The Spell of the Serpent- Hypnosis & Snake Medicine

I want to share some thoughts on the art of hypnosis and snakes. So what is hypnosis? Hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness — a state where we are still conscious but in a kind of trance, a liminal place, often a deep state of relaxation. It is a space that allows us access to the realm of the subconscious.

Sometimes we use the word hypnotised to describe states where we are drawn in, magnetised, mesmerised- we are entranced, as if we're falling into the gap between waking and sleeping. It is a space of great potential and possibility, and the most fertile ground for change. Here, we are fully in the present moment and yet it’s as if we've stepped outside of time. We are in a space of trance — relaxed, and yet more focused and aware of certain feelings, thoughts, sensations, and images.

So, how does this connect with snakes? I feel there is a strong and ancient connection between snakes- both the serpent as symbol and actual snakes - and hypnosis. Snakes are, by their very nature, entrancing. They are mesmerising and fascinating, whether people fear them, love them, or anything in between. Snakes demand attention. We cannot be neutral or indifferent around them. They draw us in- even, or maybe especially, if we are scared- and they stop us in our tracks.

I see snakes as beings who bridge the realm of the embodied and earthly with the esoteric, celestial, and spiritual- a symbol and reminder of our capacity to shift consciousness and roam in different realms while also being fully embodied.

Thinking of snakes and hypnosis, we can see that snakes appear in imagery both as those being hypnotised and those with the power to hypnotise.Snake charming as entertainment has been practiced in Egypt, other North African countries, and India for a long time, where the "snake charmer" plays a flute in undulating movements in front of a snake, often a cobra, giving the impression that they hypnotise the snake into dancing to the music. Since snakes don’t hear the way we do, it’s more likely that the snake is responding to the movement and perceiving the person as a potential threat- rising up and enlarging its hood as a natural response. But the illusion created is a powerful one that speaks to the deep connection between the snake and hypnosis.

Also, Kaa the snake in Kipling’s Jungle Book comes to mind. In Kipling’s original story, Kaa is an ally, friend, wise guide, and trusted mentor who shares wisdom with Mowgli. But in the Disney version, Kaa becomes the seducer, manipulator, and is portrayed as a threat.Just as the snake that seduces Eve in paradise, Snake here becomes the seducer, hypnotising with its eyes and seductive words, delivered in a song Mowgli cannot resist:“Trust in me… just in me. Shut your eyes and trust in me…”As if Mowgli — and Eve — become entranced and powerless under the snake’s gaze and words.And still today, one of the biggest fears people express about hypnosis is that of being seduced and manipulated into something they do not want, and of losing control.

I too held some of these ideas and fears before embarking on my recent hypnosis training. But once I experienced being hypnotised myself, these fears vanished and I realised that a hypnotic trance is truly not a helpless or unconscious state. It is an altered state, yes, and often one of deep relaxation- but not one where we are paralysed or unable to act. When we are hypnotised- guided into a hypnotic trance- we do not lose control. Rather, we willingly follow suggestions to enter a trance state and bypass the critical mind. And yes, for a moment we might not be able to open our eyelids or lift our arm, but that’s simply a tool to help guide us deeper. David Marius describes hypnotic trance as “a state of heightened focus and imagination that suspends disbelief.” It is a place that allows us to access our subconscious mind and reprogram our belief systems- an incredible tool to release limiting beliefs and expand positive qualities like confidence, or our capacity to feel, hold, and expand pleasure.

Back to snakes… When we are in the presence of Snake- be it actual snakes, or snake imagery in guided meditation, shamanic journeys, or dreams- Snake often appears to either wake or alert us or drop us into a kind of trance.

This is how I fell in love with snakes....

I had my first powerful experience many years ago, when I invited Snaky Sue, who owns a snake sanctuary in Harwich, England, to bring her snakes to my house for a birthday snake-handling session.We were eight women gathered for the evening, and Sue brought some of her 50 snakes from the sanctuary.

Starting with the very smallest one- a snake that just wrapped around the wrist- she slowly introduced larger and larger ones: from corn snakes, to a small royal python, to a rainbow boa, and finally, a big boa. Within half an hour we were all truly mesmerised, handling these extraordinary snakes between us. I felt as if the snakes had put a spell on us and guided us into a kind of trance. We spoke less and less, moved more slowly, and were intensely focused on the snakes, on their eyes, their movement, their weight, the way they slithered over our bodies and between us, the feel of their skin on ours. Someone said: “we all look as if we were completely stoned.” It was a state of exquisite and deep presence, focused and yet relaxed. We were truly entranced, and this state opened something inside each of us. I could say the snakes hypnotised us! For me personally, that night opened my heart even more to the snakes- I truly fell in love. It was the moment I decided I wanted to be a steward of snakes. A few months later, I was ready, and I received my two beautiful pythons, Syd and Myst, from Sue’s sanctuary and they became my companions for several years.

The snakes also had a powerful impact on two people in the group who didn’t usually get along. There was a moment when the big boa wrapped around both of their shoulders, linking them together. They stayed like that for a while- smiling, breathing, softening, dropping their differences, and simply connecting in a shared moment of presence. I often say that snakes create connection, and this was another moment where I felt that- as if the snakes opened something in our perception, and in our hearts.

Even though Snake has been demonised and made into a threat by patriarchy and monotheistic religions, the Snake as an empowering symbol of transformation, creation, and sensuality has been revered for millennia. Flanking the entrances of temples all over the world, the serpent has long been regarded as a guardian and protector of all things sacred. And I believe that now- especially in this Chinese Year of the Wood Snake- the Serpent is rising strongly in the collective consciousness again, returning as a teacher for our times. As we face intense global and personal challenges, with so many things competing for our attention, pulling us away from the present moment into distraction and overwhelm, Snake becomes potent medicine for our times.

Just like in hypnotic trance where we are focused, relaxed, open to our imagination and to the possibility of transformation, Snake can mesmerise us and wake us up to the present moment- which is the only place where all true power lies. Especially the power to create our future.