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The snake crawling on its belly is as close to the earth as any animal could get. As a symbol this creature stands in ancient scriptures for earthly pleasure. And since there is no pleasure so intense as the sexual one, it has come to stand for that particularly. The snake rearing its head and holding itself upright stands for the overcoming of sexual passion. It is not only a symbol of such mastery but particularly of the power arising from its being diverted toward spiritual knowledge and aspiration.

-- Notebooks Category 5: The Body > Chapter 7 : Sex > # 170