Despite their name and spiked appearance, snake plants carry favorable spiritual meanings of peace, purity, serenity, and positive thoughts.
In addition, they are inherently tough and can continue growing even with poor lighting, irregular watering, and a bit of neglect.
Learn more about snake plants and their meanings in this guide! We will also discuss their feng shui relevance, what to avoid when caring for them, and more.
What is the general meaning of snake plants?
In general, snake plants are viewed as a symbol of cleanliness and persistence due to their excellent air-purifying properties and capability to thrive in poor lighting and minimal care.
Apart from that, they represent bliss and serenity. Caring for these plants can reduce stress and tension.
They’re very low-maintenance, and they have stylish and graceful leaves with green and yellow shades.
Plus, snake plants make a great gift for homebodies, nature lovers, and those who are striving for inner peace and calm. They’re definitely a good housewarming gift too.
Do snake plants bring good luck?
Many feng shui experts say that snake plants invite luck, fortune, and camaraderie into your house or office.
They’re believed to encourage more positive thoughts and emotions.
Where do I place my snake plant to create good feng shui?
According to feng shui rules, a snake plant is best located in the bagua or energy area of your house. This is the point where the positive and negative energies meet to affect you.
A snake plant is classified under the wood element, similar to that of southeast or east areas in the house. Thus, it will boost luck, fortune, and positive vibes in these places.
Whereas, southern rooms carry the fire elemental sign in feng shui. Combined with a wood element like snake plants, they will greatly raise the person’s courage and enthusiasm.
So these are where you can grow the snake plant in your home, and we will explain each of them in a bit:
- Entrance
- Bedroom
- Living room
- Kitchen
- Dining room
- Bathroom
- Working area
1) Entrance
A snake plant can be set inside the house where you can see it as soon as you enter the door, by a coat hanger or window, or on a tabletop.
It’s also nice to place the lucky plant outside on the porch. This will instantly make people feel welcomed, carefree, and at home when they come.
Furthermore, east, west, or south-facing windows are great location choices for your snake plant, but remember to keep it at a distance of 6 to 10 feet so its leaves won’t be scorched by the sun.
2) Bedroom
Since most of us spend more hours in the bedroom than in any place in the house, having a snake plant here will do wonders for your body, mind, and soul.
According to feng shui principles, the plant will enhance the positive qi energy and fortune in the bedroom and cut away the lingering stress and negativity that has built up in it.
Moreover, a study conducted by NASA shows that snake plants are incredibly effective at removing harmful VOCs in the air.
These toxic pollutants, like formaldehyde, benzene, and xylene, are released by daily items like appliances, books, plastic, paints, textiles, cosmetics, and other things.
Is it bad to have snake plants in the bedroom?
Most feng shui practitioners believe it is good to have snake plants in your bedroom, but some believe they’re not lucky to be displayed there.
The reason for the first is that snake plants strengthen the wood energy of the room, cultivating compassion and healing.
As for the second, it is thought that the snake plants are needed in other areas of the house with good water energy like the bathroom to get the most luck, prosperity, and positivity out of it.
3) Living Room
Living rooms are a fantastic location for your potted snake plant. They can instantly improve the aesthetics of your room.
A snake plant placed in the living room will promote more positive and calmer thoughts and interactions among your family and guests.
Plus, it will make you better relaxed at night when you lounge on the sofa and watch TV. As a result, you will feel refreshed and energized when you wake up in the morning.
4) Kitchen
Going to the kitchen area, the snake plant can give you ample luck to ace the perfect delicious recipe for yourself and your family to enjoy.
5) Dining Room
Most American homes have their bed or dining rooms located in the east or southeast portions of the house.
In feng shui, these places belong to the wood element. So decorating them with snake plants, which are also of the wood element, will direct all the positive energy and luck there.
6) Bathroom
The bathroom carries an overflow of water elemental energy, and the snake plant’s wood energy perfectly complements it.
It will bring more luck, fortune, and happiness to your life. So, you can also keep your snake plants here: on the top of the toilet tank, beside the sink, or on the floor where it gets nice morning sunshine.
7) Working Area
You could have someplace in your home where you work, meditate, or plan. Your working area at home or home office is called wen chang in Chinese.
It’s believed that a snake plant will help create good feng shui in your working area, increasing your productivity and concentration.
So you can put it anywhere there like on a shelf, tabletop, or windowsill. You can also place it close to your table and chair by the window with bright but mild sunlight.
Snake Plant Care Cautions
Although the snake plant can survive with some neglect, that doesn’t mean you should ignore it completely.
If your snake plant has drooped or become unhealthy and you leave it be, it will work against your favor by bringing bad luck, negative energy, and strife.
So make sure to do all you can to keep it growing at its best. Place it in the direction of bright, indirect light and water it thoroughly when it has become nearly dry indoors.
Also, take care not to touch its sharp wavy leaves or let your children do that because these can puncture the skin.
Plus, the snake plant’s leaves are toxic if accidentally ingested, so don’t put them where your kid and pets often play around.
What is the religious relevance of the snake plant?
The snake plant has been mentioned in different spiritual texts in which it mostly signified a hopeful and courageous spirit.
Thanks to its inherent ability to clean the air, it has also been regarded to mean a pure mind, thoughts, and body.
It also was used before to ward off evil intentions and bad luck even despite its resemblance to snakes.
Which are the best snake plants to get?
There are about 70 different snake plant varieties you can get varying in style, size, and air-purifying capability.
The best one, as plant experts will agree, is the Sansevieria laurentii. It has wonderful leaves with a melon-like pattern, and it grows upwards and reliably detoxifies the air.
Another great, super low-maintenance snake plant is the Sansevieria trifasciata, which has a dark green color without any yellow margin.
If you want a snake plant with lovely, curved, and shorter olive-green leaves, then you might like to grow a moonshine snake plant. It stands shorter than other snake plants at 2 to 3 feet, but it’s also very simple to care for!
And, for an aloe-vera appeal with alternating light and dark stripes on the foliage, we suggest getting the Sansevieria cylindrica. It requires partial light and regular watering for best results.
Other Plant Meaning Resources
Aside from this guide, you may want to explore the meanings of these flowers below: