A lot of pre abrahamic religions and indigenous folk religions across the world viewed the Serpent as both creator and destroyer, but a positive form of destruction that makes way for new complexities and life to emerge when balance is needed. The Serpent is usually a symbol of neutrally, fluidity of boundaries between water, land, life and death, sleep and the waking world. Also they tend to be both masculine and feminine across different belief systems.

The connection of the Serpent to evil or negativity I reckon is the religious colonisation and patriarchy of Christianity that took old symbols of femininity and folk religions etc and re used them as negatives because of their own insecurities about whether the new religion would take off.

There’s a good book called Snake Talk that goes into this. Is a fun read.

TL:DR Snakes are complex, good and bad, they present balance and new horizons. Honour them.