Reflect on the dual symbolism of the snake:

Jeanette was dreaming about the landscape near the house she had lived in twenty years ago. She and her husband were walking towards a lake. Her husband was going to have a swim and suddenly a gigantic snake appeared under the water. The serpent came right up to the dock and raised his gross head out of the water and looked at Jeanette.
She was amazed to see the intelligence reflected in the black eyes of this big creature looking at her without moving. Jeanette recognized that she wasn’t afraid of the snake which could represent a danger for her but she was frightened by the thought that her husband could be hurt or killed. She screamed repeatedly to him to climb onto the dock, but he took his time and didn’t seem to be afraid of the snake. Finally, when he decided to get up on the pier, the serpent grabbed his leg and pulled him under the water. At this moment the snake transformed itself into a gigantic octopus. Jeannette realized that her husband was dead when she saw the bubbles appearing on the surface.

The dual symbolism of the snake in this dream includes a positive and a negative side. On one hand, it can represent the fear of a future illness or death. A few months later, they received the diagnosis that her husband was suffering from a cancer spreading from his colon to the stomach. In the end, her husband dies of this illness. We could consider the octopus as a symbol which represents the cancer gradually spreading in his body. On the other hand, the serpent could symbolize the acquisition of spiritual intelligence in the healing process. In Jeanette’s next dream, we observe that this particular form of intelligence allows them to live the illness more