Hi Everyone,
I'm new to the group after a bit of reservation as to whether to get involved with the FST series.  My own spiritual awakening kicked into high gear last spring/summer as I underwent the 'dark night of the soul' experience that Mystress discusses on her kundalini site.  All my awakening was without the benefit of any knowledge of chakras, yoga, eastern religions, new age concepts, etc etc & thus I had only my Spirit guiding me along (and my Bible, coming from a Christian background). It was a tumultuous, exhausting, & somewhat weird experience but in hindsight I see the unbelievable value as my perceptions have changed radically.  (Plus I'll never look at our human interpretation of scripture quite the same way.)

Anyway, thanks to more than one lifetime of heavy christian religion influence, I have a built in resistance to the idea of snakes !!!  The snake is 'what got us humans into trouble in the first place' (Garden of Eden)  Serpents are associated with deception.  Jesus called some Pharisees a 'brood of vipers'.  You see what I'm working against?!  I read a gal's post about falling into the eyes of a serpent, & I felt very uncomfortable with that idea.

Further, many months ago I dreamed I was at a medical facility & the doctors were trying to determine what type of snake had bit me, so that they could figure an antidote.  There was a snake outside the door that they were going to use to assist them (?!) & I would have nothing to do with it; I was totally afraid.  Then, just the other night I dreamed I was somewhere (an education or training facility of some kind) & there were snakes loose chasing people around. I was completely afraid of being bitten.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this?  It is definitely a factor in my psychological ability to commence the FST lessons.

Thanks,
Jennifer

: Has anyone else experienced anything like this?  It is definitely a factor in my psychological ability to commence the FST lessons.

Heya Jennifer

In the last month, since my Kundalini has really kicked in, I have had "visions" of snakes 7 or 8 times.

I don't really have your association of snake=evil, since I have been a fan of gnosticism for a long time... in Gnosticism, the Snake in the Garden is considered to be Jesus, freeing us from "Evil God" (Yahweh).

ughhh, yeah- Gnosticism is defeinately heresy to Christianity.

So that's just me... I welcome the visions... I am a little afraid of them sometimes...

xo,

Seth

I read a piece that said that it was the serpant that told Eve the truth about the tree or life and that God admitted that he had lied about it.... It's in the scripture..

I'll get the reference if you like.

Cauac

: I'll get the reference if you like.

: Cauac

Ah, here it is anyway..

http://www.caw.org/articles/otherpeople.html

• http://www.caw.org/articles/otherpeople.html">We are the other people

I am a fan of Gnosticism, but more of Marcion & Valentinius.  Anyway, it is gnostically more widely considered that Jesus incarnated as Adam, to introduce the 'new' race of humans.

In your visions of snakes, was this a positive or negative experience?

Here is a fascinating site for you with some excellent background on some of this .. http://hometown.aol.com/gracewatcher/elohim.html.  All of the 5 Elohim articles are very interesting (if you have a scriptural background you want to shatter, LOL).

In any case, both the creator & the serpent were right.  Adam & Eve *did* die after all eh?  

Anyway doesn't help my stigma against snakes. With nightmares of snakes & just the fact that snakes are generally not sweet animals, I have something to overcome.  As Indiana Jones said "snakes. why did it have to be SNAKES?!"

Hello, Jennifer:

  I'm very impressed by your challenging your phobias, signing up for a course called Fire Serpent Tantra, lead by a teacher named A. Serpent! Bravo!

 Some positive snakes from scripture: The rod of Moses became a snake and ate the snakes of Pharoh. Later, when the Hebrews were lost in the desert, Moses set up a bronze sculpture of a snake on a stick, and anyone who looked upon it was healed.

Christ refered to himself as a serpent, in one passage of scripture. Sorry I cannot give you the exact quote, but he was predicting the crucificion. He was saying he would be raised up in the desert, a snake on a stick like the rod of Moses. In this, praying before a cricifix and the Hebrews gazing on the brazen serpent, are the same. Jesus said so!

It goes something like "the son of man will be raised up, a serpent in the desert." Perhaps a student who is more familiar with scriptural quotes can help with this.

 Firey serpents are part of Revelations, and elsewhere because they are seraphim, a class of angels.

 There is another quote, something like "be gentle as doves and subtle as serpents" which identifies serpents with wisdom and discretion.

 Personally, the whole genesis story does not make much sense to me.

  First, it assumes that God is not all knowing and omnipotent, ...which in itself is a sacreligious idea. So, if we assume that part is wrong, then God must have known what the serpent would get up to, and intended it. This makes more sense, because the knowledge of good and evil is the essence of free will, and without it the whole soul purpose of incarnation becomes meaningless. Without duality, there is no option to love or fear, and without the experience of fear we cannot know love.

 Seen from this perspective, the Genesis story is God and Lucifer playing good cop-bad cop to get Adam and Eve to evolve.

 Have you read much of the work of Joseph Campbell? He writes about how universal it is for serpents and creation stories to go together... the serpent is a symbol of DNA!

 In a larger sense, though, what you are going through is more of the same of what you went through before. Learning to see scripture in a new light.

: In any case, both the creator & the serpent were right.  Adam & Eve *did* die after all eh?  

: Anyway doesn't help my stigma against snakes. With nightmares of snakes & just the fact that snakes are generally not sweet animals, I have something to overcome.

Oh, you are wrong! Snakes can be the sweetest, gentlest of pets. I know, I have one .. a 7 foot boa constrictor and she is gentle and lovely. She has helped many people get past their snake phobias. The scariest snake dreams I get, are ones where my pet has been harmed in some way!

Perhaps there is a local reptile club who could refer you to someone who would let you meet a gentle snake?

 It does seem to me that your reaction to snakes might be more of a phobia, than a spiritual bias. Snake phobias are common, just as fear of heights is common, because both were hazardous to our primeval ancestors... and both are essentially benign. Snakes won't strike except to eat or in self defense. Heights are no hazard unless you fall.  

 Being able to meet a nice serpent is often the best way to overcome a snake phobia.  

 I hope you can find a way to deal with it, because snake dreams are a very typical K. symptom, one that is not likely to go away.

:  As Indiana Jones said "snakes. why did it have to be SNAKES?!"

Heh, I use that quote in one of the later lessons...
 Have you asked your own inner guidance that same question? Your visions and dreams are not without Divine purpose. Look within, ask. Find peace with it. Blessings!

• http://kundalini-teacher.com/awakening/serpent.html">The Serpent is a symbol of Kundalini

: I am a fan of Gnosticism, but more of Marcion & Valentinius.  Anyway, it is gnostically more widely considered that Jesus incarnated as Adam, to introduce the 'new' race of humans.

Yum

Thank you- I love gnosticism! So many mind-bending "myths."

: In your visions of snakes, was this a positive or negative experience?

Well- there was a bit of shock each time, and a little, eansey-teensey fear, and a little gratitude.... for me they are validations that the path is unfolding.

There was a sense of... connection. To something "other" something alien. Not good or bad, just different. Very different.

Most of the experiences have been very fleeting....

Thanks for the extra Gnostic-bite.

xo,

Seth