Ouroboros

[Jim Eshelman]

It's primarily a symbol of eternity - of time looped back on itself in a continuous flow, or in recurring cycles.

Sometimes additional adaptations are made from this, e.g., a self-devouring symbolism; but what I wrote above is the main thing. (Note that all of the common variations are Saturn themes.)

I haven't read the Wikipedia article on it, but that's the sort of basic answer they tend to get right.

[dillanh]

I can't help but feel there is more to it than that.

A couple ideas I've found/had:

1. Mistaking the self for other.
2. εν το παν - One is All.
3. Things being kept in motion because we are unable to let go.

Etc.

[Jim Eshelman]

The second one is a subset of what I said.

The others are certainly metaphors that could be derived, but they're terribly limited - minor things within an individual, whereas the basic symbol is one of eternity.

[Danica]

the circular snake eating it's own tale may have inumerable meanings...
instead of reading about it, I suggest you draw this 'figure' (choose a picture from the net that you like the most, and go with that) and meditate yourself on it's possible meanings, this may give you some fruitful insights

[dillanh]

"The second one is a subset of what I said.

The others are certainly metaphors that could be derived, but they're terribly limited - minor things within an individual, whereas the basic symbol is one of eternity."

Fair.

[gmugmble]

It's a symbol of meditation - the mind trying to grasp itself.

[Deus Ex Machina]

This symbol is one that is of personal importance to me, ever since a rather profound experience I had that involved it. It was something brought on initially by LSD, for what its worth, but it was state of mind that persisted longer than that experience - indeed for days and to a limited degree a few weeks - and I've come to consider it so that the drug served as the trigger. I would certainly call it a spiritual experience today as it plays a its part in having brought me where I am in my path.

Anyway, I saw a serpent eating its tail behind every thought, every concept, every phenomenon. It was as if every idea contained the seeds of its destruction. I also referenced it as the "word that eats itself", because every word that was spoken also "unsaid" itself in the process of being spoken. The reading of a word brought fundamental change to it. Everything turned into nothing and vice versa, nothing ultimately became everything. Obviously, a hard thing to explain. Not a malicious experience per se, but certainly distressing to my ego until I learnt to sort of accept it. Now it bears a certain beauty to it.

I've been trying to put it on the Tree of Life, but my memories being caught up in the totality of the experience, I'm unsure how to view it. I'd like to put it simply at Yesod, as a sort of surprise astral detour, but the immensity of the experience and the squashing of duality present doesn't really support that. Interesting that Jim mentions the ouroboros as Saturn themed - haven't thought about that way before and leaves me hmm'ing.

Anyway, ever since, I've enjoyed the symbol as somewhat personally relevant to me and as symbolic of the destruction of opposites, transcending duality and indeed of eternity/totality.

@gmugmble said

"It's a symbol of meditation - the mind trying to grasp itself."

And that makes terrible sense in reference to my experience, actually. Considering I had just gone through a psychedelic experience which threw my mind for a loop, that would be exactly what my mind was trying to do. Very interesting and simple view.

[dillanh]

Awesome post Deus Ex Machina, I can totally relate with the ACID experience.

"t's a symbol of meditation - the mind trying to grasp itself."

That also makes total sense.

[dillanh]

I guess what I'm really looking for is instructions.
Ouroboros seems to be an alchemical symbol.
Does it provide some type of alchemical instruction that can be applied to the self?

[Deus Ex Machina]

@dillanh said

"I guess what I'm really looking for is instructions.
Ouroboros seems to be an alchemical symbol.
Does it provide some type of alchemical instruction that can be applied to the self?"

Hmm. I think it does imply that you are yourself the First Matter upon which you should operate, containing eternity in a closed circle, being all that is necessary and urges you to devour yourself to regenerate yourself. You must destroy yourself to reaffirm yourself, but do so in a way that digests and processes that which is destroyed. These principles are evident in nature around you as much as in yourself, so it is also the interlocking of the micro and macrocosms. In these ways it seems emblematic of the basic operations of alchemy, but I'm not sure if that is helpful with its somewhat generic nature.

[dillanh]

A fair observation. I agree with you.
Although your observation is a little more theoretical than practical.
But I guess at the level at which the symbol conveys this is the best we can do with.

[Hermes]

@Deus Ex Machina said

"
It was as if every idea contained the seeds of its destruction. I also referenced it as the "word that eats itself", because every word that was spoken also "unsaid" itself in the process of being spoken. The reading of a word brought fundamental change to it. ."

Wow, nicely phrased... I felt that too, with and without lsd...

There was a time when we had took lsd with a friend, and we both experienced what you describe at the same time. It was hilarious because we couldnt finish our sentences. Everytime one of us would start formulating a sentence, we would communicate telepathically that there's no point finishing it as even the begining contains the rest and the end of it... We talked less and less, and ended up feeling the same stuff with THOUGHTS ... that is, one of us would start thinking about something, and we would both laugh out loud, feeling there was no point in finishing the thought !