Masonic & Occult Symbols Illustrate

“The union of the female with the male triad, was designated by the sacred mystic number 4, often symbolized by a serpent with its tail in its mouth; two fishes bent to form a circle [yin/yang], and many other figures.”

A snake with its tail in its mouth is called an oroboros (also spelled uroboros). Another form of the oroboros is a dragon with its tail in its mouth. “In alchemy a dragon, or more often a serpent, eating its own tail is known as the uroboros. The dragon was a symbol of the god Mercury and the circle a powerful symbol of the eternal cycle of nature. Because the uroboros recreates itself by feeding on its own body, it is a symbol of transforming matter, i.e. alchemy itself.”

In this form the snake represents “the endless succession of incarnations which form the wheel of life.” In other words, the oroboros is an emblem of reincarnation. It is also a symbol of eternity. In fact, we are told that the oroboros “actually signifies the beginning and the end of life; the Alpha and Omega.”