Paths of the Dragon
Here are some of the notes I've taken on the symbolism of the serpent/winged dragon, coming from sources such as the Matthews' Walkers Between the Worlds and Henderson's The Wisdom of the Serpent. I have more, but I fear that is going to entail a reading of my morning pages from the past 2 years to find them [which I should do in any case...].
The dragon, or winged serpent, is one of the predominant symbols associated with the Earth Mysteries; representing life, death, and renewal. At its heart, the myth of the dying and rising god, tells of the magical power of the serpent.
"This snake is the numen who guards the tomb and protects the transformations of the God [sic]. Psychologically it symbolises the deepest levels of the collective unconsciousness, where the transformation of the god-image occurs." ~ Marie Louise von Franz
Not coincidentally, the paths of the earth's telluric currents are called Dragon tracks.
The snake is also sacred to the moon goddess, knowledge which is preserved in astronomical terminology for the points where the orbits of earth and moon coincide: the ascending node is called the dragon's head and the descending node is called the dragon's tail. The line drawn between the two nodes is called the dragon line.
The main significance of the serpent lies in its relationship to the maze. Its sinuous form is a subtly changing living maze that is critical to initiatory experience.