Encountering the Snake Goddess
- Jun 15
- 3 min read
Reflections on Summer Solstice
Recently, I visited the Heraklion Archaeological Museum in Crete as part of my ongoing research into Goddess archetypes. Standing before the famous Minoan Snake Goddess figures, I was struck by their enduring presence and power. The last time I was in this museum was over 10 years ago, but the presence of the figures felt the same. Whether these images depict goddesses or priestesses is an ongoing debate, however they continue to evoke a profound sense of feminine authority and spiritual presence.
The best-known figurines were discovered in 1903 by archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans within the Temple Repositories at Knossos, and they date to approximately 1700-1600 BCE. Fashioned in faience and holding snakes in uplifted hands, they remain among the most iconic images of Bronze Age Crete. Alongside these remarkable figures are much older Neolithic female figurines from Crete and the wider Mediterranean world. Some date back as far as 5300-3000 BCE, and incorporate symbols associated with fertility, regeneration, and the cycles of life, death, and renewal. The snake appears repeatedly throughout these traditions as a symbol of transformation, wisdom, healing, and rebirth.
As I reflected on these ancient images as we approach the Summer Solstice, I found myself contemplating the relationship between solar light and power. The women depicted in these figures are not passive. They stand upright, exposed, embodied and connected to life force. They seem to embody innate authority that arises not through domination, but through relationship with the sacred rhythms of nature, psyche, and spirit.
For those of us engaged in soul-centred therapeutic work, this offers a powerful image. Healing is not about becoming something different. It is more about allowing self to emerge, through remembering what has always been present beneath layers of adaptation or trauma. Like the snake shedding its skin, we can release what no longer serves the soul, and return to a deeper source of vitality and authenticity.
Writers such as Marija Gimbutas postulated that figures such as these are expressions of an ancient Goddess culture rooted in the cycles of birth, death, and regeneration. While scholars continue to debate the historical meaning of individual artefacts, these ancient images continue to speak to many people on a symbolic and archetypal level. From a Jungian perspective, they can be understood as manifestations of the feminine archetype emerging from the collective unconscious, images that carry psychological significance regardless of how they are interpreted historically.
At the Summer Solstice, when the sun reaches its greatest strength and light floods the earth, these figures remind us that power is not merely outward achievement or visibility. Rather, it emerges from connecting to the deeper currents of the soul. The longest day of the year invites us to ask not only what has come into the light, but also what ancient wisdom may be seeking to emerge through us as we approach the depths of the coming winter.
Reflection Questions:
What have I become more conscious of during the first half of this year?
What part of my life feels ready to be seen or expressed?
What am I ready to let go of?
What am I harvesting from the experiences of recent months?
Solstice marks the height of the sun’s light and also begins the gradual return toward darkness and inwardness.
What is calling for deeper attention in the months ahead?
What am I being asked to nurture rather than force?
If my soul could speak directly to me today, what might it say?
What would it mean to live in greater alignment with the rhythms of my soul?
If you feel like exploring these themes further or would like to discuss therapy, please get in touch.
Sign up to my newsletter:
Comments