{"id":60641,"date":"2025-01-27T08:05:23","date_gmt":"2025-01-27T16:05:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.heuermontage.com\/?p=60641"},"modified":"2025-01-27T08:05:25","modified_gmt":"2025-01-27T16:05:25","slug":"2025-the-year-of-the-snake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.heuermontage.com\/?p=60641","title":{"rendered":"2025: the Year of the Snake."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I went down to Lan Su Chinese Garden<\/a> last week in anticipation of the Chinese New Year this coming Wednesday. The celebratory red balloons and technicolor floats on the pond were illuminated by a bright sun in a cloudless sky, strange for a late January day in the Pacific North West.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>
\"\"<\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Cherries bloomed like little white stars, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

moss gleamed on the tiles, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

winter jasmine was fragrant, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

camellias dainty,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>
\"\"<\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and the white paper bush stretched into the path. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Year of the Snake is upon us, one of the 12 Chinese Zodiac signs. Each of those is paired with one of five elements – Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water, and this year, for the first time since 1965, it is wood linked to the snake. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From what I could glean from various explanations, this bodes well. Wood stands for flexibility (think bamboo) and growth. Combine this with Zodiac snake characteristics of wisdom and strategic, if rigid and sometimes secretive, thinking, you can anticipate adaptability to difficult situations and reaching new heights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The garden was filled with offerings for family feasts and remembrance. A striking absence of visual snake representations, though, apart from the gift store where rubber toys and metal pins were lying in wait. I wonder why. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Was I too early? Last year they had little dragons hanging all over. A consideration of people’s snake phobias? After all, most frequently snakes are associated with something negative, at least in Western realms, with the Staff of Aesculapius, a serpent-entwined rod held by the Greek god associated with healing and medicine one of the few exceptions I can think of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I guess visual depictions of wisdom are harder to fashion than those envisioning seduction and cunning, violence and wrath. Searching, I found some neutral sculptures,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

some signaling power of protection, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

some hinting and human’s control of the beast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But the memorable sculptures drawing and paintings were geared towards infusing us with terror. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Laocoon and his sons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The terror contained in snake pits. Like being surrounded by colleagues and friends who have been officially instructed to be snitches. (Federal workers were told by the new administration<\/a> to name colleagues who work in DEI position or face “adverse consequences.”) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like living among bounty hunters, new legislation proposed<\/a> by Mississippi district attorneys. For each successful deportation people help facilitate, they would be paid $1000, funded by the general assembly and administered by the state treasurer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surrounded by vigilantes who might just rough you up for the color of your skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Serving under those aiming at re-segregation – even without specific instructions by Trump’s DEI initiatives,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“the Air Force has removed training courses with videos of its storied Tuskegee Airmen<\/a> and the Women Air Force Service Pilots, or WASPs \u2014 the female World War II pilots who were vital in ferrying warplanes for the military \u2014 to comply with the Trump administration\u2019s crackdown<\/a> on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.” (Ref<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As it turns out that decision has been reversed as of this posting, protests howling, but the initial damage was done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Peter Paul Rubens The Head of Medusa<\/em> ( Circa 1617-1618.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wish I could return to the Fairy Tale world of my childhood where a snake, sacrificed no less, was the key to a hero’s survival. Remember The Brother Grimm’s The White Snake<\/em>? Young peasant steals king’s privileged, secretive meal and takes a bite of a white snake. All of a sudden he can hear and understand all the animals. Goes on a journey and rescues fish, ants and crow fledglings from certain death (slaughtering his horse, no less, to feed the latter.) Then has to win three challenges to get to marry the princess (awful in her breaking her word and making more and more demands – I never understood why anyone would want to live happily ever after with an amoral person, but what did I know, naive eight year old…) and, of course, the rescued animals come to his aid and he wins the prize. The transformational power of a snake, giving him protection and prosperity, just as the Chinese New Year in 2025 implies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I take it, from my adult perch now, that the fairy tale stresses that empathy is rewarded, and begins with understanding the other, rather than upholding our ignorance about strangers, deaf to them. Maybe we should just dole out magical white snakes to those eschewing mercy…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why that has to be facilitated by a theft and consumption of something potentially poisonous – you tell me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n