This Thing Between Us (The Serpent Dream)
mixed media on wood panel
24” x 32” x 2”
2024
Throughout history, the serpent and woman together have symbolized a complex interplay of wisdom, power, and transformation. The serpent embodies the dualities of wisdom and deceit, life and death, while the woman represents the feminine psyche, intuition, fertility and the subconscious mind. In various cultures, this pairing has been linked to the divine feminine, as seen in ancient Greek mythology with Athena, and the Minoan Snake Goddess of Crete. The Biblical story of Eve and the serpent further intensifies this imagery, associating it with themes of temptation, knowledge, and the fall from innocence.
Psychologically, the appearance of a woman and serpent together in a dream is often interpreted as a reflection of inner conflicts or profound transformations. Carl Jung, the Swiss psychologist, viewed the serpent as a symbol of the unconscious and primal instincts, while the woman frequently represented the anima, or the soul. When these two archetypal figures appear together in dreams, they may signify an ongoing reconciliation or confrontation between different aspects of the self. This imagery suggests the dreamer’s struggle to integrate repressed or feared elements of their psyche, highlighting the dynamic tension between the conscious and unconscious mind. The woman’s interaction with the serpent can represent an individual's attempt to harness or come to terms with these powerful, often conflicting forces within their inner world.