Before the Fall: The Serpent as a Sacred Symbol of the Goddess

Before the serpent was cast as the villain in the story of Eden—slithering with deceit, whispering temptation—it was revered. Long before the rise of Abrahamic religions, the serpent was a potent, sacred symbol of the Goddess, divine feminine energy, and the mysteries of life, death, and rebirth. To reclaim the serpent is to reclaim a part of ourselves that was once honored but has since been distorted.

The Serpent and the Goddess

In ancient goddess-centered cultures across the globe, the serpent was not a symbol of evil, but of power, healing, and deep wisdom. The coiled snake represented the cyclical nature of life—just as the serpent sheds its skin, so too do we shed versions of ourselves in spiritual evolution. The snake was often seen as a guide through the underworld, a guardian of sacred knowledge, and a symbol of both fertility and transformation.

In Minoan Crete (circa 1600 BCE), priestesses of the Snake Goddess were depicted holding serpents in each hand, their bare breasts exposed in celebration of life-giving feminine power. These figures were not temptresses—they were keepers of life’s sacred mysteries.

In ancient Egypt, the cobra—uraeus—was associated with the goddess Wadjet, protector of the pharaoh and a symbol of divine sovereignty and feminine might. In India, serpents (nagas) were revered as semi-divine beings, associated with water, fertility, and the sacred kundalini energy that coils at the base of the spine.

Serpent as Embodied Divine Feminine

The serpent's association with feminine energy is no accident. Its movements are sensual and instinctive, its form long and winding like the flow of energy through the body. In esoteric traditions, the **kundalini serpent** represents the dormant spiritual energy that lies within all of us. When awakened, it rises through the chakras, illuminating consciousness and connecting us to the divine.

This connection between the serpent and intuition, sexuality, and transformation made it a natural symbol of the divine feminine. It was intimately tied to the body, to the earth, to cycles of death and rebirth—everything that the Goddess represented.

The Fall from Grace: How Patriarchal Religions Vilified the Serpent

When patriarchal religious systems began to dominate, particularly the Abrahamic traditions, symbols of feminine power were systematically reinterpreted and demonized. The serpent, once a revered symbol of the Goddess, became a tool to enforce a new theological order.

In the Book of Genesis, the serpent becomes the tempter—the one who leads Eve, and through her all of humanity, into sin. This narrative marked a turning point: the serpent was no longer a symbol of wisdom, but of deceit; no longer sacred, but satanic. Eve herself, the archetypal woman, became the origin of sin, forever cursed for seeking knowledge.

This retelling effectively severed the serpent from its divine feminine roots. The message was clear: feminine curiosity, bodily autonomy, and intuitive knowing were dangerous. The Goddess was erased, her symbols corrupted, and her followers pushed to the margins.

Reclaiming the Serpent

For witches, mystics, and those walking the path of the divine feminine today, reclaiming the serpent is an act of spiritual rebellion and remembrance. When we embrace the serpent, we reclaim our intuition, our sensuality, our cycles, our power to transmute and evolve. We reconnect with the Goddess in her primal, untamed, and deeply wise form.

Let the serpent remind you: you are sacred. Your body holds ancient wisdom. Your transformation is holy.