What Does It Mean to Dream of a Python?
Snakes in your dreams are usually scary because of the threat that they can bite you. If a big python is coming after you in your dream, though, the worst threat actually might not be a bite.
Python Dream Summary
Python Dream Symbolism
A python is a type of snake, so much of the standard snake dream symbolism such as deception and sex could also apply to a dream of a python. However, pythons have a few unique qualities that could be important to acknowledge when interpreting your python dream.
According to Reptile Knowledge, pythons are not venomous snakes. This makes a lot of snake bite dream symbolism less relevant to a python dream than it might be to other snake dreams.
However, pythons, which tend to be large snakes, kill whatever animals they want to eat by squeezing them. Some pythons are even big enough to kill humans in this way.
A python in your dream could therefore symbolize that you feel squeezed or constricted by some person or situation in your life.
Common Python Dreams
- Dream of a python chasing you
- Dream of a python eating a smaller animal
- Dream of a pet python
- Dream of a white python
- Dream of a black python
Python Dream Symbolism
Suffocation
A python kills its prey by squeezing them until they suffocate. Dreaming of a python could therefore symbolize that you feel like some person or situation in your life is suffocating you.
Some of the most suffocating people in the world sincerely believe that they mean well. However, whether or not they have good intentions, the outcome of their approach is that you feel like you lack freedom. See also suffocating dream symbolism.
Power
Pythons are larger than many snakes, and their approach relies on brute force rather than the poisonous venom that often helps smaller snakes punch above their weight. Dreaming of a python could therefore symbolize that physical power seems to be the deciding factor in some conflict in your life.
You may feel like someone is getting away with things they should not get away with just because they are able to throw their weight around. Alternately, you might be the one who is bigger and stronger than others, and your python dream could symbolize that you feel justified in using that physical power to get what you want.
Puns
Dreams love puns and plays on words. If you are a fan of the comedy troupe Monty Python, or if you use the Python computer programming language, your dream of a python could be making a reference to these interests of yours.
Common Python Dreams
Dream of a python chasing you
Dreaming of a python chasing you could symbolize that you are trying to get away from some person or situation that you think is suffocating you. You may feel like you are engaged in an intense struggle for self-preservation.
This dream could symbolize that someone in your life seems to be out to get you, but it might alternately refer to just being overwhelmed by your valid responsibilities. You may have similar feelings of suffocation either way, but what you need to do about those feelings might differ based on the situation.
Dream of a python eating a smaller animal
While pythons are able to kill their prey by squeezing, that’s not the only strategy they have available to them. According to My Snake Pet, pythons can simply swallow adult rabbits whole. (If your dream specifically features a python eating a rabbit, check out rabbit dream symbolism.)
Dreaming of a python eating a smaller animal in general could symbolize that you are aware of a clear hierarchy in some situation in your life. Even if you think the hierarchy is necessary or justified, you might still be aware of its potential for cruelty.
Dream of a pet python
Pythons are sometimes kept as pets. If you already have a pet python, dreaming of your pet python could just reflect your routine activities.
If you don’t have a pet python, though, dreaming about a pet python could symbolize a situation where great power, yours or someone else’s, is domesticated to fit into society. You may wonder if the powerful person is able to reach their full potential, but you might also be able to see that doing so would be likely to cause problems.
Dream of a white python
The symbolism of the color white includes innocence and purity. Combined with the squeezing nature of a python, though, a white python dream could symbolize that someone in your life who is convinced of their own innocence and purity is restricting you in a way that they think is for your own good.
Alternately, you might be bamboozled by your own lofty motives for placing restrictions on someone else. No matter what you intend, you may need to be more realistic about the consequences of your approach.
Dream of a black python
Like other black snake dreams, a dream of a black python could symbolize power and transformation. However, the more negative symbolism of the color black might also be relevant to interpreting a black python dream.
A black python dream might be easier to deal with than a white python dream on the grounds that a black python is probably obviously bad enough to get caught being destructive, while a white python might be able to hide behind the claim of good intentions. Dreaming of a black python could therefore symbolize that the antagonists in your life generally are who you think they are, and what you see is what you get with them.
Conclusion
You have to know your snakes a little bit to get the most out of interpreting a python dream. A python’s squeeze is typically worse than its bite, and this can make a dream of a python the ideal imagery to depict a situation where you feel suffocated.