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Author Topic: A sign?  (Read 2977 times)

Hariti

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A sign?
« on: November 12, 2017, 06:24:34 pm »
This morning, I had an encounter with an unusually friendly snake on my front porch.

My neighborhood, which is in the suburbs of a small Kentucky town, has a lot of stray cats. Sometimes I put out food or water for them, especially when the weather is cold, as it has been lately. This morning, three of them were on the porch, and when I stepped out, I saw that they had cornered an adult Eastern garter snake and were harassing it.

Normally, garters are skittish and avoid humans, even more so if they feel threatened. So, I was surprised when the snake allowed me to walk right over and pick it up off the porch. It did not seem injured, and in fact was quite active. I brought it into the house and checked it for injuries and let it warm up a bit, and then put it back outside under the bushes.

I think this is a sign. I have dealt with Kentucky snakes for decades, and have never A) Found one on my porch or B) Met one that was so tolerant of human contact. I suspect this might be a sign from Manasa, as she is the only snake related deity that I work with, and the symbolism seems obvious. However, I was wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences with snakes, and what other possible explanations (supernatural or mundane) you might have.

It could have been a pet snake, but that seems unlikely. People don't normally keep garters as pets, and KY is their native range, and they are very common in the area. It did not look any different from the hundreds of other garters I have seen over the years.
"The worshippers of the gods go to them; to the manes go the ancestor-worshippers; to the Deities who preside over the elements go their worshippers; My devotees come to Me." ... "Whichever devotee desires to adore whatever such Deity with faith, in all such votaries I make that particular faith unshakable. Endowed with that faith, a votary performs the worship of that particular deity and obtains the fruits thereof, these being granted by Me alone." - Sri Krishna

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Re: A sign?
« Reply #1 on: November 12, 2017, 07:20:03 pm »
This morning, I had an encounter with an unusually friendly snake on my front porch.

My neighborhood, which is in the suburbs of a small Kentucky town, has a lot of stray cats. Sometimes I put out food or water for them, especially when the weather is cold, as it has been lately. This morning, three of them were on the porch, and when I stepped out, I saw that they had cornered an adult Eastern garter snake and were harassing it.

Normally, garters are skittish and avoid humans, even more so if they feel threatened. So, I was surprised when the snake allowed me to walk right over and pick it up off the porch. It did not seem injured, and in fact was quite active. I brought it into the house and checked it for injuries and let it warm up a bit, and then put it back outside under the bushes.

I think this is a sign. I have dealt with Kentucky snakes for decades, and have never A) Found one on my porch or B) Met one that was so tolerant of human contact. I suspect this might be a sign from Manasa, as she is the only snake related deity that I work with, and the symbolism seems obvious. However, I was wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences with snakes, and what other possible explanations (supernatural or mundane) you might have.

It could have been a pet snake, but that seems unlikely. People don't normally keep garters as pets, and KY is their native range, and they are very common in the area. It did not look any different from the hundreds of other garters I have seen over the years.

Well, the first thing that comes to mind, you mentioned that it has been cold.  That might be enough, especially if there was a certain amount of shock from being roughed around by cats, to make the snake feel just too sluggish to resist as much as usual.  They do normally hibernate in winter in most climates.


OTOH, if it feels significant, maybe it is.  Kudos on your kind behavior, in any case.

Bluerose31

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Re: A sign?
« Reply #2 on: November 14, 2017, 03:41:50 pm »
This morning, I had an encounter with an unusually friendly snake on my front porch.

My neighborhood, which is in the suburbs of a small Kentucky town, has a lot of stray cats. Sometimes I put out food or water for them, especially when the weather is cold, as it has been lately. This morning, three of them were on the porch, and when I stepped out, I saw that they had cornered an adult Eastern garter snake and were harassing it.

Normally, garters are skittish and avoid humans, even more so if they feel threatened. So, I was surprised when the snake allowed me to walk right over and pick it up off the porch. It did not seem injured, and in fact was quite active. I brought it into the house and checked it for injuries and let it warm up a bit, and then put it back outside under the bushes.

I think this is a sign. I have dealt with Kentucky snakes for decades, and have never A) Found one on my porch or B) Met one that was so tolerant of human contact. I suspect this might be a sign from Manasa, as she is the only snake related deity that I work with, and the symbolism seems obvious. However, I was wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences with snakes, and what other possible explanations (supernatural or mundane) you might have.

It could have been a pet snake, but that seems unlikely. People don't normally keep garters as pets, and KY is their native range, and they are very common in the area. It did not look any different from the hundreds of other garters I have seen over the years.
It could have been a sign from Manasa. It sounds like it was a beautiful interaction between you and the snake. You cared for the snake in its time of need and it was receptive to you. I am glad the snake did not snap at you or try to hurt you. Perhaps you could pray to Manasa and see if she has anything to share with you.

Hariti

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Re: A sign?
« Reply #3 on: November 14, 2017, 04:53:56 pm »
It could have been a sign from Manasa. It sounds like it was a beautiful interaction between you and the snake. You cared for the snake in its time of need and it was receptive to you. I am glad the snake did not snap at you or try to hurt you. Perhaps you could pray to Manasa and see if she has anything to share with you.

Yeah. That was the odd bit, it was quite active, not very lethargic, but it was not aggressive toward me.
"The worshippers of the gods go to them; to the manes go the ancestor-worshippers; to the Deities who preside over the elements go their worshippers; My devotees come to Me." ... "Whichever devotee desires to adore whatever such Deity with faith, in all such votaries I make that particular faith unshakable. Endowed with that faith, a votary performs the worship of that particular deity and obtains the fruits thereof, these being granted by Me alone." - Sri Krishna

Bluerose31

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Re: A sign?
« Reply #4 on: November 14, 2017, 05:20:45 pm »
Yeah. That was the odd bit, it was quite active, not very lethargic, but it was not aggressive toward me.

I think it is awesome that the snake was tame toward you.

ehbowen

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Re: A sign?
« Reply #5 on: November 14, 2017, 06:01:22 pm »
I think it is awesome that the snake was tame toward you.

I've had a couple of similar experiences albeit with dogs, not snakes. Dogs are generally a lot friendlier than snakes, so I may be reading too much into this. But what makes these encounters stick out in my mind is:
  • These animals were not neglected or ungroomed, nor did they seem abandoned at all. Yet they were not wearing collars or tags of any kind.
  • They came up to me and were very tame and friendly, yet did not try to hang around or come back when their "time was up"...even though in one case I fed them.

I've taken in strays before and even have one living in my home now. But Rusty hung around for weeks, begging food, before I finally decided my two choices were to either call animal control or else buy him a collar and a bowl. (He remained in the family for the next fifteen years.) Rascal came to my church during a garage sale, friendly enough but hair matted and overgrown. (She's nicely bathed and groomed now.) These other canine encounters were...different.
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Jainarayan

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Re: A sign?
« Reply #6 on: November 16, 2017, 11:10:10 am »
Perhaps you could pray to Manasa and see if she has anything to share with you.

This might also earn the blessings of Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. Both of them have snakes as companions: Lord Shiva wears Vasuki around his neck, Lord Vishnu rests on the coils of Ananta-Shesha. :)


Hariti

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Re: A sign?
« Reply #7 on: November 16, 2017, 08:06:58 pm »
This might also earn the blessings of Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. Both of them have snakes as companions: Lord Shiva wears Vasuki around his neck, Lord Vishnu rests on the coils of Ananta-Shesha. :)



Hmm. Yes, I didn't even think about Shesha or Vasuki. I will pray on this possibility.
"The worshippers of the gods go to them; to the manes go the ancestor-worshippers; to the Deities who preside over the elements go their worshippers; My devotees come to Me." ... "Whichever devotee desires to adore whatever such Deity with faith, in all such votaries I make that particular faith unshakable. Endowed with that faith, a votary performs the worship of that particular deity and obtains the fruits thereof, these being granted by Me alone." - Sri Krishna

Feral Wife

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Re: A sign?
« Reply #8 on: January 11, 2018, 10:34:01 am »
I suspect this might be a sign from Manasa, as she is the only snake related deity that I work with, and the symbolism seems obvious. However, I was wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences with snakes, and what other possible explanations (supernatural or mundane) you might have.
So this opinion is a bit bias, as opinions are, but I don't typically incorporate any deity's in my practice. I would interpret this scenario a couple different ways. Not knowing much information about what else is going on in your life, or how you personally practice your craft, here are a couple things I have to say:

If you've been casting - I will often cast about a certain obstacle or problem in my life, or an uncertainty in a relationship. If I had experienced what you had with the snake, I would be reflecting on what energy I have been putting out and if there was anything I was looking to be answered, and if any answers could be derived from that experience.

If you adhere to animism, the snake may have been coming to you for help/guidance. It may not have been an introspective experience but rather a pretty primal one of you helping out another being.

It's hard to say whether or not events that happen are "signs" per se. I think if it seems significant in your mind, it does mean something, but that it also depends how you personally interpret the situation and what those specific symbols mean to you. I know snakes in particular have a totally different meaning to me than they do to most people.

Hariti

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Re: A sign?
« Reply #9 on: January 11, 2018, 02:41:32 pm »
If you adhere to animism, the snake may have been coming to you for help/guidance. It may not have been an introspective experience but rather a pretty primal one of you helping out another being.

I don't do casting, so that's not the cause. However, I do adhere to a sort of animism as part of my beliefs, and I will concede that the snake itself might have wanted something from me, rather than interceding on the behalf of a higher power or deity.

Also, regarding "I know snakes in particular have a totally different meaning to me than they do to most people," I totally understand the feeling!

In Hinduism, snakes have a mostly positive connotation, and are generally seen as good symbols. Many of the major Gods have snake companions, and some of the Gods are snakes themselves. This is obviously very different from the negative and evil connotations that snakes have in Christianity and Judaism.



"The worshippers of the gods go to them; to the manes go the ancestor-worshippers; to the Deities who preside over the elements go their worshippers; My devotees come to Me." ... "Whichever devotee desires to adore whatever such Deity with faith, in all such votaries I make that particular faith unshakable. Endowed with that faith, a votary performs the worship of that particular deity and obtains the fruits thereof, these being granted by Me alone." - Sri Krishna

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Re: A sign?
« Reply #10 on: January 11, 2018, 05:11:38 pm »
In Hinduism, snakes have a mostly positive connotation, and are generally seen as good symbols. Many of the major Gods have snake companions, and some of the Gods are snakes themselves. This is obviously very different from the negative and evil connotations that snakes have in Christianity and Judaism.
Yes! Snakes are a very positive omen for me in most situations. I personally view snakes as very self aware, self serving, wise spirits that have a lot to offer especially when reflecting on one's self.

As for what that experience meant to you (especially with your path acknowledging deity's) I'd go with your gut.

Morbid

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Re: A sign?
« Reply #11 on: January 11, 2018, 10:54:05 pm »


Snakes are also often a sign of fertility or of rebirth.  So perhaps from a divination stand point, it is indicative of a relationship that is about to be reborn, or a situation that is about to be remade. 
For he who has truly lived never truly dies.

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Re: A sign?
« Reply #12 on: January 12, 2018, 10:13:08 am »
Snakes are also often a sign of fertility or of rebirth.  So perhaps from a divination stand point, it is indicative of a relationship that is about to be reborn, or a situation that is about to be remade.
I second this. Especially the way you described the encounter, the snake seemed familiar.

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