Lizards and Snakes: Sacred Creatures

This is one of the church door handles at Southside Presbyterian Church.  The church modeled some of their structure to connect their beliefs with indigenous traditions.  Many indigenous believe(d) God lives in the earth, and so lizards and snakes are sacred, since they live between us and God!

In D.F., most days I see tiny agile lizards scrambling into crevices in the hardened lava that forms the rocky landscape where I live.  I haven't seen as many live snakes, but the snake is present in lots of art, including the Mexican flag, which pictures an eagle on a nopal (cactus) eating a snake.  The ancient Aztecs received a message from their gods that when they saw this image, they should build a great city.  They built Technotitlan, (the original name for Mexico City) in the middle of a huge lake!   I recently walked on top on a winding snake sculpture garden at UNAM, one of the largest universities in the world.  When our YAGM group traveled to the border, we visited the Southside Presbyterian Church in Tucson, Arizona.  There, John Fife, one of the founders of the Sanctuary Movement (learn more about the New Sanctuary Movement here: (http://www.newsanctuarymovement.org/), is pastor.  He explained how the church design reflects how indigenous spirituality has and can inform other religious traditions.  For example, the altar is in the center, reflecting the importance of community, so that everyone can see one another's faces.  The handles of the church made an impression on me, as the handles are sculptures of lizards and snakes.  He explained to us that many indigenous peoples believe God lives in the earth.  And so snakes and lizards are sacred creatures, because they live between us and God. How interesting that this sacred snake and lizard link to God in the earth can help us live in community: When we care for the earth, we care for one another, and the reverse.  When we love the earth and one another, we love God. 

The outer entrance to Southside Presbyterian Church in Tucson.

Our Group with John Fife, one of the founders of the Sanctuary Movement, inside the church.  The congregation sits in a circle with the altar in the center, which reflects an indigenous practice of community.

This small colorful art piece was outside the church,
making me think of the abundance that the earth gives, when
we care and honor for the God who lives in the Earth.