How do dreams, snakes and medicine relate to the new year? Let’s take a look back as we move forward into 2025.

On Jan. 29, we close the door to the Chinese Year of the Dragon and open the door to the Year of the Wood Snake, representing introspection, intuition and adaptability.

The snake is also a universal, timeless symbol that shows up in our dreams and dreams of snakes have been documented for centuries. Often, snakes have symbolized healing because they shed and regenerate skin, a type of deathless rebirth. They are among the top three to five animals that appear in dreams, representing different meanings to cultures around the world.

For example, in India, a kundalini snake dream may be considered a mystical doorway to an awakening energy shift. The kundalini theory, an Eastern spiritual concept of enlightenment, is that kundalini is a serpent-like energy coiled up at the base of the spine and is believed to assist in human evolution. If you have this dream with one snakehead or many, it is said that you may raise your level of wisdom.

In ancient times, to dream of a snake was to be healed by the dream. Because of this, there are two different snake symbols used in the field of medicine. The ancient Aesculapius staff has one snake while the modern caduceus staff has two. The image of a single snake around a staff is tied to Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine, who presided over the Asclepieion dream and healing temple in Greece. Hippocrates, father of Western Medicine, claimed to be a direct descendant of Aesculapius and today, the Hippocratic Oath begins, “I swear by Apollo, the physician, and by Aesculapius…” The ancient staff of Aesculapius is the current American Medical Association logo. The U.S. Army Medical Corps also adopted the two-snake caduceus staff as its insignia in 1902.

Although the symbols have shifted, the message remains the same: snakes have a connection to health.

Snake dreams may also mean financial health. A client shared her dream which took place around a boardroom table. Coiled in the center was a large brown, two-headed rattlesnake. One face was always on her while the other face scanned the partners. Each time someone spoke, the snake would rattle its tail and drown out the speaker. Upon awakening, the client decided not to invest in a business she was considering — a good decision as that venture ended up failing. The intuitive precognitive dream may have been a warning that helped save her finances.

As we enter a new year, it may be wise to embrace all dreams, even deadly two-headed rattlesnake nightmares. Who knows what we may learn when we turn inward and reflect on the symbols that show up in our dreams. In 2025, may the ancient force of the snake be with you.

Kathleen O’Keefe-Kanavos of Rancho Mirage is a survivor, author, dream expert, speaker, TV/radio host/producer and has been featured on Dr. Oz and The Doctors. Her new book, “Dreams That Can Save Your Life,” is available now. For more information, visit www.kathleenokeefekanavos.com.

Sources: 1) https://www.verywellmind.com/what-does-it-mean-when-you-dream-about-snakes-7550333; 2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janus; 3) https://myartofwellness.com/chinese-new-year-2025-year-of-the-snake/; 4) https://deserthealthnews.com/story/dragon-dreams-and-chinese-new-year/; 5) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6913859/; 5) https://iv.iiarjournals.org/content/23/4/507