The other night I had a thought-provoking dream. It was a dream with a recurring theme about snakes. Since the beginning of 2021, I’ve been dreaming frequently about snakes (EEEK, I know right?).
The interesting part of these dreams is that even on the occasions where I couldn’t recall a snake in that night’s dream, I have awoken with the thought “oh, there is that snake again!” This got my attention and while I wasn’t sure, at the time, what these dreams were trying to tell me, I knew that there was a much deeper message here for me to explore.
When I think about the symbolism of snakes, I resonate with the idea that they represent transformation. They shed their skin as they grow, leaving a piece of themselves behind. A piece that they no longer need, that no longer serves them and in fact, that can cause them challenges if they don’t let it go. It’s a perfect metaphor for continuous evolution that this life journey affords for each of us.
Back to the profound snake dream. On that particular night, I dreamt that I was in my home with a gentleman who was holding a small snake in his hand. He was telling me that the snake was a very good-natured soul and that I had nothing to worry about. The “bad news” he delivered, was that the snake was going to grow to be one thousand pounds.
“A thousand-pound snake!” I said it out loud when I woke up.
My mind was racing as I wondered how I would possibly care for such a large reptile. But as I sat in the after-thoughts of this dream, I became acutely aware of how this snake was a representation of my own transformation and of my biggest dreams coming to fruition.
Just like the snake, the manifestation of these dreams appears small now, but it’s going to grow. And grow and grow. In fact, the things that I’m desiring in my life are already growing.
As I considered this, what I can only describe as a big nudge from the Universe, I began to think about what it would take to create the space, now, for the actualization of this big dream down the road.
Just as with the very large snake, there are things that I can put in place to create a loving, peaceful, nurturing container. So that as these dreams grow, they are well cared for and I’m not responding in a way that is reactive as new and bigger opportunities cross my path.
I imagine what it might be like to have this large snake, without the proper care and feeding or lacking a secure environment to keep it safe and well managed. My guess is that the snake could easily be out terrorizing the neighbor’s pets, if the appropriate structures, boundaries, and comforts aren’t considered upfront.
Shortly after this dream, I was inspired to do some research about creating an environment to care for large reptiles. And the parallels between large snake keeping and preparing a space for big dreams to manifest, are not surprisingly, similar.
Here are three things that apply to both the care of a large snake and ushering in our biggest dreams:
Create a space for rest and nourishment that can grow and evolve with you.
A snake needs to have a secure space to feel safe and not stressed. They are particular about temperature and require both warm and cool areas of their container.
When creating a space for our individual big dreams to be housed, finding ways to make space for work and play as well as a sanctuary for recharging, supports both our physical and mental needs. As humans, just like snakes, we grow and function best when we feel safe and secure.
Make the time to digest new experiences and savor the journey.
When a snake eats, they take days to digest their meal. During this time, they tend to slow down so that their energy can focus on the process of digestion.
When we are excited about what is coming for us, we can tend to rush through the process to get to the finish line. This rushing and forcing things to happen can cause us physical, mental or spiritual indigestion.
The process of allowing things to unfold on our journey provides the opportunity to truly savor each experience and be in a healthy place to digest the next experience and the next.
Allow for what no longer serves or is hindering growth to fall away.
When a snake is growing, it outgrows its own skin as part of the evolutionary process. The shedding of its skin cannot be forced; it is necessary for the process to happen organically. This can be a messy time.
Just as with our biggest dreams, there may be messy times where things feel like they are falling away or we are sensing that there is a need for shedding some parts of our current experience to make room for new to come. Allowing this to unfold naturally and trusting the outcome, even if we cannot see it in the moments of deep transformation, creates an environment where our growth can happen with more ease and grace.
When it comes to creating space for the big dreams, know that you don’t have to convince anyone to buy into or even understand your dream for it to be valid. Just as there are those who simply do not care for snakes, this doesn’t make snakes bad or an invalid species.
When we have a big dream inside of us, it is something that our soul is pulling us towards. If our soul is guiding the way, the input from outside sources, or even our old, worn-out stories, doesn’t negate the dream. Move forward anyway.