16 May The Caduceus & God’s Longissima Via

How do I find God? If God does exist, what path should I take to his doorstep? What road less traveled should I shimmy down? We can look for answers in the Bible, the Gnostic Gospels, the Koran, the Tao Te Ching, and other religious texts. Or we can look toward symbols to discover the nature of God, our divinity, and life on earth.

One ancient symbol that is rich with meaning is the caduceus. The caduceus is a staff entwined by two serpents in the form of a double helix—a form which today often refers to the structure of DNA. In Greek mythology, the caduceus was wielded by Isis, the messenger of the Gods. It was Isis who linked the Gods to humanity, traveling like the wind between the Kingdoms of the heavens and earth.

Sans the snakes, the caduceus bears resemblance to the Christian cross, the staff being intersected at the top by wings. But what are we to make of the snakes? Weaving up the staff, they ultimately end up face to face with each other. This in fact is a wonderful representation of our longissima via, our journey toward God, which is not straight like but serpentine—full of detours and set backs as we struggle to find and grasp our divinity and its meaning.

When we finally let go of the struggle, of the desire to find and take hold of God, we unexpectedly come face to face with the Christ that has been traveling with us all along, and thus find our wings.