But look! What was that? One of the snakes had seized hold of its own tail, and the form whirled mockingly before my eyes. As if by a flash of lightning I awoke; and this time also I spent the rest of the night in working out the consequences of the hypothesis.
~Kekulé’s proposal for the structure of benzene (1872)
A serpent biting it’s own tail symbolizes a closed cycle of development. Many of us, if not all, have been in situations where we have seen close friends put other people down, accuse them of being unworthy and even get overly angry or violent. Every one of us has also witnessed unnecessary harm or damage through fighting and abusive behaviors including, but not limited to language, physical encounters and silent treatment. What I don’t believe any of us are prepared for, is to find that the exact same behavior can be turned back onto us by our friends to our faces unexpectedly and even worse, behind our backs. This is what I call the snake eating itself.
Spirit does not delight in witnessing harm done to others. The toll that this takes on another human being is a powerful one that cannot be undone. We can look at the broken pieces and the damaged parts of ourselves and create something incredibly beautiful out of it like a mosaic of learning and healing, but the actual crime of being attacked mentally, physically, intellectually or spiritually is incorrigible. These kinds of attacks stay with us for a lifetime. Thank Heavenly Father, Mother, Friend and Beloved God for forgiveness, for without it we would all truly be lost.
Be aware of the behaviors around you. Spirit wants you to be happy and surrounded by those who can spiritually support you and love you. No one is perfect, but there are healthy ways to communicate as well as unhealthy. Being able to identify unhealthy communication from the onset of disaster is activating your intuition. If you see a friend talking about someone in your circle behind his or her back, know that you are in line for the same treatment. Just as love does not discriminate, neither will pain. What may seem harmless or funny when experiencing negative actions towards others at the time, will come back to retrieve you in the end. This is consequently, the eternal home coming.
In my experience I have learned that there is truly no way to prepare for when this will happen. Eventually bitterness and cynical attitudes will conspire to touch every one in the circle. No one is free from being bitten. In the age-old image of the Ouroboros lies the thought of devouring oneself and turning oneself into a circulatory process. It is said of the Ouroboros that he slays himself and brings herself to life, fertilizes himself and gives birth to herself. He symbolizes the One, who proceeds from the clash of opposites, and she therefore constitutes the secret of that which unquestionably stems from human unconscious. This unconsciousness can also become riddled with psychological actions that are harmful to yourself and to others. Condemned never to escape the ceaseless cycle, access to reaching a higher plane is betrayed and doomed to continual repetition in a basic death-wish.
What I have learned from accommodating this reality is to exercise my ability to step back from the situation and to choose not to become involved. It is also important to be up front and say, “I am choosing not to participate in the belittling or harming of others.” (No matter who it is.) Or if hateful energy is being directed towards you it is perfectly okay to establish self-love walls. Designating your boundaries, which can be moveable at any time, will make it clear that you are not capable of sustaining a friendship or relations with anyone who feels entitled to treat you harshly. If you lose a friendship because of this, it may be a blessing in disguise.
“The Lord works in mysterious ways,” is an age old adage I am sure you have all heard before. This is true. Kind people are the best kind of people. Anyone who encourages, intellectual, emotional, artistic or spiritual growth is worth keeping. Don’t ever let them go. Align your will with God. Surround yourself with spiritually supportive, unconditionally loving people and you will not have to be present when the snake comes back to eat itself.
© tHE tERRY tREE
References | Wikipedia | Penguin Dictionary of Symbols | Artwork | Sharon Wegner-Larsen | omegafauna.com
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