Spider Medicine

When an orb weaver spider begins a web, she sends out a line of silky, sticky, thread.  She sends it out and allows the wind to take it wherever it will, until it attaches to a structure at a distance from where she is.  This may be a branch, or leaf, or an old bicycle wheel. She then carefully crawls along this line, attaching new threads to the anchor points, forming a strong and secure bridge.  From the center point, she sends out another line into the breeze and the unknown until it attaches to another structure from which she can form another supporting bridge.  She repeats this process until she has the strong, foundation spokes which she can then connect in a circle to form the familiar structure of a web.

This web is her own creation – everything of her own choosing, except where the wind takes her threads.  The spider doesn’t worry about where the thread goes, what it attaches to, or that it won’t attach. She doesn’t consider time constraints, or fear that she will run out of thread. She isn’t even worried that she may spend all this time and energy weaving threads, only to have them broken or torn down by external factors.  She only concerns herself with weaving. She can weave a small web or a huge one. It can be intricately, and magnificently engineered, or be simple and unobtrusive. She may use bridges made by other spiders or be completely alone. She doesn’t spend any energy concerned that another spider may not like her web. She does not judge it herself, let alone concern herself with another’s. She just concerns herself with weaving and living – creating and fulfilling life’s purpose; relying on the foundation of the unknown paths the wind may take her to.

Her children will not truly know her. She will be a mystery to them; except they will know that she gave them everything, including the ability and the know-how to weave for themselves.

She has a dark secret, a shadow that follows her everywhere.  This shadow fills others with dread, horror, and leads them to seek her destruction.  Such power in one so small – to be able to fill giants with dread!  Her sister, the black widow, has even darker secrets. Still, she does not concern herself with fear, or destruction, or judgment. The black widow is who she is, and the orb weaver is who she is; shadows and all. The fact that there are secrets has no bearing on the quality of weaving, or the quality of living.  It just is.

There is something magical in the fact that she can weave an entire spectacular array, but it go so unnoticed, almost invisible, until direct contact is made. Then her influence is as spectacular as fireworks!  But the orb-weaver will

be the victor. Tomorrow’s sunrise will find her sending out another silky, sticky, thread into the unknown; allowing the wind to set the direction and the foundation. She trusts the unknown to help her create again.