I used to be so afraid of snakes. Aren't most people? Since I've done a lot of healing work I promised myself to face my fears and challenge myself to heal that part of me. Of course one of those fears was snakes. I had an opportunity to face this while I was in S. Africa because at this healing center they have a reptile center. What a perfect place to start working on my healing with snakes.
Corniel is the owner of the center and I mentioned to him I'd like to get over my fear of snakes and I asked him if he would help me with that. And of course he was thrilled and said he would help me.
As I walked into his center and a room filled with snakes, I began to be uneasy and anxious. I could feel all of the tension in my body and my nervousness.
What did I just sign up for? Who intentionally goes after their fears like this head on? Oh, yeah ME!
I'm standing there with both my arms face up and straight out as per his direction. I though he was going to bring me one snake to hole. NOPE, he brings me a few small one and places them on top of my arms. I'm just watching them as they move and settle and slither on top of one another. I held them for about 5 minutes before he took them away and brought me another one.
This next snake was so beautiful and what I would consider a normal size. It had purple and blue and black tones. I held this snake in my arms and just looked at it and got to a place of how beautiful it was. I started to think about my fears of snakes and where that came from. Most of us can relate that our parents told us to stay away from snakes. They will bit us and they are poisonous. There isn't enough information and education for our parents to be able to help us distinguish between those ones with venom and not. They weren't taught that either. I'm sure there are some people out there that maybe got that education from their parents, but its not a usual occurrence. There is also the biblical fear that is put into our mind as well. The snake represents in the Christian community as the devil and the deceiver.
I've also learned about snakes in another way prior to coming to S. Africa that snakes represent healing and transformation. As I'm holding the snake I wanted to think about those aspects. How a snake can help us heal and let go. When a snake sheds it skin it leaves it behind. I doubt that if you went into a snakes home you'd find bags of snake skin. It doesn't say, oh, let me hold onto this and put it in the closet. No, it sheds the skin and keeps moving.
Another teaching with snakes is how they are belly to belly with the earth. Moving effortlessly and also grounding. Connected to the earth so deeply.
That is what I wanted to focus on with this snake as I'm holding it my arms. I became a little more relaxed.
And on to the next snake. This one is the Papa of all snakes. I was really afraid now. A python? Won't this eat me? The only reason I felt ok with it was because it was a snake in the reptile center. It was used to being held. I want to make this clear, I would not pick up a snake and to this that I found in the jungle or the side of a road. That being said....there was magic in this experience.
As he put the snake around my neck I could feel all of his weight. I would make certain adjustments and tried to move him a little. In my mind I thought "man you are really heavy, I wish you could adjust yourself"
After I said this, the snake move, adjusted himself, and balanced his weight so I could hold him. I am NOT kidding. How did the snake know? I didn't say it out loud.
Then I was feeling tense. I wanted to relax but I didn't know how. After I thought about this once again in my mind, the snake shifted. It became to move around putting more weight on me in certain areas. Then I began to relax and realized I'm getting a massage from a snake. I had this idea that they would slither and they don't. They move gracefully and with pressure and its not gross or weird. I couldn't believe I was standing there getting a great massage from a huge snake.
Then I put my hands out because he started to move again and I felt like he needed some support on his head. He then rested his head on my hand. I internally had another conversation with myself. I suddenly could feel the power of this snake. How grounded it was, how secure, how comfortable in his own skin. Also feeling that he could change at any moment. I felt us connected and I realized he was feeling all of my energy. When I was nervous, when I was scared, and when I started to relax.
I told the snake that I wasn't ready to look at him in the face. I couldn't look directly into his eyes and he just stayed there and didn't move. A few minutes later I felt my shoulders drop a little more and I became more comfortable. I then had the thought "I'm ready to see you" And you know what he did? He picked up his head and looked at me. Writing this brings tears to my eyes that I could be connected with this scary creature. And that he had patience with me. Was this thing healing me? Was he waiting for me to relax and heal and connect with him.
I was so peaceful and relaxed. Right then and there I because the SNAKE woman. I asked if I could take him out an walk around with him and he said yes. So the snake and I were off, to explore together out in the sun.
When I was walking around the property I saw one of the women and her child staring at me. Staring in a way that I new she too was afraid of snakes. So I thought, here is an opportunity to help her feel the magic of this reptile and allow the snake to heal her too. She was hesitant at first. So I asked her to just touch its tail...and feel the skin. It took a while and we both had patience. Then she was able to hold the bottom half of the snake and so did her child.
That was my first time Second time in S. Africa and I returned a third. I couldn't wait to see the snake again. It was like visiting family and seeing a long lost friend. I asked Corniel if I could take the snake out. Of course he let me. He also asked if I wanted to give it a bath. Sure why not? I took the snake over the pond and let it swim around. It is also where it like to take a poop. Seeing a snakes poop was a highlight also. I was surprised to see that it looks just like human poop and floated to the top of the pond. This snake eats well I thought.
Then I took it out and let it move around in the grass as I rinsed it and washed it with a sponge.
Then I had this crazy idea that I would let the snake do another healing on my. That is when I layed in the grass and allowed him move around on me if he wanted. He knew exactly what my fear was. Of course he comes directly up the middle of me....onto my stomach and straight for my head. He must have know I had this fear and that he could swallow me. I tried to relax. I moved my head to the side as he moved over me. Massaging my body with his movements. This felt amazing. ANd then he continued on moving next to my shoulders until he move off of me entirely. What an experience.
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