Symbolically the  Ouroboros, or  dragon biting its tail,  represents  the soul of the world within a closed cycle of development. It is analogous to the HIndu ‘Saṃsāra’ or endless round of existence to which all things are bound, as well as to the the Taoist yin yang symbol. It is mercury and, as such, it represents motion, the fusion of opposites, self fertilization, rebirth and renewal.  It may  be interpreted psychologically  to represent the journey of individuation towards wholeness. Jung sums up the Orobouros..."he slays himself and brings himself to life, fertilizes himself and gives birth to himself. He symbolizes the One, who proceeds from the clash of opposites, and he, therefore, constitutes the secret of the prima materia…”

Ouroboros as Mind. One's consciousness, or sense of self,  may  be perceived as a closed structure. Closed, yet fluid and mercurial - constantly transforming, and characterized by motion, the fusion of opposites, self fertilization, and renewal.  Within it dwells all potential, the riddles of the psyche and individuation. I have used the  insect here to represent the mind’s intrinsic nature -  its myriad forms, shifting and  unrestrained movement,  endless proliferation,  and what one may feel  at times to be its ungovernable nature. Like the proliferation of insects, or like a blob of mercury, the mind can not be nailed down and is compelled by what it seeks, and by  its very nature, to perpetual motion . Mind is the ultimate shapeshifter, as thoughts rise and fall and  give birth to new levels of understanding. Ouroburos as Mind.