Changing My Skin....

April 5, 2012: Snake, Druid Animal Oracle

Today we have another reptile for our Animal Totem, "Snake." I find it interesting that the random draw for your TarotWitch hasn't been Tarot the last few days. The Druid Animal Oracle usually appears when what is being sent is a message of deep personal import, not quite so cosmically oriented but directed deliberately to one person, or several people, who need the energy of this "totem" in their lives right now. So--I think it might be for me, and it might be for you, too. Let's look...

The snake was an important animal for the ancient Celts; far from being the symbol of evil that it became among the early Christians, it was a creature that represented many aspects of God/dess, including fertility, healing and renewal. Snakes were also depicted as beings who were connected with deities of healing springs and wells, such as Brighid. A snake's movements are sinuous and wave-like, like the course of a river. So it is a prime example of "earth of water."

Because the snake sheds its skin each year and appears renewed, it was thought to be immortal, and the epitome of healing and renewal. Every time the snake sheds its skin, it becomes a "new being." Might be well for us to remember here that every seven years, we do that too. You don't have a single cell in your body that was there seven years ago. Yes, you have been reborn. You.
The snake has long been associated with sagacity, cunning and divination. It was commonly thought that having your ears licked clean by a serpent would enable you to receive oracular wisdom. The Druids were known in Wales as "Nadredd," or adders. The famous bard Taliesin declared, "I am a wiseman, I am a serpent" When St Patrick is said to have boasted that he had driven all the snakes out of Ireland, some people believe he meant the Druids. (And of course, some people believe he said no such thing, ever, but we can't know, can we?)

Snake may be telling you that you are blocking change through fear, through your need to hold on to the safe and familiar. Snake power is about healing on all levels, but you must have the courage to allow healing to take place, shedding outgrown ideas, illnesses and restrictions. Sometimes healing and growth mean shedding your skin and letting yourself be born anew. Let's do that!