Spirit Lodge - Totem Animals - Page 180

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Bear Medicine	Birth Totems	Coyote Medicine	Dragon Ranks	Dragonfly Medicine	Eagle Medicine	Four Animal Helpers	Grey Wolf Medicine	Hawk
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WASPS
By Mouse

Since stepping into the perinatal field (everything around birth), I've become more and more
aware of Wasp. Now the interesting thing is that we've hardly *had* any wasps in our yard and
home this year, in stark contrast to previous years. Last year we had to remove several starting
nests, we had tons of wasps lingering around in the grass, and since we've got several fruit trees
in the yard, late summer was wasp heaven here. I'm pretty sure they'll come flocking for the fruit,
but so far, we're doing pretty good. It's interesting that the wasp represents such a female warrior
energy, and teaches about diversity. The birthing world here is pretty divided, and integration is
something that I feel strongly about. I find it interesting how my female warrior aspect is being
stirred recently... and how it corresponds to wasp and bee coming up in my life. Here's what I've
found so far: From: www.sayahda.com

Quote:
The Wasp has strong jaws and two pairs of transparent wings. Many females have a stinger at the
tip of their abdomen. There are over 2000 different species of wasps alive today some of which
have complex social structures. Like all insects, wasps have a hard exterior skeleton, six jointed
legs and two jointed antennae. Their complex nests with many six sided cells are made with a
type of paper that they make by chewing wood and plant fibers. Because of the wasp's intricate
framework as well as their connection to numbers and angles they are said to hold the secrets of
sacred geometry. Those with this medicine would benefit by studying this ancient art.

Most wasp species are solitary. Unlike bees, which are hive oriented, the wasp is independent
and prefers to work on their own rather than in a group. Solitary wasps have little patience and
will attack whatever task they are performing with a vengeance. Those with this medicine are
independent thinkers and have difficulty relating to authority figures. They always do things in
their own way. Individuals that hold solitary wasp medicine often receive recognition as the
frontrunners of new trends or ideas later in life.

Some wasps however, live in colonies and work together. These are called social wasps. They
are divided into three classes: Queens, workers and males. Because wasps can be either
independent or social, those with this totem often display two different yet distinct personalities,
aggressive or communal. Personality shifts can create chaos for those in relationships with wasp
medicine people. All wasps undergo a complete metamorphosis that contributes to the challenges
of communication. Just when you think you know the person, they change and become someone else.

All wasps are beneficial in some way or another. Some are pollinators while some are parasites
of other nuisance insects such as caterpillars and aphids. Their diversity depends on the
particular species.

The wasp teaches those with this medicine how to use diversity to their advantage. Balancing all
aspects of the various species is an art in itself and can take a lifetime to accomplish. By
observing the wasp we can learn how to shape shift our outer image and become more connected
to our inner knowing.

From: Animal Spirits
Wasp/Hornet/Yellow jacket's Wisdom Includes:
Use of female warrior energy
Sisterhood
Understanding female societies
Communal living
An FAQ about wasps in general, from a physical perspective:
Wasps -- FAQ

From: http://www.whats-your-sig...sp-animal-symbolism.html
Animal symbolism of the wasp deals with:
• order
• construction
• communication
• involvement
• development
• progress
• team-work
• productivity

In some African traditions, the wasp is a symbol of evolution, and control over our life
circumstances. Some Native American Indian tribal myth indicates the wasp as the creator of the
earth, and was a symbol of order, organization as well as productivity. Ancient European lore
recognizes the wasp as big part in pollination. Here the wasp is symbolic of fertility as this genre
of earth-based believers honored the wasp for its role in continuation of certain plants and
flowers. The prime season of the wasp is spring, and so it is symbolic of new beginnings, and
starting new projects. The wasp is very social, and has special means of communication with its
family. When the wasp appears in our lives it is a message for us to consider our own methods of
communication. The wasp might be a sign that we may need to express ourselves more clearly.
Because the wasp is symbolic of communication, order and productivity, those who encounter
the wasp may ask themselves:
• "Are all my affairs in order?"
• "Am I aligning myself with my goals?"
• "Am I procrastinating about something?"
• "Am I keeping myself from reaching my highest potential?"
• "Am I allowing my progress to be held back by others?"

Those with the wasp as their totem may learn more by asking these questions of themselves, and
calling upon the wasp for more clarification too. Wasps are perfect totems for those of us who
need a bit of organized focus, and assistance with assertive communication. The wasp can also
help in areas of building, whether it be a new home, or building on a dream - the wasp is a
master architect and can guide you with the planning of any building project you have in mind.

From: http://www.spiracanada.co...nDreamer/totems/wasp.htm

Yearly Cycle of Power: Summer
Time of Power: Noon

Attributes: Feminine Power, Social Diversity, Creation, Daring, Flamboyance, Vengeance
Ah, the Wasp. Who doesn’t know that stinging little annoyance that always invades our summer
picnics and spoils our good times. What use is this animal you might think? Well, its not all bad
as you will see form this article. There are more than several thousand species of Wasp in the
world today including yellowjackets and hornets. Wasps are flying insects (mainly). They have a
smooth exoskeleton body (differentiated from a bees more hairy appearance) and a thin waist
(Bees are thick wasted). Wasps have transparent wings and strong jaws. There are several
species of wasp, like the 'velvet ant' that are flightless, but retain the other attributes of the wasp,
including the venom.

The biggest adaptation of the wasp is the ability to make paper. Wasps have the ability to chew
wood and plant fibers and produce pulp from it. They use this pulp to build things. Unlike bees,
wasps do not have the ability to create wax, so all wasp nests are built out of paper, even the
interesting hexagonal cells in their nests. They are quite adaptable at where they make their nests
too. A Wasp may make its nest hanging down form a structure, in the ground, under logs, in an
old rodent den, inside your walls, basically anywhere. When they needs more space in your
house or underground, they dig and excavate more space. Let’s see a bee do that! They are very
protective of their homes and will defend them vigorously. This brings us to another special
adaptation of the Wasp - the stinger. The workers of a wasp colony are sterile females, and these
sterile females have a stinger. The stinger is actually an ovipositor, which is a female sex organ
on the Wasp (meant for laying eggs). And it’s envenomed. And what is distinct from the Bee is
that the female Wasp can sting repeatedly with its ovipositor without fear of death. So if you
were stung by a Wasp, you know it was a female and you know you just got poked with its
envenomed sex organs.

Wasps have varied tastes in food. They are aggressive predators of other bugs: flies, spiders,
caterpillars, aphids, etc. Just about every 'pest' species of insect has a species of Wasp that preys
upon it. We have the Wasp to thanks for keeping these species numbers down. They generally
like things that fall under two categories: Sweet and Meat. This is why they like to frequent
summer picnics and barbeques. Kool-Aid, Pop, and Burgers are high on their list of yummy
foods. Wasps have even been known to raid bee hives for food. With some wasps, they provide
the meat aspect to their young and the young in turn provide sweet secretions for the adults to
dine on. They will also dine on nectar from fruit, pollen, or even munch on road kill. Many
things prey upon the Wasp in turn including birds, reptiles, skunks, raccoons, amphibians, bears,
and spiders. In fact spiders and wasps often prey upon each other. Its an interesting relationship
that should be explored if you have either a Spider or a Wasp Totem.

The Life cycle of the Wasp is a fascinating thing. It starts with a queen who has wintered
somewhere sheltered. She retains within her the sperm of many males form the previous season.
She used this in the spring to generate new Wasps...well Wasp Larvae. These Wasp larvae
eventually change into adults. The first offspring are always sterile female workers. Closer to the
end of the season, the offspring are drones (males) and several queens (fertile females) to keep
the species going. In general, the Drones fertilize a queen from a different colony to ensure
genetic variation. The Workers make up the majority of populace, with the queens being the least
numerous. The interesting thing is that one queen manages to create colonies of up to 15000
Wasps from herself in one season. This is an extreme example of fertility. 'Queen' may be a
misnomer with the Wasp though as this individual does not have an elevated status (as they do
with Bees), she is simply the reproductive workforce, the slave, not the master. Not all Wasps are
part of this caste system mentality though. Many of them are solitary. It makes for a strange
balance, where some are solitary and some are communal. This is quite different from the Bee
which is always hive-minded. All adult solitary wasps are fertile, which is different from the
caste system of the social wasps. Wasps generally live for about a year. One can understand the
agitation of the Wasp. They are quick to sting and defend what is theirs as they have to pack a
lifetime into one year. A lot is at stake.

There are several bits of mythology and lore for the Wasp from around the globe. I will relate a
few here. One bit of folklore has a Butterfly and a Wasp conversing. The Butterfly is angered
that in his previous life he was a noble philosopher and warrior in his previous life and now only
gets to be a flitting butterfly while the Wasp was a donkey in a previous life and now gets this
magnificent for that can sting whoever and whenever it wishes. The Wasp replies with wisdom
'It doesn’t matter what we were, only what we are now'. The story ends there, but I totally
imagine the wasp then stinging and eating the arrogant butterfly. There is a Siberian story that is
similar to the stories of Asclepius and Orpheus. There was a Siberian shaman that could bring
people back from the dead and the god of the dead was angry about this, so he devised a test for
the shaman. He trapped a soul in a bottle. The shaman journeyed to the underworld, transformed
into a wasp and stung the god on the forehead. The god of the dead was hurt by this, dropped the
bottle and the soul was free. There are African myths that tell of the Wasp bringing fire to man
much like Prometheus. This one is tough for me to buy...sure their stings burn like fire but I will
hardly thank them for that. Finally, there is an Egyptian goddess of chaos, discord, and fear
called Ahti which was shown with the head of a Wasp and the body of a hippo. Personally I
think the head and jaws of a hippo and body and stinger of a wasp would be more fearful, but I
can see why this would be scary in any form. She was said to be a very spiteful goddess and was
rarely depicted in art. I can totally see the Wasp being associated with Chaos and the Chaos
archetype, but also with Inspiration due to its rapid and impressive fertility.

The Wasp Totem is all about girl power. Even though there are male wasps, they are less
populace and really only good for one thing: procreating. The real power lies in the female. She
is the one that builds structures, gathers food, and propagates the species. And to any that get in
her way - Sting! A person could certainly be male and have a Wasp Totem, but he would
probably be an active feminist at heart as well. The fact that a Wasp can be either part of a
colony or solitary says a lot about their social life. They could be comfortable at a party amongst
a lot of people, or on their own. Either way is no big deal. This is an interesting bit though as
there are not many totems like this. Most will be one or the other. They will be independent
thinkers who are willing to be quite expressive about their thoughts to others regardless of any
hurt or anger they produce. And when called to defend their thoughts, watch out! They hold their
ideas and thoughts with real possessiveness so making them defend them may end out in a
thorough mocking of your character or even a black eye. Romantically, the Wasp will be quite
detached, having a fling here or there but really not committing to any sort of long term
relationship. Settling down will all depend on the worth of the person and what they bring to the
relationship, it won’t be due to romantic or sexual needs. If you are involved with a Wasp totem,
the best advice is to be prepared to let her do her own thing when she wants. Don’t get in the way
as you are likely either be dumped or feel the sting. Career wise, the Wasp can exist in a variety
of settings both independent and in a team. This is a very adaptable way to be. The Wasp is all
about creation though so careers that involve creating something, or making the world a better
place are the way to go. Construction Worker, Artist, Sculptor, Journalist, Social Activist, Film
Maker: these are all careers that are well suited to the Wasp.

Written by RavenDreamer