SpiderWoman's Warning
Write or Take a Bite
When something comes and bites you in the ass, leaving a mark, you start wondering, “Have I been daydreaming a bit too much lately?”
I’ve been bitten by spiders a lot in the course of my life. Not sure what that says about me. It happens almost every time I have gone camping or been out in nature, and quite often when sleeping in a new place. But, this year especially, spiders have been “talking” to me more. Well, more like chomping on me. In June it was on the back of my knee while I was in Kansas at an annual spiritual retreat, complete with an encounter with a Native American healer. This weekend it was square on my left ass cheek. Life has a way of intruding on my writing time, I’m sad to admit. I think the eight-legged have been trying to get my attention.
In many cultures, spiders represent thought, the trickster element, or wisdom learned from mistakes. Spiders teach us patience, skill in weaving, and creating through past, present, and future. They spin beautiful webs, yet they provoke fear and fascination both, especially at this time of year around Halloween.
The Zuni, Navajo, Hopi, Dakota, Lakota, are a just a few indigenous groups who have strong beliefs and famous stories about spiders. Whether the name is Iktomi or Anansi, spiders feature prominently in the mythology and folklore of many cultures across the world. These stories teach us many worthy things.
To the Hopi, SpiderWoman assisted the Sun in creating all manner of life and molding humans beings form clay and guiding them to the surface of the planet. The Navajo were taught how to become master weavers by the SpiderWoman.
If you are in the mood for a well-told SpiderWoman story, settle in with a cup of tea for a few minutes and give a listen to this beautiful audio re-telling.
Among indigenous people of in West Africa, tales of Anansi the spider told of a shapeshifting trickster who made the Sun and Moon. These stories made their way west when African slaves came to the New World, but many cultures in North America featured their own spider tales.
The Lakota and Dakota stories handed down tales of Iktomi, such as this one, read orally from a version written in 1901.
As an astrology junkie, SpiderWoman reminds me that time is just an illusion. We are always weaving this present moment. It is possible to unravel time, to move forwards or backwards, but it can make a mess of things. It is far better to live in the present, to create a careful picture of what you want to create in the future and then work neither beyond your speed or powers, nor below it. We can work patiently and skillfully, accepting that at times, you will have to revise your vision and adapt. Also, we can choose to accept that the situations we find ourselves in today were created from every past decision that led us to the present, and so it is true with the destiny we reap in the future.
I guess it’s time to get back to the keyboard and write, thanks for wake up call, Spider Woman!
~Laura Lee
Grandmother Spider Woman - A look at more of the history of Spider legends from another writer
Found out that according to Mesopotamian astrology which categorizes into 18 animals I am a “Spider.” Explains alot. 🕸️
Love this! And perfect timing.