Snake Mandala

The mandala (sanskrit for circle) has been a sacred image in hundreds of cultures all over the world from prehistoric times to the present. I'm partial to the native american mandalas and how the shaman would use these images to heal a person who came to them in need of a cure for anything from physical to mental to supernatural. It didn't matter what realm the disturbance came from because the shaman approached it all the same way.
The snake has always been considered a symbol of healing. Only in the Bible does the snake take on a sinister evil character. In most cultures, the snake symbolizes medicine. We get our symbol of the caduceus from the ancient Greek legend of Asclepius who inherited Apollo's healing powers and used the snake as a vehicle to heal the ancient greeks in the temples dedicated to him. An ancient Greek would fast for days before traveling to the temple of Asclepius to sleep amoung the snakes. They might have a dream or a vision of the great god who would answer and heal their prayers.
What's interesting about the symbol of the snake associated with healing throughout time is that we derive more organic medicines from snake venom than any other creature. In fact, the more poisonous the snake venom, the more powerful the medicine.

This image is available in a 13" x 13" modified print on ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261686920543?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

I actually add more pencil lines to the work after it is printed to sharpen the details.