DID YOU KNOW THERE ARE CONFLICTING SYMBOLS FOR MEDICINE CONCERNING OPHIUCHUS?! I DIDN'T EITHER.


- The staff of Asclepius, complete with 1 snake, is now the international symbol of the medical profession, and has been incorporated into the logos of many major health organizations, including the World Health Organization.

- THE STAFF OF ASCLEPIUS (OPHIUCHUS) IS NOT THE CADUCEUS!!!

- The staff of Asclepius has been confused with the caduceus, or wand of Hermes, which is a short winged rod with a pair of vipers circling it. The caduceus was the symbol of Hermes, the messenger of the gods, guide of the dead and protector of merchants, gamblers, liars and thieves.

- U. S. military officials adopted the caduceus as the official logo of the medical corps in World War One.
[link to mexicanskies.com]



World Health Organization logo vs. Caduceus logo
Image [link to www.istockphoto.com]


Now that is fascinating too!

Actually, I watched the movie "Revelation" last night and was stunned to see how the twinning serpent staff figured prominately into their story...at one point it was described as the union of the male (stiff rod) and female (flexible snake) to peform the Great Work.

Fascinating movie, if you haven't seen it you're gonna want to. It was made in 2001, way before the DaVinci code, but it covers the same subject from a slightly different angle. Dan Brown obviously got a lot of ideas from this movie.