Wild Unknown - Wand Court Cards - Snakes

pickled pixie said:

Thanks Sulis, It's mainly the snakes I'm struggling with and how they represent wands...

PP xx

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Maybe I can help with a few insights that helped me from the book.
I love the idea of animals as courts, but the one down fall with that is we all have our own world view of different animals, and they might not jive with the creators view.

Snake courts

They go through a transformation by shedding their skin...so we could link this to spiritual or personal transformation in a reading.

They can be dangerous when provoked, so not someone you want to be on the bad side of.

They love warmth, and light and seek it out....so could be someone who likes to be the center of attention, or seeks fame, and is involved in career. Or one who is cheerful and happy.

They can be stubborn...have you ever tried to herd a snake?...they go their own way and can be illusive and blend in with the surroundings.

They are stronger than they look...if you have ever handled a snake it is all muscle and surprisingly strong.

Snake charmer...to remind us that they can be charmers, but hard to get to know emotionally.

Their colors can be truly vibrant and beautiful, warm and loving to their family, but this is also a warning that they can be very protective so don't step too close.

Snakes have been reviled since God put one in the bible, so snake courts have often been through some trauma that has affected their outlook on life....like getting wacked with a garden hoe.

They have grace and beauty and behind it force. With those who are respectful they live in harmony.

They are very in tuned with their natural surrounding...a snake will be the first to feel affected when the eco system is off balance.

Snakes have always mystified and have a certain charisma...people are drawn to them no matter how they feel about them.

And in the healing arts snakes have been the symbol for healing, loyalty, and compassion.

They hold their ground during a conflict, if pushed to the wall they will bravely face an enemy no matter what the odds are against them.

And a snake looks like a wand.

Hope this helps a little, it helped me to remember them as I get deeper into this deck.
I hope you add some more to the list as you see them.

Thanks Lark, you're a star!!

PPx

ahh, very good list there. i wanted to add that snakes swallow their prey whole... their anatomy is highly flexible to allow the passage of food. they kill their prey by constriction, great pressure. in my experience they take their sweet time getting around to swallowing their meal after killing it. and via wiki - those that are venomous generally use it for subduing/killing prey, not for self-defense. this could be a person who is not easily overwhelmed or daunted, someone who likes 'biting off more than they can chew' except... they usually don't have a problem 'chewing' it, they are slow and sure when conquering those kinds of projects.

I struggle a bit with the snake-wands-association, too. My associations:

In pre-Christian cultures, snakes were strong symbols of protection (e.g. the Minoan snake goddess as guardian of the house - which would put snakes closer to Pentacles than Wands).

There is an old Greek tradition connecting a snake god (python) with the oracle of Delphi, the pythia. Again, the connection to the element of earth is strong, but also to inspiration and wisdom.

I have this deck and LOVE it to pieces. I'm so glad there's a study group on it because the pictures often times don't speak to me and I'm struggling left to pull an interpretation together.

Something I wondered about what you said about the Snakes correlating to the Wands suit was that they're hard to get to know emotionally. That seems contradicting to the Wands element itself seeing as how they represent the Fire signs. Fire signs are very upfront about their emotions, no? Just wondering if you can elaborate a little more on that.

As for adding the Snake index, they're also wound up on either court card and always ready to go. They're calm but always using their defenses (perhaps that's what you meant, lark?!) and are ready to strike if need be.

Let me just say first off, thanks for this thread, Lark. It addresses some concepts that are unique to this deck -- which is awesome!! I love snakes and I (as a fire sign) was flattered when I saw snakes taking up residence in the wand court.

LovelyMissAries, I would love to expound on the extroverted nature of fire signs with you!! In my experience with fire signs, (Me, a Leo. My boyfriend, also a Leo. Aries friends and Sag friends. I see you are an Aries too so there you go!!) I would say that fire signs are more up front with their personalities and intellects rather than their emotions. The most outwardly emotive signs, in my opinion, are Aries. You guys have a no-nonsense quality that leaves no room for censorship. Leos, seem to be emotionally expressive, but will sometimes control emotions strategically. Sagittarius...I'm not close enough to any of the ones I know to adequately tell you what they are feeling but I have heard once you reach their inner circle they become very honest. And of course all this can be taken with a grain of salt when you account for moon signs, I have an Aries moon: Clown smash! Snakes and fire aside, water signs are the only signs I would say are overtly emotional, I see them cry in public far more than any other signs.

Nemia, I've been going through the same elemental conundrum with this deck, only with the swans. Yeah sure they are water birds, but they fly about!! I'm warming to it simply because I think of swans in ponds more than I think of them flying around. I totally love your earth associations. Home is an earthly realm, but the center of a home is traditionally the hearth, the home fire... Your talk of Pythia made we think of Wadjet, the Egyptian snake goddess. She (the uraeus) is present on every royal depiction because of her protective abilities. Wikipedia tells me:

"it also was believed that the Uraeus protected them by spitting fire on their enemies from the fiery eye of the goddess. In some mythological works, the eyes of Ra are said to be uraei.

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Snakes travel on the ground but are not necessarily of it. Much the way fire behaves with its fuel source. I think of a sidewinder, bouncing along hot sand dunes. Or how about [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadjet#mediaviewer/File:S_F-E-CAMERON_Hatshepsut_Hawk.JPG" target=new]Wadjet dangling from a sun disc[/url]?

slfrank67 said:

they usually don't have a problem 'chewing' it

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Lolz, fire doesn't really chew things the same way, it kinda just makes stuff disappear! Awesome addition!

Some very famous snakes have slithered up poles... The caduceus. The asklepian. The cobra wrapped around a papyrus stem is one of the oldest hieroglyphs. (Thanks again, wikipedia, I might not be able to be use you in a academic paper, but I still trust you!) Even the bible has talk of magical snakes on poles:

Numbers 21:8 said:

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live."

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Gosh, I've rambled long enough! Thanks for listening!