One of the highlights of my last trip to Burning Man ('06) was the "Serpent Mother" installation created by The talented Flaming Lotus Sisters based in Oakland, CA.
Currently on tour http://serpentmother.com/
The Mythology:
Serpent Mother embodies power, fertility, alchemy, and immortality. She and her egg tell the story of transmutation, of how fear is harnessed and transformed into hope. She is the mother of all primal life forces: fire, breath, movement and birth. As the primordial protector, she evokes deep fear to protect what she loves - the future that dwells within her egg. The serpent is ancient and wise, having lived through many ages, yet all that remains is her immense skeletal structure and her spirit that blazes to life every night.
As we approach her egg, she cautions us with fierce fiery warnings. She warns us of the danger of not actively imagining our future. She teaches us how to embrace the unknown and inevitably we are drawn inside her body. Here, we discover that by controlling her burning powers we can safely digest her deadly venom.
Only after we embrace the fiery medicine of transmutation and the serpent knows all is safe, does her egg rumble and crack. The birth begins with hissing steam, colored flames and flickering sparks. The transformation of one life into another is now complete and the creative forces of all life manifest into this world as a fountain of massive spiraling fire.
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