Molting refers to the serpent’s biological process of shedding its outer layer — a necessary act of renewal where what once protected the body is released once it becomes limiting or damaged. In Ayahuasca traditions, this reflects the deep processes of purging and energetic repatterning, where structures of identity, behavior, or perception are broken down and reorganized. The medicine works through temporary states — intense, often unstable — which ultimately give way to a renewed and more vibrant form.

As a strategy, molting is the deliberate creation and use of temporary constructs to influence a counteragent, with the understanding that these constructs are not meant to last. They are tools, not identities.

Some examples: 1) Causing the counteragent to act at a moment which is convenient to how you’ve prepared — shaping the timing of their behaviour, 2) Redirecting their strikes toward decoys or alternative targets to reduce impact or gather information, 3) Influencing the counteragent to provide information which supports your retaliation, 4) Creating traps or incentive structures that lead them into predictable or disadvantageous positions — all while remaining ready to discard these methods once they have served their purpose.

This strategy refers to the lesser-known biological process in which a serpent sheds the outer layer of its eyes, temporarily clouding its vision before clarity is restored. Though this strategy operates as a deception of the counteragent, it is metaphorically framed as though it were happening to you, the serpent — illustrating the method through embodied experience. By allowing the counteragent to believe you are deceived, you create the conditions for their misperception.

In Ayahuasca traditions, this mirrors the way that knowledge is not always given directly — the medicine may obscure, distort, or veil understanding when clarity would be premature or harmful. What is seen is not always what is true, and what is hidden may be part of a larger process of timing — the slow but inevitable evolution of perception.

As a strategy, shedding the eyes is the intentional deceit or redirection of a counteragent’s perception — influencing what they are able to see, understand, or focus on. Some examples: 1) Allowing the counteragent to form incorrect conclusions by selectively revealing information, 2) Distracting attention away from critical elements of your strategy, 3) Presenting ambiguous or layered signals that obscure your true intentions, 4) Creating conditions where they misinterpret events or motivations, reducing their ability to strike effectively.

Pooling refers to the image of a serpent resting or drifting within a body of water — not actively pursuing, but remaining present and receptive. In Ayahuasca traditions, this reflects states of observation and patience, where insight is not forced but allowed to accumulate over time. The medicine often teaches through prolonged exposure, where patterns reveal themselves gradually rather than instantly.

As a strategy, pooling is the act of allowing a counteragent’s behaviour to unfold over time while minimizing harm, in order to gather information and identify patterns that can later be used strategically. It is a form of controlled endurance for the sake of collecting information for optimization of your later retaliation.

Some examples : 1) Focusing on harm-reduction while withstanding repeated strikes from the counteragent over time, 2) Carefully collecting data about their timing, methods, and network of collabotors or their tools, 3) Using this accumulated information to plan a more permanently effective and fully comprehensive retaliation at a later stage, 4) Allowing the counteragent to overextend themselves to expose themselves, or reveal deeper motives through their continued action.

Enclosing refers to both the round shape of the serpent’s body in crossection view and the circular, encompassing form of its body — not tightly coiled for constriction, but gently forming a boundary or container. In Ayahuasca traditions, this reflects the creation of a held space, such as the maloca or the energetic field of ceremony, where experiences are contained, structured, and made workable. Before intense purging or stronger visions occur, there is often initially a feeling of being watched and deeply seen or held — as boundaries, organization of thoughts, definition and groundwork starts to psychologically form in one’s mind.

As a strategy, enclosing is the gradual establishment of boundaries, definitions, and relational structure around an adjacent, allowing the interaction to become more coherent and navigable. Full cooperation is not yet attainable, but increasing clarity within the space of the relationship is actively cultivated.

Some examples: 1) Repeatedly defining expectations, limits, and roles to progressively stabilize the relationship over time, 2) Using the adjacent’s negative behaviour as feedback to refine and clarify the structure of the relationship, 3) Informally offering incentivized agreements without explicitly outlining consequences for poor follow-through, encouraging the adjacent to develop awareness of natural consequences and how to avoid them through improved behaviour, 4) Establishing areas of stability that can support the gradual evolution of the relationship toward a more cooperative dynamic.

Scaling refers both to the serpent’s scales — a structured yet flexible surface — and to the act of moving across levels or layers. In Ayahuasca traditions, this is reflected in the perception of layered realities, often visualized through patterned grids or matrices such as the Shipibo-Conibo Kené. These patterns are not merely decorative, but literal maps of energetic structure which function as a grid or lattice through which multiple realities are organized into one — unified through perception itself.

As a strategy, scaling is the ability to hold a relationship as a layered process unfolding over time, rather than reacting only to its present state. It involves designing current interactions in a way that remains compatible with a future form of the relationship.

Some examples: 1) Responding to immediate situations in ways that are deliberately structured so as not to block a well-defined long-term vision of eventual full cooperation, 2) Maintaining awareness of multiple stages of the relationship simultaneously, as it progresses through the envisioned phases of its development, 3) Accepting that earlier, less-developed phases will continue to exist while gently guiding progression toward a more refined state, 4) Adjusting the intensity or scale of your responses to match the current stage of the relationship, ensuring that actions are proportionate to its level of development rather than prematurely escalating or under-engaging.

This strategy refers to the serpent’s ability to move across terrains not by committing to a single path, but by continuously adjusting its direction — crossing, redirecting, and reorienting its movement in response to what it encounters. In Ayahuasca traditions, this reflects the fluid intelligence of the medicine, where opposing truths or emotional states may be presented in sequence or even simultaneously, not to confuse but to expand perception. Rather than forcing resolution prematurely, the awareness is trained to move through contradiction, allowing multiple possibilities to coexist until a deeper clarity emerges.

In practice, transversing is the strategy of maintaining influence over an adjacent by moving fluidly between cooperative and non-cooperative expressions without becoming fixed in either. This prevents the relationship from stabilizing into a predictable pattern, keeping it dynamic and responsive.

Some examples: 1) Alternating between openness and withdrawal to prevent the adjacent from fully categorizing your intentions, 2) Offering support in one moment and resistance in another to reveal how they respond across conditions, 3) Shifting communication styles or boundaries depending on their behaviour to explore multiple relational pathways, 4) Creating situations where the adjacent must continuously adapt to you, increasing your influence through their need to track your movement.

Coiling refers to the serpent’s ability to wrap its body around something of value — not only as a means of constriction, but as a deliberate act of protection, containment, and preservation. At this stage, the emphasis is not on control, but on safeguarding potential. Within Ayahuasca healing, this mirrors the protective aspect of the medicine, where a person may feel held, shielded, or energetically contained within a field that recognizes the importance of what is unfolding. The coil becomes a structure of integrity around something valuable so that the relationship can work without disruption.

As a strategy, coiling is about actively protecting and stabilizing the symbiont relationship so that it can grow without disruption. This involves recognizing shared value and ensuring that external pressures or internal instability do not weaken the bond but naturally interplay with grace and fluidity.

Some examples: 1) Intervening when external forces threaten the symbiont, absorbing or deflecting pressure before it reaches them, 2) Reinforcing trust through consistent supportive actions that create a reliable structure, 3) Establishing boundaries around the relationship that prevent unnecessary interference, 4) Temporarily concentrating attention, energy, or resources around the symbiont to ensure their strength during vulnerable phases.

Envenom refers to the serpent’s ability to deliver venom — a concentrated biological substance that rapidly alters the state of another organism. In the context of Ayahuasca, this can be understood metaphorically as the transmission of powerful energetic or informational content — the songs, visions, and teachings that penetrate deeply and catalyze change. This is not inherently destructive; it is a precise and potent application of force that produces transformation.

As a strategy, envenom is the act of combining forces with a symbiont to deliver a more powerful, coordinated impact toward a shared enemy. It is no longer about acting alone, but about amplifying effect through alignment.

Some examples: 1) Coordinating actions so that multiple influences converge on a target simultaneously, increasing effectiveness, 2) Sharing information or resources that enhance each other’s ability to act with precision, 3) Directing energy, information, or access through the symbiont in ways that extend reach beyond individual capacity, 4) Supporting one another’s strengths while compensating for weaknesses, creating a unified force that is more adaptable and potent.

Crypsis refers to the biological ability of an organism to avoid detection by blending into its environment — through camouflage, stillness, or deceptive appearance. It evokes the image of a supernatural serpent whose biological abilities are intensified — expressing itself through beautiful, rapidly shifting, visionary patterns across its form. In Ayahuasca traditions, this can be related to the way knowledge is often concealed, encoded, or revealed only under the right conditions. The medicine does not always present itself plainly — it may obscure, distort, or hide meaning until the observer is ready to perceive it correctly.

As a strategy, crypsis is the deliberate concealment of information, intention, or structure from shared enemies in order to protect shared interests with the symbiont and maintain strategic advantage. It is not merely hiding, but controlling what is visible and when.

Some examples: 1) Withholding key information about plans or capabilities so that shared enemies cannot anticipate actions, 2) Presenting misleading signals or neutral appearances to avoid drawing attention, 3) Coordinating with the symbiont to maintain consistency in what is revealed and what is concealed, 4) Creating layers of visibility where only certain aspects of the relationship or strategy are perceptible to outsiders.