The Snake
by Tirzah Firestone
See the snake
not as evil
but as the principle
of knowledge or emerging
consciousness.
The snake comes
not to get us into trouble
but to goad us to know
more,
to uncover
our eyes
and through knowing
become
more
than we have been.
The snake is the part
that seeks self-
realization, to outgrow
old points,
to shed
our skin
and strive
for the wholeness
that simply will not brook
a one-sided
approach.
This Poem Appears In
AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPIRITUAL DIRECTION + COMPANIONSHIP
Vol. 28 | No. 1 | MARCH – 2022
Author
Rabbi Tirzah Firestone
is a Jungian psychotherapist, author, and a spiritual leader in the international Jewish Renewal movement. She was ordained by Reb Zalman in 1992 and is known widely for her work in intergenerational trauma healing, Jewish feminism, and the modern applications of Jewish mystical wisdom.
