Past Articles

AR 43 Twelve Gates of Heaven

AR 42 Jupiter in Virgo

AR 41 Geometry of the Spheres

AR 40 Saturn in Cancer, June, 2003 to July, 2005

AR 39 The Poles of the Zodiac

AR 38
Uranus In
Pisces
2003-2011

AR 37
Twelfth Planet, Plutinos or
Planet X

AR 36
Eclipses – Promise or Peril?

AR35
Solar Fire

AR34
The Lunar Mansions of Vedic Astrology

AR 33
Children of the Gods

AR 32
Wheels Within Wheels

AR 31
Horoscopes of Destiny

AR 30
Zodicac of Dendera

AR 29
A Star Is Born

AR 28
Age of Aquarius

AR 27
Persia's Royal Stars of Ancients

AR 23
The Lore of a Shaman

"One short sleep past, we wake eternally, and death shall be no more." John Donne

The apparent path of the Sun is called the ecliptic, and the familiar constellations of the zodiac provide the stellar background for the Sun's annual journey. Over thousands of years the shapes of the constellations have morphed and some stars have changed alliances. For example, the claws of the Scorpion, which still bear the earlier names (Northern and Southern Claws), are now the scales of Libra. Likewise, Pisces once had one fish.

There is another constellation which occupies this prestigious part of the sky, but for some reason is not included in the circle. It's presence is hinted at symbolically as the path of the Sun has often been described as an undulating serpent.

Serpent Bearer

Ophiuchus is an enormous star group composed of two constellations, the Serpent and the Serpent Bearer. The foot of the Serpent Bearer is well within the bounds of the ecliptic although he is not counted in the zodiac. Sagittarius the Archer points his arrow at the foot of Ophiuchus, which in turn, is poised on one claw of the Scorpion. The tail of the snake is near Aquila, the Eagle, and the serpent's head nearly touches Corona, the Crown. Rasalhague, the alpha star, means, "head of the snake charmer." Contained within the boundaries of this large constellation is Barnard's star, the stellar body with the largest proper motion. A famous Supernova exploded in Ophiuchus in 1604, called Kepler's Nova, and another in 1987. Serpent Bearer represents the Egyptian Imhotep and Greek Asklepios, famous healers and noteworthy wielders of snake medicine.

Image taken from Sky & Telescope, "Monthly Star Charts"
by George Lovi & Graham Blow

Mythology

The Greek name Asklepios came from the earlier name of Draco, the Great Dragon, and was also associated with the other stellar serpents. Accounts vary but the mythical Asklepios was the child of the sun god Apollo and the human woman Coronis (crow). In the god's continued absence she fell in love with a mere mortal, and in a jealous rage Apollo murdered the pregnant Coronis (mythically destroying the feminine aspect). Then overcome with grief, he snatched the unborn child from her womb as her body burned on a funeral pyre. After his rescue the infant Asklepios was entrusted to the wise centaur, Chiron who taught him medicine. Asklepios became the most renowned of healers, capable of restoring life. Hippocrates, called the father of modern medicine, is the best known descendent of Asklepios.

The famous Caduceus wand, which was later bestowed upon Asklepios, enabled Mercury (Hermes) to range from the top of Mount Olympus to the depths of the underworld. Two serpents entwined around a central staff with wings at the top is still the symbol of medicine. A similar icon is found on the walls of Egyptian tombs. In fact, the Greeks borrowed Asklepios from the earlier and historical Egyptian architect and healer Imhotep, credited with building the step pyramid of Saqqara.

Serpents were the sacred servants of Asklepios. Versions differ, but in one story Athena gave him blood which had flowed in Medusa's veins. Blood from the left side spread a fatal poison, but blood from the right side was healing. Asklepios knew how to use the wise blood to restore the dead to life. The Oracle at Delphi was a group of priestesses called Pythia (python), who used snake venom to induce a trance state. The women also breathed mind-altering vapors, rising from an underground pit at the shrine. The relationship between serpents, wisdom and the sacred feminine stretches far back in time. (See also ATLANTIS RISING #43, "Mystery of Malta's long-headed skulls," by Adriano Forgione).

Orion

Myth is a powerful and multi-faceted mechanism, and it is impossible to separate the story of Asklepios, the Healer from that of Orion, the Hunter. The two constellations are never visible in the sky at the same time, and there is an enduring myth to explain this. Orion was a great but boastful hunter, bragging that no game could elude him. This angered Juno, wife of Zeus (Jupiter). One day while Orion slept she had a scorpion sting his heel, proving fatal to the proud hunter. Asklepios came to the rescue, and using his knowledge of the healing qualities of serpents, he brought Orion back to life. (In the earlier Egyptian myth it is Horus, son of Osiris (Orion), who had trouble with a scorpion, but Horus was healed by the powerful magic of his mother Isis, Queen of Magic.)

This in turn angered Hades (Pluto,) god of the underworld. He complained that if human healers had power over death his kingdom would become empty. Zeus intervened and dispatched both Orion and Asklepios, and then immortalized the heroes as constellations. Orion is on one side of the sky, and Asklepios, holding his giant snake, is on the other. As the stars of the Scorpion rise, those of Orion seem to sink defeated in the west. However, when Ophiuchus crushes the Scorpion with his heel, Orion is reborn. In our timeframe Orion shines in winter and Scorpio is visible in summer skies. Each year the fabled healer bestows the gift of immortality as the ongoing drama of Hunter and Healer, generation versus regeneration, cyclically unfolds.

Orion is also equated with the Egyptian god/king Osiris in the Pyramid Texts. Osiris was ruler of the mysterious underworld, and his journey through this frightening domain is recorded in the twelve hours of night, painted on the walls of Egyptian tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Osiris, the reincarnation of Egyptian Pharaohs, treads the wheel of rebirth, trying to attain a place among the immortal circumpolar stars. The two opposing figures of King and Healer contrast the secular versus sacred roles of the king.

Serpents, Shamans and Saviors

Diverse cultural myths and symbols of serpent bearers abound. The wise teacher and healer, Quetzlcoatl (Aztec) or Kukulkan (Mayan) was depicted as a feathered serpent, combining serpents and wings. Pakal, lord of Palenque, whose tomb lies at the heart of a great pyramid, is depicted on a stele with "First Mother, doing a snake dance. Hopi snake dancers honor the powerful nature spirit Macibol, who struggles while dancing with the Great Serpent."

Image taken from "Maya Cosmos" by Linda Schele & David Freidel

The ancient symbol which appears over doorways of Egyptian temples is a circle with wings, depicting the risen and victorious Horus. Ouroboros, the serpent biting its own tail, is another ancient symbol of eternity. Enigmatic passages appear in the Bible (Numbers 21:9 and 2 Kings 18:4), describing Moses, raising a serpent of bronze in the wilderness. Called Neshutan, the bronze serpent on a staff had healing powers and became a symbol of worship. Bronze, like copper, is a metal sacred to Venus.

St. George killing the dragon is the medieval representation of Serpent Bearer as the dragon is an ancient symbol of the serpent fire. Christian churches were built on lines of serpent power, thus slaying or conquering the feminine energies of the Earth. Likewise the last Major Trump of Tarot is the World, sometimes the World Dancer. This symbol of Cosmic Consciousness is holding two spiraling, serpentine currents of energy and represents spiritual mastery.

Mystical Thirteenth Element

Thirteen is often considered unlucky. I believe this could be a safeguard, a decoy, to conceal powerful sacred knowledge from the casual observer. Thirteen appears in several interesting groupings: Twelve tribes and the Levites, the teachers, make thirteen. Twelve disciples and Christ, and twelve signs and Ophiuchus, equals thirteen. Twelve circles around a central thirteenth is a key symbol in sacred geometry, hinting at the mystery of center versus circumference. The Maya have thirteen "signs" in their cosmology, and there are thirteen lunations each year, New Moons or Full Moons.

Wise as serpents

Serpent Bearer is a powerful example of how ancient wisdom is transmitted through myth. The story veils a profound truth of spiritual work and immortality which has to do with restoration of the sacred feminine. Serpent Bearer is the secret emblem of the mystical marriage. The work of the Healer is to uncoil and direct the serpent power up through the central pillar of the spine, enlivening the whole chakra system until the body becomes a Caduceus of balanced energies. Kundalini is Sanskrit for "Slumbering Serpent," the reservoir of coiled power at the base of the spine, and she is a feminine goddess.

Image from BOTA Tarot
by Paul Foster Case

Instead of just holding the serpent, the real work is joining the two halves of the snake, or the two solar and lunar currents of the serpent power of Kundalini, Ida and Pingali. The severed pieces of the serpentine energy are reconciled into harmonious energy currents, oscillating up and down the spine as this fiery energy activates the higher chakras (spinning wheels of energy). In Hebrew the word is merkabah, translated as "wheel" or "chariot." A Caduceus suggests a fully functioning chakra system, which is why the serpent wand symbolizes healing.

The placement of Ophiuchus between Scorpio, the life force, and Sagittarius, aspiration toward higher wisdom, is significant. Mercury, the androgynous god, was able to travel safely from the depths of the underworld (root chakra) to the heights of Mount Olympus (crown chakra) by virtue of this serpent staff. The scorpion is symbolic of the root chakra, and the wings of an eagle (falcon in Egypt), are the soaring flight of spiritual attainment. In the Western Mysteries this is called the Great Work, thus Serpent Bearer and his Caduceus are a perfect emblem of adeptship.

I believe that unveiling the mystery of thirteen contains the mystical knowledge of reclaiming the sacred feminine. The knowledge has been occulted for awhile, going slowly underground along with paleolithic goddess culture, while humanity developed the rational aspect of the mind. Ophiuchus may have been removed from the zodiac because of the serpent's dubious role in the Garden of Eden. In the Biblical story there were two trees in the garden; The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, from which Adam and Eve ate the fruit, and the Tree of Life, guarded by the flaming Cherubim. The serpent tempted Eve, hinting at the role of the feminine in ultimate redemption, not damnation. Metaphorically, once we've lost our innocence, and have been exiled from the "garden," the long-term work of walking the Path of Return begins.

Getting off the wheel of rebirth requires engaging the Serpent Bearer. This entails reclaiming the mystical thirteenth element, including the crown above the head of the serpent, which is the emblem of mastery. After we have eaten the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil we must eventually learn the serpent's secrets of transforming fire and climb the Tree of Eternal Life.