Serpent Symbolism in Occultism
Serpents are one of the most common symbols in occultism, and they mean all kinds of things in different contexts. In alchemy, the serpent represents the dual nature of Mercurius, the active agent of the alchemical process, as well as the process itself. A snake is slippery and elusive, like Mercury, making it volatile. It is a creature of the earth that comes out of the earth, like the matter of the Philosopher’s Stone, making it fixed. Its venom can dissolve things like the acids that are used in alchemical reactions. Therefore, in most of its incarnations, it represents primordial matter, creation and destruction, and the achievements and dangers of the Great Work.
An ancient symbol of a snake eating its own tail, representing eternity, primordial chaos, and the cyclical process of alchemy. It also appears in a variety of ancient magical contexts, such as in the Greek Magical Papyri and inscribed on amulets called “Abrasax stones.” The earliest depictions of it are from Ancient Egypt.
“It had the beginning, it does not have the end.” From “Paradoxa Emblemata” by Dionysius Andreas Freher
In a more philosophical context, the ouroboros represents the unity of the spiritual world and the all-encompassing nature of the divine, as described in the Emerald Tablet: “And as all things have been and arose from one by the mediation of one: so all things have their birth from this one thing by adaptation.” All things come from the Divine, and all things return to it, so it endlessly creates and consumes itself. The serpent also sheds its skin, endlessly renewing and rebirthing itself. (In my recent Red Book post, I talked about the “looping effect” that’s often present in mystical storytelling and philosophy. The ouroboros is a symbol of that.)
Ouroboros from the works of the third-century alchemist Cleopatra, with the words “All is One.”
In magical contexts, the Ouroboros is often used in protective contexts. This image of an ouroboros comes from a “phylactery,” a protective spell to be worn on one’s person as a guard against evil spirits.
The caduceus is the staff of the god Hermes. It’s technically a herald’s staff, but it has two snakes entwined around it and (sometimes) wings at the top. It represents Hermes’ profession as the messenger of the gods, and his rule over travel, commerce, and communication. It also represents the unification of duality, and complimentary opposing forces. One myth about the origin of the caduceus says that Hermes placed his staff between two serpens that were fighting, and they instantly twined around it, becoming friends. So, it also represents peace and resolution.
From “The Book of Hieroglyphical Figures,” attributed to Nicholas Flamel
Hermes/Mercurius was adopted by alchemists as a symbol of the Great Work, so the caduceus came to be an alchemical symbol. It represents the Chemical Wedding, the union of the dual forces of Sun and Moon/Male and Female/Sulphur and Mercury. The caduceus also resembles a double helix, the shape of a DNA molecule, which gives it some modern associations with the origin of life and the nature of self.
From "The Hermetical Triumph
The caduceus is not actually a symbol of medicine. When it’s used as a medical symbol, it’s actually being confused with the Rod of Asclepius, which has only one snake and no wings. Asclepius’ staff has a serpent because, in Greek lore, snakes know all the secrets of the earth, and can teach humans about medicine.
An alchemical symbol attributed to Nicholas Flamel, the Crucified Serpent represents the fixation of the volatile. It’s similar to the Caduceus in that it represents the union of opposing forces — in this case, the mercurial, volatile serpent is physically nailed down. The four arms of the cross represent the four elements (with Quintessence in the center, or the crown on top). In that sense, the symbol represents the completion of the Opus. But it’s a little more violent than other symbols of this type.
From “The Book of Hieroglyphical Figures,” attributed to Nicholas Flamel
Obviously, any image of crucifixion is inherently Christian iconography, and is loaded with all the relevant associations. The serpent’s crucifixion results in the death and mortification of its body, which is necessary for the Philosopher’s Stone to be reborn. The serpent is sacrificed for the sake of the creation of the Stone. This image is also a reference to a part in the Bible (Numbers 21:8–9) where Moses nails a bronze serpent to a pole, so that anyone who looks at it will be healed. (That’s so obviously a syncretic image of the Rod of Asclepius, come on!) So, the crucified serpent also represents the healing power of the Philosopher’s Stone.
This is the symbol that Edward Elric has on the back of his coat:
In alchemy, the dragon has most of the same associations as the serpent, but with some additional layers. Its blood or venom is “mercurial water” or alkahest, the universal solvent that can reduce anything to base matter.
Art from a Ripley Scroll, Mellon MS 41. Photo by me.
The dragon can also represent sulfur because of its fiery breath. In that case, it also represents the “secret fire” that can transmute any matter. Two dragons fighting can represent the more violent version of the Chemical Wedding (in which case, one will have wings and the other will not.) Sometimes you also have multi-headed dragons; the dragon’s three heads can represent the three stages of the Great Work (black, white, red), or the three Paracelsian principles of Salt, Mercury, and Sulfur.
Multi-headed dragon from the Splendor Solis, Mellon MS 86. Photo by me.
Multi-headed dragon from "Clavis Artis"
In short, the dragon is an all-purpose symbol that can represent almost any part of the Great Work.
This one is a little more specific to Ancient Greek religion. Snakes are sacred to a bunch of different Greek gods: Asclepius, Demeter, Dionysus, Athena, Ares, Hekate, Hermes, even Zeus on occasion. But more specifically, the serpent is the preferred form of an entity called the Agathos Daimon, which simply means “Good Spirit.” He is a household god who protects homes and families and bestows luck and abundance. It was customary to pour out a libation to him after a meal, like saying grace. He was sometimes identified with Zeus Meilichios, the chthonic aspect of Zeus (who also appears in serpentine form). He is addressed or invoked throughout the Greek Magical Papyri, sometimes on his own, and sometimes as an epithet for other gods like Helios and Osiris.
(Thanks to @portalibis for finding and sourcing most of these images!)
