What the snake knows about growth

A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with a colleague about letting go of what we’ve outgrown. We were talking about the Chinese New Year and moving into the Year of the Fire Horse. This astrological shift is supposed to bring about a surge of forward energy, ambition, and heat. I reflected to my colleague that I felt the total opposite of this. All I wanted to do is anything but push.

“Maybe” my colleague reflected, “you’re still in the Year of the Snake. It has a different energy but it’s all about powerful change too”. I've been sitting with her wise observation ever since.

Be more snake

I’m not the biggest snake fan but I admit there is much to admire in this fascinating animal. In mythology, and in nature, the snake is often associated with wisdom. Snakes are patient and discerning. They watch carefully, and they know when to be still and when to move with intention.

By contrast, Fire Horse energy is bold and bright. It’s said to bring a powerful drive to build, launch and accelerate. Fire Horse energy says, “keep up, push forward, maintain this speed”.

I noticed a resistance in myself to that Fire Horse invitation to push forward. Maybe you’re feeling that too? I invite you to take some time to check in with yourself about this.

Many of the people I work with express a sense of pressure to match the energy of those around them. This pressure is often subtle and hard to detect, but you might find it in internal whispers of “shoulds” or comparisons with others (“I should be doing better”, or “I should be doing more”). We might be harshly judging ourselves for not feeling the push that others seem to feel.

The Snake, I think, would have an answer to those whispers. In the face of the “shoulds” and the self-judgment, the Snake might say “I see your bold Fire Horse energy but I’m doing life my way. I make changes that require stillness and taking some extra time. My changes can’t be rushed”.

Shedding our scales

When a snake sheds its skin, it leaves behind physical evidence that shows what the snake once was. The discarded skin holds the shape of every scale, and of its former self. This is what the snake looked like and what it could do, back then.

I think about the scales we carry as people. Our scales are the ways of being we learned and hold on to tightly. Our scales are identities we’ve built in the past. Some of those scales still fit but some of them need to go. We can choose to shed those scales and leave our old skin behind. When we do this, we can make room to grow new skin in its place.

What comes next

After we shed old habits and identities, it can feel tender and exposing. We must learn a new relationship with the world and how we operate within it. This can feel sensitive and vulnerable.

When we notice this tenderness, it’s a sign that something real has shifted and that genuine change is underway. Our new skin is more alive than the old one and it needs a little bit of extra care while we get used to it and learn to trust it.

What are you ready to shed?

Where you are in your own rhythm? Are you racing away like the Fire Horse, or are you more Snake, moving slowly, and carefully?

Let’s remember that we don’t need to be pushing, struggling or visibly moving to be growing. You might need to do the opposite and stand still for long enough to acknowledge what you’ve been carrying and to notice and name what doesn’t fit. You might also need to summon the courage to let it go and leave it behind even when it still looks like you.

I invite you to ask yourself:

What are my scales? What have I completed or outgrown? What no longer serves me that I can let go of?

Take your time with those questions. After all, snakes are patient creatures. Then, when you know what you can leave behind, step into tenderness and trust that what emerges will be exactly what you need next.

If these words have resonated with you, I warmly invite you to book a free 30-minute introductory session so you can explore how coaching can help you to move forwards. Click here to book an appointment.