S2 E25. The Illusion of the Progressive Ladder (Lessons from a Snake)

Unfolding with Kathy Varol

The underbelly of a snake has wide, straight, horizontal scales that bi-sect across its body. The underbelly scales look like a ladder, going from the tip of its tail to its head. However, to gain momentum, the snake creates “s” shapes with its body - contracting parts and expanding other parts - it’s this serpentine movement that propels it forward. The snake is a good example of the illusion of the ladder. The illusion that progression in our lives should be a straight line, from one rung of the ladder to the next. Don’t fret if you feel you’re going side to side, that might be the very movement you need to get to where you’re trying to go.