The dream that woke me up in a sweat
Yesterday morning, I woke up suddenly, my heart was racing, and my back was covered in sweat.
I dreamed that I was flying in the sky, but I wasn’t sitting in an airplane. Instead, there was a snake with shiny wings like a butterfly flying beside me, and we were gliding through the air together.
The clocks below were all soft, dripping like wax, like a painting by Salvador Dalí.
The sky wasn’t blue, but purple, exceptionally bright.
The dog I had as a child was barking at me from the ground.
This dream was so strange and vivid.
I’ve had strange dreams before, but this one was different—after waking up, I felt an indescribable sensation, as if something was about to happen, or as if I was avoiding something.
Coincidentally, last month I found a worn old book at a flea market with the title “The Secrets of Witches and Dreams.” I bought it because I thought it looked interesting, but now I think, Why not try using it to help me figure out what this dream is trying to tell me?
2. The first thing to do: write it down immediately, don’t wait
After getting up, I didn’t check my phone or wash my face. I just dug out a notebook and a pen from a pile of papers on my desk.
I sat down at the dining table and started writing while waiting for my coffee to brew:
- The snake could fly and had glowing wings.
- The clock was melting like ice cream.
- I was flying, but I wasn’t afraid. Instead, I felt excited.
- A purple sky, like sunset but not quite
- My childhood dog is barking below, sounding urgent
I also wrote down how I felt at the time:
“I was happy while flying,” “Seeing the clock melt made me a little anxious,” “The dog’s barking made me want to stop.”
I know my writing is messy and the sentences are incomplete, but it doesn’t matter.
The important thing is to capture these images and feelings.
Because dreams are like water vapor, they dissipate after ten minutes.
3. Don’t trust mobile apps, they’ll only confuse you
I wanted to take a shortcut and search “what does it mean to dream of flying snakes” on my phone.
A bunch of answers popped up:
- Someone said, “Flying snakes mean someone is trying to harm you.”
- Someone said, “It’s a sign of good luck; you’re going to get rich.”
- Another website said, “You subconsciously want to escape your mother’s control.”
The more I read, the more confused I became. The same dream, ten people, ten different interpretations. Who’s right?
I turned my phone upside down on the table and turned it off.
Then I remembered a sentence from an old book: “Other people’s interpretations are theirs; your dreams belong only to you.”
So I tried a different approach:
Instead of looking up the “standard answer,” I asked myself:
“When I see a ‘flying snake,’ what’s the first thing that comes to mind?”
I thought of the feeling of freedom I experienced last year when I went hang gliding in Hawaii and flew down from the mountain.
I also thought of how snakes shed their skin, shedding the old and growing new. This made me think of “starting over.”
Thinking about it this way, flying snakes may not be dangerous to me, but rather ‘I want freedom, I want change.’
This is much more realistic than the random explanations I found online.
4. My first explanation was too superficial, so I rewrote it
My initial notes were as follows:
- Flying snake: I don’t know, maybe it represents change?
- Melting clock: Time is running out
- Purple sky: The color is strange, I didn’t think too much about it
After writing it, I felt like I was just going through the motions.
It was like handing in homework and writing a few lines without putting any thought into it.
So I decided to start over and ask myself seriously: How are these images related to my current life?
I’ve been freelancing recently, taking on a few projects, and my clients are rushing me, so I’m always rushing to meet deadlines.
I always feel like “there’s not enough time,” and my plans are always being disrupted.
So the “melting clock”—
it’s not that the clock is actually broken, but rather that I’m saying: “I feel like time isn’t listening to me, I can’t control it.”
Now look at the “purple sky.”
Purple isn’t a common color, but it makes me feel special and creative.
Lately, I’ve actually been wanting to change my work style, stop taking those boring gigs, and try doing some of my own creative work.
So the purple sky may represent: “I really want to try new things, I feel a little hopeful and excited.”
Finally, there is the barking dog.
It was my pet when I was a child. I was timid back then, and it always barked when I was scared, as if it were protecting me.
Now that it appears in my dream, is it saying: “Don’t fly too high, be careful you don’t fall?The problems in reality haven’t been solved yet!”
With this change, the whole dream becomes clear:
I want freedom and adventure (flying snakes + purple sky),
but I’m suffocating under the pressure of work (melting clock),
and there’s a voice inside me reminding me: don’t be too impulsive, reality is still there (dog barking).
5. I called my sister and got an unexpected clue
To confirm my understanding, I called my sister at noon.
I said, “Don’t laugh, but if you hear the word ‘flying snake,’ what’s the first thing that comes to mind?”
She laughed and said, “Don’t you have a dragon tattoo on your arm? Isn’t that like a flying snake? You said it was to commemorate your first independent trip.”
I was stunned.
I had completely forgotten about that tattoo!
But she was right—that tattoo symbolized “freedom” and “I can do it” to me.
This made me even more certain: The flying snake isn’t a monster; it’s a symbol of my desire to break free from the status quo.
6. Finally, I stuck the notes on the refrigerator
I rewrote my dream analysis on a large piece of paper and stuck it on the refrigerator in the kitchen.
I could see it every day when I cooked and got milk.
It wasn’t to show off, but to remind myself:
I already knew what I wanted, but I was too busy during the day to listen to my heart.
This dream is not a riddle or some mysterious prophecy.
It is just my brain saying, “Are you tired? Do you want to change? Are you afraid?”
As long as I am willing to stop, write it down, and think about it, the answer is there.
7. Summary: Three simple steps to understanding your dreams
If you also want to try to understand your dreams, I can share my method with you:
- Write immediately upon waking: It doesn’t have to be well-written; just jot down the images and feelings.
- Don’t look up apps or websites: What others say might not apply to you. Ask yourself, “What does this remind me of?”
- Connect to real life: What are you most worried about right now? What do you most want to change? Dreams often reflect these things.
Dreams aren’t magic, and they’re not tests.
They’re like an old friend whispering to you in the night.
You don’t need to be an expert—just be willing to listen, and you’ll understand.
All you need to do is pick up a pen, write it down, and ask yourself:
“Is this dream telling me I should do something different?”
