Images of Goddess: Reclaiming the Serpent
I can trace my fascination with snakes back to childhood. I remember silently loving them whilst being taught they were inherently evil and a symbol of the devil from my pew on any given Sunday morning. I balanced these two pieces of information internally, knowing only that it made little sense to me how an animal could be “evil” whilst inspecting the beautiful, massive albino python that resided at our local zoo. I marveled at its power, at the way it seemed to unapologetically take up space in its’ enclosure, allowing its’ body to spill over every available surface. I was completely entranced. As I grew into young adulthood and further away from my Catholic upbringing, I was thrilled to discover the symbolic meaning of the serpent in other cultures and belief systems. From the image of the Buddha sitting beneath the protective awning of the Naga whilst he meditated, to the all-powerful Hathor, depicted with a cobra atop her head- the image of the serpent as a symbol for power, protection, and divinity was abundant.
Image: Hathor
Albeit, these more positive connotations being lost amongst the ever-large shadow of the Judeo-Christian dogmas. The most well-known (and effective) propaganda being that of the story of Eve in the Garden of Eden, being tempted by the serpent to eat the apple of knowledge, forbidden to her and Adam by God himself. This is such a powerful and dangerous allegory because it teaches women that they are responsible for the downfall of the original divine Utopia, and thus the cause of our separation from God. I would seek to re-frame this story however, and re-brand it as a moment of victory in which woman does not resist or ignore her intuition (symbolized by the serpent) and follows it to her own awakening and empowerment (by eating the apple and acquiring knowledge, she embraces her true essence and right to know herself.)Thus, disempowering the tragic mistruth that we can ever be separated from ourselves (as we are Goddess/God creator energy embodied) in the first place!
Over the years, I continued to find that the further away from Christianity I went, the more positive the symbol of the serpent became, especially as it related to Goddess energy. Most notably perhaps is the famous image of the Cretan snake goddess re-constructed and shown as standing half naked, with a serpent in each outstretched arm, demonstrating her own power over fear, almost defiant in her stance.
Image: Cretan Snake Goddess, 1903
As I studied animal medicine and symbolism within the Pagan-Spiritualist construct, I learned of the snake symbolizing change and significant transformation. The process of the shedding of skin that the snake undergoes is symbolic of what is required in order to release the past and what inhibits us, so that we can, unencumbered and with a fresh perspective, embrace the new. Which, considering it’s juxtaposition to the biblical meaning, might it not be a fair assessment that not only does the serpent spark fear in our collective unconscious, but that in order to re-claim the serpent as a positive, Goddess centric symbol, that we must first release our fear of and resistance to change? To answer this, I must inevitably discuss the perhaps the most heartbreaking, infuriating, and fascinating example of the bastardization of the serpent and feminism in mythology- Medusa.
Image: Medusa from Edith Hamilton’s “Mythology”
Medusa’s story above all others, both fascinates and disturbs me. Once a beautiful maiden who was so frequently accosted by men that she sought out a life of celibacy and divine service by way of becoming a Priestess of Athena, (Goddess of war, knowledge, and sacred wisdom) Medusa, much like many women within the Greek pantheon, was subjected to rape at the hands of Poseidon, the God of the sea and brother to fellow serial rapist, Zeus. The most offensive aspect of this act of violence as seen by Athena, a virgin Goddess, was not the rape itself- but the location of the rape, her sacred temple. So, for reasons we can only barley fathom, Athena punishes Medusa for her own violation and turns her into a Gorgon- with eyes that will turn anyone who looks into them to stone and transforms her once beautiful hair into hissing serpents. Viewing this story through the lens of serpents representing our fear of change- one might ask, what extreme fear drove Athena to this act of malicious violence? Why did she transform Medusa into a monster that would forever be seen by men (as only men slayed monsters in the world of the Greeks) as reason to literally look away, under pain of death? Furthermore, why did she then help the hero Perseus to kill her, and then go on to don Medusa’s severed head upon her own battle shield?
Image: Medusa by Caravaggio
Could we see this as a cautionary tale of what can come when we deny our own feminine power? Perhaps the fact that Athena had no mother, and furthermore- no emergence from a womb (as she was birthed from her father Zues’s head) led her to both identify as a virgin goddess and hate women, illustrating a portrait of pure self-hatred- and is self-hatred not also fear of oneself? Was Athena’s shield a symbol of her conquering her own fear? Perhaps then, we can see Medusa as an aspect of Athena herself, and not an actual person. This would certainly be a welcome perspective especially given that Athena represents sacred knowledge. Furthermore, linking her story with the idea of Eve’s apple (another symbol of knowledge) as representing her stepping into her own power by overcoming fear (in that case, the warning voice of God) can be re-claimed as examples of Goddesses who conquered their fear and much like the Cretan snake Goddess, knew true power as a result of doing so.
Image: Medusa- Temple of Artemis, Corfu
Image: Medusa, from Stephen Fry’s “Heroes”
Ultimately, there is much to be learned both from Medusa’s story and from considering how serpents went from representing women and Goddesses in positions of power, to something to be feared and avoided at all costs. It can be said that the further we move away from embracing serpents and the change they represent- the further away we move from our own divinity, and our ability to live from love and not fear. Perhaps, by reclaiming the serpent and all it represents, we can in turn reclaim the aspects of ourselves that have been lost by the imbalance of masculine energy that has poisoned civilization since the birth of Christianity, when the Pagans, who worshipped the snake and the Goddess, were systematically killed and forced into oblivion. For me, this looks like small adjustments that will perhaps amount to big changes over time, from becoming more aware of the anti-women prejudices that were bred into me from a young age and how they affect my choices and world view even now, to being brave and encouraging myself to step into my full power as woman, unapologetically and with a kind of self-love that I hope will permeate in ways both big and small. May we honor the women who have fallen victim to the propaganda enforced by the patriarchy and re-claim their good names, one story at a time. Blessed Be!