Snake talisman - the importance of shedding our skin
I used to live in a place where adders were prolific, we were always warned as children to be careful if we went to play in the chalk pits because many times these snakes were seen there. They were something to be feared so I was always wary. It's only later in life I've come to appreciate them, and also the significance of snakes generally.
For me the snake also represents the importance of shedding our skin in order to grow. We shouldn't remain static as people throughout our lives, it's healthy to continue to learn, evolve and become new things. Growth means casting off what we were before and stepping into a new skin.
This can begin with self love. There's starting to be a push back against the perfect ideals we are shown on social media in terms of how we look. Now more than ever you can choose how you want to dress and be perceived with less risk of social exclusion. I love the ability to be lots of different Emma's depending how I feel; everything from casual in jeans, to my lovely 1950's style dresses. I can metamorphose into something else which I find exciting.
Shedding our skin in order to grow goes deeper than just how we look. We can outgrow friends, jobs and even lovers during our journey through life. It's natural human instinct to want to keep things the same, to cling, but sometimes we have to move beyond where we were. We have to let the old stuff, the things that no longer serve us, go, so we can move forward.
I paired the adder with willow. I have willow trees in my garden and they're the most amazing things. I get battered by storms here and the trees can be badly damaged at times, but they possess the most amazing capacity to regenerate and regrow. And so do we. We can be whatever we want to be.
