Snakes get a bad rap. I think it is because they are misunderstood, but they have a lot of wisdom to share.
A number of years ago, I went to the Snake Year Teachings at a Buddhist monastery in northern India. The teachings, experiences and people I met there were transformative. The yogi Nagarjuna entrusted the nagas (snakes) with Buddhist teachings so that they may be kept protected. The nagas took human form to attend Buddhist teachings, rubbing themselves with sandalwood to escape being noticed. Yet the nagas are often blamed when some kind of disruptive event occurs that leaves some damage in its wake.
Once, in a hotel lobby, time stopped for a few moments while I was gifted the story of Whirlwind Woman by a Lakota man. Whirlwind Woman was a beautiful woman who was sought after by many suitors. They would bring her gifts and extend kindness to her hoping, of course, that she would choose them as her mate. But they were not worthy, as they were focused only on what they wanted from her, so she turned them into dust to be carried away by the wind. The Lakota man told me that I should be careful to understand that Whirlwind Woman was not violent; she did not wish those men harm, it is just that sometimes things need to be destroyed to be changed. Doing so can even be seen as an act of love. Whirlwind Woman then decided to turn herself into an ugly old woman. This time, her typical suitors did not come, but one man approached her asking if he could support her. He knelt before her and washed and kissed her feet. She changed form back into her typical appearance and chose him for his pure heart.
During a summer years ago, I spent time with Ojibwe Clown Clan friends visiting some of their favorite places on the reservation. You may not have heard of the Clown Clan, and I hadn’t either, but they are a necessary and sacred energy in the world. Clowns do everything backwards and embrace what can be considered by some to be the sacred profane. I once heard a story of a Clown Clan elder who wore a bright pink suit and hat donned with a feather to a funeral. He stood outside greeting the grieving friends and family as they entered the building. You may wonder why I went from talking about snakes to clowns, but there is a connection for, in fact, the clowns introduced me to the snakes.
I recently heard a quote by the psychologist Jordan Peterson that resonated with me, “The opposite of tyranny is play.” Clowns have a pure heart as they do not get caught up in conventions, so they can make introductions that others cannot. While we were walking in the woods, experiencing some of their favorite places, we came across a number of snakes. My friends said that seeing so many snakes was unusual in that area, so I asked about snake medicine. My friends responded with a long silence before telling me that they did not know.
We continued walking in the woods and we happened upon a private Sundance ceremony. The medicine man leading the ceremony asked us to stay. My friends encouraged me to ask him about snake medicine, so I offered some tobacco and listened carefully. The medicine man asked why I was so interested, so I told him of our experiences seeing many snakes that day. He laughed a little and told me to take some tobacco to the offering space outside of the sweat lodge; that maybe the snakes would come and tell me of their medicine. I did as he asked, and he invited us to join them in the sweat lodge. I kept an eye out for the snakes, but they did not come.
Some weeks after I had returned home and was back in my daily grind, I got a call from one of my Ojibwe friends as I was leaving work. They were drumming and singing on the tribal radio station that night, and I was invited to listen in. On my drive home, I tuned in to the station and got lost in the drumming. I could feel the snakes were coming for me, so I was careful to finish my drive with as much focus as possible. I knew that if I blinked too long, I would be transported somewhere else.
When I arrived home, I ate a quick dinner and went to bed as quickly as possible. Shortly after I closed my eyes, I was greeted in an underwater world by what looked like giant black anacondas. They took me swimming with them. I was surprised with how playful they are! But I guess when you are tasked with doing things that are considered destructive, you have to have the mind of a child so that you always act with innocence and compassion in knowing the full impacts. To be the taker of life or other things of importance, you must lack arrogance or righteousness and have tremendous respect, compassion, and love for what and who you are impacting.
As I swam with the snakes, I felt their gentleness in relating to the world and each other. Speaking telepathically, they spent time telling me of their sadness and being misunderstood. They did not enjoy the things that they were tasked with doing in the world, but they needed to do them, so that balance may be restored. They would much rather that there was not imbalance in the first place, so that all could proceed peacefully. Their sadness was both about the cause as well as the effect, for they cannot not be separated. Newton’s Third Law of Motion is “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.”
I don’t recall saying goodbye to them, but my indigenous friends have taught me that many greetings of “hello” are also used in parting. When I woke up, I felt sad to leave them in their underwater world, but grateful for the moments I had swimming with them. And I was grateful too for the clowns who were the gatekeepers to that meeting.
May we always be mindful of the energy that we are putting out into the world. Every thought we think, every word we speak, every physical action that we take, every choice, has multiple impacts beyond the immediate here and now. There is a line in the I Ching that translates to something like “the movement of one hand creates waves on the opposite side of the world.” May we take seriously the message of the snakes and what has been entrusted to us.
©Cardinal Speaks