Traditionally, at least in the East, Dragons have been a source of inspiration, wisdom, fertility and immortality as well as, in many beliefs, the source of rain. However, in some myths and legends, dragons have not fared as well or have been held in such a high regard. In the West, primarily in Christian belief, they are viewed as a source of evil. If your organization was patriarchal, then any energy of the earth (matriarchal) would be deemed sinful and wicked.

Interestingly enough, enlightened and wise societies usually view the dragon negatively in only one guise. This is as the base earth dragon, the flightless dragon, which hoards wealth and exudes greed. This is the dragon of materialism and is the one that the Archangel Mikael slays.

Dragons are awesome. The Welsh word for dragon is draig and many times was used in the context of identifying a person as a warrior or leader—e.g. Uther Pendragon. As mentors for us, we also have a special kinship with them. Dragons may feed us inspiration to help us accomplish feats of wonder-working and magic that others would deem ‘the stuff of dreams.’  

Dragons on one hand may also be viewed as feathered serpents. At least, they are distant cousins. As we know, these ‘bird-serpents’ are a metaphor and a symbol of our journey to enlightenment—Divinehood. Being as wise as a serpent and as pure as a dove, the feathered serpent points the way to our internal rising of our serpent energy that lies dormant at the base of our spine. Arousing the serpent is a choice many deny—some out of fear and many out of ignorance. For the feathered-serpent ideal to be a reality, the serpent must be awoken out of its materialistic sleep—a sleep of spiritual death. When it is aroused, we additionally wake-up from our own self-induced illusionary ego. The awakening is not as difficult as it sounds. The most difficult, taxing and enduring aspect of this awakening is to stay awake and not be seduced into ‘falling asleep’ once again. Could this be the lesson in the importance of ‘vigils’ in spiritual initiation and training?

This energy that is trapped at the base of our spine is commonly referred to as the First Chakra. And the dragon, whose wings have not unfurled, may also symbolically represent this base energy. It is in this context that we become the heroic dragon-slayer. However, this name does not reveal its true meaning. What occurs is not a slaying, but a transmutation of the dragon or serpent energy. You can immediately see the confusion that this may cause and as a result, it sows fertile ground for religious dogma. This dogma, represented by the imagery of the slaying of the evil dragon by either Saint George or Archangel Michael, is not about dragons or serpents, but it is about the slaying and the suppression of all things female including nature and the natural energies of the earth. 

The true treasure that the dragon guards is not the wealth and external power that goes hand-in-hand with that wealth, but life—the life that is everlasting—and divine wisdom. The earth is the womb and the dragon protects this precious treasure.

A Norse legend, the ‘Volsunga Saga,’ speaks about Sigurd, son of Sigmund. It was the heroic warrior Sigmund who drew Odin’s sword from the tree Branstock. Sigmund’s life, though, was fraught with sorrow and tragedy and in the end the magical sword shattered. However, the shards of Odin’s sword were destined for his son—Sigurd, who it was prophesized, would win a prize greater than any mortal man.

Years passed, and finally, Sigurd’s tutor, the master smith, Regin, helped to re-forge the sword, Gram, on the condition that Sigurd would slay a huge dragon for Regin. This dragon was none other than Fafnir whose cavern was deep within the dark forest of Mirkwood. In the legend, Sigurd defeated Fafnir and tasted the dragon’s blood. As soon as the blood touched his tongue, Sigurd understood the ‘language of the birds.’ This was the angelic language of divine wisdom. Sigurd then proceeded to ‘eat the heart’ of the dragon. Thus the energy was assimilated within Sigurd transforming him into a ‘person of power,’ a feathered-serpent, with mastery over the lower/primal aspects of life.