hello fellow dreamers,i had this simple, short dream last night,and would be interested in your comments.
i am walking in the snow,when i spot a tiny pencil thin serpent coiled up in a small hollow,
i tell four people with me, to stand either side of it so as not to stand on it.
i notice they are standing in a square pattern with the coiled up serpent in the centre.
because it is hibernating,cold, and therefore inactive,i feel i can pick it up, although i can't identify the type,ie non poisonous/poisonous ,i am aware i will when i uncover it.
regards steve

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Hi Steve,
Where are you standing in connection to the square pattern (four friends) and the snake in the centre?

Even though the snake is small you still have hesitation. It can still kill.

Jung writes that the square can be representative of the body, so the sqauring of the circle is the unity of the body and the soul. The body 'contains' and I feel this is what the sqaure shape signifies. However, there are no boudaries linking the friends together. There is an escape route for the snake.

The spiral shape of the snake is interesting. Jung finds the spiral reminiscent of the tantric symbol for life force. The awaekening of the imaginary snake frees subtle energy in the body to begin the process that culminates in the joining of pure cosmic energy (Sakti) with pure consciousness (Siva) [Snow?]. The spiral then serves as a symbol of the revitalisation of life through contact with the devine, creative, healing energies of the deepest layers of the psyche. The spiral my be bringing you the shaman's challenge: to translate your knowledge into a form that can be useful to others. This seems to fit the situation where you are telling the other four people about the snake. It's like you have learnt something in real life about yourself and now it is time to find a way to impart this knowledge.

Can you remember which way the spiral went? Clockwise spirals often indicate something moving into consciousness or manifestation. Counterclockwise spiraling suggests an involution of energy back to the centre, or into unconscious.

Even though there are four firends, the quarternity, your 'dream ego' is the fifth element, representing 'the physical body' and natural wholeness. Hope this helps. Stephen G.

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Steve - there would seem to be some similarities between this dream and your 'world tree' posting...the 'squaring of the circle' theme arises again.

Some wise words from Stephen...take heart.

Deedee

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stephen G,deedee,many thanks for your comments,the coiled snake went clockwise,and in relation to everyone else i was bending over the snake,so i would be slightly off centre,which is an answer in it self.i have in relation to this dream ,read up on kundalini.
with regards to the shamanic motif,i feel you have hit something,in the past as you probably know from my posts,i have had a lot of visits from the bear,who has got more powerful each time,i think i am beginning to understand that ,this is a part of myself,a primitive but perfectly natural energy wanting to be accepted and intergrated,similar in fact to deedee's wolf,my ego is afraid of this power ,but i am taking steps to allow it expression.
jerry said once that he had a realization, he'd been looking in the wrong place,i feel i have too.


i also realize,that when people start mentioning,animal powers and energies of the earth,be it dreams or in general, my spirit lights up and i am away,i felt this about deedee's wolf dream,something in me stirred.
i think this is where i need to go,but fear, or more correctly social conditioning is the barrier that needs to come down.
there is a lot of junk said and written about shamanism,and this creates a barrier to be overcome aswell,i see now ,the world of the shaman as just another way of explaining,the collective unconscious,the archtypes,and just like the myths of old we enter the forest by our own path
thank you for your insights.
regards steve.

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Here's an active imagination session I had about a year ago, that I think maybe important to share with you.

It started in a dark cave. My eyesight was adjusting. I could start to see paintings on the walls of animals. I see a small camp fire. All of a sudden 6 mature indian braves pin me down to the ground. I am naked. An older male indian leans over me. I am about to be initiated by circumcision. I am scared beyond belief. He cuts. I grimmace, but there is no pain. The 6 braves release me. The older man embraces me and says "Your sign is the bear". We go back to the village. The woman stand with their backs to me, but inside I know they do so because it is their role to do that for this initiation.

Since then I have tried to find out as much as I can about the bear, but there isn't that much around. I gave up looking and that same day I come across a secondhand bookstore that I did not know existed and what should be there but a book on the symbol of the bear in north american folklore, and it was forwarded by Jung. Strange how I and the book are in Australia!

The bear has a soft nurturing side, but has an equally aggressive side. The opposites. Enjoy your journey of discovery and keep these two aspects clearly in your mind. Stephen G.

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Hi Steve
I am struck by the cleanness of this dream. It is obviously very symbolic, can it be taken as such - simple and symbolic?
The natural arrangement of the four, with a symbol of rebirth / life in the middle. The snake seems to be in a gentle hollow.
It is cold, ie warmth would awaken it ,,,,, ? your warmth

can I interpret the last line to mean that you will know it's nature when you pick it up?

JC

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