Hungry Earth: The Rabbit and The Snake

I am walking across the desert. It’s perfectly flat and barren except for some scattered sage brush, and the occasional tumble weed. I’m following the large winding path of a snake who has recently left his imprint in the dust. The wind is blowing lightly and will soon obscure his presence so I must continue even though I am tired.. I walk on and on. It’s hot, as desert often are. I’m wearing a large wide-brimmed hat and a cloak covering my shoulders and arms to protect me from the heat. I have a small bag with water and a knife and my sketchbook and pencils.

I have hurried my pace and I’m gaining on the snake. I see him up ahead now, he is large and has substantial girth. He looks like a diamondback rattlesnake but is brighter yellow with reddish markings. He is winding along with focused dedication. Where is he going out here in this mighty desert of dry earth, with no prey in sight? Is he hunting, or is he only here to lead me to my fate?

They say all who wander are not lost. Likewise, you don’t have to know where you’re going to be on a mission. I do not know where I am going and furthermore I am afraid of snakes, yet I am on some kind of mission, following this snake with a trust that I am being led not to my death, but to my destiny.

Suddenly the snake stops and raises the front of its body up into the air and looks around. I move slowly forward to get a better look at him. He looks back at me with his black eyes, reflecting the wide, pale blue and cloudless sky. His tiny sharp tongue darts out and in. He lowers his body and moves again and I follow close behind his silent movements.

There is a cluster of rocks ahead and a tall flowering cactus is growing from the cluster. The cactus has a holy look about it, almost like it does not belong here but was placed here and the surroundings were arranged like a shrine of sorts. It seems to be glowing from the inside. It must be the way the sun is hitting it. The flowers are magnificent in their complexity, with bright yellow centers and long pistils that seem to sparkle with lusty seductive pollen.

There are several large moth-like creatures that are fluttering around the flowers and landing on them, making love to their golden centers, with wings slowly pumping as they partake in this timeless dance of duty. They are unaware of their importance, and the creatures have their own reasons for doing what they do, their own needs that need to be met. Their symbiotic relationship with the cactus is a mystical experience that we will only be able to ponder the meaning of, without ever really having the answer as to how this magical relationship has come to be.

The snake stops again and raises its head and seems to smell the flowers that are large and bountiful; precious reminders of the brilliance of God. There is a moment of great stillness. Not a sound can be heard. The wind has died. I hold my breath and listen and wait for a sign. The heat swells and feels good on my body. The air is dry and hot and I too can smell the cactus flowers. I breathe in deep and close my eyes. Why have you led me here my friend? There are many lessons to be learned, just by standing here and experiencing this moment. Is that why you have brought me here, or is there something more?

The snake moves again, winding closer to the cactus and then I see that there is a narrow opening in the rocks that the snake enters and is soon gone from view, safe inside the protection of earth. I move closer to get a better look.

The skin of the cactus is a beautiful dusty blue green that is waxy and smooth. Large redish -brown spines emerge from the vertical seams created by it’s form. Each one is as long as hand. I try to memorize the perfect color of the cactus so that later I can paint it. How would I mix that color?

Turning my attention back to the rocks where the snake went, I get down on my hands and knees and crawl closer to the opening. As I get down here on the ground I feel the dry earth on my bare hands and it feels good. I feel a strong connection with the earth, down here. I pause for a moment to feel into my body and observe what is happening; there is a strange sensation bubbling up that I’m not familiar with. I have experienced something similar in meditation, feeling very open and connected to God, but event that feeling is hard to describe in words. This is a different.

I am feeling primal, animalistic. I look at my hands and they seem to change before my eyes. Their shape is changing and they’re growing hair, no its fur! I start to panic and I want to stand up and get away from here but I can not stand. My body is changing, my back will not straighten and I am greatly shrinking in size! My god what is happening to me? My face is contorting and changing, my ears are growing long and soft and my hearing is becoming super-human. I can hear EVERYTHING. I hear the snakes tongue darting in and out. My vision sharpens too and as I have become quite small I can see into the opening where the snake went a moment earlier.

Time seems to stop as I become fully aware of what has happened to me. I have become a small rabbit and I am sitting as prey, helplessly before the dark den of my predator: a self-sacrifice for the greater good of this perpetually hungry earth.

I look into the den and from the darkness emerges the two black glass beads of the snakes eyes, they hold the entire universe behind there lenses. The snake moves closer to me, ever so slowly. He hisses quietly and knowingly, almost saying “yessssss, that’s it, surrender to your destiny my little friend. I need you as much as you need me. Through me your body passes and is returned to the earth in time. Your soul too will return to wherever souls come from… it is not up to us to worry about these things, my friend. Relax now…”

I relax. His mouth opens wide revealing a soft white interior that is pearlescent and almost inviting. Suddenly I feel his fangs pierce my body and a strange sensation overcomes me as the cool, numbing venom enters my blood stream and I am completely sedated and unable to move or fight. I do not wish to fight anyhow. I understand why I have come here now. I’m still alive as the snake slowly swallows me whole from my tail up to my head. I see the beautiful desert sky disappear and go dark as the last of me disappears into the body of the snake.

Slowly my light goes dark as my body softens to the digestive powers of nature and the snake retreats into the safety of the den where it will rest as my body is broken down and reduced to pure energy.

The moths continue their sacred dance around the perfect cactus flowers, unaware of the miracle that has just taken place…

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Thanks for reading. Please comment below if you have any thoughts about this piece. Also take a moment to check out my art if you feel inclined.