Creating Like A Spider

I took a shamanic journey the other day, seeking guidance on how to move forward in my soul’s work. I have been sharing visions and wisdom, images and messages from my shamanic journeys and dreams for several years. Now, I long to weave my experiences of the Unseen World into group discussions and classes, collected stories and books.
Before the journey, I asked for a guide to show me how to bring mystery and mysticism into substance and form. As the drumming began, I stepped through into a meadow lined with trees, which is one of my favorite places for lessons from nature beings. There I found Grandmother Spider waiting for me. 

Weaving a web is not a matter of taking threads that already exist and interlacing them. The intricate patterns that you love, emerge only after you have done the initial work of making the anchor strands that form the basis for the rest.

When you begin to create a web, you must form an original silk thread allowing its substance to emerge from your deepest being. You are creating with the strength of your heart and soul, and entrusting your life to this one filament . It holds you suspended as you continue to add to its length. There is no option to start a different strand, you are committed to this emerging.

You may spin a great deal of silk before anything happens. It is just you and the spinning process. Then, without warning, a breeze or the breath of Spirit comes along and carries you to an anchor point. When it connects, you release what you have created and return to a higher position again to start forming the next silken thread.

As you dangle mid-air from this new strand, you have no idea whether it will attach somewhere near the first or in a different direction. Enjoy the sensation of freedom as you swing in the breeze. You have no control of time or space. Eventually, you will touch the ground, a plant will offer an attachment spot or you will decide to go back up and begin again from another starting point.

From time to time, an animal or strong wind with come through and take apart all that you have created. Let it go, there is no hurry. Use patience and determination, resilience and calm as your guides.

Remember that you are not alone. All of the elements of nature surround you. Enjoy the sunshine and shadow. Release all fear and float in the breeze. This makes the work easier and more fun. The time will come when you will have enough anchor silks developed that you can begin weaving the more intricate portions of the web. But for now, creativity and grace are your tethers. Enjoy

Grandmother Spider

I was smiling as I reentered the ordinary world, coming back to my home and my chair. I am grateful that wise teachers appear when I hold a question. I like the surprise of seeing what form each will take, and how they will lead me from what I think I know to an insight that reveals the next step along my path. 

This process is open to all of us. I use a recording of shamanic drumming to help me make the transition. You may find that forming your question, and then quieting your mind opens the doorway to the Unseen through your imagination. The key is to open to the wisdom beyond the conditioned mind and separate sense of ego. Experiment with asking for loving guides and teachers to show you what you are seeking. Let me know what you find.

Peace and Joy,
Nancy