“Kentucky pastor charged in poisonous snake trade.” This intriguing headline appeared in The Denver Post (12 Jul 08). The article it led to once again illustrates that waking life can be every bit as strange as any sleep dream. “The pastor of a Kentucky church that handles snakes in religious rites was among 10 people arrested by wildlife officers in a crackdown on the venomous snake trade. More than 100 snakes were confiscated in the undercover sting after Thursday’s arrests, said Col. Bob Milligan, director of law enforcement for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife.” One hundred snakes in one spot would easily qualify as a nightmare for many people.
And, these were not harmless garter snakes. “Most were taken from the Middlesboro home of Gregory James Coots, including 42 copperheads, 11 timber rattlesnakes, three cottonmouth water moccasins, a western diamondback rattlesnake, two cobras and a puff adder.”
“Handling snakes is practiced in a handful of fundamentalist churches across Appalachia, based on the interpretation of Bible verses saying true believers can take up serpents without being harmed. The practice is illegal in most states, including Kentucky.” Being up-front and personal with lethal snakes in order to prove a divine connection: this certainly qualifies as something outside of most folks’ notion of “ordinary,” but normal enough in sleep dreams or nightmares.
If you were handling a rattlesnake in your sleep dream, what might it mean for you?