Serpent
Serpent.
Le symbole du Serpent
Men have tried to fathom the underlying mystery of the antagonism
between man and the creeping things of life, the little worm, the harmless
and often helpful diminutive snake, that has unwittingly crept upon the
naked flesh. Other creatures may cause fear in man ; lie may shrink back
terror-stricken from a bear or tiger ; he may dislike, distrust or be perfectly
indifferent to many other animals, and if by any chance they should touch
his flesh lie is conscious of no such intense repugnance as lie feels from
physical contact with any creeping thing. There is a deep, far-reaching
reason for this feeling, as deep and wide as the two extremities of his
being, life and death ; and the beginning of this antipathy dates back to the
beginning of his life as a conscious human being. When Jehovah said there
should be enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the
serpent, a great truth was uttered, and war was then again declared
between White and Black Magic, for one Manvantara.
In one sense, all creeping things are included in the one word,
serpent." From an esoteric aspect, the Serpent symbolizes the highest point
of the development of a human being. From the exoteric aspect it
symbolizes the lowest point in the same development.
Here, as in all other divisions of the Cosmos, appears the action of the
two poles of manifestation. The farther man advances, the greater will
grow his antipathy to creeping, slimy, secretive, hiding things, because the
gulf between his higher and lower nature is continually widening, and up
to the point when lie parts forever with that lower self by gaining all power
over it, the fascination, the temptation of the lower self continually
increases and the battle grows stronger.
When "the heel of the woman shall crush the serpent's head", i. e.,
when the negative aspect of the eternally feminine, the Soul, shall come
into contact with the positive, the Head – lower mind – the masculine
aspect of matter, one of the twain must disappear, and it is the latter that
must disappear, because when such an event occurs the end of a
Manvantara will have come, and Soul and Mind become one.
The creeping of a worm or snake over human flesh does not occasion
any particular fear in the human mind ; as said before, it is a far different
feeling, a quick, convulsive shudder, due to the action of the force of
repulsion which manifests immediately and [136] results in the creature's
being thrown violently from its resting place. This action of the force of
repulsion is but a slight exhibition of the same force that is generated in,
and expelled from "the heel of the woman" as a result of the interaction of
the forces of attraction and cohesion. The action of the vital ether operative
in the nerves of the skin is instantly increased by contact with such a
creature, and upon communicating a desire to the brain to be rid of the
obnoxious thing, the brain commands the muscles of hand and arm to
remove the interloper, and is obeyed.
There is an occasional "exception to prove the rule" in the cases of
men and women who seem abnormally fond of snakes. These persons
fondle and caress such creatures and exhibit their power of control, to the
great wonder of beholders ; but when this feeling of attraction is genuine,
it is due to one of two causes ; either custom has so familiarized the person
by constant contact with snakes that natural antagonism has been
overcome, and the force symbolized by the woman's heel has been
developed in the performer's body far in excess of the force symbolized by
the "head of the serpent", even to such a degree that the vital ether no
longer responds to excitation by touch ; or the person bas come directly
under the control of some black magician, thereby changing his whole
nature and making him amenable to the control of those who govern the
division of life to which the creeping things belong, corresponding in
planes to the lower astral. The Serpent (personified evil, according to the
orthodox concept, the Tempter) has been greatly misunderstood. It is a
most perfect symbol of the two extremes of life. In the highest sense it
represents the Guardian of the Threshold, and the appellation "Serpents"
has been applied to Initiates of high degree for many ages, whose office it
is to test in all ways the applicant for admission to any degree of the
Lodge. If said applicant fail in passing the test, the power responsible for
the trial in which he has failed will naturally seem to be evil. Especially is
this true if the disciple has not reached a stage of development that will
permit of his seeing the justice and mercy back of the trial. The powers of
silence, wisdom, retirement, casting of skin, power of assuming different
forms, are some of the powers that the serpent holds in common with the
Initiate, and indicate why it symbolizes the highest pole of being. Its
confinement to the lower levels of life, slyness, concealed poison,
treachery, etc., symbolize the habits and characteristics of a like nature
associated with the Black Magician. Therefore, "the serpent" is a fitting
symbol for both extremes of life.
(source : Les Enseignements du Temple de Maître Hilarion)