The Rainbow Serpent is a significant figure in Aboriginal Australian mythology, particularly amongst the Indigenous people of Australia’s northern regions. This entity is known as the ‘powerful creator’, often associated with water, rain, and fertility. Dreamtime stories featuring the Rainbow Serpent vary between Indigenous cultures, yet the essence of the serpent's role as creator and shaper of the land remains consistent.
In the Dreamtime, when the world was still new, the land was flat, dry, and barren. There was no life, and people struggled to survive.
Then, the Rainbow Serpent emerged from beneath the earth and travelled across the land, shaping the landscape as it moved. Often associated with water, the Rainbow Serpent is said to have carved the rivers, lakes, and valleys, bringing forth along its path an abundance of life.
The Rainbow Serpent was not only a creator but also a protector of the land and its inhabitants. It taught people the laws of the land – how to live harmoniously with nature and with one another.
However, the Rainbow Serpent was also a powerful and sometimes unpredictable force. It could bring floods and storms, while also bringing renewal and growth.
Over time, the Rainbow Serpent became a central figure in Aboriginal cultures, appearing in art, dance, and ceremonies. Its image is often depicted in vibrant colours, reflecting its association with rainbows and the diversity of life it brings.
Even today, the Rainbow Serpent remains a potent symbol for Aboriginal Australians, reminding them of their connection to the land, their ancestors, and the ongoing cycle of creation and renewal in the natural world.
AUTHOR: How is this symbol of the Serpent relevant to humanity today? Could there be a deeper message about the psychological regeneration of humanity and its cyclical nature?
The serpent’s power reminds us of its divine nature and essence. It has a strong desire to dive deeper into reality and go beyond our everyday experiences. Adopting a mentality that allows us to be fluid and dynamic becomes the mystery key in navigating these changes.
Social change will forever remain a constant in the Western world. If uncertainty is the only constant, is it not time to embrace diverse perspectives? Doing so allows for adaptability, flexibility, and open-mindedness – qualities that are necessary in an ever-changing world. This is a force that steadies us for change.
The very moment we delve into our psyche and tap into our subconscious thoughts, we realise there is a forethought, an unacknowledged entity that has been demanding our attention. A psychological regeneration is taking place, a global effort towards choice and health. A shift that demands us to re-evaluate and redefine “humanity” as one that extends itself out to non-humans such as animals, rocks, and waterways.
This frame of thought goes against the very fabric of how we are conditioned to exist. It’s through these narratives of the Serpent, ‘keeper of the waters’, that teaches us the cyclical nature of time. The regeneration has already begun, and it’s taking place in the hearts and minds of each and every one of us.
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