04/06/2026
• The snake • 🐍 • Le serpent •
*fr en commentaire*
I have always been drawn to the symbolism of snakes and ever since the diagnosis, there isn't a better one to illustrate the transmuting and shedding of old skin that is taking place in the silence of my non presence here.
I want to share this tattoo that was handpoked on a dear friend last summer, before even knowing what this year was even keeping in store for me.
All I can say is it is teaching me to let go of so many attachment forms there can be. I had already said goodbye to my car, apartment, furniture and most belongings when I decided to move across oceans to live with my loving partner, I then had an even greater challenge when facing cancer.
Letting go of an old version of me altogether, knowing there is no coming back once the updated one takes place. Farewell to a breast, a part of the feminine aspect of the vessel that carries my essence. A temporary winter for the tree that I like to imagine to be in this weird passive yet stormy year I am consciously witnessing.
With spring slowly seeping into my bones and cells, I feel my body growing again, in a new skin and baby hair.
To each their own snake significance, this is my way of sharing in a glimpse the resilience I daily face and choose. The snake is not a disease, it is a process. And this one, I go through it without moving, but rising.
I am the tree, the leaves and the snake. All and nothing as well. The lines on my skin share a story, and I'd like to include more of my inner journey through this loving art community ✨
All is well. I hope y'all too.
Love
Shella
