Oroborus Trap

And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

You ever feel like life is on repeat, or a loop?

I created this piece because I have noticed a pattern my life that seems to be ... "stuck?", "repeating?", "looping?". This time around though, I am different and I am noticing it.

The Ouroboros is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail, symbolizing the eternal cycle of destruction and rebirth, infinity, and unity. It always reminded me of the Serpent, otherwise known as the Devil or Satan.

What if the Serpent also represents the paths we choose to walk in life? The spine of this Serpent is endless stairs that shift to the shape of the Serpent, contorting to lead us right back to where we were.

The head represents winning or the high-point. It is crowned with a name of blasphemy, which is anything that exalts itself against God. When we win, we are filled with pride in ourselves. It is our accomplishment, our success, by our own hand. Yeah...we might even feel like gods.

Then we walk the loop again, towards the tail, thinking we will achieve even more. The tail is when we inevitably fail or fall. Feelings of self-loathing with a burning desire to "prove" ourselves, and we are devoured by the head. Maybe you emerge again on top of the head. Or maybe you are destroyed.

What can end these pointless cycles? The endless grind? The Rat Race? What can save us from the very thing we live in?

The Answer

God has defeated another dragon named Leviathan, and He has crushed the head of the Serpent through His only begotten Son, Jesus the Christ¹. If we are to die to ourselves, we could escape to a new life in Him. One of rest instead of endless, pointless grind.

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

How, exactly, God will do this will be different for each of us. However, whatever He asks of us will feel easy and light. It is still a burden to carry, a purpose to accomplish, but it will be a joy to do. And it will matter for eternity.

Art Inspiration

M.C. Escher has always been an inspiration to me as an artist. His 1961 work "Waterfall" left a lifelong lasting impression on me as a child. A drawing of an impossibly endless path. I wanted to use this technique in combination with the Oroborus to illustrate this concept.

Footnotes

1. Genesis 3:15 ↩