Divine Serpent

September 24, 1999

On this beautiful day of the Equinox I had

two encounters with the divine serpent out in the wild.

Barefoot, doing the "soft walk" along the rivers edge,

along a deer path, I first hear something

in the grass. Stopping to see what it is,

a beautiful, long, dark snake slithers out

in front of me. Unlike most snakes

that tastes its environment with frequent

tongue flips, this divine serpent was very

quiet.

I sat in the grass, relaxed my focus,

and felt the serpent energy: still,

very still, patient, sexual, one-pointed attention.

After a long while, I realized that the

snake was not going to move. I wanted

it to move so I could feel its undulations.

Ah, well, I, the larger of the two of us, a potential

threat, slowly moved and gave the ground back

to this beautiful cold-blooded creature.

Later, while sitting on the edge of the river

on a grassy knoll, I came out of

meditation while sourcing the aspects I wanted

to let go of in my Tobacco Trap ritual, opened my eyes,

and there in front of me was another serpent; this

time undulating along the surface of the

shallow water of the river. What a delight,

and this time I knew I was being given

an omen, a message of great importance.

This spiritual being, symbolizing the unconscious

and the "other" psychic dimension, is cold-blooded,

and is therefore like a god which

lies beyond the human realm.

The mysterious dynamism of this serpent, its extraordinary

vitality and its seeming immortality through the periodic

rejuvenation of shedding the old and appearing new each year

parallels the shedding of the old I was in the process of

doing with my Tobacco Trap ritual. The snake has been and

is the symbol of energy, spontaneous, creative energy, and of immortality.

What I love about my serpent encounters is how the it is

so representative of the sacred healing ritual I am creating

of letting go of unbeneficial belief systems and aspects of self

that are in denial. The serpent periodically sheds the integument

covering its entire body without bleeding, illness or infection and

immediately generates a new body covering. In accomplishing

this 'miraculous' function the serpent liberates itself from scars and ticks.

The ability of the serpent to shed its skin and so renew its youth

makes it the master of the secret of death and rebirth. The moon,

waxing and waning is the celestial body capable of this same ability.

The moon, long associated with the life-creating rhythm of the female,

and therefore of time itself becomes the lord of the mystery of birth

and death and the serpent id the earthly counterpart . In early rites of

initiation where the candidate was seen to die and be reborn, the moon

was the goddess mother and the serpent the divine father.

And it is in the union of the opposites that the serpent has

contributed so significantly to the spiritual realm of India.

As the serpent symbolizes eternity by forming a circle with its

tail in its mouth, so I too, as a sentient being, carry the eternal with me.

As the serpent symbolizes resurrection, the old becoming the young,

so I too, with Will and Intent, each day renew and re-create my form.

"be ye therefore wise as serpents "Matt 10:16

I invite Shiva, whose neck is laced by the serpent, the naga bushana,

to uncoil the energy at the base of my spine and release this energy

to move freely through my human form.

The symbol for water, in Hindu mythology, is the serpent. So I am being

guided to delve into the boundless elemental sea that is Vishnu who

is man, ocean (water) and serpent. All are one. Yes, and springing forth

from the navel of Vishnu is a lotus stem, and on the flower at the end of the

stem

sits the god Brahma who creates the world.

Such a gift from the Gods on this Autumn Equinox!

Love Raven

September 24, 1999

Beautiful.

Raven McCloud wrote:

> On this beautiful day of the Equinox I had

> two encounters with the divine serpent out in the wild.

September 24, 1999

>David Bozzi <david.bozzi

>

>Beautiful.

>

>Raven McCloud wrote:

>

>> On this beautiful day of the Equinox I had

>> two encounters with the divine serpent out in the wild.

>

Hey guys, I saw a fox that day. Does that mean anything?

Glo

September 24, 1999

In a message dated 09/24/1999 11:31:06 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

colette writes:

<<

Now I'm not sure how the colours may look on different monitors ~ I adjusted

the

original to suit my rather dark monitor ~ hope it isn't looking gaudy on

yours ~

>>

Thank you Colette :-) is beautiful, i had a completelly different merging

but also merging tonight a white Sun on a White Mountain Solid and Silent

which burst into Snowflakes which descended onto peaceful White Waters all

merging, All and No-Thing and Everything, Earth Air Fire and Water and

nothing at all ... i don't know, it is hard to express in words because words

seem automatically to take the energy into limitations ...

Incense, i make oils of flowers, so as to keep the beautiful scents of Spring

for the deep of White Winters ...

Here the White Lace curtains are against the Black Velvet Sky and the White

Moon shines Full reflecting the Sun which cannot be seen ...

RainboLily

September 24, 1999

On 9/24/99 at 6:52 PM Gloria Lee wrote:

>

>>David Bozzi <david.bozzi

>>

>>Beautiful.

>>

>>Raven McCloud wrote:

>>

>>> On this beautiful day of the Equinox I had

>>> two encounters with the divine serpent out in the wild.

>>

>

>Hey guys, I saw a fox that day. Does that mean anything?

>

>Glo

Yes, it means your eyes and memory are OK. Congratulations!

Jan

September 25, 1999

Hi. Well for me it has been coming to terms with the Serpent Energy as a force

for

Love ..

And so how could I work with such a symbol to embrace & enhance aceptance ..

and

let go resistance ..

Lately I have been doing an art class which is process oriented round clearing

'issues' & sharing them ..

As our dear friend Raven has recently been met by two snakes in the bush .. it

was

inspiration for me to get out my paints & work with an image I have had for a

while

which wanted expression ..

So here it is!

http://www.bb.com.au/colette/Merging.htm

Now I'm not sure how the colours may look on different monitors ~ I adjusted the

original to suit my rather dark monitor ~ hope it isn't looking gaudy on yours ~

Jan Barendrecht wrote:

>

> >>Raven McCloud wrote:

> >>

> >>> On this beautiful day of the Equinox I had

> >>> two encounters with the divine serpent out in the wild.

> >>

> >

> >Hey guys, I saw a fox that day. Does that mean anything?

> >

> >Glo

>

> Yes, it means your eyes and memory are OK. Congratulations!

>

> Jan

You are cheeky!

Best Love,

Col

:-)

September 25, 1999

~*~*~*~

RainboLily wrote:

> >>

> Thank you Colette :-) is beautiful, i had a completelly different merging

> but also merging tonight a white Sun on a White Mountain Solid and Silent

> which burst into Snowflakes which descended onto peaceful White Waters all

> merging, All and No-Thing and Everything, Earth Air Fire and Water and

> nothing at all ... i don't know, it is hard to express in words because words

> seem automatically to take the energy into limitations ...

Is beautiful sharing your Energy Sister ~ where ya been I missed ya!

Byeez Angel ~

Luv,

Col ~

September 25, 1999

Hey Glo!

>>Raven:

>>> On this beautiful day of the Equinox I had

>>> two encounters with the divine serpent out in the wild.

>

>Hey guys, I saw a fox that day. Does that mean anything?

Does it mean anything to you?? Is it your totem animal?

Love,

Dharma

September 25, 1999

Hi Col,

>Hi. Well for me it has been coming to terms with the Serpent Energy as a

>force for

>Love ..

>

>And so how could I work with such a symbol to embrace & enhance aceptance

>.. and

>let go resistance ..

>

>Lately I have been doing an art class which is process oriented round clearing

>'issues' & sharing them ..

>

>As our dear friend Raven has recently been met by two snakes in the bush

>.. it was

>inspiration for me to get out my paints & work with an image I have had

>for a while

>which wanted expression ..

>

>So here it is!

>

>http://www.bb.com.au/colette/Merging.htm

This is very interesting... as much for what isn't here as for what is.

There are three channels up the spine... sushumna nadi up the center...

ida nadi and pingala nadi on either side of that... some say they spiral

around sushumna... that is seen in Hermes' caduceus.

In your picture only two channels appear... ida and pingala. Only at the

very top do we see bright energy between them... in sushumna. The heart

is pictured as very bright and strong... but the strong energy is not in

sushumna there... only higher.

It is said that in the process of development energy first comes down from

the top, all the way down through all the centers... when it reaches root

chakra, the Kundalini awakens and uncoils... and rises up through all the

centers to crown chakra.

Since you have explained your art class, it seems to me that your picture

is probably showing something about you. It looks like there is very

strong energy in the head centers. But it has not descended, and there is

not K. in sushumna... or not enough to show here. Why not? Is something

blocking the energy?

The two serpents shown here are not twining... they are shown in a rather

threatening aspect, coming at each other with open mouths. They do not

even seem to be where they should be... they seem to be entirely outside

of the spinal channels... or perceived as being outside... or other. And

it is right there at the open mouths of the two serpents that the energy is

stopped... at least it is not seen below that point.

It seems as if the ideal resolution would be if the two serpents could

twine together and enter the double spiral at the bottom... at

muladhara... and move up the central channel.

Love,

Dharma

September 25, 1999

This is very interesting... as much for what isn't here as for what is.

There are three channels up the spine... sushumna nadi up the center...

ida nadi and pingala nadi on either side of that... some say they spiral

around sushumna... that is seen in Hermes' caduceus.

ivan: some say?.....I thought you where talking of your own reality....

....seen in Hermes'....?

It is said that in the process of development energy first comes down from

the top, all the way down through all the centers... when it reaches root

chakra, the Kundalini awakens and uncoils... and rises up through all the

centers to crown chakra.

ivan: It is said?... you are quoting?.. it is not you personal experience?

September 25, 1999

Hi Ivan,

>> This is very interesting... as much for what isn't here as for

>>what is.There are three channels up the spine... sushumna nadi up the

>>center...ida nadi and pingala nadi on either side of that... some say

>>they spiralaround sushumna... that is seen in Hermes' caduceus. ivan:

>>some say?.....I thought you where talking of your own reality....

>>...seen in Hermes'....? It is said that in the process of development

>>energy first comes down fromthe top, all the way down through all the

>>centers... when it reaches rootchakra, the Kundalini awakens and

>>uncoils... and rises up through all thecenters to crown chakra.

> ivan:

>It is said?... you are quoting?.. it is not you personal experience?

In my own experience my K. was awakened by my spiritual guru one night

during meditation. It came from muladhara and rose upward through the

spine.

However, I had been teaching meditation for many years... using energies

in various ways... managing energies in group meditation, doing some

healing, etc. But it had never been so completely physical.

After my K. was going strong, I studied for a while with a young teacher...

wanted to learn his techniques. He said I was already on all levels...

and just had to "put my resources on line." Take them to the physical

level... and raise the physical body up with me.

So it seems to me that it might be so that it comes down from the head

first. I never noticed any orderly progression through the centers, but as

I said, the energy wasn't the same... it wasn't physical and palpable.

There might have been that kind of sequential descent without me noticing.

This physical K. is something no one could help noticing! ))

Love,

Dharma

September 25, 1999

Hi Col,

Honey, I apologize for not talking about the aesthetic beauty of your art

work. I loved it, especially the color!

And I apologize for commenting on the symbolism. Since you said, "Lately I

have been doing an art class which is process oriented round clearing

'issues' & sharing them," I just assumed you'd be interested in

interpretation of your symbols. I know sometimes I don't see what my own

symbolic stuff is saying until someone else points it out.

I won't do it again, Love!

Love,

Dharma

September 26, 1999

ivan: Thx for the replay, Dharma...