The serpent is probably one of the most complicated and difficult spiritual symbols to understand and incorporate into one’s own spiritual life in all its multi-faceted elements. In some stories a serpent – say a behemoth or a leviathan – is a monster which needs to be slain. In others, the serpent is a sign of rising energy, such as qi, kundalini, or chi. On the emblematic staff of the physician there are two serpents climbing rising the central rod as a symbol of healing. There is always a serpent coiled under the tree of life, not only in the Bible but in world-wide mythologies. The serpent took the blame for the the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden. Was this a fair assessment?
Serpent energy has been connected with ley lines of the earth. Lightning in the sky has been likened to serpentine energy. Our umbilical cord has also been compared to a serpent.
Another world-wide cultural symbol is the feathered serpent, perhaps most well-known as Quetzalcoatl of Meso-America. The feathered serpent also appears in Egyptian lore and perhaps most surprisingly, in the Bible. The image above is from Egypt.
All of these elements of the serpent will be explored in upcoming blog posts.
