Attention to Omens: The Snake
“I’ve kicked the habit…
Shed my skin”
Peter Gabriel
“Sledgehammer”
I came home last night after looking at a new house and meeting some potential roommates, and what did I find in my studio? A snake! A tiny garter, pencil thin.
For some reason, I knew instantly this was a sign.
This had never happened before. It was fascinating. I was hypnotized by its sinuous, serpentine motion as it snaked across the floor.
If this was an omen, what did it mean? Was I about to be tempted? I spent some time last night and this morning studying the significance of the serpent as symbol or archetype. Apparently, it meant a lot of different things to different people through the ages, but there were two that spoke to me the most. Well, a third possibility is the return of my ex-girlfriend Natalie, a dark, dangerous beauty who’s spirit animal is definitely the serpent.
But that’s another story… . So, two meanings, from this symbol:
One, I had just the day before been reading about awakening Kundalini at KL Masina’s be Conscious now weblog, so I was fascinated to find out this morning that the snake is associated with the stirring of Kundalini energy. Definitely relevant. And not surprising then, that it showed up, as this is how life tends to unfold.
Two, I had just been looking at a house and potential roommates. So that brings us to another association with the snake. Change. The snake sheds its skin. It changes.
I’ve been changing too… quite a lot in the past year, culminating in the past few months, in which change has accelerated.
I eventually brought Snake outside and set him free in the beautiful, wild Berkshires, but I regard this as an auspicious omen. A good sign.
4. July, 2007 at 22:06
I loved how your snake “snaked” across the floor… because snaking it what snakes do…
But seriously, I have only seen one of two snakes on my life, and there is something so slithery and crawly and free about them…
Loved the photo of the ex too - she looks like she might have been a python, one of the smaller ones. Absolutely gorgeous.
I did some research on the symbology of snakes when I was writing an article on the Garden of Eden. I found it fascinating that the snake was represented in the Bible as a tempter… but in yogic, hindu or vedic thought… the snake represents Kundalini, one of the forms of the mother goddess Kali.
The snake is about leaving the earthly plane and seeing clearly through the illusion…
But why a snake? Why not some other creature? What is it about a SNAKE?
Here’s a quote from my article:
“The choice of the serpent as the temptation is not accidental. The myth would not be the same if a cat, or a cow had suggested to Eve that she eat of the fruit.
The snake is one of the most symbolic of all animals, and it is found spread across a myriad of cultures and societies.
It is not even uncommon to find myths and stories combining the serpent with the tree - as well as the story of Adam and Eve, a serpent and a tree features in Greek mythology, the story of Buddha and Mayan mythology, plus many others.
It is a universal symbol of connection with the divine, of knowledge, of transformation and rebirth.”
So much meaning, such a small, thin, garter snake!
Many blessings,
K-L
5. July, 2007 at 00:05
Wow, KL. Thanks so much for bringing us deeper into this idea of the snake as archetype and symbol. I love the quote from your article. This response is a part of my post now.
5. July, 2007 at 00:16
Hey,
My pleasure!
30. September, 2008 at 07:17
What fascinated me to snakes was one experience that i had recently. i riding my bike .. n this huge king cobra… just passed in front of me from the right side… to the left side…….. i was curious as to what it denoted n so here i am…. hope it explains some of ur experiences tooo… cheers
SNAKE OMENS.
In a country like India where serpent worship is so common, the movements of these reptiles are looked upon as ominous. The vital statistics of the Indian Government show an annual loss of life by snake bite alone, averaging from twenty to twenty-five thousand. It is not then to be wondered at that the serpent should inspire a dread which leads on to propitiatory worship. They thus form a natural subject for omens.
To see two snakes fighting denotes a quarrel between the beholder and his relatives ; to see two snakes making off in the same direction forebodes poverty. One snake swallowing another is a sign of famine. It is a good omen to any one who sees a serpent climbing up a green tree, for he is sure to be an emperor. It is a sign of coming misfortune to a king, if he sees a snake climbing down from a tree ; but the same thing is to other than kings a good omen. The entrance of a snake into a house denotes wealth to the householder ; but just the reverse if it is seen departing from a house. If a cobra is seen with its hood expanded and its tail erect, going across from the left to the right, it is a good sign ; if only its hood is expanded as it thus proceeds, it denotes a good meal for the beholder. If a snake comes towards a person from the right side it foretells success ; but it is a bad sign if it should come from the left. If anyone sees a snake crawling about in the road in front of him, it denotes success to his projects ; but evil will follow if the person halts. If when the snake sees anyone it expands its hood and erects its head, it foretells wealth and prosperity ; but, if it crawls into its hole, it denotes wealth to the poor, but poverty to the rich. To see a dead snake lying on the ground foretells news of death. Should a farmer on arriving at a field see a cobra with hood expanded and head erect, it shows that the field will yield a good crop; but if it should crawl away on seeing him, it denotes a bad crop. It is a sign of a good crop, if a cobra is seen with hood expanded and head erect when the farmer is sowing his seed. A snake crawling into the entrance of a village denotes good to the villagers ; but it denotes evil to them if it is seen running away from a village. To hear a serpent hiss on entering a village is a good omen ; but when on a journey it is bad to hear it hiss. If any one sees the trail of a snake on the ground, he must walk backwards along it, rubbing it out with his foot.