6953. 'And he put out his hand and took hold of it' means raising it towards more internal levels. This is clear from the meaning of 'putting out the hand and taking hold', when said of things which lie beneath, as being raised to higher parts, or what amounts to the same, more internal parts, as above in 6952; from the meaning of 'hand' as inward power, also dealt with in 6952; and from the meaning of the serpent, which is what he took hold of, as the sensory level and reasoning from it, dealt with above in 6949. The fact that the power from the Divine is imparted when the sensory level is raised towards more internal parts will be seen in what follows immediately below.