The Serpent

The Serpent.  One of my more "recent" animal infatuations -- as compared to Wolves or Big Cats that have been with me as long as I can remember.  And, like most animals that fascinate me and capture my attention, they are ones that the general public disdain -- and know so very little about.

And Snake as a totem....so much power there.  But I won't delve into what the standard totem readings for this animal are.  I'm delving more into my personal relationship, my personal interactions with the animal and the Spirit.

Surprisingly, since getting my pet snake, a female lavender corn snake aptly named Leviathan back in 2007, she's been teaching me so much.  You don't interact with a reptile on the same level as you a mammal.  Reptiles just do not require constant social interaction or affection.  They are resiliently self-sufficient and hardy animals that once you earn their trust, they really show you their subtle personalities and quirks.  Leviathan has also brought to the surface, in small doses mind you, my latent femininity.  Most of the time, I scoff at "girlie" things, but with her around, she's reminded me of the subtle beauty that such things do embody....if I will just look at them and see them, without passing judgment.  While you won't be seeing me sporting any pink clothing any time soon, I don't run screaming in the opposite direction when I see it now. 

As a Spirit, Snake is all about Sight.  Snakes have a transparent eye cap scale that covers the eye, so their eyes are always "open".  There is no "eyelid" to close.  So the Snake always sees.  Snakes also shed the skin they outgrow multiple times a year, much akin to how I shed outgrown ideals and thought patterns. 

For me, the Snake is the ultimate symbol of Illumination.  It is generally immune to its own venom -- symbolizing victory over death.  Its eyes are always open, always seeing -- symbolizing a choice not to turn a blind eye to the Truth; to see things for what they truly are.  They shed the things they've outgrown and are shiny and new underneath....until they outgrow that new skin and shed yet again.  Always growing, always changing.  Immortal.

And then there's the whole link to Lucifer.  * grins and winks *  Couldn't leave that one out.  For me, Lucifer is the Light Bringer, the Truth Sayer, the Liberator.  I know this flies in the face of conventional thought about him, but he accepted the role of the Adversary because he knows the ultimate good that will come of it.  He "tricked" Eve into eating of the Tree of Knowledge, so that we all may ingest knowledge and become better for it.  And he did that in the guise of the Serpent.   

And finally, the Serpent is a symbol of ingenuity.  I mean, stop and look at this animal for a second.  Really stop.  And really look.  Here is an animal that elected to evolve without the use of limbs.  How much easier is your life simply because you have legs and arms, not to mention that massive advantage of hands and fingers?  And yet, even without those advantages, this animal populates every continent except Antarctica!  Truly fascinating creatures.