Some Snappy Lessons
Jessica Thill Photography
As the creator of a micro-business named “Santosha” (contentment), I’ve noticed more than once that steady, inner satisfaction is sometimes antithetical to running a small business. Maybe others can relate?
Lately I’ve felt like I’m running in all directions, and I haven’t written in a while. I’m visiting your inbox now, because a major turning point has happened in the collective. (No, I don’t mean the political scene.) I mean something much less noticeable, the lunar new year that began a couple of weeks ago. Maybe that’s not what you were expecting. But yes, without necessarily noticing it, we’ve entered into a new 12-year cycle known as the Year of the Wood Snake in Chinese cosmology, and its beginning -- like most beginnings -- full of uncomfortable change and certain growth.
I’m fascinated with the mythologies and teaching stories of older cultures, so I was happy to learn about Jonathan H. X. Lee, an Asian and Asian American studies professor at San Francisco State University whose research focuses in part on Chinese folklore. I’d like to offer an abbreviated version of a story he shared about how the snake represents the promise of shedding and inner work -- which sounds a lot like yoga to me.
Long ago, before the Chinese zodiac was created, the snake was a four-legged, happy creature who became angry after other animals isolated him because of his appearance. Snake blamed the Jade Emperor for creating him as he was, and Snake’s seething anger manifested into physiological changes, like growing fangs, and snapping at the other creatures.
Word of this snapping reached the Jade Emperor, who punished Snake by taking away his legs. Then, the ruler promised that if somehow Snake won a race against the other animals, Snake could win a prize and potentially get his legs back.
Well, Snake did not win. Not even close. But he tried. And he succeeded in impressing the emperor with his perseverance and dedication. So, the ruler elevated his status to one of the 12 animals of the zodiac. The race changed the snake’s path in more ways than one.
“He learned how to control his anger," Lee said. "But because that anger was a part of him for so long, he had the yearning to go out and harm and bite. When that happened, he would stay isolated and … he would grow out of his old skin in order to let go of that past.”
Snake became associated with the difficult act of letting go of anger. And eventually, Snake became a symbol of love, lost love, and the ability to shed the ego.
Can you feel the anger and the need for change in our collective consciousness now? Do you sense that some may feel as if we’ve had our legs cut out from under us? How will we rise to the challenge of the race ahead -- whatever that may look like for each of us? What ideas will we have to release to make that happen?
To me, it’s worth noticing that the snake doesn’t shed its skin only once. Nope, it happens over and over again, because real transformation is not a quick fix. And, no effort on the path ever is wasted.
Do you have time for another story? Here’s a quick one from my recent blog post. I’ve been dealing with my own “snapping.” But I found a prize, got my legs back and inside there’s a prize for you too if you would like to travel the path of transformation with me this year and next. EARTH+SKY in Greece is waitlisted for this May and UNTAMED in Costa Rica has just been quietly released for January 2026. Let me hear from you.