The Web of Life

...and in this case, I am not referencing the internet.

My sometimes mild aversion to the creepy crawlies does not diminish my fondness and respect for both animals and Spirit.  Which is why I have always done my very best to escort spiders outside where I feel they would be happier.

Now that I live in a new terrain where there are relatively few insects--spiders and ants-- I have had the chance to manage the experience of an ant invasion that lasted for weeks.  (Yes, the former Catholic girl that I am confesses that ultimately, chemicals were used. If you don't leave after a polite request and prayer, you are outta here if you keep ruining my kidz food).

This past week, I have had several arachnid visitors.  The first two which were of different types yet, both in my bedroom, I kind of ignored but noted.  Then on Friday in my office, I see a very large dark spider hurrying across my wall. Whoa.  This creature was thicker than most and had a big red butt. I didn't think it was a black widow but I vaguely recalled something about red being on them somewhere.

Of course, the next important step was to find my iPhone and grab a quick picture so that people on Facebook could help me identify the spider.   While I was doing all this, dear Yolande entered with a glass and managed to retrieve her and take her outside.  Whew.  A few posts suggested I run for the hills; one said it was a tarantula but then finally, it was identified as .." a Red Back Jumping Spider. (Philippus Johnsoni). Ugly but harmless."

Then that night, there was a large brown spider in my sink as I was about to do the dishes. I learned from Yolande and got a tall, plastic Starbucks cup and managed to get this guy outside despite his attempts to leap off onto the floor.

And before bed, there was another spider along with a web thread. What the....?

As I sit down to write my talk for Sunday service tomorrow, I noticed something before my eyes and realize it is yet another little spider coming down on a web thread.  That did it. I moved this distraction and immediately went on the other web to find out information about the animal spirit information that was clearly trying to present itself tome.

Here's some of the reference material I uncovered:

Spider spirit animal by Elena Harris, SpiritAnimal.info

The spider is a remarkable figure of feminine energy and creativity in the spirit animal kingdom. Spiders are characterized by the skilled weaving of intricate webs and patience in awaiting their prey. By affinity with the spider spirit animal, you may have qualities of high receptivity and creativity. Having the spider as a power animal or totem helps you tune into life’s ebbs and flows and ingeniously weave every step of your destiny.

From Animaltotem.com:

Spiders are very delicate creatures that play an important role in the myths and lore of many peoples as the teacher of balance between the past and future, the physical and spiritual.

With its gentle strength, Spider spins together the threads of life with intricate webs.

Spider knows that the past affects the future and vise versa. It calls us to make use of our creativity and weave our dreams into our destiny.

For many Native Americans, "spider woman" stories are important creation mythologies. One of the common feature of those are wisdom symbolized with spiders' webs (for example, she taught the human how to weave). Also generally accepted are the ideas that her "thread" connects the human world and the world of spirits or the "above world" and the "below world". Spider Woman also weaves the "relationship" of the Web of Life and all beings.

From Druidry.org:

We can derive even more Spider symbol meaning when we consider certain subtle characteristics that represent ancient symbols of infinity. When we take a look at the Spider itself and consider most Spiders have eight eyes and all have eight legs, we can see that the Spider also shows the meaning of the number eight, which involves cycles, passage of time, evolution and, as mentioned before, the eight fold path of the year.

Ah. I was beginning to understand the symbolism and meaning that is indeed, very applicable to what I am experiencing right now. For a few weeks now, the vision has been pulling and the call to be creative is at an all time high.  Lately, I keep waking during what I call the Mystic Hours, between 3:30 - 5:30 a.m. where I can barely get myself up fast enough to jot down all the inspiration.  My head is so full of ideas, I can hardly wait to put them into action.

It does feel as if I am weaving the Vision that has been my destiny. That is heady stuff. Perhaps the spider guests have come to reassure me that I am on the right path and to keep being creative, to keep weaving the Vision for others...and primarily, for myself.

In respect to what the spiders came to teach, I share this story in hopes that it will inspire someone else to engage in their own creativity as well as to be attentive to the teachers that show up for us in unexpected ways.