Snake Medicine

I am back in my beloved village of Nosara, Costa Rica where two years ago I began an exploration of my life,work and relationships with the hope that I could return home somehow transformed, and I did. The two years between then and now have been an amazing journey full of changes and growth, letting go of old “stuff” and gaining new. I never intended to be away from this home away from home for so long, but what can I say? Life happens.

In the very first few hours after my arrival I found myself tucked into Karma, a tiny golf cart, with my friend Jane at the wheel, headed to Ill’ Basilica for a much needed bite to eat. As we traveled in the dark down the muddy, potholed gravel road, I saw a very big snake crossing in front of our vehicle. At first speechless, I was able to eventually utter some kind of sound as my brain registered the length - longer than me, and width- as wide as my calf, of the serpentine creature. Not seeing the snake, Jane thought I was making ecstatic noises about finally being here. When I told her the reason for the goose bumps covering my entire body, she said, “Oh good. That’s a really powerful sign.”

Last week on the day I turned 50, I said goodbye to my 19 year old niece Emma, who died tragically in an accidental fall. She had just started college in Richmond, Virginia and was by all accounts on fire with her new environment, friends and all the new found possibilities of life before her. I knew Emma was special. Though we didn't get to see each other on a regular basis, I observed her and tried to get to know her when she visited on her summer vacations with her family on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where I live. She was so cool and laid- back; always reading, always smiling. The sort of person you wanted to have around. When she died the family gravitated homeward to be together to mourn and remember her and as the weekend unfolded I entered Emma’s world.

Emma amazed me. Lying on her bed in her small but vibrantly painted bedroom I began to see my niece for the very first time. Her walls were covered in murals painted in her own hand depicting angels, nature, symbols and words about living in the present and being the “master of your destiny.” All around me were signs of the remarkable life Emma lived in just 19 short years. She was an accomplished award winning artist, an amazing singer and actor who recently took up hand drumming and yoga. She was exploring her chakras and quoting Eckhart Tolle. She was a loving daughter, sister, friend, niece, cousin and grandchild who never said a bad thing about anyone and who never talked about herself.

Why didn't I get to know her better? It’s easy to look back and see that perhaps I wasn't curious enough, or that I did not act on my curiosity. She was young. I’d have plenty of time to get to know her. After a recent encounter I had with a friend that left me feeling like she did not really know me, I devised a formula to help me understand the situation. Our perceptions are equal to the quality of our questions.

Emma would not want me to look back. She would want me to learn from her passing and go forward with these lessons. Ask better questions. Live in the present moment and never assume that you fully know the person you are standing next to, even if you've shared time and space on this earth for 19 years or any number of years for that matter. So many mysteries are waiting to be discovered. So much beauty- layers and layers in one fragile soul.

Gathering with family there was a lot of talk about spirit animals because Emma was so drawn to deer, so when the snake slithered by me only hours into my journey here, I took it as a sign from her.

“When the snake spirit animal appears in your life, it likely means that healing opportunities, change, important transitions, and increased energy are manifesting.” “Her energy is the cosmic declaration of, ‘Yes, I will survive!’ and it is for this reason she is the symbol presiding over all the healing arts.”

Thank you Emma.