Nature & animals

Snake in the cup

A snake in the grounds is not a threat but a warning that something around you is shedding its skin. Old readers see it as a call for caution in agreements and in words left unsaid. Coiled, it speaks of waiting; stretched out, of movement already underway. Take it as vigilance, never as a verdict.

Position changes the tone: nearer the rim speaks of what is close, nearer the bottom of what is further off; a clearer shape speaks louder than a faint one.