Snakes. The notorious serpents of mythology and religion. People love them, fear them, admire them and loathe them. Whatever your feelings towards snakes in real life, they are a powerful symbol of transformation and, when brought into your home, they can be instrumental in your own personal manifestations. The term “snake” is scientifically and historically correct, with the word “serpent” used in mythological and indigenous stories. I chose to name my design a serpent because I want to closely draw the connection to the creature’s vast mythological resumé.
Some of the associations that snakes are ascribed include:
Creative life force
Rebirth
Transformation
Healing, especially the power of self-healing
Fertility and reproduction
Eternal life
Guardianship and protection
Mediators of the underworld and the heavens
Keepers of Mother Earth’s secrets, possessors of esoteric knowledge
Symbols of wisdom and intuition
Setting boundaries and self-protection
Feeling or being grounded; connecting in to your body and the earth.
Our home is an extension of ourselves. Similar to the saying “as above so below”, so is the home an external representation of both our inner state and where we are outwardly headed. Think of it as an external manifestation of our inner state of being—which in turn shows us clearly where we are headed. When your home is a mess, you can be sure your life is a bit messy as well. Or it is heading for one. The energy we surround ourselves with matters greatly to our inner states and our trajectory.
The ancient practice of Feng Shui has shown that how we arrange our homes can also affect and direct energy flow. It also explains how the symbols we include in our home—be they shapes, colors, animals, textures, sounds, or more—can have a profound effect on our state of mind, our energy, and the outward manifestation of our goals and dreams.
Animals are powerful symbols and can be combined with shapes and colors to create even greater meaning. In my “I Love You To Infinity” serpent design, I combined the the snake with the color green and a free-flowing shape, to symbolize both abundance, nature, expansion, heart opening and new beginnings (all the color green) with the power of water. Water is symbolized by irregular shapes, and the snake here is calling to mind a river. Going with the flow, following life’s twists and turns, heading downstream towards your goals—that is the power of the river. A river is a powerful force, that calmly flows always in the direction of its destiny. The snake’s amphibious nature draws on this idea further, symbolizing its power to connect the subconscious (water) and conscious (earth) minds. The rectangular shape of the blanket and print, as well as the natural cotton material and the color green all call in the earth element. The snake itself is associated with fire. In this way this design has some powerful meaning in Feng Shui and can help bring about massive transformations in your life and home.
Feng Shui aside, the snake has been a powerful symbol in other traditions throughout recorded history. Many native shamans have called upon the snake power, and it is upheld in many traditions as a spirit animal or guide that can be called upon in various life situations. In the Native American Hopi tribe, for instance, the snake was part of a powerful healing ceremony. The Hopi Shaman recognized the snake a symbol of healing, as its venom can actually help heal itself. The Navajo included sand drawings of a coiled snake in its traditional “shooting chant” healing ceremony, the coiled snake being a sign of power waiting to be unleashed.
The ancient Greeks and Egyptians also viewed snakes as sacred and used them in many healing rituals. Their venom was thought to have powerful healing properties and their ability to shed was symbolic of healing and renewal. The Egyptian “ouroboros” symbol of a circular snake eating its own tale has long represented eternal life and our ability to renew ourselves—whether in this lifetime or through reproduction.
In the Indian tantric traditions, the snake symbolizes the kundalini coiled in the root chakra, then rising up the spine to its full power.
Snakes are seen throughout many cultures as the mediator between life and death; a ruler over the hidden processes of transformation. If not connected to the underworld, they are seen as possessing secret or esoteric knowledge of Mother Earth herself. The Celts, especially, believed in the snakes special connections to the earth, and this is often credited as the reason christianity did not always take kindly to snakes—they viewed the Celtic attitude as proof of snakes pagan status.
A common use for the snake symbol in modern times is as a symbol of protection: snakes powerfully represent fortifying and protecting your own boundaries. They are guardians of our chosen path and when we invoke their powers we are helped to stay our course.
There are so many more stories of powerful snake protections throughout recorded history, and many ways to call upon and invoke the power of the snake in your daily life. I promised 15 reasons, and I lost count, but I’m pretty sure I covered at least that many! So here’s to powerful transformations, healing, and creative life force. If you’d like more information on your specific situation or home, and how to best bring in some snake art, feel free to email me at lily@neondunes.com