I am afraid of snakes. When I went to Sedona years ago, my biggest concern was disturbing a snake or snakes. The first time I went, it was too early in the year and they were still hibernating. I returned in the heat of June and managed to not see any snakes other than a dead one on the interstate between Sedona and LA. Dead snakes don’t frighten me.
Recently, I decided to take a ride on the nearby bicycle trail. It just so happens to run through or alongside the bayou. My concern when I began was for my safety, being a lone female on what, at that point, seemed a secluded area. However, as I continued to pedal, I felt intermittent large drops of rain falling on my arms. It was so intermittent that I thought the drops were more flukes than rain. As I continued, the drops fell a little more frequently (still intermittent) and I realized the secluded bicycle trail might not be the best place to be when a deluge fell and lightning began to strike. With that in mind, I turned around in a panic and was pulling a Lance Armstrong in order to get back to the shelter options of civilization. It was at that point when my senses were in a state of alarm, that I also saw a snake slithering its way across the bicycle path. I was already freaked out at the thought of being caught in the middle of nowhere outdoors in a thunderstorm and the snake just put me over the edge. I was already in Lance Armstrong mode but was struggling to figure out if the snake would/could potentially strike me as I blew past him. For me, this was a major quandary. Momentum cured the quandary because I just kept going, the snake stopped moving and I successfully passed him on my way to the safety of civilization and shelter.
The bicycle path is on indefinite hold. I decided it would be in my better interest from a safety standpoint to ride with others than to ride alone. I just need to put forth the effort to find a group that rides or find someone who would be willing to ride with me. In the meantime, I’ve meandered around in the general vicinity and each time, I’ve run across a snake (not literally). These other snakes have been dead, so, no fear there.
After seeing so many snakes, I decided to look up the symbolism for snakes and have been trying to incorporate that information in my current life situation. From what I’ve read, snakes symbolize healing and transformation. I recently decided to focus more on my Reiki self-practice so that I can work from a place of better clarity as to what I should be doing. After having seen the snakes, I feel confirmation that I’m on the right path. I had an ambitious idea regarding practicing Reiki on others but have not had the conversation that needs to happen – yet.
Years ago, I had a dream involving snakes. In that dream, the snakes were friendly and almost pet like. The dream was so surreal that I believed my fear of snakes was gone. It may in fact have diminished since then. The fear of the snake on the path may have been a product of my heightened sense of danger regarding being out in a potential thunderstorm mixed with the fact that I recognized the turmoil I was in could have been interpreted as aggression by the snake. Just as a dog can sense fear, so too do other animals – snakes especially – sense the state of mind we are in. Someday maybe I’ll see if my snake fear is gone. However, that someday will be a day when I am in a calm, centered state of mind…