A few years ago, I chose the symbol of the ouroboros as a personal one to define, validate, and represent my own personal journey in life. The idea of the design in my logo came to me at a time when I wanted to somewhat reinvent myself and begin anew; to take the fragments of my self and make them whole, and unify the many facets of my character as I continued my own individual universal cycle.

The ouroboros (also spelled oroborus, uroboros, and oureboros) is an ancient symbol that has appeared in many cultures and dates as far back as 1600 BC.  The symbol is depicted as a snake or a dragon eating its own tail and generally taking on a circular form. The name originates from the Greek oura (meaning tail), and boros (meaning eating or devouring), thus “he who eats the tail”. The symbol has appeared in ancient writings and depictions from the Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greek, Indian, Aztec, Roman, Norse, Chinese, and Japanese, as well as several Native American tribes. The symbol of the ouroboros has been considered an important religious and mythological symbol for ages and has been frequently seen in ancient alchemical texts and illustrations to represent the circular nature of the alchemist’s opus, as depicted in the legendary, “The Philosopher’s Stone”. It is also often associated with the spiritual philosophies of Gnosticism and Hermeticism.

The ouroboros has several meanings and representations interwoven into it, which are as varied as its history.  Primarily, the symbol represents the cyclic nature of the universe and the perpetual cycle of eternity: life, death, rebirth, and immortality. As the snake eats its own tail to sustain its life, it demonstrates creation out of destruction and the eternal cycle of renewal. The ouroboros is also a symbol of purification, self-renewal, resurrection, unity, and the union of opposites (such as yin and yang), as well as the common belief,  “as above, so below”. The themes of time, everlasting, continuity, completion, repetition, replication, and self-sufficiency are also evident. The rebirth of the Earth can also be seen within the circular boundaries of the ouroboros. The ouroboros also symbolizes strength, persistence, endurance, and a force that cannot be extinguished, thus correlating to the theme of survival.

As a symbol of alchemy, the ouroboros represents transformation, transfiguration, and metamorphosis. Carl Jung stated that:

“The alchemists, who in their own way knew more about the nature of the individuation process than we moderns do, expressed this paradox through the symbol of the Ouroboros, the snake that eats its own tail. The Ouroboros has been said to have a meaning of infinity or wholeness. In the age-old image of the Ouroboros, lies the thought of devouring oneself and turning oneself into a circulatory process, for it was clear to the more astute alchemists that the prima materia of the art was man himself. The Ouroboros is a dramatic symbol of the integration and assimilation of the opposite, i.e. of the shadow. This ‘feed-back’ process is at the same time a symbol of immortality, since it is said of the Ouroboros that he slays himself and brings himself to life, fertilizes himself and gives birth to himself. He symbolizes the One, who proceeds from the clash of opposites, and he therefore constitutes the secret of the prima materia which […] unquestionably stems from man’s unconscious.”

Thus, I felt the ouroboros was a perfect symbol to reflect my practice and the individual needs of each and every one of my clients’ own personal life journey. Whether you are currently on a path of healing and self-renewal, one of restored vitality and rejuvenation, or at a pivotal moment in life where you are seeking an awakening, reformation, or complete transformation and metamorphosis, my hope is that I may assist you in this process to help you achieve your specific and unique goals.

Let us join our forces together on your journey to wellness…