Khaire Hekate Drakaina!

(photo of the Balance card from the Major Arcana of The Wildwood Tarot)

I have brought this picture to You before. Perhaps I will do so again. I bring it to You today because I think of these serpents in relation to You.

Serpents...snakes... These words have an odd relationship. There are certain connotations for each. They don't apply in mundane literal contexts. We say someone has a pet snake because that's what the animal is. We talk about legends and myths of sea serpents, and it just wouldn't mean the same thing if we said "huge water snake". 

Things start to shift as we move away from such easily defined contexts. "Snake" is shifty, sneaky, not to be trusted...in literature, we recognize certain villianous serpents as being really big snakes. After all, a serpent is noble and powerful...possibly even a close cousin of a dragon. Maybe the villainous serpent is the neighbor of an evil dragon. (Oh! But who gets to decide what makes that dragon evil? Stoytelling reveals so much about the storyteller.)

I recognize that these cultural attitudes have influenced how I see You as Drakaina. The animal snake doesn't bother me. I've held snakes. They are as valid a part of this world as all other animals. But then I think of You, and...no, no, no! These must be serpents! There are lessons for me to learn here. There is internal work to be done.

When I think of You as Drakaina, I closely relate those thoughts to You as Brimo. The serpents are tied to the storm. 

But what about the serpents on the card? I see Your colors, and Your realms. The red serpent of the celestial flames and the blue serpent of the waters entwined with the white birch tree of the earth. It is strange and uncomfortable sometimes that You are spoken of as an Underworld goddess when You are everywhere. Of course, the snakes have been misunderstood in similar ways.

Khaire Hekate Drakaina!