Following in the continuation of moving through each card in the Wild Unknown Animal Spirit deck, we now move to the Snake in the seventh position.
Before we get to far down into what the Snake symbolizes, let’s first put some flesh on the skeleton of the 7 in numerology. Seven’s are the philosopher or the seeker, representing a need to go beneath the surface and gain a deeper understanding of the situation.
Sevens represent reflection, assessment, and an initiation into a deeper journey. This is what makes 7’s so special- they encourage curiosity, a need to question, dig deeper, listen, receive, and discern.
When working with this number, it is important to understand the invitation of discovery. There are invitations of gaining wisdom, and this wisdom can only come by first going within.
With that in mind, the Snake takes the spot of 7 in the Earth-element. For consistency and clarification, the earth cards speaks to the physical spaces in our lives. They speak to our habits, fears, actions, routines, rituals, and manifestations. The element of earth is where we take all our thoughts, emotions, and unique energies of self, and bring it into reality. From there, we respond, react, and create change, hopefully in a way that creates more alignment with our wants and needs.
Awakening to higher magick and potentials within with the Snake
Snakes are very polarizing in both their physical reception, and the narratives that surround them in myth and folklore. Some people, like me, love snakes. The inspire awe in their evolutionary departure from other animals. They promote a sense of transformation and sacred cycling with their shedding of skin. They can also speak to cunning, wisdom, language or speech, and a deeper sense of understanding through the Jacobson’s organ, which allows them to detect chemicals in the air and “smell” them.
Other people hate, despise, and are deeply afraid of snakes. They don’t like the way they look, move, feel, that they have fangs, or aren’t cuddly like cats and dogs. These people find snakes conjure deep and uncontrollable fears. Perhaps it is because many snakes are poisonous. Perhaps it is because they have no legs. Whatever the reason, snakes bring about different emotions for different people.
Snakes have been in the collective unconscious and symbolic interpretations across time and culture and faith, highlighting their ability to endure, for good or bad.
In this deck, we see the symbolic reference to the Ouroboros, the snake eating it’s own tail- referencing the continuation of cycles, life-death-rebirth, and a sense of unity between the macro and microcosm.
We also see that within the Ouroboros is a multi-colored mandala. Mandalas symbolize the ultimate harmony of the Universe, and, through their use, speak to transformation and transcendence. Used in meditation, they highlight that harmony again between the macro and microcosms in the Universe. With two symbols that speak to transformation, interconnection on a Divine level, and a deepened perspective of inevitable cycles, it only makes sense that Kim Krans uses this image to invoke a third sacred symbol or idea- that of Kundalini.
Now, I know I haven’t gotten as in depth yet into the upfront invitations with this card, but the reason I am going heavy into the symbolism is because that is the beauty of the snake- at the same time they are open and reticent in their symbolic interpretations. For this reason, I think the symbolism should be considered in reading and working with this card.
The Yoga International website states: Kundalini is said to be a powerful, primal energy that represents the unmanifested potential within us; it is referring to the great field of the unknown that lies beyond the limits of our minds. The term “kundal” means “coiled” and “ini” can be translated as “power”, leading to a definition of Kundalini as “the dormant energy coiled at the base of the spine”. Kundalini shakti can be seen as the very energy of all consciousness that dwells within each one of us. Often depicted as a serpent wrapped three and a half times, this powerful energy can be awakened by the physical and spiritual practices of yoga such as mantra, mudra, asana, and pranayama. When awakened, the kundalini shakti rises through the chakras (energy vortices) in the energetic body and leads to spiritual awakening manifested as freedom of choice, awareness, and a greater opportunity to live one’s life with fullness.
The Snake speaks to awakening, uncoiling, moving, transforming, while also being in connection with the vibrations that permeate through the physical and energetic. The Snake invites you to consider how you can unfurl and open to it all. From the most magickal to the most mundane, the Snake says that when you open yourself and drop into the vibrations and unseen, you touch the Divine, and all it has to give. You awaken your power. You reclaim it. You call it in to create great change
Guidance from the Guidebook
Some key references from the guidebook :
Keywords / phrases: Guardian of unawakened magic and creative potential
When in balance: prosperous, creative, charismatic
When out of balance: starts and stops many things
To bring into balance: Kundalini yoga, meditation
Following the guidance from the guidebook, the Snake invites you to tap into your creative potential. The Snake invites you to consider where you may be in autopilot, and how you may be able to shake yourself off cruise control.
I say this without any sense of judgment or pointed finger. There is a need to be honest where we all get into autopilot with certain things. It is a part of the human condition in so many ways. We can’t always be all high-vibe and in a spiritually enlightened space. That is not what the Snake is inviting. The Snake is inviting you to consider where you could do a little more in alignment with your potential. It is inviting you to consider where you could raise yourself to a more empowered spaced, and give that outwards in the ways that feel authentic to you.
The Snake invites you to create a sense of urgency in creating this deeper understanding with where your unique self is, and how to tap into it. The reason, I think there is a sense of urgency is because the longer the cruise control dictates the momentum, the harder it is to come back to the hands on the wheel.
It is normal to be in autopilot at times, but there is a need to balance that fact with making time and space where you can to come into your snake energy, to connect into the Universe, into transformation, and harmony between the self, internally and externally. When in your Snake energy, you naturally give off a vibration of connection, which is what makes the Snake so charismatic. Those drawn in want more of your potent life / self elixir. When out of balance, there is a quest to find something external that does the work of connecting and dropping into the magick of your own potenial.
Raise your hand if you know someone like this, someone who struggles internally and is constantly looking for the fixer, the answer, the binder, the glue in the outside world. I know a few people like this. They are always seeking externally because they fear the internal more. The Snake says the only way to connect into your magick and creative potential is to first connect into yourself, and feel the deep vibrations of the Universe.
Like what you read?
Ashlie McDiarmid
Hello there! I hope you liked this blog post. As a tarot and oracle reader, my goal with my blogs is to offer you content, resources, and access to the tools that have transformed my life.
I believe that your own intuition is the deepest form of knowing, but here in my little corner of the internet, I share insights based in intuition and instinct. I share my love for nature, witchcraft, and the wild spirit.
- If your spirit is at home in wild places
- If you feel the need to claim your autonomy as ritual
- If you want to more deeply trust your own intuition
- If you want resources or connections to tarot, oracle, witchcraft, and wild sovereignty, then welcome!
