The Cosmic Serpent

23kt gold/22kt gold/platinum water gilt/oil on wood 12" X 16"
2008

Inspired by Jeremy Narby's book The Cosmic Serpent.  In the Amazon the snakes are respected and revered, shamans speak of the power of snakes especially anacondas and boas, lies in the digestive enzymes which can break down not only soft tissue but bones, hooves, teeth etc.  In this painting there are ancient serpent symbols, the lower left is the abraxas which is known to be around for more then 2000 years,  Abrasax is the name given by the Gnostics to the Supreme Deity, however, the symbol is thought to be of Basilidian origin.  It was believed that Abraxas was the name of a god who incorporated both Good and Evil (God and Demiurge) in one entity, and therefore representing the monotheistic God, singular, but (unlike e.g. the Christian God) not omni-benevolent. Abraxas has been claimed to be both an Egyptian god and a demon, sometimes even being associated with the dual nature of Satan/Lucifer. This is possibly the origin of the word abracadabra, although other explanations exist.

"The bird fights its way out of the egg. The egg is the world. Who would be born first must destroy a world. The bird flies to God. That God's name is Abraxas" - Herman Hesse, Demian

The symbol in the top left corner is a Chnoubis is an Egyptian Gnostic solar icon, found most often on gnostic gems, and amulets for protection against poison and disease. It is a composite figure with the head of a lion and the body of a serpent, usually with seven rays emanating from the head, sometimes, with the twelve zodiacal signs. Chnoubis is an aspect of the Gnostic Demiurge, Yaldabaoth, and is associated with Abraxas. Images of Chnoubis are most often found inscribed on gnostic gems, small talismans made from semi-precious stone, that date from the first century onward.

On the top right is a serpent wrapped around an egg which symbolizes the universe.

The snake in the hands of the indigenous woman is releasing information that is going into the earths atmosphere representing Francis Crick's theory of directed panspermia.  Around the earth is the mythical band of an  holding Ouroburos the earth together, however, it has been converted into two serpents intertwined devouring their tail representing DNA coding.