The symbolism of the Serpent in different cultures, spiritual practices & modern media.
“In the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5. These are the words of the serpent spoken to Eve in the Garden of Eden. Since the fall of man, Satan has prepared the way for his masterpiece of deception through the symbol of the serpent, weaving his way into different cultures, spiritual practices & modern media.
THE KUNDULINI SERPENT
According to the yogic teachings found in Hinduism, there is an energy at the base of the spine called “the kundalini” (in Sanskrit it means “coiled snake”). Yogi Bhajan, the promoter of Kundalini Yoga in the West, called it “the dormant power of infinity.” Adherents teach that it is the impersonal essence of the divine, resident within every human being. Strangely and eerily, it is also called the “serpent power”—because it supposedly ‘uncoils’ and rises, in serpent like fashion, through the spinal column (the seven energy centers called “chakras”) to lift a person up to higher levels of spiritual awareness. Upon arriving at the seventh chakra, metaphorically, the serpent suddenly strikes, and God-consciousness is achieved (a conscious awareness where the soul is one with the impersonal oversoul). In other words, this supernatural revelation empowers the practitioner to boldly declare, “I am God!”—which is the absolute opposite of the truth, utter blasphemy and an echo of the original lie told to Eve in the garden of Eden.
“When awakened … [the kundalini] rages like a vicious serpent inside a person with a force that is impossible to resist. It is said that without proper control, the kundalini will produce supernatural psychic powers having their source in demonic beings and will lead ultimately to moral, spiritual, and physical destruction.” AKA, completely possessed by a demonic entity.
Majority of people dabbling in these spiritual practices have no idea how dangerous it is to be partaking in these practices, unaware that the energy & power they’re tapping into is one of dark spirits & demonic entities. For even Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light // 2 Corinthians 11:14
Lets go back to this one line: “It is the impersonal essence of the divine, resident within every human being”
Does that not sound like the mimicking of the Holy Spirit? God can fill us with his Spirit, & Satan can fill us with his demons if you are not wearing the armour of Christ.
Ephesians 6 11:12 says: “Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
THE OUROBOUROS
The ouroboros is a symbol that has been the subject of awe and wonder for millennia. Literally meaning ‘tail-devourer’ in Greek, it has appeared in numerous forms in a wide array of contexts and geographies. In its original and most common variation, it depicts a snake eating its own tail in a closed circle.
The ouroboros is often interpreted as a symbol for eternal cyclic renewal or a cycle of life, death, and rebirth; the snake's skin-shedding symbolises the transmigration / reincarnation of souls.
See how the original lie of “ye shall not surely die”, is manifested through reincarnation in Hinduism & Buddhism … the Bible tells us with all clarity, and also with all seriousness- that we only live once. In Hebrews 9:27 we read that “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” Indeed: we only live once and we only die once. There are no do-overs.
We must bear in mind that each person is a unique creation of God. This uniqueness is not transferrable to any subsequent life. After our death we must give account to the Creator of our existence. In 2 Corinthians 5:10, Paul writes that we must all must come publicly before the judgment seat of God. Then we will receive what we have done in our body, whether good or evil.
In the Aitareya Brahmana, a Vedic text of the early 1st millennium BCE, the nature of the Vedic rituals is compared to "a snake biting its own tail."
Ouroboros symbolism has been used to describe the Kundalini. According to the medieval Yoga-kundalini Upanishad: "The divine power, Kundalini, shines like the stem of a young lotus; like a snake, coiled round upon herself she holds her tail in her mouth and lies resting half asleep as the base of the body".
The misconstrued notion of metempsychosis (Plato and Pythagoras) or reincarnation (Hinduism and Buddhism) asserts a natural transmigration of human souls from body to body. Still accepted as true in many Eastern religions, theosophy and spiritualism, reincarnation is very different from the resurrection of the Christian faith, wherein the human person will be reintegrated—body and soul—on the last day unto salvation or damnation.
THE RAINBOW SERPENT
Let’s take a look at the story of the Rainbow Serpent in Indigenous Australian culture. Don’t take this the wrong way- we have soooo much to learn from this beautiful culture & people- from land management & sustainability to plant medicine & bush tucker. However, if you chat with some of the Indigenous elders or get taken out on country, they will share with you stories of dark spirits & demons. It is seeped into their dreamtime, & the power & presence of that spiritual realm is still alive & incredibly powerful today. I have experienced it firsthand. So how has the serpent, AKA the devil himself, slithered into one of the most ancient cultures on earth? Let’s compare the dreamtime & biblical scriptures…
The Rainbow Serpent in Indigenous culture represents one of the great and powerful forces of nature and spirit. Connected to water, the Rainbow Serpent is the great life giver, and protector of water, which is his spiritual home. When the rainbow is seen in the sky, it is said to be the Rainbow Serpent moving from one waterhole to another and the divine concept explained why some waterholes never dried up when drought struck.
Often certain activities are forbidden at these places for fear that the wrath of the great snake will cause sickness, accidents and even tempests. As a protector of water, the Rainbow Serpent also controls water, so he has the power over life and death in the desert.
All the stories share a common thread: a gargantuan snake slumbered beneath the surface of the earth before emerging from the ground to awaken different groups of animals, forging physical features like hills, gorges, rivers and lakes into the once-featureless terrain. The Rainbow Serpent slithered all over the country, occupying waterholes, providing nourishing water and forming geographical features en route.
It’s interesting to note how Satan tries to replicate God’s power & ‘live-giving’ abilities through water. But Jesus says in John 4:13 “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.” In this he is referring to the Spirit.
Water is life. It is necessary for our survival. But more importantly, the water of the Spirit, the well we choose to drink from, determines our salvation. The water of the Spirit, of God, is the only thing that can ever quench our innate physical & spiritual thirst. John 7:37 & Psalm 107:9 “Let anyone who’s thirsty come to me & drink” for he satisfies the longing soul, & fills the hungry soul with goodness.”
REVELATION 22: He showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb…
A river of water proceeding out of the rainbow, out of God. Which is what the dreamtime story of the rainbow serpent proclaims to do ‘When the rainbow is seen in the sky, it is said to be the Rainbow Serpent moving from one waterhole to another and the divine concept explained why some waterholes never dried up when drought struck’.
The significance of water in the bible…
Living Water/ the Fountain of Life are both expressions that carry through the entire bible and they do bring with them a continuity that carries the biblical narrative full circle… from the moment water is mentioned in Genesis 1, to its impact in the vision of the new heaven and new earth in Revelation 22.
Living water, or mayim chaim (MY-eem KHY-eem), which refers to water in the form of rain or flowing from a natural spring, which has come directly from God, not carried by human hands or stored in cisterns.
Because living water came directly from God, it was closely associated with God’s Spirit in the world. When God promised to redeem his people, he promised to send his Spirit:
For I will pour out water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring and My blessing on your descendants; and they will spring up among the grass like poplars by streams of water. (Isaiah 44:3 – 4)
O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the LORD, the spring of living water. (Jer. 17:13)
Only living in faith and through the life of Christ can satisfy our deepest thirsts. The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (Habakkuk. 2:14, Isaiah 11:9)
So what is the significance of the rainbow?…
“Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” Genesis 9:16
Aboriginal dreamtime says…”When the rainbow is seen in the sky, it is said to be the Rainbow Serpent moving from one waterhole to another, representing one of the great and powerful forces of nature and spirit. Do you see the similarities? Satan is a mimic of God’s word & work. 2 Thessalonians 2:9 says “the coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power, false signs & wonders.”
God put the rainbow in the sky for more than its mere beauty. God made a vow with Noah that He would not destroy the earth again by water. As a sign and seal of that promise, God put the rainbow in the sky to remind Himself AND US of that covenant.
The Rainbow Serpent has many different names and totemic appearances across the many Aboriginal languages of Australia. In all those groups, the Rainbow Serpent is part of the Dreaming and Creation story, continuing to carry its power over people today. Aboriginal people today respect and take custodial care of sacred sites where the Rainbow Serpent is said to reside.
The Rainbow Serpent is also particularly connected to ceremonies and rituals surrounding fertility — menstruation is sacred to many Indigenous cultures because of its regenerative and indicative of reproductive power, much like the legendary serpent. Indeed, the Rainbow Serpent is often depicted as a vagina in paintings because of the ‘new life’ symbolism.
There is always a dominant emphasis on birth or rebirth in rituals. But we know that there is only one life, as spoken about earlier & referenced from In Hebrews 9:27 // “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.”
THE JUNGLEBOOK FILM
Do you remember that scene where the snake is eerily slithering through the jungle to find Mowgli? I saw the new film and holyyyy, how similar it is to Eve’s interaction with the serpent- Satan himself slithering through the garden of Eden looking to seek, kill & destroy.
Watch the scene from 31 seconds … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2SSEaWCAi0
TRANSCRIPT
Mowgli. Hello? Who’s out there?...
Kaa. Hi little cub… oh no don’t be scared,
I’m not gonna hurt you. Are you alone out here?
Mowgli. I’m waiting for a friend, he should be here soon
(Jesus, the Holy Spirit)
Kaa. We should never be alone
(ALONE, without the Holy Spirit indwelling in us is empty
Space for evil spirits to enter)
I’ll keep you safe.
Mowgli. Who are you?
Kaa. Kaaa……..
(in a hypnotic mesmerizing hiss that easily allures & draws you in, under his spell)
Adam & Eve meeting Satan disguised as a Serpent is one of the most iconic pieces of scripture depicted in The Holy Bible-- apart from The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Does this scene not depict that completely…
There are few who have any just conception of the deceptive power of spiritualism & the danger of coming under its influence. “It is impossible, in their own strength, to break away from the bewitching, alluring spell of spiritualism (ie the serpent). Nothing but the power of God, granted in answer to the earnest prayer of faith, can deliver these ensnared souls.” E.G White, The Great Controversy
It is a masterpiece of Satan's deceptions to keep the minds of men searching and conjecturing in regard to that which God has not made known and which He does not intend that we should understand. It was so that Lucifer lost his place in heaven. He became dissatisfied because all the secrets of God's purposes were not confided to him, and he entirely disregarded that which was revealed concerning his own work in the lofty position assigned him. By arousing the same discontent in the angels under his command, he caused their fall. Now he seeks to imbue the minds of men with the same spirit and to lead them also to disregard the direct commands of God… do not be deceived.
