Spirit Lodge - Totem Animals - Page 156

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Bear Medicine	Birth Totems	Coyote Medicine	Dragon Ranks	Dragonfly Medicine	Eagle Medicine	Four Animal Helpers	Grey Wolf Medicine	Hawk
Heron Medicine	Horse	Magpie	Raccoon	Salmon Medicine	Spider Medicine	Swan Medicine	Thunder Being Medicine	Totem Loss Disc

SPIDER MEDICINE
By CinnamonMoon

Spider Medicine is undocumented by source from my 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 small 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 house is 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 the illusory spiral of reality. As a
recent totem animal you have joined energies with an ally that will assist you in grasping the inner
workings 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 earth-path you should be following, your spirit helper will guide you to a much
clearer understanding of your niche in life. Spider will 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 traditional 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 areas 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 infinite possibilities, 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 inner-self
upon her spun threads--the ability to drop in and out of situations to gain perspective. Spider has so many,
many things to teach us 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.

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.

Her legend:
"When the people first came to this world it was dark and cold. The people talked to the animals 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 that’s why the inside of Foxes mouth is black to this day. Opossum 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 opossum 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 their 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?"

Ambrose Hawk:
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 Spider 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."

CinnamonMoon:
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 Superstitions:
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 whooping 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. Spider webs have
also been used for bandaging wounds 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 spider web, 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 spider webs 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 regarded 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 universe. The spider's web spirals
into a central point and has been considered a representation of the 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 connects 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 Fatespinners.
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.

Medieval 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.

Mouse:
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 creepycrawly),
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
this for 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 Seneca 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 Twolegged
merge in a mission of bringing beauty and enlightenment to the All.

Mouse:
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 colors, of behavior, 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*

CinnamonMoon:
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 web painting as a child. I could envision it
so clearly and how pretty with colored flower petals in them! Thanks again for your added insights.