Message from the Universe: Snakes Awake
Once in a Blue Moon
Do you ever get the notion that the universe is sending you a message?
Last week, my messages had a distinct theme: snakes. It started with a poem, then a news clip, a text message from a friend, a deep dive into Lithuanian folklore, a phone conversation, a shirt emblem, and two pictures from local yards.
Seven different sources caused me to look for the meaning behind the message. Ultimately, I realized I was being sent a good omen. Nothing bad to see here.
Snake Facts: Friends vs. Foes
Snakes can be friends or foes. It helps to know the difference, although “good” snakes can easily act like deadly ones when threatened.
The pictures sent to me allowed me to identify a Black Rat snake and a Colorado Bull Snake. Both like to eat the small mammals we don’t want in our gardens. Both will actively avoid humans—unless you block their escape route, causing them to hiss and possibly bite.
In the News: Just in case you missed it, RFK Jr. has been in the snake news lately. Last week, he wrangled two non-venomous snakes and a rattlesnake. One bit him. The man has talents we never expected. Luckily, all three snakes were unharmed and returned to a safe environment.
Closer to home, grass snakes live right in my garden. The only one I have seen this year was the unfortunate victim of the neighbor’s cats—as confirmed by her son when he examined the uneaten half: “They bring them in the house all the time.”
Lithuanian Folklore & The Queen of Grass Snakes
All these encounters made me remember something my former Lithuanian Department Chair once told me. We shared the same penchant for sarcastic humor—a trait that often evolves as a non-violent response to oppression. He told me that snakes were deeply honored by us Lithuanians and historically kept as household pets. They even cleaned up after babies who never wore diapers!
Intrigued, I took a deep dive into the source of this reptilian reverence. It led me to the myth of Eglė, a young maiden who discovers a grass snake coiled around the sleeve of her blouse after bathing in a lake with her sisters. The grass snake demands that Eglė pledge herself to him in marriage in exchange for her clothing. She relents and agrees.
It’s a fascinating, sweeping story—far too long to include here—but it is well worth reading. Grab a cup of tea on a rainy afternoon and read the full tale of Eglė, the Queen of Grass Snakes (a wonderful post from 2016).
What Wiki Says About Snakes
Even before the Bible, the serpent was revered and feared across cultures as a symbol of duality, transformation, and the eternal cycle.
In Psychology: Carl Jung interpreted the serpent as an archetype of the unconscious mind and personal transformation.
In Medicine: The caduceus—a short staff entwined by two serpents and surmounted by wings—has become a universal medical symbol. This was the exact emblem I spotted on a t-shirt last Monday.
Of course, my friend Miriam notes that the noun “snake” has a few distinct definitions:
Any of numerous limbless scaled reptiles with a long tapering body and salivary glands often modified to produce venom.
A worthless or treacherous fellow.
Something resembling a snake (not to be confused with a garden hose).
Take Me In, Tender Woman
I can think of three “tender women” in this post: Eve, Eglė, and the subject of the poem, who were all taken in by Miriam’s second definition of a snake. Just this past week, Sunday’s Gospel covered the seven days of creation, reintroducing us to Eve.
The poem that started this entire journey for me is titled The Snake, written by Oscar Brown. It happens to be president Donald Trump’s favorite poem to recite. He likes to boast that the electorate “got what they asked for” by electing him, quoting the poem more than 35 distinct times over the years.
This usage caused Oscar Brown’s daughters to send Trump cease-and-desist letters, noting it is antithetical to everything their father stood for. As one of his daughters stated on CNN:
“The elephant in the room is that Trump is the living embodiment of the snake that my father wrote about in that song.”
Once in a Blue Moon
I want to close on an upbeat note. The Universe was clearly trying to tell me something ahead of my birthday on June 2nd.
Since I am proud that my ancestry holds the title of being the last Pagans, I am happy to share what I recently found in a pagan grimoire. (Click at your own risk; I am not advocating for the rituals and spells!)
“A Blue Moon adds the feeling of a second chance, a turning point, or an opportunity that doesn’t come around often.”
I accept the invitation given to me below:
Release what has fully run its course
Complete a cycle
See the truth of a situation
Make a big-picture decision
Reconnect with intuition and divine feminine energy
Name what you actually want next
Do the thing that lights you up”
It pairs perfectly with a fortune cookie I saved from a month ago: “June will bring exciting new adventures and opportunities.”
What about you? What is the Blue Moon inviting you to do?
