I found this image and it spoke to me. An Angel presiding over the Man and the Woman and as usual, at the foot of the scene is Snake, upon first glance intimating temptation. This statue is a representation of the Medicine Wheel to me. That is how incredibly flexible and open the wheel is. I'm seeing this image as if I had laid it flat and tipped it backward. At this perspective the Angel is South, the Snake is North, the Man is East and the Woman is West.
This has great meaning to me. I see the message and I understand why the Serpent is so misunderstood. By aligning this image within the grid of the Medicine Wheel I am given great insight. The Serpent in the position of the North represents what we manifest. It is not evil, it just is what is. If you'll notice, the Snake is encircling the entire statue. This represents to me how incredibly powerful and what great work lies within the energy of Snake. For Snake turns energy into form. It is what actually takes the unmanifest and gives it life! I find it really interesting that if the statue is looked at while facing North, the serpent would be in the south. In which case it would be instigating healing and the energy would be coming down into us, into the earth. It is us who calls forth that energy back out of the earth and allows it to travel upward, through the energy system of our bodies and out into the world.
The man is the embodiment of masculine energy, and he stands on the right hand side which controls the left brain activity of our brain where we process with logic, reason and intellect. The woman is on the left side of the angel where she controls the right brain activity and brings us emotions, feelings and passion. At the top is the Angel. To me the Angel is our heart or our spirit. It is our connection to Universal Law and All that Is.
Where all the spokes of our wheel come together and meet in the center is our core. No one part is more valuable or precious than the other. And any aspect neglected or given too much attention will create disharmony. It is only when we open the channel and clear the vessels of our intellectual, spiritual, emotional and physical bodies that we can get to our center. Imagine feeling that clear and clean and close. I am imagining that and I want to attain that level of clarity and purity.
I now view this image in an entirely different light, than I did prior to my reflection. I don't draw any negativity or any judgement of good or evil. To me, now this image is an icon of the four aspects that bring me my ability to connect with being human and to reach the full potential of being human. It's just about the beautiful state of being human and being alive. What if being human is the reward?