Snake is one of those animals that has always fascinated and hypnotized me. I don't even know why... Perhaps it’s due to its mysterious form and flexibility, or maybe because it is creepy and dangerous. There has always been some kind of specialness about them, acting like a chili pepper on my imagination. And even though snakes aren't particularly poisonous where I live—not to mention the chances of encountering one are almost zero—some intuitive trigger has always made me feel extra cautious, which seemed weird.

For a few months, I had a sense of a snake’s presence in the gap between my bed and the wall. I had even worse projections on certain other occasions, and couldn’t figure out the source of this emotional pressure, as if there was some mystery to be solved. Later, I managed to drop those scary fantasies through the practice of awareness, assuming that such projections might have consequences since our thoughts tend to materialize. A well-known fact!

A few days ago, while reading Sri M’s book "Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master (A Yogi’s Autobiography)" I stumbled upon a very interesting adventure that the author experienced while practicing in a cave with his master, Babaji. A fireball entered their cave, split itself into two parts, and a cosmic-looking snake emerged. Babaji communicated with it for a while, and then the mysterious creature returned to its vehicle and left. Answering Sri M’s questions, his teacher told him to mention this story in his future autobiography: “It does not matter who believes or does not, but I will explain to you. Truth is often stranger than fiction.”

Well, that was a revelation! “Mystery solved,” I thought after reading this story. Somehow, I tend to believe that the snakes I had been creating mentally were something more than just a projection of fear or attraction to scary stuff. Did the Nagas try to tell me the truth about them? I don’t know. Somehow, it all seems related and resonates very clearly. To me, a snake is so much more than just a crawling species of animal. The power of its image is absolutely magical and full of mysterious, captivating wisdom.

One more thing I would like to add is that I have actually heard some snippets about Nagas before from Tibetan Buddhist teachers. For example, John Myrdhin Reynolds spoke about his encounter on the Guru Viking Podcast. And there are, obviously, many traditional tales about these extraordinary serpents in South and Southeast Asia. However, Sri M’s autobiography is the first place where I could read a simple yet very clear explanation regarding their role and occurrence on this planet. Could it be a pure myth? Yes—such things are often dismissed as myths these days. To me, however, it’s something I prefer to look into with genuine interest and curiosity.