Dreams of snakes are common, even if you’ve never seen a snake up close.
Snakes in dreams point to your spiritual energies, intuition, and wisdom, and sometimes they signify someone in your waking life who is plotting against you in some form.
But what about a black snake (see also article about dreaming of many snakes)? Is it a sign of misfortune? A signal of good things to come?
Let’s find out.
Why Am I Dreaming Of A Black Snake?
Snakes in dreams can have very powerful associations, both good and bad. Depending on how the snake appears in your dream, how you feel when you see it, and what it does are all factors to consider.
For example, if you dream of feeling relieved when you see the snake, a black snake points to wisdom, trusting your instincts, and the end to a tricky situation in waking life. You’ll soon gain a wealth of knowledge.
A black snake in a dream also carries the meaning of needing to channel your energy into something productive. Too much of it is going to waste in waking life. You might feel restless or without purpose.
If you feel uncomfortable or irritated when you see this snake, the black snake signifies your frustration with something in waking life, which might be a person, your job, or your family life.
Let’s take a look at what the color black symbolizes in dreams, as this will help with finding the meaning behind your own dream.
Black Color Symbolism In Dreams
In dreams, the color black has both positive and negative symbolism. Unfortunately, in traditional dream interpretation, this is more negative than positive.
So let’s start with the optimistic view of things. Black in dreams refers to mystery, magic, those things you can’t quite explain, and uncovering hidden emotions and things lurking in your subconscious.
A black snake might appear to suggest an unknown or unusual situation in waking life soon. At first, you won’t know if this will be good or bad, but you’ll feel a little more prepared for it after having a dream like this.
After all, a black snake is pretty much uncertain as a wild animal – see one slithering past you, and worry what its reaction to you might be for sure. Will it attack you? Will it ignore you? It all depends on a number of factors you just don’t know.
You might find yourself thrown into a very strange situation, where you won’t quite be able to explain what you’ve experienced later, or you’ll discover something incredible about yourself if you see a black snake in a dream.
A black snake in a dream can also point to positive transformation after a bleak period. If you think of the way a snake sheds its skin, you’ll similarly let go of negativity, and allow yourself to become a better version of yourself.
The color black also represents loneliness, sadness, uncertainty, and even feeling lost or unloved. To some, it also represents a sort of death, where something cannot begin until something else ends.
It could be that the black snake in a dream warns you of an end to a relationship, through betrayal, lies, or another hurtful reason. You’ve grown apart from each other.
Maybe a connection with someone that you thought was resilient isn’t as strong as you imagined, and when waking life tests you, it could break apart completely.
To other people, black is the color of danger. Just think about the black mamba snake, for example. They are one of the most dangerous snakes in the world, and their scales are a gorgeous inky black.
You might see a black snake in your dream when you haven’t considered the risks of a decision or situation where you might find yourself in a horrible place.
This is especially true if you dream of a black snake hiding in the undergrowth. It symbolizes something bad that will take you by surprise.
Maybe something in your house will break, and you’ll struggle to pay for it, or things will go wrong at work, and it will take three times as long to solve the problem than it did for things to break apart.
It may be that someone will show you who they really are, and this will be unfortunately wildly different from the person you thought. You thought you could trust them, but the black snake tells you that you can’t. Trust your instincts instead.
Black can also represent bad luck, and pain, but like many of the depressing connotations, these are older dream interpretations.
So it’s also important to look at your own associations with this color, as this can help you find the meaning behind your snake dream.
Common Dreams Of Black Snakes And What They Mean
There are many themes to consider when you’re looking at your own dream of a black snake. For example, a black snake which feels threatening or outright attacks you represents a discord in your mind.
While things feel good in your waking life, the unsettling appearance of the black snake suggests that there is something going on in your unconscious mind. Maybe you’re still holding onto painful memories, instead of letting them go.
Black snakes can also be guides in your dream. If you follow the black snake (even with just your eyes, watching its path) this is your dream encouraging you to trust yourself, listen to your intuition, and trust what the universe has in store for you.
A Black Snake Crossing Your Path In A Dream
If you dream of a black snake crossing your path, you want to feel completely different about yourself. Things have been getting you down lately, making you feel like a victim, and you want to feel in control again.
In this scenario, the snake is the adversary in your dream, representing the situation, person, or thought which is dragging you down.
It urges you to remove the snake from your life, whether that’s pushing through a difficult time, shedding any bad habits, or otherwise removing negativity from your life.
Running From A Black Snake In A Dream
A dream where a black snake chases you suggests that your spiritual energy is connected to someone, and this has turned sour in some way. There is a possibility that you’ll be convinced to do something you desperately don’t want to do.
Running from a black snake in a dream can suggest that you’re running from part of yourself, if you feel desperately afraid of this reptile (see also article titled ‘Dreams about Alligators – 40 Types and Interpretation‘). It may even signify your shadow self, the repressed parts of your psyche that you’re ashamed of.
Seeing A Black Snake In Your Home In A Dream
A black snake appearing in your house in a dream symbolizes an unexpected situation which will make your perception of everything shrink to this one event for a while.
This may be good or bad, depending on the context of the dream. If the snake didn’t attack you, it’s largely a good sign. Your life is about to change for the better.
If you feel terrified when you see the snake in your home, this implies that something won’t work out the way you hope it will. As it appears in your home, whatever this event is will disrupt your sense of safety, tranquility, and your family life for a while.
Killing A Black Snake In A Dream
If you kill a black snake in your dream, this can be a positive or a negative sign. Most dream interpretations say this is positive, if you are attacked by the snake, or you feel it’s a threat.
In your dream, if the snake does nothing to you, or you feel you’re supposed to follow it, and you kill it, this is a bad sign. It implies a lack of trust in yourself, and a discord in your spiritual path.
Some people believe that if you kill a snake, bad luck will rain down on you.
Seeing A Dead Black Snake In A Dream
A dead black snake in a dream suggests complications in waking life. Something that seems simple will be extremely difficult to untangle, and this could be in any area of your life.
You will struggle to resolve something, and this dream suggests that someone may even get in the way of that.
If you dream of more than one black snake, or a whole pile of them, this is a significantly more positive dream. It implies that a long-term goal is not far off from being realized, as long as you’re ready and able to do the work.
Dreaming Of Being Bitten By A Black Snake
If you dream of being bitten by a black snake, something or someone is poisoning your motivation, your attitude, or your belief in yourself.
It represents a coming transformation, where you might go on a spiritual journey in order to rid yourself of negativity, or go after something you’ve always wanted.
The act of being bitten by a black snake in a dream urges you to find out what’s bothering you so deeply, and the reason why you feel this way. Is everything as bad as you think? Can you change your perception of it?
It can also point to someone who isn’t trustworthy, where they mean to move against you in some way, or they’re gossiping about you behind your back. You should be careful of who you trust, and what their motives might be.
If you feel you can’t trust someone, or you know they’ve been talking about you behind your back, it’s worth exploring why this might be, and what you can do about it.
Seeing A Black And White Snake In A Dream
Within color symbolism, if you see more than one color, you should consider the associations of all the colors you see in order to get a better understanding of what it means.
White often represents spirituality, grace, and tranquility. If we take that and apply it to the symbolism behind black, such as mystery, misfortune, and transformation, you soon have a better picture.
So in terms of a black and white snake, it suggests you can see both the good and the ugly side of a situation. You know how to look at both to avoid stress, and get a better idea of what you’re up against.
Seeing a black and white snake in your dream points to a period of transformation. Initially, this will seem like an awful situation with no way out, or someone’s betrayal will leave you reeling.
However, you will soon come to see that without this difficult period, the good things in the future cannot follow.
Final Thoughts
Although the dream symbol of a snake has a bad reputation in waking life and in dream interpretation, it can be incredibly useful. Depending on the context of your dream, it can warn you of things to come, and prepare you for tough situations or people who will betray you.
It can also urge you to have a better understanding of yourself, and trust in your own abilities. Listen to your intuition, as this can get you further than you might imagine at first.
A black snake also signifies a period of healing and transformation. You’ll move away from difficult situations, negative influences, and anything else holding you back from becoming who you really want to be.