Spider, Power Animal, Symbol of Creation, Weaving our Realities, Infinity, Balance, Past, Present and Future

By Ina Woolcott

Spiders gifts include - creativity and weavers of fate, balance between past and future, physical and spirit, male and female. Spider is strength and gentleness combined, they awaken creative sensibilities, they are the keepers of the primordial alphabet and can teach you how to write creatively. Their bodies are shaped like the number 8 and they have 8 legs, symbolising infinite possibilities of creation. The 8 legs represent the 4 winds of change and the 4 directions of the medicine wheel.

Many stories exist about Grandmother Spider, the weaver. That she carried on her back the gift of fire in a basket. The basket was woven by her and she presented it to the People. Another story tells that her web bound all things together and formed the foundation of earth. These legends link the spider to the past and the future, birth and creation. When the spider enters our awareness, it is asking us to rebuild the web of our life in accordance with the design the creator gave us.

Spider weaves her web, we weave our realities. Spider reminds us that we create many of the situations in our lives. Spiders have the extraordinary capability of creating, weaving and spinning their own webs. This ability shows and teaches us the gift of creation. We have the power to create what happens in our lives - to us and to others. But we must realise this. The choices we make coupled with our attitude - very powerful stuff.

If the spider has caught you in its web, then look with-in and with-out to see the web you are weaving in your life. Are you content? Are things going well in your life? If things are good, Good! Think about the attitude/choices that have gotten you where you are today, creating positive situation and continue! If however you are on a low with negative happenings in your life and want to improve the situation, think about how your attitude/choices have played a role in creating your current situation. As the weaver of your web, you are the creator of your reality. Once responsibility is assumed for this, the situation will begin to improve. Having the power to weave your own web, means you have the power to make a positive and happy life. Practise having a positive attitude until it is second nature. Make wise, good choices to aid the manifestation of the life you desire.

Most people when cleaning the home get rid of spider webs, thinking they are dirty. A child witnessing a spider spin her web, may be mesmerised by the fragile, magical home it is weaving. Of course the web is the same but the eyes of the beholder view it in very different ways.

This is part of the magic of Spider medicine. They are master weavers. The weaving of a web for a spider involves joining separate strands of fabric into an integrated pattern. This is a significant reminder that we are constantly weaving the fabric of our lives. The construction of a web is connected to the geometry of creation. When making an orb web, the spider releases a sticky silken thread into the wind. If the breeze takes the thread to a spot where it sticks, the first bridge is formed. The spider then carefully crosses the line reinforcing it with a second. This process continues until a frame is made in which the web can secure itself. Bridges serve as a link, tying all things together. They help remind us of our interconnectedness to all life.

Unlike the spider, we aren't always able to both consciously create and travel through our creations. Sometimes we don't have the spider's ability to see our lives as a whole. So often we meet conflict in our lives, not sure how to integrate desires and paths, which seem to oppose one another. So if the Spider has entered your life, it is here to teach you something(s). One of these things is to attune yourself to the energy of the Weaver. You can then begin to see that many of the inner dividing walls that seem to separate aspects of your life are not as solid as they appear. You may be able to see that by looking at things differently, barriers can disappear, and that your life can be viewed in a more integrated way.

You may also realise that the webs you weave need not be sources of entanglement, but a network of roads to travel.

Spider helps bring us to even deeper integration through its link with the spiral, the basic symbol of universal energy, and the figure eight, which is physically related to the spider's shape, the symbol for infinity. By giving the spider careful thought and consideration, we can see that we are connected to all life, and that there is no past and no future, only the infinite now. They awaken our intuitive creative senses and encourage us to design the fabric of our lives from our souls original intention. If you come across a spider in its web, or creating a new one, pay close attention. This is a symbol of where you are in the weaving of your own destiny. A study of the medicine wheel and the four directions is beneficial.

Spiders are actually very delicate, embodying the energy of gentleness, and generally aren’t aggressive unless defending their lives. Moving forward whatever the situation, with a gentle strength, is a skill that often needs to be learned by those with this power animal.

Spider's message to you is that you are an infinite being who will continue to weave patterns of life and living throughout time. Please do not fail to see the eternal plan of creation.