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The Serpent is a creature which has been known for its magical powers since the dawn of time. Almost all cultures have myths relating to serpents as an ancient goddess of many powers. It's power to shed it's skin makes the serpent a great symbol of transformation, while It's sensitivity to vibrations and subtle energies connect it to medicine, knowledge and initiation. The early sign for Scorpio is the serpent which rises to become an eagle when initiated; the standing serpent is the ancient symbol of initiation. The Mound of the Great Serpent in Ohio depicts a giant Serpent devouring an egg, which the ancestors are said to have built to mark a great eclipse. Saint Patrick, when he banished the serpents from Ireland was challenging the pagan nature practices to replace them with the new spiritual teachings of Christ. Patrick's deeds of spiritual conquest were sometimes handed down by folklore as acts of physical dragon-slaying. In one tale he banished a demon from the glen to the north of Croagh Patrick, and she fled to the north. Later he met her again at a lake and he slew the three-headed lake Serpent Caronach in the northwest of Ireland, and the waters of the lake ran red with her blood. Today this lake which is found in County Donegal is known as Lough Derg - the Red Lake. Lough Derg is still a major site of pilgrimage, where people from all over Europe go to perform rituals of penance that have survived in a form derived, but little understood, from the rituals of our ancient ancestors many thousands of years ago. Elements: Water & Earth. Colour: Violet (Red + Blue) |
