People wrongly assume that the ‘scales’ referred to in our Coven name applies to either of the two generally accepted meanings of the word: 1) to climb (given the Clay-Egerton’s ability for rock-climbing and pot-holing) and 2) to regulate or set according to a standard or judgement. And they would be wrong. Our ‘scales’ refer to the temporary blindness that overcomes a snake during sloughing or moulting. During this time a snake secretes a fluid to help separate the old skin from the new, and this fluid runs under his specialized eye caps, resulting in the opaque or blue quality of the eye. The snake's vision is impaired at this point and it is not until the old skin had been shed that the sight returns.
This is a natural biological condition that inflicts a distortion or lack of vision and one that often happens periodically to magical practitioners who suddenly find they are suffering from a lack of vision, an inability to think clearly/creatively; suddenly develop a lack or imagination or foresight; or short sightedness on a magical and/or personal level. When our vision is ‘blinkered’ we operate under a form of psychological myopia that instills in us a tendency to focus on information immediately related to our judgment and to ignore other, less prominent, pieces of information.
If the scales fall from our eyes, we suddenly know and understand the truth and this is the raison d’être for Coven of the Scales existing – in order to correct this misconceptions that many pagans have about traditional witchcraft – its history and its practices. And even Coven members will occasionally suffer from this blinkered vision, until the moment comes when their ‘sight’ is restored and they say: ‘Oh, yeah! I’ve got it now!’
Needless to say, one of the Coven totems of CoS is that transcendent symbol of the depths – the serpent. This was originally a non-poisonous tree-snake coiled around the staff of the healing god, embodying a kind of mediation between heaven and earth. A still more important and widespread symbol of chthonic transcendence is the motif of the two entwined serpents. It is not easy for modern man to grasp the significance of the symbols that come down to us from the past or appear in our dreams.
A circular symbol depicting a snake, or less commonly a dragon, swallowing its tail, as an emblem of wholeness or infinity: the ouroboros. Originating in ancient Egyptian iconography, the ouroboros entered western tradition via Greek magical tradition and was adopted as a symbol in Gnosticism and Hermeticism and most notably in alchemy. Esoteric Order of the Serpent is the Inner Court of the Coven of the Scales and more often than not is symbolised by the Egyptian cobra. SR
This is a natural biological condition that inflicts a distortion or lack of vision and one that often happens periodically to magical practitioners who suddenly find they are suffering from a lack of vision, an inability to think clearly/creatively; suddenly develop a lack or imagination or foresight; or short sightedness on a magical and/or personal level. When our vision is ‘blinkered’ we operate under a form of psychological myopia that instills in us a tendency to focus on information immediately related to our judgment and to ignore other, less prominent, pieces of information.
If the scales fall from our eyes, we suddenly know and understand the truth and this is the raison d’être for Coven of the Scales existing – in order to correct this misconceptions that many pagans have about traditional witchcraft – its history and its practices. And even Coven members will occasionally suffer from this blinkered vision, until the moment comes when their ‘sight’ is restored and they say: ‘Oh, yeah! I’ve got it now!’
Needless to say, one of the Coven totems of CoS is that transcendent symbol of the depths – the serpent. This was originally a non-poisonous tree-snake coiled around the staff of the healing god, embodying a kind of mediation between heaven and earth. A still more important and widespread symbol of chthonic transcendence is the motif of the two entwined serpents. It is not easy for modern man to grasp the significance of the symbols that come down to us from the past or appear in our dreams.
A circular symbol depicting a snake, or less commonly a dragon, swallowing its tail, as an emblem of wholeness or infinity: the ouroboros. Originating in ancient Egyptian iconography, the ouroboros entered western tradition via Greek magical tradition and was adopted as a symbol in Gnosticism and Hermeticism and most notably in alchemy. Esoteric Order of the Serpent is the Inner Court of the Coven of the Scales and more often than not is symbolised by the Egyptian cobra. SR
RSS Feed