Season of Love

Season of Love

What have we done you and me to this season of love and joy?
We stress ourselves and worry about giving some worldly toy
In sadness I lay in bed and weep for my lack of things of this world
And how I’ll disappoint my son and my little girls

Every year it’s the same old thing money is never enough
To buy the things I want for my kids all their stockings to stuff
I’m not alone, as I watch the news all society’s the same
They report “businesses are worried about the profit they’ll gain”

What have we done to this Season when we honor the birth
Of the Son of God, the Messiah, the Savior of this earth?
Does it please Him to know what we’ve become
Searching for worldly treasures instead of sharing His love and wisdom?

If we were to ask what gift would Christ like to see us give away
What would it be what gift would Jesus say?
Would he like the pushing and shoving at malls to fight for the newest fad
Or the way we suffer over profit and loss and things that make us sad?

Would it be to give our heart and soul to all the people we meet
To share the Love of Jesus with everyone that we greet?
Give my kids the opportunity to serve and bless another’s day
Go to church and worship Him, kneel and humbly pray?

Seek guidance from God to know his will what he would have us do
To bless the lives of others his work on earth to continue
Open our eye’s and hearts find ways to bless our neighbors
With love and kindness everyday not only once a year

There’s many things we can do, we must seek guidance from above
To know what each of us can do to make this a Season of Love

By Steve Coleman

What Gift Would Jesus Want for Christmas

What Gift

What gift would Jesus want, what would please Him most?
Would it be fancy apparel or things of enormous cost?

Jesus gave the greatest gift by giving of His life
That we might be forgiven of sins and have eternal life
We can show our faith in Him by loving one another
Give of ourselves, by giving hope to every sister and brother

Seek out those weak in spirit help them feel the love
That Jesus has for all of us he shares it from above
Charity the pure love of Christ would please him most of all
Show that we will share His love, that we will heed His call

Faith, Hope, and Charity
Three attributes we all need
To be more like our Savior
Show the world we care


By Steve Coleman

Finally got out for a few hours today

After guiding some teachers on a bus tour at Farmington Bay this morning I got over to Kaysville Pond to see if I could get some pictures of Hooded Merganzers. In addition to the Merganzers I got some shots of Ring-necked Ducks, Common Goldeneye, Mallards, American Wigeon, Gadwall, Juncos and Great-tailed Grackles.

In all today I saw

At Farmington Bay

A dozen Bald Eagles

Northern Rough-legged Hawk

Northern Harrier

American Kestrel

Song Sparrows

White-crowned Sparrows

Greater Yellow-legs

Brewers and Red-winged Blackbirds

Gadwall

Norther Shoveler

Bufflehead

Anmerican Wigeon

Common Goldeneye

American Coot

Kaysville Ponds:

Hooded Merganzer

Mallards

Common Goldeneye

Ring-necked Ducks

Gadwall

Canada Goose

Dark-eyed Junco

White-crowned Sparrow

Northern Flicker

Ring-billed Gull

Black-billed Magpie

Cowboy Wisdom

Ok Folks I think we have all had enough about snakes for now. My main purpose in posting these articles was to show that everything in this world has a place and even if we don't like some things we should respect them. "A snake in your yard is a lot better than mice in your pantry".

I used to have a boss that grew up on a sheep ranch, she could entertain people for hours with her cowboy quotes and wisdom. I like this list of cowboy wisdom someone sent me a few years ago. As you read them take time to really think about each quote, they are deep with thought and meaning as well as humor.

Enjoy

Cowboy Wisdom

There are two theories to arguin' with a woman; neither one works.

Don't worry about bitin' off more than you can chew, your mouth is probably a whole lot bigger'n you think.

If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.

After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.

If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.

Never ask a barber if he thinks you need a haircut.

Good judgment comes from experience; experience comes from bad judgment.

Always drink upstream from the herd.

Never drop your gun to hug a grizzly.

If you're ridin' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there.

Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier 'n puttin' it back in.

Always take a good look at what you're about to eat. It's not so important to know what it is, but it's critical to know what it was.

The quickest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it back in your pocket.

Never miss a good chance to shut up.

Man's Responsibility to Preserve Nature and Create a Peaceful World Part IV In Defence of Snakes

I thought the article I posted here in 3 parts was interesting, I always think it is interesting to read/hear different points of view. Being a latter-day Saint I recognize that we are misunderstood and misconceived by many people and thought of as weird or fanatical. While the doctrines of the LDS church make so much sense to me, not because I was born into the faith but because I have really tested them in my life, I recognize that others can only look on in amazement that intelligent beings would accept such things. I am willing to research others points of view and have found that in every case my testimony in the restored gospel is strengthened. I don't always agree with the sub culture some life long members of our church have created especially here in Utah but that is a culture based on some beliefs and practices and not necessarily on what is the true and correct doctrines laid out in scriptures and taught over the pulpit at General Conference. I think the leadership of the church has tried to get those of us who get off track by some of this sub culture stuff back to the basic beliefs and Christlike practices we should be living.

To continue my posts in defense of snakes I have found some quotes and articles that not only talk of animals and their role in the big scheme of things but the eternal nature of everything and how respecting all of God's creations we as those created in His image can make the world a better and more peaceful place.

Part 4 is some quotes of LDS leaders over the years that I found posted of all places on the Humane Society's web site.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the latter part of the 19th century. LDS members are sometimes also referred to as Mormons (a nickname taken from the title of The Book of Mormon).

Joseph Smith on animals:
"In pitching my tent we found three massasaugas or prairie rattlesnakes, which the brethren were about to kill, but I said, 'Let them alone—don't hurt them! How will the serpent ever lose his venom, while the servants of God possess the same disposition, and continue to make war upon it? Men must become harmless before the brute creation; and when men lose their vicious dispositions and cease to destroy the animal race, the lion and the lamb can dwell together, and the sucking child can play with the serpent in safety.' The brethren took the serpents carefully on sticks and carried them across the creek. I exhorted the brethren not to kill a serpent, bird, or an animal of any kind during our journey unless it became necessary in order to preserve ourselves from hunger." (Documentary History of the Church, Vol. 2, pp. 71-72)
"[If we] would banish from our hearts this spirit to destroy and murder, the day would soon come when the lion and the lamb would lie down together." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 71)
"John learned that God glorified Himself by saving all that His hands had made, whether beasts, fowls, fishes, or men." (Documentary History of the Church, Vol. 5, p. 343)
"Says one, 'I cannot believe in the salvation of beasts.' Any man who would tell you this could not be, would tell you that the revelations are not true. John heard the words of the beast giving glory to God, and understood them. God who made the beasts could understand every language spoken by them. The beasts were four of the most noble animals that filled the measure of their creation, and had been saved from other worlds, because they were perfect. They were like angels in their sphere." (Documentary History of the Church, Vol. 5, pp. 343-344)

Brigham Young on animals:
"Field and mountains, trees and flowers, and all that fly, swim, or move upon the ground are lessons for study in the great school of our Heavenly Father, in what is before us in good books and in the greater laboratory of nature." (Journal of Discourses 9:320)
"The animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms abide the law of their Creator; the whole earth and all things pertaining to it, except man, abide the law of their creation." (Journal of Discourses 9:246)
"Learn to control yourselves and that which is immediately around you, and always keep in view that the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms—the earth and its fullness—will all, except the children of men, abide their creation—the law by which they were made, and will receive their exaltation." (Journal of Discourses 8:191)
"Traveled 19 miles. The prairie appeared black being covered with immense herds of buffalo. May 7th [1846]. I preached in camp and advised the brethren not to kill any more buffalo or other game until the meat was needed." (Brigham Young History, 1846)
"According to present appearances, next year [1868] we may expect grasshoppers to eat up nearly all our crops. But if we have provisions enough to last us another year, we can say to the grasshoppers—these creatures of God—you are welcome. I have never had a feeling to drive them from one plant in my garden; but I look upon them as the armies of the Lord." (Journal of Discourses 12:121)
"The Spirit of the Lord and the keys of the priesthood hold power over all animated beings ... In this dispensation the keys ... will be restored, and we are to return to the favor of the Lord ... cease hostility with the serpents and lay aside all enmity and treat all animals kindly." (Brigham Young History, April 26, 1846)
"Let the people be holy, and the earth under their feet will be holy. Let the people be holy, and filled with the spirit of God, and every animal and creeping thing will be filled with peace ... The more purity that exists, the less is the strife; the more kind we are to animals, the more will peace increase, and the savage nature of the brute creation will vanish away." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, p. 203)

President Joseph F. Smith on sport hunting,
kindness to animals, and the Peaceable Kingdom:
"I think that every soul should be impressed by the sentiments that have been expressed here this evening by all who have spoken, and not less with reference to the killing of our innocent little birds, natives of our country, who live upon the vermin that are indeed enemies to the farmer and to mankind. It is not only wicked to destroy them, it is abominable, in my opinion. I think that this principle should extend, not only to the bird life, but to the life of all animals ... I never could see why a man should be imbued with a blood-thirsty desire to kill and destroy animal life. I have known men—and they still exist among us—who enjoy what is, to them, the 'sport' of hunting birds and slaying them by the hundreds, and who will come in after a day's sport boasting of how many harmless birds they have had the skill to slaughter ... I do not believe any man should kill animals or birds unless he needs them for food, and then he should not kill innocent little birds that are not intended for food for man. I think it is wicked for men to thirst in their souls to kill almost everything which possesses animal life. It is wrong." (Gospel Doctrine, Vol. 1, pp. 371-372)
"Kindness to the whole animal creation and especially to all domestic animals is not only a virtue that should be developed, but is the absolute duty of mankind ... It as an unrighteous thing to treat any animal cruelly ... It will be a blessed day when mankind shall accept and abide by the Christ-like sentiment expressed by one of the poets in the following words: 'Take not away the life you cannot give, For all things have an equal right to live.'" (Juvenile Instructor, editorial, February 1912)"When I visited, a few years ago, the Yellowstone National Park and saw in the streams and the beautiful lakes, birds swimming quite fearless of man, allowing passers-by to approach them as closely almost as tame birds, and apprehending no fear of them, and when I saw droves of beautiful deer herding along the side of the road, as fearless of the presence of men as any domestic animal, it filled my heart with a degree of peace and joy that seemed to be almost a foretaste of that period hoped for when there shall be none to hurt and none to molest in all the land, especially among all the inhabitants of Zion." (Gospel Doctrine, Vol. 1, p.

President Joseph Fielding Smith on animals having souls and being saved at the time of the resurrection:
"So we see that the Lord intends to save, not only the earth and the heavens, not only man who dwells upon the earth, but all things which he has created. The animals, the fishes of the sea, the fowls of the air, as well as man, are to be recreated, or renewed, through the resurrection, for they too are living souls." (Conference Report, October 1928, p. 100)
"Animals do have spirits and ... through the redemption made by our Savior they will come forth in the resurrection to enjoy the blessing of immortal life." (Answers to Gospel Questions, Vol. 2, p. 48)

President Spencer W. Kimball on sport hunting:
"In Primary and Sunday School we sang the song: 'Don't kill the little birds / That sing on bush and tree, / All thro' the summer days, / Their sweetest melody.' (Deseret Song, 1909, no. 163). ... Now, I would like to add some of my feelings concerning the unnecessary shedding of blood and destruction of life ... And not less with reference to the killing of innocent birds is the wildlife of our country that live upon the vermin that are indeed enemies to the farmer and to mankind. It is not only wicked to destroy them, it is a shame, in my opinion. I think that this principle should extend not only to the bird life but to the life of all animals ... because God gave it to them, and they were to be used only, as I understand, for food and to supply the needs of men." ("Fundamental Principles to Ponder and Live," The Ensign, November 1978, p. 45)

Michael Dunn on human stewardship responsibility to care for animals:
"God's high regard for animals has to be reflected in the fact that he brought them to earth even before mankind, that he gave mankind a special stewardship role over the animals, that he commanded a special prophet named Noah to preserve them from extinction during the great flood, and that it was an animal—a dove—that signaled the return of mankind to a cleansed and purified earth by greeting Noah with a highly symbolic olive branch." (New Genesis, p. 191)
"In Genesis we read that God's covenant was not just with mankind but with Noah and all the animals, and that it extends to our day and for perpetual generations to come. This means that the statute of limitations has not run out. We as mankind are charged with a divine mandate to provide a symbolic ark, or refuge, for the escalating threat to species. I believe that there is a much deeper connection here, a sacred three-way alliance between God, mankind, and the animal kingdom. And it continues." (New Genesis, p. 191)

Part III In Defense of Snakes

Ancient Attitudes towards the Snake
It is difficult for those of us who have grown up in a world of opposites, of good and bad, to understand how one can accept a concept embodying both; for in our world good and bad are opposing dualities. Life is good, and death is bad. We strive for life, and would just as soon do away with death. In fact, our religions attempt to do just that by informing us of "life after death." Many cannot conceive of a divinity or deity creating both life and death, embodying both; for the gods we worship, whether Christian, Jewish, Muslim, etc. all created life and good, but not death and evil.
In another time there were belief systems that were not composed of opposites, but of cycles of a never-ending spiral of life and death and life. The creator was perceived as being both creator and destroyer, and life was perceived as being made up of birth/growth/maturation/decay/death/rebirth/etc. Thus, the whole life cycle was accepted. And the serpent symbol was part of the whole cycle. For the snake was a symbol of life: shedding its skin, immortality, rebirth; and it was a symbol of death: one bite of a cobra (?) could kill in fifteen minutes. Yet, it was not hated because of the negative aspect. It was revered as a symbol of reality: that which is. We are born, we grow, we reach maturation, we decay, we die. Of course, ancient peoples, just like us, desired immortality, so the idea of rebirth is an ancient one. It can be seen in the vegetative cycle as well: seedling (birth), sprouting and growing (growth), full bloom (maturation), decay (decay), rotting (death); then out of the rotted matter a seed and birth once again as seedling. So the snake was neither "good" nor "evil" in our sense. It was a symbol of the life process.
Many snakes were female. Tiamat of Babylon was a female snake or dragon who "was recorded as the first divine being. ... [She] originally possessed the Tablets of Destiny" (Stone 1976, 200). The Sumerian goddess Nidaba was sometimes depicted as a snake and was "the first patron deity of writing" (Stone 1976, 199). Ninlil had the tail of a snake and was said "to have brought the gift of agriculture and thus civilization to Her people" (199). Inanna was "the Divine Mother who reveals the laws. Nina, another form of the name Inanna, ... was esteemed as an oracular deity and an interpreter of dreams" (199). Ishtar of Babylon, later than the deities described above, was depicted as a female holding a staff "around which coiled two snakes" (200), and Ishtar is called "Lady of Vision of Kisurru" and "She who Directs the Oracles" and "Prophetess of Kua" (200). In Egypt the Cobra Goddess was Ua Zit. "We later see Her as the uraeus cobra worn upon the foreheads of other deities and Egyptian royalty. The cobra was known as the Eye, uzait, a symbol of mystic insight and wisdom, ... always written in the female form" (201). In Crete, one of the largest of the Greek Islands, female goddess statues from 1600 BCE stand holding snakes in their hands. And finally, in later times, e.g. 500 BCE, in Greece, Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom and of Civilization, was always in the form of a female statue accompanied by her snake, which had its own building on the Acropolis near her Parthenon (temple). Women and snakes were compared as divine and eternal, because snakes shed their skin, seeming to be "reborn" and women menstruated every month, shedding their blood.
So the snake is connected to wisdom and civilization and goddesses as positive. In addition, the snake is connected with divine prophesy. Even in today's dictionaries a pythoness is described as a prophetess or witch.
The reason a snake may be depicted as prophetic was described by Stone. Supposedly snakes licked Cassandra the prophetess' ears when she was a baby. Snakes were kept at the temples of the Goddesses and at the temple at Delphi, supposedly providing the priestesses/prophetesses--women--with prophetic insight and divine counsel, sought after and used by politicians even in Greek times. The reason snakes might be the means to prophetic vision is that the venom of certain poisonous snakes, if one is made immune to it, can provide a person, when bitten, with similar experiences provided by mind-altering drugs like LSD. Thus, it is possible that "mind-expanding powers" were perceived by the priestesses who prophesied. Thus the snake may have been a real link to certain kinds of altered states and experiences.
In other myths the serpent is a living phallus created by the Goddess for her own pleasure. Thus the serpent can be perceived as a symbol of sexual pleasure for women. The snake was also depicted in the myth of Asclepios the healer as a symbol of healing.
Two additional lines of thought regarding snakes are also revealing as to the multifaceted nature of snake-serpent symbolism. In England the ley line philosophy has been described. In English tales and legends, in Chinese beliefs, and supposedly actual experience, it is thought that there are serpentine-like underground lines of some kind of magnetic energy which are found across the earth. These are called ley lines and supposedly were known by ancient peoples as underground currents that converged at holy places, places where, for example, at some point the energy was helpful to women for easier childbirth, where even animals would go for the same thing (see Hitching 1976). There were also human-made mounds in England, "re-shaped, probably for religious reasons, or for some use in that religion, perhaps for storing or controlling some sort of static electrical current, in a similar way that stone circles may have been used. One can feel the current sometimes at sacred sites and churches, variously described as a tingling sensation in the fingers, in the spine or back of the neck. Or it can be a sense of great peace, or just a strange feeling about a place. Whatever this energy really is, it is very strong when concentrated--strong enough, so legend has it, that when the dragon's blood is spilled--or when something goes wrong with the energy--no grass will grow on the site. This is said to have happened at Dragon Hill...." (Hoult 1987, 22). Simarly, according to Walker, The "Ouroboros (snake) was still pictured under the earth in certain European areas, and some people claimed to be able to feel his slow movements through their feet when they stood in the ancient shrines" (909)--very reminiscent of the dragon energy described by Hoult. Some traditions identified the Great Serpent as a male "with the Earth's intestines. ... Serpents understood how to restore life to the dead, according to the myths of Crete..." (907). Furthermore, the Anglo-Saxon word 'drakan,' according to Hoult, "is probably a Greek derivative, either from 'draco' meaning a dragon or large snake, or from the verb 'derkein,' which means to see clearly. Dragons were credited with clear sight, wisdom and the ability to foretell the future, the same characteristics that the Mediterranean and Near Eastern snake deities possessed!
Finally, there is an interesting connection between Eve and the serpent, one not told in the Christian bible. The name Eve means "Mother of All Living." The name YHWH, which supposedly stands for Yahweh, actually when broken down is Y (for "I") and HWH, which when translated into Latin letters, forms E-V-E (Walker, 288-9)! In addition, HWH means both "life" and woman." In the Gnostic Scriptures "life" is Hawwa. According to Walker there is an Aramaic pun in the Gnostic accounts of Eve identifying "Eve, the Teacher, and the Serpent: Hawah, Mother of All Living; hawa, to instruct; and hewya, Serpent. Eve's name in Arabic still combines the idea of "life" (hayyat) with the name of the serpent (Hayyat)" (904). Thus, we come full circle. The serpent, wisdom, and the female were all aspects of deity in Egyptian, Sumerian, Babylonian, and Greek religion (among others). Eve represents the same: female, primordial deity, wise one, and serpent!
In fact, it may be that Eve, the Minoan Snake goddess (or priestess?) holding a snake in each hand, and the Serpent Holder constellation (Asklepios) represent the same deity. It could be, too, that Eve and Hera are related. The chapter which describes the serpent holder details such possible connections.
So in some accounts the serpent and the female deity are the same. In others she is accompanied by the serpent. In still others the serpent is the phallus made for her pleasure. However, the serpent in all the legends has to do with life. In most it also has to do with wisdom, rebirth, woman, and in some legends is symbolizes healing. Thus, while the snake can indeed be a symbol of death because of the poison venom that some snakes possess, in most pre-Christian legends, the snake, or dragon, is perceived as something quite positive, or for some peoples, both positive and negative. "It is notable that in the whole world, it is only in the areas which have been converted by the Christian church that both the serpent and the dragon have jointly come to signify evil. Everywhere else (including the Old Testament) they are either beneficial, or embody in their powers both good and evil, or potentially are capable of either" (Hitching 1976, 253).
The serpent, finally, is symbolized as the spiral, as a circle, as a conjoining of female and male. The snake truly symbolizes many things to many peoples down through the millenia.

{Part II In Defense of Snakes

Snakes in Other Worlds Today

Other cultures have a different attitude toward snakes--other cultures of people in countries still with large agricultural populations. In many cultures the snake is sacred and revered for its amazing powers of survival. It represents to many people a symbol of eternal life, because it can shed its skin and is perceived to be "reborn." In Malaysia there are sacred vipers in the temples which are docile, even though poisonous, and the worshipers are not afraid of them. They are a "living talisman of good luck." And many human beings admire them--"their sinuous form, limbless gliding movement;" they are fast and can disappear into very small crevices. They also represent eternal life.
In some areas egg-eating snakes have been perceived as symbolic of lunar eclipses.
In India, for example, many people have a very different relationship to the concept 'snake.' In India a hooded Cobra has been a symbol of fertility.
In India 20,000 visit a small village yearly to pay homage to the cobras which they worship and honor. The cobras are very beneficial to these human beings, controlling rats and mice in rice fields. In one of the ceremonies women offer "camphor and sacred dyes" to the cobras as signs of respect. The cobras are then afterwards taken back to their dens in the fields. The people know the snakes can be deadly. But rather than fear and loathing, they have a cautious admiration of them. Caution and admiration linked together form a much healthier view of this animal, "elegant in design," "often beautiful," and with a "unique place in the natural world." In China the dragon, a snake-like symbol, signifies fertility and wisdom--ancient ideas.
In our time in Southeast Asia many pythons have been killed for their skins, which were used for bags, boots, and belts. As a result the rodent population is exploding, destroying stored grain and spreading disease. In other areas of the world, humans are pushing snakes from their natural habitats as they take over with human habitation, thus causing humans and snakes to come into contact more, thereby increasing the danger to humans.
All this information makes one aware of the bias that we in the Western world have toward snakes in general. It makes us aware that ours is not the only attitude, certainly not an instinctive one. It makes us aware that, since we do have a visceral physical reaction to snakes, we need to re-educate not only our minds, but also our feelings and emotions about snakes. We need to spend time with them to replace fear with caution and admiration, "cautious admiration." And as one looks at the attitudes of people from other times as well as other areas of the present-day world, one becomes even more aware of how widespread attitudes very different from our own have been. It is to these times that we now turn, for they form the background and context against which we may view the snakes of the Night Sky in a new, and therefore, ancient light: the night sky of the goddess.

In Deffense of Snakes Part I

Birds are my passion, they always have been. I love the varieties they come in and the fact that they can fly is something to really envy. The fact is though that I have always been intrigued by all animals, snakes included. I have not had snakes as pets because of Nery's deathly fear of them and because everyone around me either hates them or are afraid of them. This all changed a few months ago when Nery gave her blessing to allow Dave to house his snakes in one of our empty bedrooms. Since that time she also gave her blessing for Dave to give me the 2 ball pythons for my birthday, this hasn't changed how she feels about snakes but she has allowed them in the house.

I have talked to several people who have made comments like "if I see a snake in my yard I kill it" this is not only sad it is stupid. Snakes eat rodents, rodents get into our stuff and spread desease. I came across an article in defence of snakes and a little history about snakes in the world that I will post here in sections so it won't be too much to read all at once. I will finish with some quotes from a few LDS leaders including Joseph Smith regarding respect for animals as.

Here is the first installment...

In Defense of Snakes, Serpents,
and Other Lizard Types
by Lana Rings
Fort Worth and Arlington, Texas

Snakes figure prominently in the Night Sky. Draco the dragon is today almost at the hub of the zenith, and was actually there 5000 years ago. The Serpent Holder is a huge constellation, a human being holding a long snake in each hand and representing healing. The Hydra is a long water snake--one of the longest constellations, upon whose back a cauldron and a raven rest. In addition, many Greek myths informing the Greek constellation stories deal with snakes and serpents and sea monsters as positive and negative images.
Before Olympian Greeks put their mythology up into the existing constellations of the night sky, thus erasing older tales of the same constellations, snakes were perceived differently. They disgust us in the United States and Europe. Today we hate them. Other peoples didn't and don't.
Other animals have also been maligned in later times, as will be shown when we wend our way through their constellations. Still others were not maligned. Yet the snake is the most significant animal, because it was an important animal in the pre-Greek, pre-Judeochristian lives and religions of the Near East--and because it is perhaps the most misunderstood. As we look into the constellations that seem to form the sky of the goddess, the snake will return several times. Other animals will be addressed just as well, though, for they, too, have their goddess stories. It will be against this background that we will then be able to look up into the night sky and view the constellations. But in defense of the poor snake, we need at least several pages.


Snakes in the Western World Today

The Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all cattle, and above all wild animals; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed...." Genesis 3:14-15.
Scholars annotating this 1973 version of the Oxford Bible comment: "The curse contains an old explanation of why the serpent crawls rather than walks and why men are instintively hostile to it" (my italics) [p.5].
One might think that the loathing and disgust with which many people react to snakes is an emotional reaction, even a natural reaction to predators so different-looking from ourselves. Even sophisticated scholars think we are "instinctively hostile" to the snake, based on the quote above. Yet, it is our contention that the origin of our loathing comes from religious sources--even for those of us who do not consider ourselves religious anymore. The bad rap that snakes have gotten is not due to any innate disgust we have for snakes, for such a disgust has not existed at all times among people, as we shall see, nor is it even universal across cultures today, as we shall also see. It is a cultural phenomenon, tightly linked to our traditional ideas of good and evil, light and dark, and body and spirit.
Before we had such dualistic, opposing concepts, snakes were perceived differently. Snakes were considered part of the holiest of the holy. It is for that very reason that the proponents of the later religions that came into the lands of the snake-revering peoples had to make the snake so evil. If they hadn't suppressed the reverence for the snake with a loathing of it--and with force over centuries, their religions could not have taken hold and ultimately wiped out much of what was those older religions.
In the United States if you merely mention snakes to people, they often react with disgust and cringing. Even in rattlesnake roundups in the mid- to southwest, snakes are treated with contempt and unnecessary kicking. In Oklahoma they are hunted and caught, then left without food or water for a month or more, left weakened and confused in an alien world. Our loathing of snakes is not restricted to religion, although that is where it may have begun. We have no respect for snakes, nor do we understand anything about them or want to learn about them.
Recently, attitudes have begun changing. Experts in zoos, especially wanting to help people re-establish ties with nature that have been broken through our lives in the cities and our hierarchical attitude towards it ("we are better than animals and nature") in an effort to regain a respect for our environment and ecological systems, have begun showing snakes to children and adults and instituting educational programs about them, among other animals. They are teaching that snakes are not loathsome, disgusting, or evil, and allow children and adults to pet and handle them as well. Even public television has been involved in educating people about snakes. Yet, by and large, many people still cringe at the thought of snakes.
The Public Broadcasting System released a special on "The Serpent," debunking some attitudes held towards snakes and informing the public of their lives, maintaining that we fear snakes, and that that fear is due to ignorance and misunderstanding about them. Snakes live the world over, from "jungles to desert," "from trees to the sea." Most of them are "shy and unaggressive." Most are non-poisonous. True, they are predators, but so are human beings! They are powerful predators, and can kill their prey with a single bite. Some of the pythons have a powerful grip and indeed cause the human imagination to run wild. But snakes are also in danger from all kinds of predators themselves.
Their smell is on their forked tongue; thus, they stick it out to detect smells. Pythons can detect body heat on mammals and birds and thus tell where they are because they can "see" infrared, i.e., they have a sense that detects infrared. Their heads and jaws are expandable so that they can take in a fairly large meal and perform "feats of swallowing." In their bones snakes can detect vibration. But they have no ears.
They cannot see details well, so the movement of several young animals adjacent to each other might be perceived by a snake as the movement of one large animal, causing concern and fear in the snake. And snakes usually do not want to attack humans. They do not have endless supplies of venom and need to use it on their prey for food, so they will use it in self-defense against humans or other animals as a last resort, after they have tried their innate methods of warning, consisting of either hissing, rattling, showing their hood, or rubbing their scales together.
No snakes hunt humans, and they warn before they bite. In fact, no snakes show malice towards us. There is only one snake that is venomous and extremely aggressive (that would be the Black Mamba of Africa) this is my comment sc.

Hunting in the night

After 3 weeks of fasting I guess my female python decided it was time to eat. I went downstairs to check on the snakes before going to work. As I entered their room this is what I saw. Somehow she was able to squeeze out from under 30 pounds of weight holding the screen lid on her aquarium and went hunting. It was obvious by the pose she was striking that she meant business. I placed her in the feeding cage and put one of the juvenile African Soft-furred rats in with her. She struck and killed it immediately and swallowed it down, later in the day I fed her a mouse which she wasted no time devouring. I also invested in a locking screened lid for her aquarium so she will not be having anymore late night escapades.