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Spider Medicine

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Cinnamon Moon 1	Spider Medicine		Lead	[-]
Posts: 13087 Apr 17 04 12:52 AM Admin/ Board Founder	Tags : spider Spider Medicine is undocumented by source from old notes. Some will repeat but that simply shows the support for those issues presented. Creation. Making things of beauty and weaving webs of experience because our heart expresses the desire to share that creativity with others. To use our Medicine Bowls and seek the visions that will reflect the desires hidden within our hearts. To seek answers to what is coming into our web that we have woven out of our hidden desires. To trust that we have chosen well and that our dreams will be fulfilled. Wisdom, creativity, new life. Being industrious. Be cautious: you are involved in a tempting but entangling situation,. Bringing in divine inspiration and creativity. Beginning a new project. Becoming pregnant. Messengers. Good or bad signs. Poisonous are bad and bad power. Warn of samll danger. Tells of jealousy, or when someone is lying to you. Warns of minor upset or danger. Tells the weather and helps to find things. Good spiders do not bite us. A challenger-type messenger does. Sorcerers use spiders to hurt people and to spy on people. Artists use spiders to develop better craft skills such as weaving. Best not to kill it but set it outside if it is in the house. Too many in the houseis an indication of jealousy, potential conflict, confusion, and bad health forthcoming. If it acts aggressively then be forewarned. Creative process, warns of entanglements, deceptions, and represents teh illusory spiral of reality. As a recent totem animal you have joined energies with an ally that will assist you in grasping the interworkings of personal dynamics more than ever before in your life. You will begin to have a completely new perspective on how seemingly disparate facets of your life are all woven together in intricate patterns with infinite possibilities. If you have been feeling somewhat disassociated from others and confused about what specific earthpath you should be following, your spirit helper will guide you to a much clearer understanding of your niche in life. Spider wil also assist you in perceiving the application of ancient wisdoms to your life today and help you to separate the webs of illusion and confusion from your worldview. Creativity and the weaving of fate. Grandmother, link to the past and future. Infinity. Wheel of Life. Learning to walk those circles or even hold your position within the middle between two. Teaches you to maintain balance--between past and future, physical and spiritual, male and female. That everything you now do is weaving what you will encounter in the future. The Wheel of Fortune. Rhythms, the rise and fall, the flow and flux. Energies of honor and fame, and the sensitivities necessary to place ourselves within the rhythm of nature. Weaves a web to remind us that the past is always subtly influencing the present and future. Spirals are the traditonal form of creativity and development. We are the center of our own world. We are the keepers and writers of our own destiny weaving it like a web by our thoughts, feelings and actions. Magic. Creative power. Assertiveness of the creative force. Spiritual energy. Guardian of the ancient languages and alphabets. Death and rebirth. Lunar cycle. Maintaining balance and polarity in all aspects of life. Gentleness and strength in union. Agile, walking the threads of life between the physical and spiritual. Move into inaccessible ares in the dark. Teaches to use the written language with power and creativity so that your words weave a web around those who would read them. Weaving. Spider wove the first primordial alphabet, as she had woven the dream of the world that had become manifest. Body is #8 in form, legs #8, symbol of infinate possiblities, of creation, of completion, of eternity. 8 legs = 4 winds of change and 4 directions of the Medicine Wheel. Weaves the webs of fate for those who get caught in her web and become her dinner. The web of illusion in the physical world, and never seeing beyond the horizon into other dimensions. The web of fate also represents the wheel of life, which does not include any alternatives or solutions. If we are not decisive enough about changing our lots in life, we may end up being consumed by our fears and limitations. Female energy of the creative force that weaves the beautiful designs in life. Her web has hundreds of intricate patterns which catch the morning dew. Tells you to create. Warns that you are coming too close to an entangling situation. Asks you to use a journal to write out and review your progress. Notice opportunity on the outskirts of your web/reality. See that something you have woven has become fruit. You are an infinite being who will continue to weave the patterns of life and living throughout time. Do not fail to see the expansiveness of the eternal plan. Contrary Spider is a negative woman. She will eat her mate if she gets too caught up in herself to see the validity of honoring male energy. May be your mate or a member of your family or a workmate to harass. This breaks down relations and is a reflection of something you hate about yourself. You are entangled in the web of your own illusion about who you really are. Look at why you are being critical and why you are feeling so weak that you must attack others. Lack of creativity. Use your talents to get the web spinning, or you can change it to destructiveness. If stagnant and unable to move in a positive direction, you may come to resent others who are doing well. This will eat you up. Get moving, find joy and new ideas in the accomplishments of others, and use them to propel you into a new place of creative spinning on your own web of delight. Find pleasure in the ideas you receive from Spider's web and her universal language. From a post I made on Spider about 10 years ago at AMG and what follows will be the comments of others on the matter: It is said that Spider spins the fates of humanity/life knowing when it will be created and when it will end (the length of her strands being equal to the term of life). She is also capable of creating a cocoon and taht aspect of her talent can be seen as protective and her web as a source of that protection. She can be called upon when we feel the need to capture knowledge, to shield ourselves, and when we need her wisdom to guide us on the paths we are taking. finally there is her ability to rise and fall from her own innerself upon her spun threads--the ability to drop in and out of situations to gain perspective. Spider has so many, many things to teachus and through it all our own interpretations and perspectives demonstrate this. Different spiders offer different teachings aside from the general rules of thumb here. For instance if you approach a Daddy Longlegs for direction, or to help you find something that has been lost, speaking your question simply and clearly, he will either move in the direction you should follow, lead you to the item if nearby, or he will lift a leg and point you where you need to look for your answers. It works too! Spider teaches the written alphabet, runes, and symbols that we use in our Medicine. She will attract your attention to things you have accomplished, and teaches you to weave new goals. She teaches the need to honor the male energy, the warrior side of our balanced nature, and often reflects is imbalance through our negative attitudes and breaking down of relationships. Ego is the illusion. Stagnation is failure to create. Resentment will destroy you, catching you in the web of your illusions. When we celebrate the success of others we celebrate life and begin to be creative ourselves, we grow more positive and our outlook expands. Let her inspire you. October 1999 by Tink: Grandmother Spider is a Cherokee legend. I don't remember all of it but when the people came to this world it was dark and they needed light so after fox, opossom, and buzzard tried to steal the sun and failed, Grandmother Spider made a huge clay pot and quickly wove a web to the sun. When she was ready she gathered the sun in the pot and brought it back to the people. The Cherokee say that she game them the gift of fire of the sun and pottery. She is also credited with giving them the original dreamcatcher. Tink wrote to me later with the legend as follows: "When the people first came to this world it was dark and cold. The people talked to the animmals to find out what they could do. Fox said he knew where the sun was and that he would go and try to bring it back for them as he was fleet of foot and he thought he could get it back before it burned him too badly. Fox managed to catch the sun and get it in his mouth but it started burning his mouth very badly. He had to let go before he had gone too far and thats why the inside of Foxes mouth is black to this day. Opossom had a very long and beautifully bushy tail so he volunteered to be the next to go. He thought he would wrap his tail around the sun and bring it back but it burned all the hair off his tail and burned his poor tail so bad that no opossom has had hair on its tail since then. Buzzard was the next to volunteer, he was a very vain bird with the most beautiful crest of feathers on his head and he was very proud of them. Buzzard tried to push the sun back with the top of his head and it burned away all of his beautiful feathers and seared the top of his head so that no buzzard has ever had head feathers since. None of the other animals would volunteer to try and the people were desperate. Finally someone noticed little Grandmother Spider trying to get their attention. She said that she could bring the sun back for the people and even though they didn't see how anything so small could possibly succeed they told her to go ahead. First she went to the river bank where the good red dirt was wet and made a fine clay, she worked and worked until she had a giant ball of clay, then she started hollowing out the ball until it was a very large pot. When she was done she started weaving her web, she wove the web all the way to the sun then she went back down the web, attached her pot to her by another piece of web and quickly and quietly ran up the web, she scooped up the sun in her bot and ran back down the web bringing the sun back to the people. The sun baked the clay as she was coming back down the web and so she gave the people the gifts of the fire of the sun and pottery. Grandmother Spider remained close to the people who honored her greatly for her feat. Later on she noticed that many of ther people were very sad and afraid because they were having bad dreams. This made Grandmother Spider very sad so she decided to help them again. She went to the Willow Tree and asked him for a few branches, then she went to Eagle and asked him for a few feathers. They were glad to grant her request so when she had her branches and feathers she bent the willow branches into a large circle that connected all the people of the world. She then wove her web of wisdom around the branches, making little knots to catch all the bad dreams. Every morning Grandfather Sun's morning rays burned away the bad dreams caught in the web, the good dreams turned into the morning dew and trickled down the Eagle Feathers as a gift to the Earth. How could anyone not be fond of Spiders?" Continuing this discussion Ambrose Hawk wrote: Material taken from Native American Tarot Deck, Instructions by Magda and J.A. Gonzalez (US Games Systems Inc). "The Stars show Grandmother Spider, messenger of the Creator and benefactress to the people. There are legends of her in many tribes, from the Shawnee of the Eastern Woodlands to the Hopi and Piman of the Southwest. The Piman legend, as told to the authors by their teacher, Harry Sparrowhawk, goes this way: "The Piman Creator, Earth Doctor, had Grandmother Spier sew the sky to the earth with her webs. Then he sprayed water from his mouth onto the sky-web. The drops of water crystalized and became the stars." In some legends, the Creator placed Grandmother Spider in the sky to keep the webs in good repair as the constellation known as Scorpio. Grandmother Spider helped the wandering tribes, just as the stars help navigators lost at sea. She and the tribes made a hide circle and threw it into the sky, making the sun to light their way and give them warmth; but the sun, in its flight around the world, left half the day dark, so the sky-web came into being with its starts to light the way for the people at night. The essence of the Stars is favorable, showing the proper balance of spiritual and physical elements: earth and sky woven together to bring enlightenment. However, baser passions could cloud perception creating an imbalance." I'll be adding more from documented sources. Edited 2 times by CinnamonMoon Mar 23 09 7:25 PM.
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autumn mouse	Re: Spider Medicine	#1	[url]	[-]
Posts: 3444 Apr 17 04 1:07 AM Admin	From: http://wolfs_moon.tripod.com/SpiderTotem.html "In the beginning, there was the dark purple light at the dawn of being. Spider Woman spun a line to form the east, west, north, and south. Breath entered man at the time of the yellow light. At the time of the red light, man proudly faced his creator. Spider Woman used the clay of the earth, red, yellow, white, and black, to create people. To each she attached a thread of her web which came from the doorway at the top of her head. This thread was the gift of creative wisdom. Three times she sent a great flood to destroy those who had forgotten the gift of her thread. Those who remembered floated to the new world and climbed to safety through the Sipapu Pole the womb of Mother Earth." ~Navajo Creation Story~ Creativity Many Native American tribes have Creation stories that include Grandmother Spider as the Creator who spun the ~Web of Physical Life.~ It is upon the glistening strands of this Web that all life is interconnected, with each creature being (two-legged, four legged, winged or creepy-crawly), Standing Person (tree), Stone Person, and all other forms of life, a vital and integral strand in this most beautiful and sacred Web. To watch the Spider weave her web is to behold a beautiful artisan crafting a masterpiece of art. The intricate yet interwoven strands are paradoxically complex yet simple, bespeaking of an innate understanding that each Individual fiber is crucial to the balance and completion of the Whole. What is more stunning than to walk upon a Web unexpectedly as it glistens in the center of a primordial forest, or to see the threads of the same web after a spring shower, tiny raindrops of water caught in the web and glittering as though thousands of tiny diamonds have been left behind, scattered carelessly by the sun. Such creativity is breathtaking to behold, a testament in miniature to the Creativity of the Great Spirit and the loving guidance of the Earth Mother. *For the two-legged beside whom Spider crawls, there will exist a depth of creativity that may manifest in any of a myriad of ways. Perhaps the talent is in writing prose that conveys depth of feeling and spirituality, or it may be the human counterpart is particularly skilled at creating beautiful and intricate jewelry that will often have an etheric quality to them, much like glimmering strands of a spider’s web. Whatever channel this creativity flows through, it is a quality and gift that must be expressed and allowed the freedom to flow. If creativity is not acknowledged in the Spider individual, then a very necessary and integral part of their Life’s Purpose is being denied. Such creativity is divinely inspired and a Gift that is given by the Great Mystery. The paradox in thisfor the Spider individual may be that they will deny an awareness of their own creativity for many years in deference to other areas of their lives which seem to call for attention. Often, the area that distracts the Spider soul most often is that of relationships as much like Grandmother Spider was forever aware of her Children, so the two-legged with this creature being as a Totem will tend to focus much of their attention on loved ones rather than nurturing and fulfilling their own needs. Yet if the Spider Soul does not give license to this creative spark, it will feel as though their life’s blood is slowly ebbing away or they are being "drained" of energy. For the parent who has a young spider, all effort must be taken to encourage the child to develop their own individuality. Whatever form the Spider exhibits their proclivity for creative genius, that creativity ought to be enthusiastically encouraged, for this will be teaching the sensitive soul the importance of self-love and self-nurturing, while simultaneously gifting the World with the remarkable beauty these souls have come onto the Wheel to share. As an adult, it is important that Spider Soul indulge in creativity. If the Spider is one of your Primary Totems (Power, Theme or Mission), and you are not currently aware or recognizing of the fact that you possess creative talent, it is crucial to discover the buried talent and give it wings with which to fly. In so doing, the Soul is in greater alignment to the Purpose and Beauty of the individual Life Path.* Communication Another area in which Spider has been recognized as being a Creative Force, is in communication of all forms. The Senneca People believe that Spider created the first alphabet of the Two-Leggeds so that we could leave a written history of our travel, lessons learned and progress made on this walk around the Wheel of Life. Following is a recounting of the story behind the creation of that alphabet. “Spider wove the web that brought humans the first picture of the alphabet. The letters were part of the angles of her web. Deer asked Spider what she was weaving and why all the lines looked like symbols. Spider replied, "Why Deer, it is time for Earth’s children to learn to make records of their progress in their Earthwalk." Deer answered Spider, "But they already have pictures that show through symbols the stories of their experiences." "Yes" Spider said, "But Earth’s children are growing more complex, and their future generations will need to know more. The ones to come won’t remember how to read the petroglyphs." *When Spider is present as a Primary Totem, she will bring with her a gift of communication. Most often, this skill is conveyed via the written word, rather than orally delivered, as Spider Souls can be quite shy, though they are capable of weaving beautiful words in the form of poetry or fiction (think of a Spider spinning its web), that can leave the reader spellbound and enraptured. If this talent is not obviously present, it has likely been repressed during early childhood. If this is the case, concentrated effort will need to be taken in resurrecting this suppressed talent, as part of what any Spider Soul is here to do, is to convey profound insight and wisdom via the written word. Again, this can be paradoxical, as often times the one beside whom Spider walks will be rather oblivious as to the true power of his/her words and ability to elicit strong emotions. Parents and loved ones of Spider Souls should take great pains to encourage their child, spouse, or loved one, to explore writing. As sensual beings, the Spider individual will enjoy being given a special journal or book with textured paper, or a special pen with which they can jot down their thoughts, dreams, poetry and vivid plot scenarios. Dreams are also an important area of the Spider's life and they should pay special attention to their dreams. The Dreamweaver is a spider, and often it is through the slumbering hours and astral voyages that the Spider Soul will receive his/her greatest messages and insights. Keeping a special dream journal beside the bed to quickly scribble details of especially vivid dreams prior to having them fade in the morning light, is supremely beneficial to both the spirit and creative spark of the one beside whom Spider crawls. If not a journal kept beside the bed, then a tape recorder in which the dream can be quickly related as a recording, to be transcribed via handwritten or typed format later.* Illusion As the ~Master Weaver,~ Spider spins a web of stunning intricacy and profound beauty. Such artistry is at the very core of many myths and legends that wind their way across every time and throughout nearly every culture, much like the glimmering strands of Spider’s Web. In Native American tradition, the Dream Catcher is a representation of Spider’s Web. Upon the arrival of a new infant, a Dream Catcher is placed above the sleeping child, the threads of which are formed from sinew and fashioned in a beautiful flowering that can contain anywhere from five to ten individual “petals” with a small hole at its center. It is believed that the intricate pattern of the strands, attract bad dreams and energies to fall upon them. Once the negative dreams are upon the “web,” they struggle to break free and only further entangle themselves where they will be held until morning when the Sun’s rays will dissolve them. Good dreams and energy meanwhile, are allowed to slip through the center where they will travel along the beads and feathers to fall gently upon the slumbering baby below. *The two-legged beside whom Spider journeys, will possess a certain illusive and mysterious quality that is almost magical in its glamor. Indeed, Illusion in all its forms will be a key theme in the life of the Spider Soul. Often, some of the most dazzling magicians share the Earthwalk with Spider as a Primary Totem with Spider assisting them in weaving a magic spell that enraptures a willing audience. Likewise, Spider is frequently evident as a Totem in the lives of actors and actresses, poets, basket and blanket weavers and artists of many kinds whose glamor is part illusion, part reality. When operating from its Lower Vibration, the two-legged is caught in the strands of the personality center wherein unresolved issues that have not been acknowledged and addressed will manifest in a variety of ways. For some Spider individuals operating from this tangled center, lies, omissions and untruths will be spoken and woven with a complexity that is stunning to behold. Not only are these Spider types able to spin lies and half-truths, but they do so in such a skillful manner that others believe them. Only once this tendency to weave tall tales is acknowledged in blatant self-honesty and addressed, may the Higher Vibrations be given life and the Spider individual steps free of the deceitful past into a new light of Conscious Awareness. Yet for those Spider Souls operating from the higher vibration, the result is watching a master artisan at work. These are the sensitive and nurturing souls that create a beautiful expression and vision that entices Others to reach for the best within themselves. In this way, Spider and Two-legged merge in a mission of bringing beauty and enlightenment to the All.*
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autumn mouse	Re: Spider Medicine	#2	[url]	[-]
Posts: 3444 Apr 17 04 1:24 AM Admin	Thank you Cinn for starting a thread about Spider. When I was a child, living in Puerto Rico, and later in the Middle East, I was forced to get over my creepy-crawly anxiety. Spider was a fact of life there. In the Middle East, Tarantula was a "non-issue"... At the time I was horrified, but fact was that we had to get over ourselves and learn to live side-by-side. Tarantula (or Scorpion) could have crawled into our home and snuck into our beds, into our shoes, into our toys on the floor, into our cars. If we were playing outside, we couldn't just turn over stones or kick against them... there was no knowing what was underneath the stone or rock. In school, we were encouraged to respect them instead of fear them... that was done by showing us the great variety of colours, of behaviour, of how they treated their offspring. Of course, after we moved back to Holland, those teachings were sort of forgotten... life in Holland is not very scary, nor is there much wilderness (unless you consider Amsterdam to be "wild"). I was ridiculed as "showing off" or "boasting" about snakes, scorpions and spiders, simply because it was very far from the reality of my peers. So I just let it sink away. Until Spider stepped forward in my life. I missed Spider, actually, and I hadn't even realized it. I remember catching webs as a child, by making a hoop out of a twig, and then seeking out webs in bushes and shrubs... after a few webs had been "caught", flowers and petals would be put on the web, and then a few more webs would be put over that to keep it together. These were the "paintings" I had in my room. Spider medicine right there. I kept them with great care. The webs were so strong that I didn't even have to lace the twig together. I even had a spider in my room, a little on, that moved into the web and started another web around it. Spider's web has taught me a lot about protection, about tapping energy signatures and energetic changes around me. Spider herself, well... Tarantula still teaches me, now from the Spirit world instead of potentially from the shoe under my bed. smile
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Cinnamon Moon 1	More Spider Medicine	#3	[url]	[-]
Posts: 13087 Apr 17 04 2:13 AM Admin/ Board Founder	As you can tell I have a lot on Spider, but just love sharing it so here you go! Lady Stearn Robinson & Tom Gorbett/The Dreamer's Dictionary: Spiders (with the exception of the Tarantula) in a dream are a sign of general good luck: to kill one signifies good news: if it was spinning it augurs approaching money; climbing a wall it's a harbinger of success in all that concerns you most deeply. Zolar/Encyclopedia of Signs, Omens, and Supersititions: Perhaps the best descriptive of the traditions regarding spiders is the popular English saying: If you would live and thrive, let a spider run alive." Traditionally, a spider spun its web to hide the infant Christ Child in the manger when Herod's messengers came to look for him. Because of this it is thought unlucky to kill a spider or disturb its web. Spiders are also said to have saved the lives of Mohammed and Frederick the great. One tradition holds that wooping cough can be cured by wrapping a spider in raisin or butter, or closing one up in a walnut shell. The malady is said to fade away as the spider dies. Spiderwebs have also been used for bandaging woulnds and curing warts. In the United Kingdom it is believed that killing a spider will bring unwanted rain. In Scotland and the West Indies, should you kill a spider your dinnerware or wine glasses will break before the day is out. Superstitions about the spider abound: Should you run into a spiderweb, it is said you will meet a friend. Should you see a spider running down its web in the afternoon, a journey comes soon. Should a plow kill a daddy longlegs, the cows will go dry. Should you find a spider in your clothes, a return of money loaned is forthcoming. Never clear spiderwebs away from stables or barns, since they protect the animals. Should you catch the golden money spider and put it in your pocket, you will always have ready cash. (In Norflok, tradition holds that a money spider suspended over one's head is a charm for winning football pools). In American folklore, finding a spider is said to indicate good fortune, and swallowing a spider with syrup is believed to reduce fevers. The Pawnee Indians regared a Spider Goddess as the giver of fertility. They used a webbed hoop, resembling a spider's web, to catch buffalo. In the Alsace, however, it is held a good omen to kill a spider (except in the morning), and to do so, one must crush it with the right foot! Denise Linn/The Secret Language of Signs: The spider's weaving of its web is a symbol of the creative forces in the univers. The spider's web spirals into a central point and has been considered a representation of th world. The Hindus refer to the "web of illusion". Spider can be a sign of a trap or entrapment. Do you feel like you are getting caught in your own web? Do you feel you are being caught in someone else's web of manipulation and deception? Take time out to view the situation from a higher perspective. D.J. Conway/Animal Magick: A spider is in a class by itself; it has 4 pairs of legs. The head and thorax are fused together. The abdomen is unsegmented, round, and soft. It spins its silk for webs through spinnerets on the underside of the abdomen. Most spiders have 4 pairs of simple eyes on the top of the head. Nearly all have fangs and poison gland; in some the venom is more potent than in others. While all can produce silken strands of one kind or another, only a few spin complicated and beautiful orb webs. The Wolf Spider: This hairy, active spider with strong legs doesn't spin a web but runs down its prey. It usually hunts at night but can be out and about during the day. They are playful creatures. If you tap next to them with a pencil, they will jump forward and backward, alternately attacking and retreating. I watched a whole colony of them hatch out one year in my plant room. The tiny black specks fanned out across the ceiling and within a day's time completely vacated the house, although I don't know how they got outside. This is one of the most powerful creatures in all myth and symbolism in both the Old and New Worlds; it represents the Great Terrible Mother in her fate-weaver aspect. Neith was the Weaver of the World in Egypt; in Babylon it was Ishtar and Atargatis; in Greece, Athene and the Fates; in Norse myth, the Norns and Holda. One Greek tale tells how the godess Athene turned the human Arache into a spider because of her arrogance over her spinning and weaving. The Hindus say the spider weaves life itself from its own body, but is also the creator of illusion, or maya. Barbara Walker suggests that the eight-armed deities of India and Odhinn's eight-legged horse may be associated with the spider. The Japanese have two spider goddsses: Spider Woman, who can ensnare careless travelers, and the Goblin Spider, who can change shape to harm people. The Ashanti of Africa say that the Great Spider is God. In many African tales, the spider is the trickster deity. this idea was brought to Jamaica in the form of Anansi, the Great Spider. Many Native American tribes had a spider deity. To the Plains people this was Inktomi, the Trickster Spider, a shape-shifter who brought culture to their people. The Southwestern Pueblo tribes speak of Spider Woman, who created the universe; they refer to her as Kokyangwuti, Tsitsicinako, Sussistanako, Thought Woman, or Thinking Woman. Spider Grandmother is the Kiowa heroine/goddess who brought light to the world. Native Americans say that the spider's web connectes it with the four Elements. They believe although it is a small creature, it is cunning and intelligent, tricking other insects into its webs. They called spider power the female energy for the creative force of life. There are a number of poisonous spiders whose bite can be debilitating and sometimes fatal to humans. I see nothing wrong with getting rid of spiders indoors since one can't always tell which is which until you've been bitten. Superstitions: Many folk tales around the world still portray spider as lucky, a creature who can spin money, but who also is crafty and cunning. The dance called the tarantella was originally the specified cure for the bite of the tarantula spider. Some people believe that if you kill a spider it will rain. A cobweb is said to stop bleeding when laid on a wound. This really works if the cut isn't too deep. In the United States, if a girl finds a cobweb on her door, her boyfriend is seeing another girl. If a spider falls on you from the ceiling it is good luck. If you find one crawling on your clothes, money is coming. This is especially true if it is the little red "money spider". If you see a spider spinning its web, you will get new clothes. There is an old saying: If you wish to live and thrive, let the spider run alive. In Britain and many parts of Europe it was once believed that swallowing a piece of web, eating a crushed spider, or wearing a bag of live spiders around the neck would cure whooping cough, gout, ague, and asthma. Magickal Attributes: wisdom, creativity, new life. Being industrious. Be cautious: you are involved in a tempting but entangling situation. Bringing in divine inspiration and creativity. Beginning a new project or becoming pregnant. Mary Summer Rain/On Dreams: Spider may reveal a conniving individual or it may refer to a unique type of personal protective measure. Recall the dream's details for clarity of meaning. Barbara G. Walker/The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets: Arachne the Spider was a totemic form of the Fate-spinner, otherwise known as Clotho or Athene or the Virgin Moera. The classic myth of Athene's jealousy of the maiden Arachne, which caused her to turn Arachne into a spider who continued to practice her incomparable skill in spinning and weaving, was mistakenly deduced from an icon showing Athene with her totemic spider spinning the web of Fate, from which the future could be foretold. An English writer of the 17th century still thought "Minerva" (Athene) gave spiders a special ability to foretell the weather. In Hindu myth, the spider represented Maya, virgin aspect of the Triple Goddess, spinner of magic, fate, and earthly appearances. The spider's web was likened to the Wheel of Fate and the spider to the Goddess as a spinner, sitting at the hub of her wheel. The female spider's habit of devouring her mate led to identification of the spider with the death goddess, Maya transformed into Kali-Uma. In Aztec myth, with its mysterious archaic relation to India, spiders represented the souls of warrior women from the pre-Aztec matriachate, like the Amazonian Fate-spinners. At the end of the world, these women would descend from heaven on their silken threads and eat up all the men on earth, like eight-legged Valkyries. Indeed there were Scandinavian associations, too. Odin's horse Sleipnir (Slippery) was gray and had eight legs, like a spider; it also represented Odin's "Fate" in that it was associated with the gallows on which he was hanged. Medieveal Europe usually associated spiders and witches. The folk tale of the Spider and the Fly suggested the once widespread belief that flies are the souls in search of a female entity to eat them and give them rebirth. *Patricia Telesco/The Language of Dreams: In men, this is frequently a maternal image. Ancient Grecian and Egyptian, and Native American: Fate and our ties to all times and all peoples. In Greece, Arachne spun the thread of people's lives. Egyptians had Neith, who wove the world, and the Pueblo Indians have Spider Woman, who created the world from two strands of thread. Feeling trapped in someone's well-executed snare. The passage of time. A creative process that sometimes seems as long and arduous as spinning gold into straw. Creating connections that help you to finish a goal. NOte that the line of networking here may not be direct, even as the spider's web may take unexpected turns. Okay, Spider Medicine open for discussion! Blessings, Cinnamon "The power and ways are given to us to be passed on to others." ...........Fools Crow, Ceremonial Chief, Teton Sioux
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Cinnamon Moon 1	Re: More Spider Medicine	#4	[url]	[-]
Posts: 13087 Apr 17 04 2:21 AM Admin/ Board Founder	You're quite welcome, Mouse, and thank you for sharing all you did too. The medicine of Spider is widespread throughout the world and it's clear she has much to teach us. Hopefully those who have asked for more in the past will have their thirst quenched with information now. But I do look forward to discussing her Medicine further. I just love how you did your webpainting as a child. I could envision it so clearly and how pretty with colored flower petals in them! Thanks again for your added insights. Blessings, Cinnamon "The power and ways are given to us to be passed on to others." ...........Fools Crow, Ceremonial Chief, Teton Sioux
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Posts: 785 Sep 14 07 12:36 PM Tech Admin	From: http://www.sayahda.com/cyc4.html The Spider Many stories exist about the weaver, Grandmother spider. She carried on her back the gift of fire in a basket that she wove and presented it to the people. In another story it is said that her web bound all things together and formed the foundation of earth.. These legends give the spider a link to the past and the future, birth and creation. When the spider crawls into our awareness it is asking us to rebuild the web of our life in accordance with the design the creator gave us. Spiders differ from insects in having eight legs rather than six and in having the body divided into two parts rather than three. The number eight laid on its side is the symbol for infinity. The number two implies the union of two forces joined together. Together they equal ten. Drop the zero and you are back to the starting point of one. The hidden message of spider is unity. The study of numerology is beneficial for those who hold this medicine. The construction of a web is linked to the geometry of creation. In the construction of an orb web the spider releases a sticky silken thread into the wind. If the breeze carries the thread to a spot where it sticks the first bridge is formed. Spider cautiously crosses the line reinforcing it with a second. This process continues until a frame is constructed in which the web can secure itself. Bridges serve as a link tying all things together and remind us of our interconnectedness to all life. The spider shows us that the past, the present and the future are all interwoven. It awakens our intuitive creative senses and encourages us to design the fabric of our lives from our souls original intention. If you see a spider in its web, or creating a new one, pay attention. It symbolizes where you are in the weaving of your own destiny. A study of the medicine wheel and the four directions is helpful. Because spiders are actually very delicate they embody the energy of gentleness. Spiders are not usually aggressive unless they are defending their lives. Moving forward in all situations with a gentle strength is a skill that often needs to be learned for those with this totem. In man, the bite of a poisonous spider symbolizes a death, rebirth process. Poison enters the nervous system and the body either transmutes it or falls victim to its venom and dies. The spider signifies the tapestry of life. The web we weave is the reality we experience. Choosing the appropriate path is one of the lessons associated with this medicine.
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