spiritual realm, creates a connection with the Great Spirit and leads to all-encompassing wisdom. Whenever the snake appears in your dreams, it is a sign of change as you come ever closer to perfection.
This animal gives you the ability to let go of things that are worn out and no longer useful - just like the snake sheds it skin when it is no longer needed.
Rebirth, wisdom, fluidity, wholeness, transmutations, sexuality, look for transitions, changes and new opportunities. Creative forces are awakening with heightened intuition. Snake can teach about shedding what is not needed; perceptions, attitudes, ideals. Snake shows how to access vitality, ambitions and dreams along with intellect and personal power. What things are surfacing that you need to strike out and take advantage of? Perhaps a time to rest and reflect? Listen to your intuition and visions at this time. Contemplate the colors, striking ability and activity of the snake type to further understand what snake is saying.
In all probability, the foot is to be taken as an ambivalent symbol. For
Jung, it is what confirms Man’s direct relationship with the reality of the earth,
and he considers that it is frequently phallic in significance (31). Ania Teillard
points out that, like the hand, it is an essential part of the body and the support
of one’s entire person; she recalls that in the mythology of a number of countries
the rays of the sun are compared with the feet, as witness the figure of the
swastika (56). But Diel makes the revolutionary assertion that the foot is a
symbol of the soul, possibly because it serves as the support of the body in the
sense of keeping man upright. He quotes examples which show that, in Greek
legends, lameness usually symbolizes some defect of the spirit—some essential
blemish. Jung corroborates this, observing that Hephaestus, Wieland the Blacksmith and Mani all had deformed feet (31). May it not be that certain talents are
given to men to compensate for some physical defect? Schneider has indicated the
heel as the ‘area of vulnerability and of attack’ in the foot. It is the heel that
scotches the serpent or that is wounded by it (as with Achilles, Sigurd, Krishna)
(50). According to Aigremont, ‘the shoe, like the foot and the footprint, has also
a funereal implication. In a sense, a dying man “is going away”. There is no evidence of his going away save his last footmarks. This sombre symbolism is
illustrated, possibly, in the monuments characteristic of the Roman Empire, and,
beyond question, in primitive Christian art. . . .’ (And also, we might add, in
Gothic art. The passage is quoted by Stekel.)
To dream that you injured or hurt your foot, signifies a lack of progress, freedom, and independence. Alternatively, the dream suggests that you have taken a step in the wrong direction. In particular, if you dream that your foot is cut by glass, then it indicates passivity. You are hesitant or reluctant in taking the first step toward a goal or decision.
Dreaming that you injured or hurt your foot means a lack of progress, freedom, and independence. Alternatively, the dream may suggests that you have taken a step in the wrong direction. In particular, to dream that your foot gets cut by glass, then it indicates passivity. You are hesitant or reluctant in taking the first step toward a goal or decision.
The interior of the belly is invariably equated symbolically with the
alchemic laboratory, or, in other words, with the place where transmutations are
effected. Since these metamorphoses are entirely of a natural order, the bellylaboratory becomes, in a sense, the antithesis to the brain (57).
To see your belly in your dream, indicates that your are processing and integrating your ideas and feelings from the unconscious to the conscious level. The belly symbolically holds repressed emotions and unexpressed feelings. Your dream may also be telling you to trust your gut feeling and intuition.
To see a pregnant belly, represents emotions that are due to come to the surface. They can no longer remain suppressed.
To dream that you are stroking or touching a belly, indicates that you are coming to terms with certain feelings. You are slowly confronting and acknowledging your repressed emotions.
To dream that you or someone has a belly piercing, denotes your deep connection with your mother. Perhaps the dream is telling you to reconnect with your mother or that you need to be in touch with your maternal instincts.
It is bad to dream of seeing a swollen mortifying belly, it indicates desperate sickness.
To see anything moving on the belly, prognosticates humiliation and hard labor.
To see a healthy belly, denotes insane desires
Dreaming of your belly indicates that your are processing and integrating your ideas and feelings from the unconscious to the conscious level. The belly symbolically holds repressed emotions and unexpressed feelings. Your dream may also be telling you to trust your gut feeling and intuition. Dreaming of a pregnant belly, represents emotions that are due to come to the surface. They can no longer remain suppressed. Dreaming that you are stroking or touching a belly indicates that you are coming to terms with certain feelings. You are slowly confronting and acknowledging your repressed emotions.
In the Egyptian system of hieroglyphs, the figure of a leg is symbolic of
erecting, lifting and founding (19). The symbolic significance is related to that of
the foot, and both symbols emphasize the fundamental difference, from the
merely biological point of view, of the human form as compared with other
animals, in that humans stand erect. The leg is also equivalent to the pedestal, and
in Cabbalistic thought it denotes qualities of firmness and splendour.
Seeing your legs in your dream means that you have regained confidence to stand up and take control again. It also implies progress and your ability to navigate through life. If your legs are weak, then you may be feeling emotionally vulnerable. Seeing someone else's legs in your dream, represents your admiration for that person. You need to adopt some of the ways that this person does things. Dreaming that you legs are wounded or crippled means a lack of balance, autonomy, or independence in your life. You may be unable or unwilling to stand up for yourself. Perhaps you are lacking courage and refuse to make a stand. Dreaming that one of your leg is shorter than the other, suggests that there is some imbalance in some aspect of your life. You are placing more emphasis and weight on one thing, while ignoring other important aspects that need attention as well. Dreaming that you have three or more legs indicates that you are undertaking too many projects than you can handle. Unfortunately, you will find these projects to be unfruitful and a waste of time.
To dream about your ankles, indicates that you are seeking support and direction in your life. Ask yourself where you want to be headed.
To sprain your ankle in your dream, suggests that you are experiencing some obstacles or difficulties in your progress.
Your ankles lead your feet to different directions, dreaming about it means that you are looking for new directions and different orientations.
To dream of the direction left, symbolizes the unconscious and your repressed thoughts/emotions. It is an indication of passivity.
To dream that you are left behind, represents feelings of rejection or not fitting into a group. It may also highlight fears of not being able to keep up. You are questioning your abilities. The dream may be telling you that you are not utilizing your full potential. If you left something or someone behind, then it indicates that you are ready to let go of the past or move forward.
Dreaming of the direction left, symbolizes the unconscious and your repressed thoughts/emotions. It is an indication of passivity.
In the Zohar, the ‘magic head’ stands for astral light (9); in mediaeval art
it is a symbol for the mind (46) and for the spiritual life, which explains the
frequency with which it appeared in decorative art. On the other hand, Plato in
Timaeus asserts that ‘the human head is the image of the world’. In corroboration
of this, Leblant points out that the skull, the semi-spherical crown of the human
body, signifies the heavens. Clearly, the head-symbol here coalesces with that of
the sphere as a symbol of Oneness. It had the same significance in Egyptian
hieroglyphics (19). The eagle’s head has been used as a solar symbol and an
emblem of the centre-point of emanation—that is, of the cosmic flame and the
spiritual fire of the universe (4). Two, three or four heads shown in juxtaposition
symbolize a corresponding intensification of a given aspect of head-symbolism.
Thus, the Gemini, a symbol of the duality of Nature, or of the integrating (but not
unifying) link between the two principles of creation, are represented by beings
with two heads or two faces, like the Roman Janus for example. Hecate is depicted with three heads—she is called triform for this reason—a symbolism
which may be related to the ‘three levels’ of heaven, earth and hell, as well as to
Diel’s three ‘urges of life’ (15). The juxtaposition of four heads or faces, as in the
image of Brahma the Supreme Lord, stems from the same symbolism as that of
the tetramorph (60). A factor of major importance bearing upon the symbolism of
the head is mentioned by Herbert Kühn, in his L’Ascension de l’humanité (Paris,
1958). He makes the point that the decapitation of corpses in prehistoric times
marked Man’s discovery of the independence of the spiritual principle, residing
in the head, as opposed to the vital principle represented by the body as a whole.
Kühn adds that Neolithic thought was very close to the mediaeval in its conviction that an eternal and invisible essence underlies all appearances (Plate XV).
To see a head in your dream, signifies wisdom, intellect, understanding and rationality. It may also represent your accomplishments, self-image, and perception of the world. The dream may also be metaphor to indicate that you are "ahead" in some situation or that you need to get ahead.
To dream that someone is trying to rip your head off, suggests that you are not seeing a situation or problem clearly. Perhaps you are refusing to see the truth. You have to confront the situation or the person despite the pain and discomfort you might feel in doing so.
To dream that you have two heads, indicate that you need to learn to ask for help and accept assistance. Consider the metaphor "two heads are better than one". Do not try to do everything yourself.
To see a person's head in your dream, and it is well-shaped and prominent, you will meet persons of power and vast influence who will lend you aid in enterprises of importance.
If you dream of your own head, you are threatened with nervous or brain trouble.
To see a head severed from its trunk, and bloody, you will meet sickening disappointments, and the overthrow of your dearest hopes and anticipations.
To see yourself with two or more heads, foretells phenomenal and rapid rise in life, but the probabilities are that the rise will not be stable.
To dream that your head aches, denotes that you will be oppressed with worry.
To dream of a swollen head, you will have more good than bad in your life.
To dream of a child's head, there will be much pleasure ill store for you and signal financial success.
To dream of the head of a beast, denotes that the nature of your desires will run on a low plane, and only material pleasures will concern you.
To wash your head, you will be sought after by prominent people for your judgment and good counsel.
Seeing a head in your dream means wisdom, intellect, understanding and rationality. It may also represent your accomplishments, self-image, and perception of the world. Dreaming that someone is trying to rip your head off, suggests that you are not see a situation or problem clearly. Perhaps you are refusing to see the truth. You have to confront the situation or the person despite the pain and discomfort you might feel in doing so.
A head symbolizes intelligence, logic, wisdom and making decisions. A dream of a head may mean that you are changing your mind about something or are unable to make up your mind. A dream of a headless body may be a warning that you aren't thinking clearly - you're "losing your head."
To notice your hips in your dream, represents your mobility adaptability to some situation. It relates to getting things done. The dream may also be a pun on being hip.