Today was very much a snake day for me. Snakes are far from my favorite animals so a year ago when I found out one of my animal totems was a snake and I began having many encounters, in my waking life, in visions during meditation and even in my dreams, I was not exactly thrilled. To find this was a powerful animal totem to have comforted me very little I must admit.
Today’s performers were the black snake with a cameo appearance from the mockingbird. You will see below why the mockingbird has earned a special place in my heart.
In ancient Greek and Roman cultures, snakes were symbols of the healing arts. In Mayan art, the serpent is frequently portray and is perhaps most famous as Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent. In the bible, the snake symbolizes temptation and forbidden knowledge. Carl Jung considered snakes to be archetypal, a powerful symbol of the collective conscious.
The snakes message by way of it’s characteristics, is that it must shed it’s skin for new growth to occur. In order to move forward in my life, I must shed old beliefs and habits. For me the biggest thing recently has been trying to get into the habit of reacting with love to my parents. Reacting negatively to the way they treat me and the hurtful words has become such a habit for me that even though I have grown and healed the bad habit is still there tugging at me. Before seeing the snake that is what had been on my mind, that I have to make a major conscious effort to break my reaction patterns.
Crawling out of its old skin is very significant for those with this medicine. It is a metaphor for how we shed old ways and habits as we grow into higher spiritual energy symbolizing the death and rebirth process.
I have been going through the process of working more on my issues with my parents through understanding the mirrors we have for each other and the similar wounds we share. Through this understanding I have gain honest sympathy (sincerely in my heart) for what they have experienced in the past that affects them. This has had a profound affect on me because for the first time in my life I can talk about the issues I have had with them and not feel anger and resentment but actual understanding without thinking of poor me. That is huge for me. For so long I have wished and worked toward this. The eyes of a snake are always open protected by immobile transparent scales. Prior to shedding its skin the snakes markings become obscure and the eyes appear opaque or blue. This gives it a trance like appearance as if it is looking right through you. Learning how to see into the hearts of others is part of what it teaches us.
Recently I have been doing much searching for answers and solutions/resolutions. I have a renewed vigor on my quest and have made some good headway. Asking for a dream regarding my pre-birth planning session before incarnation that I discussed briefly in a previous post was very successful, getting Kryon’s help with some chakra work and healing, and re-newing my commitment to mediation and chakra work has helped bring home all the previous self work I have done over te past three years.
The snake symbolizes healing on a cellular level. Because their bodies are lightweight and flexible they have speed and agility. When they enter into your world expect swift changes to sweep through your life. These changes signify a death of the old and a birth into untapped power, creativity and wisdom. Snake is a powerful totem to have. Only those with a high degree of spiritual training, be it past or present, will be awarded this totem. It is the guardian of sacred places and the keeper of hidden knowledge.
Many of the signs I have received recently have also come along with a symbol of duality. Seconds after stepping outside my parents backdoor I heard rustling near the edge of the yard that got my attention. That is when I saw the first snake. About thirty minutes later I was inside with my son looking outside and we spotted the second snake, much bigger than the first. The symbolic meaning of number two is kindness, balance, tact, equalization, and duality. The number Two reflects a quiet power of judgment, and the need for planning. Two beckons us to choose. The spiritual meaning of number Two also deals with exchanges made with others, partnerships (both in harmony and rivalry), and communication. Two urges us out of our indecision, calls us to unite with like-minds, and like-ideals. Two asks us to exert our natural flow of judgment to do what is best for our souls.
As my son and I were watching the second snake, very close to the house and I admit making me feel a bit uneasy, a mockingbird (one of my totem animals) comes out of another tree in the yard and swoops down on the snake, coming so close that I was over-impressed by its fearlessness, and did not stop until it had run the snake off around the other side of the nearby shed. The mockingbird then sat on the fence nearby to where the snake had run/slithered to hide and sat there at least twenty minutes watching for the snake to dare come back out in the open.
The plumed serpent Quetzalcóatl (adorned with the green feathers of the quetzal bird) was a divinity of great religious significance, apparently representing a harmonization of the duality bird/snake (and thus heaven/earth). (The Mayan name of the plumed serpent was Kukulcan.) The bird/snake polarity is represented, for example, in the arms of Mexico City.
Birds and snakes together symbolize opposites: above/below, sky/earth. In Hindu mythology, the mythical bird that slays serpents is Garuda. A giant bird is a symbol for a solar bird, a cosmic or divine messenger.
Sorry I couldn’t find more information on birds and snakes interacting, but you can see the message of opposites closely as well as the message of the need for balance with a hint of the reminder that we are stronger than we give ourselves credit for.