“I see a snake coiled on the porch...,” “Three snakes are in the
room....”
Whenever women begin to claim their own authority, or make
decisions, or become aware of having a new sense of their own
political or psychic or personal power, snake dreams are common.
The snake seems to represent this new strength. As a symbol, it
represents power once held by goddesses, as well as phallic or
masculine power, representative of animus qualities. Often the
dreamer senses whether it is a male or female snake, which helps
to clarify the kind of power the snake symbolizes.
Coinciding with these dreams, in waking life the dreamer may be
coping with questions raised after she took on a new role in a posi-
tion of authority or autonomy; for example, “Can I be effective?”
“How will the role change me?” “If I am strong, will people still like
me?” and “Will this role threaten my most important relationships?”
The dreams of women who never before have had a sense of their
own potency seem to say that such women must approach power
warily, as they would an unknown snake.
I think of women who gain a sense of their own power and author-
ity as “reclaiming the power of the snake,” which was lost by femin-
ine deities and human women when the patriarchal religions
stripped the goddesses of their power and influence, cast the snake
as the evil element in the Garden of Eden and made women the
lesser sex. Then I think of an image that represents for me the pos-
sibility that women will reemerge with power, beauty, and nurturing
abilities. The image is a terra cotta of a beautiful woman or goddess
(thought to represent Demeter, in the Terme Museum, Rome) rising
from the earth, holding a sheaf of wheat, flowers, and a snake in
each hand.
RESISTING THE POWER OF THE BEAR
The heroine-choicemaker, unlike her male counterpart, can be
threatened by the overpowering pull of maternal instinct. A woman
may become pregnant at an inopportune time or in adverse circum-
stances, if she cannot resist Aphrodite and/or Demeter. When this
happens, she may be diverted
Goddesses in Everywoman