The Serpent of Western Medicine Vs. the "Tree of Life" and the Caduceus

The entire approach of Western medical research is to arrive at a very narrow and specific chemical explanation of disease. This is for the purpose of deriving a very narrow chemical explanation of how to interfere with that disease process; all for the purpose of creating a very narrow chemical 'therapy' for the disease in order to make billions of dollars in profits with the marketing of such drugs.

In other words, chemical substances are created which have never before existed in the history of the universe; these substances are then fed back into a biological system which has accommodated itself to a changing physical environment over thousands or millions of years; and it is then assumed that such unnatural substances--the product of many, many years of intellectual cogitation--will then be processed naturally by that biological system and will then have the desired effect upon that biological system.

This has resulted in the creation of synthetic estrogens to address the problems of menopause--but which cause breast cancer; the creation of statin drugs to address the 'problem' of cholesterol--but which directly interfere with the production of Co-enzyme Q10 (maybe you won't die of a heart attack, but you will live--or, more accurately, be tortured to death--much longer with congestive heart failure) and Vitamin D (Vitamin D being cholesterol plus sunlight) resulting in osteoporosis and diminished immunity; the creation of such 'esoteric' antacids as proton pump inhibitors to address the problem of 'excess' stomach acid--but which prevent the assimilation of calcium (resulting in osteoporosis) and minerals, prevent the digestion of proteins and the assimilation of the B vitamins, and encourage the growth of helicobacter pylori (resulting in either stomach cancer or fatal arrythmias resulting from magnesium deficiency); the creation of the bisphosphonates to address osteoporosis--but which often result in osteo-necrosis of the jaw; etc. etc. etc. etc.

In other words, the entire approach of Western medical research is animated by an extreme, 'serpent'-form of intellectual arrogance which owes its origin to the metaphysical duality, which assumes a fundamental separation between human consciousness and the physical reality.

On the other hand, there is the approach of all natural health care practitioners who assume a more wholistic perspective; that is, that health can be established and maintained through natural means; whether it be nutrition, herbs, aroma therapy, acupuncture, massage therapy or any one of dozens of other natural health modalities...

Which, however, do not have the potential of making billions upon billions of dollars in profits for the pharmaceutical companies; but neither do they have the catastrophic 'side effects'--or primary effects, depending upon perspective--of such synthetic substances which were never produced by 'evolution'.

In other words, the fundamental animation of the entire Western medical paradigm is associated with the preservation of a particular, dualistic dimension of consciousness originating in and symbolized by the "serpent" in Chapter 3 of Genesis and the "dragon" in the Revelation of John; which, in the Eastern esoteric traditions is referred to as the dualistic or phenomenal consciousness; and, in the context of the Revelations of the monotheistic religions, is referred to as the 'fallen' consciousness; the consciousness that is radically opposed to the consciousness Created 'by and in the image of God' (Genesis 1:27) and is symbolized by both the "Tree of Life" (Genesis 3:24) and the caduceus, which is the symbol of the medical profession.

In other words, the Western medical-pharmaceutical system--as inflicted by, for example, the FDA in the United States--should be symbolized by a serpent rather than by the caduceus.

Michael

From what I've read, the caduceus has traditionally represented deception and death, and so I find it quite fitting that it is used extensively in the modern medical industry. It was only adopted in the early 1900's by a military medical team. Until then, and still in some areas of medicine, the Rod of Asclepius is used, which is a single snake wrapped around a wooden staff, and this has been used as a symbol of healing for thousands of years, as opposed to the two winged snakes of the caduceus.

Very interesting post. I hadn't given much thought to the symbols used by the medical profession. After looking up the Caduceus on Wikipedia I found this:

It is hard to trust a profession that cannot even get its symbols straight. Most physicians in the United States think that the symbol of their profession is something called the caduceus. But this is actually not true. […] Historians have discovered that someone in the U.S. Army Medical Corps mistook the caduceus for the Aesculapion and introduced the Medical Corps' symbol at the beginning of the twentieth century. Soon thereafter, everyone in the United States was emulating the mistake." ” —Daniel P. Sulmasy, A Balm for Gilead: Meditations On Spirituality and the Healing Arts

Another paragraph from the Wikipedia article states it;s meaning:

In later Antiquity the caduceus provided the basis for the astrological symbol representing the planet Mercury and in Roman iconography was often depicted being carried in the left hand of Mercury, the messenger of the gods, guide of the dead and protector of merchants, shepherds, gamblers, liars and thieves

Maybe it's not the wrong symbol after all

This is fascinating, I especially like this blog I ran into about the last temple of Aesculapius, the author claims to have visited and there are a few pictures.

AESCULAPIUS TODAY There is only one Temple of Aesculapius that stands today in the Villa Borghese gardens in Rome. Surrounded by a serene artificial lake and only accessible by boat, it was constructed as a memory in 1786 to replicate the temple on Tiber Island. the Temple of Aesculapius in Villa Borghese gardens, Rome

Vernerating Antiquity

It is interesting to me the symbols we find in our lives. So many of us are from such scattered cultures that pieces of this and pieces of that seem to permeate through parts of Society. It is interesting the symbols that people are drawn to, and it is equally as interesting as when symbols are drawn us.

When I was in the Military I was out drinking in a pub in a town called Ipswich, UK, I am not too sure how (at the time) but I woke up with a tattoo on my wrist. I can now recall this moment with perfect clarity, a friend decided he wanted me to have a gift that I could never lose. It took several months to really grasp that night, but needless to say I have a tattoo on my left wrist of two Serpents in a knot wrapping the entire wrist. One serpent is green with a bat's wing, and one is blue with a birds wing. Between the two faces is a sphere. and both serpents have arms. It is clearly a Caduceus.

So, scroll forward a bit and I ended up doing nursing for several years, then precerting medical necessity for insurance companies, and then ultimately taking advanced terminology courses and doing medical transcription. My choices are odd because up to that moment I was in metal fabrication. I was a welder by trade and started out doing fabrication creating turbo systems for aftermarket applications.

At any rate, I do believe that I have been marked by the energy of Asklepios, the Greek God of Healing and Medicine. To be honest I have not seen this friend ever since, it has been 23 years.

Originally posted by GnosisPhoenix
From what I've read, the caduceus has traditionally represented deception and death,

And, similarly, you have also probably read that Christianity is the Teaching of Jesus.

In other words, what you have read has been written by people who have no Knowledge; that is, people who have not received either the Vision of the "Son of man" or the vision of kundalini.

and so I find it quite fitting that it is used extensively in the modern medical industry.

Not at all. It is being used as a talisman to prevent people from questioning the medical establishment.

It has been quite successful at this; just like the monotheistic religious esablishment which operates above the law.

It was only adopted in the early 1900's by a military medical team. Until then, and still in some areas of medicine, the Rod of Asclepius is used, which is a single snake wrapped around a wooden staff, and this has been used as a symbol of healing for thousands of years, as opposed to the two winged snakes of the caduceus.

There are no "two winged snakes" on the caduceus.

It is the staff that has the wings; the staff symbolizing the sushumna current of kundalini, the two snakes representing the ida and pingala currents (respectively, the left and the right, the feminine and the masculine, the lunar and the solar currents).

Perhaps the "thousands of years" you are referring to is since the crucifixion of Jesus "between two thieves at the place of the skull" in an effort to destroy the Truth through not doctrine but the use of symbols.

Michael

reply to post by Michael Cecil
Really interesting topic -- you are very well-spoken and knowledgeable, much more so than I am!!
I lack a lot of technical expertise on medicine (unlike the author of the post) but I do enjoy thinking about it symbolically. The approach of western medicine and the caduceus make me think of the ancient serpent and egg dichotomy - western medicine (and western culture in general) is very male/patriarchal, active, forceful, hard, specific and penetrating; whereas eastern ideas and natural cures are much more receptive, holistic, understated or soft and ideologically are about drawing in good things rather than punishing and killing bad things. Symbols like the caduceus can mean so many things but the snake imagery is particularly fascinating!