The Cobra

I am faced by a cobra. It is brightly coloured and exquisitely beautiful.

It attacks my face, biting me again and again, aiming in particular for my cheeks. I raise my hands and squint my eyes to defend myself. Yet somewhere deep in my consciousness I am aware that the bites whilst 'poisonous' - are actually healing and not hurting me.

Even at the ripe young age of 35 I am still prone to blush. Whilst this tendency does not visit me so often as it did in my youth, it still does. I am more able now though to welcome a blush with curiosity and the knowledge that this quality can also be rather attractive.

I awoke with the feeling that the apparently violent content of this dream was in fact deeply healing, rather like a combination of acupuncture and small doses of poison used to stimulate immunity.