No one would blame you if you squealed and jumped at the sight of a snake, but garters (American) are not the kind of snakes you should be afraid of.
In fact, these relatively small slithering serpents are much more afraid of you than you are of them. You’re much bigger than they are, after all.
These snakes are common in American backyards and public spaces, and there are spiritual meanings and messages behind seeing them.
Some may even have been sent to you, with a message, from loved ones in the ‘beyond’.
What Does a Garter Snake Symbolize?
Garter snakes are quite fascinating in that they’re venomous but still classed as harmless.
For the most part, they pose no threat to humans and bites would only cause mild swelling and discomfort.
The venom-injecting teeth are in an awkward place, making it difficult for them to be able to bite and successfully deliver toxins.
This can be seen in a spiritual sense as having somewhat of a sting in the tail.
Maybe you or someone you know has a soft and kind exterior, but it’s hiding a venomous interior.
Read the spiritual meaning of seeing a green snake.
Spiritual Meaning of Seeing a Garter Snake in the Yard
Seeing a garter snake in your garden is quite a tough symbol to decipher and interpret on its own, which is why it pays to note the rest of the scene.
If you’re spooked by a garter snake that slithers on by, you might have a nasty surprise in the future.
As you might expect, the snake often represents a literal snake of a person —someone who is cunning, manipulative and mean.
Being surprised by the snake in your own territory could be a mark of someone betraying, angering, or hurting you, totally unexpectedly.
That’s not the only meaning behind this spiritual meaning, though.
Also read the spiritual meaning of seeing a black snake.
Spiritual Meaning of a Garter Snake in Dreams
Many spiritualists and dream experts agree that seeing any kind of snake in your dreams is a major potential sign that you’re going to find yourself in an unpleasant situation.
Perhaps you’ll experience the venomous, snappy side of a friend, partner, or acquaintance… or even yourself?
Thankfully, there are a few positive connotations, too. It’s not all sad news.
Read the meaning of seeing a white and yellow snake.
9 Garter Snake Spiritual Meanings and Messages
As well as being warned about a potential snake-like person in your life, seeing or dreaming of garter snakes can be a sign of many, many other things.
Are you scared of snakes? That’ll play a crucial factor in your dream interpretation.
If you’re not scared, your interpretation is likely to be a lot different from the one that someone with a snake phobia would decipher.
That’s not the only significant factor, either.
1) A Sign of Rain
- Do you love snakes?
- Have a passion for them?
- Have many of them as pets?
Having positive, happy emotions when seeing a garter snake is probably going to have more of a positive message than a negative one.
In some Native American tribes, the garter snake is a sign that rain is on the way — which means good crop yields, well-fed communities, and a happy life.
The snake is commonly found close to water, and it’s commonly mistaken for water snakes.
What is your version of rain? Perhaps it’s money, or beauty, or wisdom.
The garter snake in your yard (or dreams) might be a sign that you’re going to get whatever you want in abundance!
Read these 9 signs of a snake crossing your path.
2) You Might Need Your Gang
Garters snakes live a relatively solitary life in the wild. Snakes come together for breeding, of course, and for winter hibernation.
It’s rare to find just one of these in a winter den. There are often hundreds and even sometimes thousands.
Are you a solitary person? Do you like your own company and aren’t all that bothered if other people don’t show up? This spiritual message might be for you…
There are times when we NEED other people.
You might need your gang of people – friends, acquaintances, family members, partners, colleagues… – to have your back in a situation that’s about to go down.
There’s safety in numbers, and that’s why the garter snake quits the solitary lifestyle, if only while they’re sleeping and for a few months.
3) The Winds of Change Are Blowing
Dreaming of this snake could indicate that the winds of change are going to blow right in your direction.
- How does that make you feel? Anxious? Worried? Excited and happy?
In order for things in life to get better, they must change. Things don’t and won’t get better if you don’t make the change.
Those things might get worse if you don’t, though.
4) A Sign of Jealousy
This bout of jealousy can be yours, or someone else’s. Perhaps they are jealous of you or something you have.
Either way, in the history of some Native American tribes, the garter snake is linked to feelings of jealousy.
What you need to remember is this: Jealousy doesn’t actually get you anywhere.
Being jealous won’t get you the things that someone else has.
Rather than being jealous, focus your energy on getting what you want instead. It’s a much more productive use of your time.
5) Good Fortune and Luck Is Coming
Many civilizations and cultures look at this animal as a good one, believing it to bring good luck and good fortune in abundance.
People will sometimes get this animal as a pet specifically for the purpose of spreading good fortune around the house.
It must be remembered, however, that a pet is for life, not just for a random sprinkling of positivity.
6) Take Care of the Vulnerable
Snakes are often linked to healing and caring, and the garter snake is no exception.
In some legends, they were the guardians of the most vulnerable in communities, which included the elderly, children, women, and the sick.
Does someone around you need your help?
Maybe it’s time to start looking out for the signs that someone is struggling — physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, or in any other way.
Maybe you’re the one who needs help but you’re too afraid to reach out and ask for it.
If that’s the case, you should never feel shame in asking for help. People don’t know you need help unless you tell them.
7) A Message from Beyond
In Celtic history, garter snakes were linked to the afterlife and underworld.
If one was seen, it was considered to be a message from someone who had passed over. Could that be the case for you?
Have you been asking for a message or sign from a passed-over loved one?
The garter snake might just be it. Even if you haven’t wished for or hoped for it, it could still be that loved one sending a little ‘hello’.
8) You Shouldn’t Give in to Temptation
In the Bible, Adam and Eve were lured in by the serpent and the forbidden apple.
In life, seeing garter snakes could be a sign that you’re going to face your own test with forbidden fruit. Do you have what it takes to say no?
Life is made up of little tests, many of them seemingly insignificant.
We’re faced with choices every day that act as little tests.
An extra piece of cake or biscuit. One more drink at the bar. A cheeky little fling. Just one more episode of that new show you’ve been binge-watching…
This up-and-coming test is clearly an important one that will impact your life. Why else would the serpent show up to deliver a warning?
9) Open Up to Fun
I’d like to share a relevant quote with you, by Ralph Waldo Emerson:
“Four snakes gliding up and down a hollow for no purpose that I could see – not to eat, not for love, but only gliding.”
Those snakes glided up and down the hollow because it felt good, and they enjoyed it.
The snake in your dreams or yard might be telling you that it’s time to have fun. Stop holding back. Start doing the things you love again.
More animal species do things ‘just for fun’ than you’d think.
Before you leave, read the meaning of finding a snake skin.
Is See a Garter Snake a Good Spiritual Sign?
Yes, the garter snake can be seen as a good sign. It is also a bad sign at times, though.
Finding garter snakes in the yard is said to be a really good sign if you’re a gardener.
According to experts, these snakes will only enter a garden or yard if it has a healthy and rich ecosystem. Everything lives in harmony with each other.
The same could apply to your real-life situation. Perhaps your life is about to come to a place of peace and harmony, like you’ve been hoping for.
Read the python snake spiritual meaning and symbolism.
Final Words
Before you can take any course of action, you must first decipher the message and meaning of the garter snake in your backyard or dreams.
Could it be one of the symbolic meanings on this page, or perhaps another one that is much more personal to you?
Once you’ve figured out the meaning, or what the symbol is trying to warn you about, you can do whatever you need to do, to keep yourself safe and happy.
Julia is a world-renowned spiritual teacher from Sweden, who quit her job at Google to pursue her dream of becoming a digital nomad. I help spiritual seekers step into their purpose and power. Passionate about astrology, meditation, nomad life and the law of attraction.