Article: đ The Serpentâs Wisdom: Shedding, Shining, and the Power of Transformation.
đ The Serpentâs Wisdom: Shedding, Shining, and the Power of Transformation.
Ritual Series
Welcome to the Ritual Series: a space where I share intentional practices to connect with the symbols I sculpt, helping you weave meaning, magic, and mindfulness into your everyday.
Symbol of the Serpent: Wisdom, Shedding, and Sacred Renewal
The serpent slithers through myth, magic, and meaning. She is ancient, mysterious, and ever-transforming. She is the guardian of sacred thresholds, the keeper of life force energy, the one who sheds her skin to begin anew.
Iâve long been drawn to her silent power. In my jewelry, the snake appears not just as ornament, but as a reminder that growth requires release, and that thereâs beauty in every cycle of transformation.
Snake Symbolism Through Time
Throughout history, snake motifs have adorned the arms, fingers, and ears of those seeking power, protection, and meaning. From Cleopatra to Victorian mourning jewelry, the serpent has long slithered between the mystical and the ornamental.Â
The Snake essentially embodies:Â
Transformation: As she sheds her skin, the snake teaches us to release what no longer fits and embrace evolution.
Protection & Rebirth: From Ancient Egypt to Mesoamerica, serpents coil around deities, guarding sacred spaces and marking the cycle of death and renewal.
Wisdom & Kundalini Energy: In yogic philosophy, a coiled serpent lies at the base of the spine, ready to awaken and riseâactivating deep spiritual potential.
Eternal Love: In Victorian jewelry, the snake often appeared in engagement rings, representing unending devotion and the eternal cycle of love.
Whether appearing in Cleopatraâs adornments or the ouroboros of alchemy, the serpent has always been a symbol of sacred change, resilience, and fierce self-trust.
Childhood Roots: Discernment and Respect
Growing up in the South of France, I saw snakes as both dangerous and mysterious. The vipers were realâvenomous and best left undisturbedâwhile the harmless couleuvres slithered quietly through the garrigue and pine forests. That contrast taught me discernment, and a deep respect for the many creatures that move silently across our shared earth.
It was an early lesson in duality. A reminder that fear and reverence often live side by side. That power doesnât always roarâsometimes it slips by unseen, grounded and watchful.
Kundalini & the Serpent Within
In yogic philosophy, kundalini is described as a dormant serpent of energy, coiled at the base of the spine, holding the potential to rise through the chakras and awaken expanded awareness, creativity, and inner power.
As I move through my own yoga teacher training, Iâve come to love the snake not just as a symbol, but as a living energy, present, potent, and deeply feminine.
Wearing the snake becomes a reminder that this current is already within you.
You donât have to force your way forward.
You only need to remember your power, and let it rise.
The serpent is especially connected to:
- The Root Chakra â grounding, stability, safety
- The Sacral Chakra â sensuality, creativity, flow
- The Third Eye â insight, intuition, inner vision
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The Snake In My Work
In my studio, the serpent shows up again and againâas muse, as mirror, as magic. Each piece I hand carve is infused with intention: to guide, protect, and empower.
These are modern-day talismansâmeant to honor your personal evolution and remind you of your own power to shed, to shine, and to begin again:
- The Boheme Serpent Earrings, coiled close to the ear like a whispered truth
- The serpent charms, wrapped around Clickers or worn layered with other symbols
- The snake ring, hand-carved in solid gold to wrap around your finger like a secretâan intimate symbol of resilience and personal power
Each is crafted in solid 18k recycled or Fairmined gold using the ancient lost wax techniqueâdesigned to move with you through every season of shedding and renewal.
Styling the Serpent
The snake pairs beautifully with other symbolic jewels in your collection:
- The Lotus â for resilience, hope and spiritual growth
- The Skull â for transformation and impermanence
- The Lion â for courage and strength
- The Hamsa â for blessings and protection
Layer her with turquoise, amethyst or ruby for chakra alignment, or let her stand aloneâsculpted and strong, a signal of your transformation and truth.
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The following ritual is one I return to often.
Simple, powerful, and rooted in intention, itâs a way to release what no longer serves and reconnect with the wisdom coiled within.
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A Ritual for Shedding
A ritual to call back your power, honor your transformation, and move in rhythm with the serpent within.
What Youâll Need
- Your snake talisman
- Your favorite essential oil - I favor Cedarwood oil
- Your preferred smudging herbs or incense for burning - I use white sage and lavender from my mom's South of France garden.
- A small bell or chime
- A candle
- A fireproof bowl
- Your journal and pen
- Optional: a tarot or oracle card deck
Place those items in front of you.
The Ritual
1. Prepare the Threshold
Choose a space where you wonât be disturbed.
Dim the lights.
Ring a small bell to fill the air with sound. Let it echo through the space and settle, marking the start of your ritual.
2. Cleanse your space and talismanÂ
I love smudging, the practice of using smoke to cleanse energy, physical spaces and objects. You can use your preferred dried herbs or incense.
I burn dried white sage and lavender grown with love, as I harvest mine with my mother each summer from her garden, in the warm breeze of the South of France.
It's a sacred act before the sacred work.
Once cleansed thru the smoke, place your talisman in front of you, or hold it. I like to feel its weight in my left hand or wear it on my body.
Let it absorb your intention.
3. Center yourself
Anoint your wrists or pulse points with any scent that grounds and centers you. I favor cedarwood oil in my own practice, I find that breathing in its strong, powerful smell anchors me in the moment. Lavender is also a scent that ties me to my Southern French roots instantly.
4. Drop In
Sit in stillness.
Place one hand on your lower belly, the other over your heart.
Breathe slowly into both.
With every exhale, imagine your old patterns softeningâmelting into the earth like a skin you no longer need.
Whisper:
âI honor the cycles.
I trust the release.
I welcome change.â
5. Light your candle
As the flame flickers, reflect on what needs to be shed. What patterns, doubts, fears, or energies are you ready to release? Whisper them to the flame.
6. Name the Shedding
Take your journal and begin to write. Let your thoughts unfurl like the body of a snakeâslow, fluid, instinctual.
Use the following prompts:
- What beliefs, stories, identities, or patterns no longer feel true?
- What are you ready to release, even if itâs tender?
- What energy are you shedding, and what strength lies beneath it?
If you feel stuck, pull a tarot or oracle card. Let its symbolism be a mirror. One card is enough. Let it speak to the layer you're ready to let go ofâor the one you're ready to rise into.
There are no wrong words. Only honest ones.
7. Offer It to the Elements
Tear the page into strips.
One by one, feed them to flame safely (in a fireproof bowl). If you prefer, you can bury them in soil, float them in water, or scatter them to the wind instead.
Whatever feels right. You are the priestess here.
Whisper:
âI release what no longer serves.
I honor the wisdom that remains.
I rise in my truth.â
8. Seal the Energy
Place your serpent talisman on.
Let her rest against your skin, an anchor and a guide.
Then sit in stillness for a moment longer.
Visualize energy coiling gently from the base of your spineâlike a snake awakeningâand rising up through each chakra until it flows out through your crown. A gentle current of transformation, sealing the ritual with light.
Ring the bell once more to close the space.
Snuff the candle with gratitude.
Trust that the transformation has already begun.
Shine in Your New Layer
You are not who you were.
And that is the gift.
The snake doesnât fear change, she is change.
She reminds us that letting go is not loss, but a return to your truth.
Wear your talisman.
Feel your power.
Shine as only you can.
With love and gratitude,
Delphine
Your Serpent Talisman Awaits
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