Spiders. For many, the thought of an arachnid is terrifying. But for me, I find these often eight-legged weavers of Destiny beautiful. In fact, when I think of God, I imagine such a being to be more akin to a spider than a human. Our world is truly an interconnected web, evidenced over and over again throughout all life. Which is why I was not surprised to wake up this morning after a vivid dream about spiders.
Sound scary??? Read on!
There were so many of them in the dream. Different varieties, too. I was in the kitchen looking at the spiders, their webs, nests, and yes, egg-sacks. I noticed that one of the common brown house spiders had an egg-sack that had suddenly hatched. What seemed like hundreds of tiny babies were all throwing out strands of thin webbing. It felt like feathers on my face as they made first attempts to launch into the Universe like fearless mini-astronauts. Spiders of all shapes and sizes were indeed all around me at that point--and I was quite happy about it, too--though the thought that some of the egg-sacks would have to be moved outside did cross my mind. I only woke when I realized a man was sitting in the chair right in front of where I was sitting on the floor--the very same chair where the baby spiders had just hatched. He seemed unaware of the invisible highways all around him and the creatures who created them. I was genuinely surprised to see another human, so engrossed was I in this ever-expanding arachnid-world that seemed to be everywhere yet nowhere.
Back in the "real" world, after waking from the land of spiders, I looked at the clock; it was 5:11am. I had woken about an hour before but felt tired so let myself rest. Apparently, between that moment and 5:11am, I had my spider-dream. The first thing I did after getting up was research the meaning of spiders in a dream. But, humans fear spiders--so often see them as the manifestation of negatives like manipulation and isolation. Luckily, I don't. Whenever I see a spider, I say, "Hello, Weaver-of-Destiny!"
No, I'm not joking...I also pray for spiders and all manner of creatures vulnerable to the evils of humanity--even other humans. Don't you???
Spiders are often symbolic of writing, languages, and creativity. In Native American culture, the spider is considered the spirit animal for writers. In Celtic myth, the spider created the Ogham--an ancient Irish written language where each letter is named after a tree. "Ogham stones" can be found all over Ireland and Wales. So can spiders.
Neith is an Egyptian goddess associated with the spider; she dates back more than 6,000-years before Christ's birth and was the mother of the world. Often depicted with a bow and arrow, Neith is also the mother of three sibling-gods that represented chaos/darkness (Apophis), light/life (Ra) and nature/magic/fertility (Sobek). In Asian-Indian mythology, a large spider wove the web that is our Universe, perhaps accounting for eight-armed goddesses like Kali-Durga, who is seen as the ultimate reality in tantric traditions. Hopi Indians have a similar mythology about a female spider sitting at the center of the world--a "web" she both designed and created.
In Africa, Anansi the Spider was a trickster god connected to storytelling and wisdom. He often got the upper hand by weaving a web of words that taught valuable lessons to those in need.
The word "arachnid" even derives from the Greek myth of Arachne. She was a talented young woman who bested the goddess, Athena. Angry and jealous, Athena turned Arachne into a spider--the first spider, according to the myth. However, a perfect spider's web was found frozen in a piece of 110-million-year old amber. But spiders are even older than that. The first true spiders evolved over 380-million-years ago. Humans only began to resemble who we are today about one-million-years ago. Something to think about the next time you have a murderous urge to kill an innocent spider--who, by the way, has no idea you even exist. Here's a helpful hint: If an insect or arachnid is running from you, it's afraid of you. That means you should not kill it; you should, in fact, protect it.
Regarding my dream, spiders represent the infinite worlds and realities I can create with my words. The possibilities are as endless as the webbing I witnessed all over the kitchen in my dream--which is a central space for sustaining and nurturing family, arguably, the "hearth" of any home. Seeing all the egg-sacks, with thoughts of caring for and protecting them, are consistent with other recent dreams. Watching one of the eggs unexpectedly hatch, spilling over with new life and opportunities that were literally hitting me in the face, likely represents new offers for book contracts I received earlier this week. Every unhatched egg-sack is perhaps a symbol of a book idea--something I need to nurture and protect. Keep close, even if I fear venomous creatures may hatch and the "idea" or "book" will have to be moved outside of my home--meaning, kept away from my family.
The man sitting in the chair where the first egg-sack unexpectedly hatched was looking down on me, whereas, I didn't even notice him until he physically pushed his chair back. I was on the floor studying the inter-connectivity of the webbing and the nests of the spiders and watching the babies bravely take off into a brave new world. I'd guess that I woke when I saw the man because I am scared of him. He "looks down" on me, perceiving my love and protection of something as insignificant as a spider as foolish. And, though in the dream, he could not seem to see all the webbing, nests and eggs--they were still prevalent and still existed all around him. When those egg-sacks eventually hatched, he would no longer ignore the spiders in his midst. Perhaps that is my ultimate fear manifesting in the dream--that I am like a spider to this man, who currently does not really see me for who I am, in the same way people tend to not notice a spider hiding in a corner of the ceiling. But, the moment the "real" me becomes visible, this man will try to kill me because, deep-down, he fears me.
The man in the dream was part of the reason I wanted to move the egg-sacks outside; I was afraid he'd kill them--the babies. Crush the new life before it could even be hatched. I guess that's true of how I feel about myself in my current environment, too. Sometimes, I'm afraid I've been damaged or crushed irreparably and will never achieve financial freedom or independence again. My books and book-ideas are my only lifeline keeping me connected to that possible future. The pulsating egg-sacks inside of protective nests is my subconscious reminding me that things not only can change, but, will change. And, soon.
The thick roadways of webbing built by different varieties of spiders working together might represent this very blog. My voice protects me. But it can only do that because of the multitude of readers who are assisting me, now from 124 countries (for which I am both humbled and grateful)! We are quite literally connected by the "world-wide web," an invisible yet indestructible interconnected roadway of life-strands that resonate to the same vibration. Truly, a miracle the likes of which I have never seen. That is what you are to me, dearest readers--miraculous.
My enemies have tried to use bows and arrows against me--but the bow and arrow are held by Neith, mother of the world and weaver of Destiny. My initials spell "RA." I am light and life, Neith's child. My brothers are darkness and chaos, magic and nature. There is nothing and no one that can or will extinguish my fire--not even in death.
My enemies have tried to ensnare me with false words, written and otherwise--but I am the one with the spider-totem. I am the one who not only writes, but reads in more languages than my books are published in. That number is currently nine, in case you were curious.
My enemies have tried to isolate me, make me scared, poor, and unable to earn--but I am Anansi. I patiently use my words to weave wisdom and lessons in order to gain the upper hand.
My enemies believe me as insignificant as a tiny spider on their ceiling or floor--but in reality, I am Kali-Durga, the eight-armed fiery face of life and death. I ride the constellation Leo into battle and defeat the asuras--demons--but from my central seat in the great web of humanity. I even wear skulls around my neck in the form of Alexander McQueen scarves--something that became synonymous with my work on stage as the #PopCultureProfessor.
A Svengali may be likened to a spider, too, but a person who preys on the weakness of others is nothing more and nothing less than human. Very, very human.
I am, too. Human, that is. At least, for now....
#Weaver
Post-script: Shout-out to Michael Madsen, featured in the #KillBill-esque video below. Madsen and I worked together on stage at Comic Con. He was one of the first Hollywood icons I interviewed in front of a live audience; his respect and confidence in me is something I've never forgotten and will always be grateful for.
Sound scary??? Read on!
There were so many of them in the dream. Different varieties, too. I was in the kitchen looking at the spiders, their webs, nests, and yes, egg-sacks. I noticed that one of the common brown house spiders had an egg-sack that had suddenly hatched. What seemed like hundreds of tiny babies were all throwing out strands of thin webbing. It felt like feathers on my face as they made first attempts to launch into the Universe like fearless mini-astronauts. Spiders of all shapes and sizes were indeed all around me at that point--and I was quite happy about it, too--though the thought that some of the egg-sacks would have to be moved outside did cross my mind. I only woke when I realized a man was sitting in the chair right in front of where I was sitting on the floor--the very same chair where the baby spiders had just hatched. He seemed unaware of the invisible highways all around him and the creatures who created them. I was genuinely surprised to see another human, so engrossed was I in this ever-expanding arachnid-world that seemed to be everywhere yet nowhere.
Back in the "real" world, after waking from the land of spiders, I looked at the clock; it was 5:11am. I had woken about an hour before but felt tired so let myself rest. Apparently, between that moment and 5:11am, I had my spider-dream. The first thing I did after getting up was research the meaning of spiders in a dream. But, humans fear spiders--so often see them as the manifestation of negatives like manipulation and isolation. Luckily, I don't. Whenever I see a spider, I say, "Hello, Weaver-of-Destiny!"
No, I'm not joking...I also pray for spiders and all manner of creatures vulnerable to the evils of humanity--even other humans. Don't you???
Spiders are often symbolic of writing, languages, and creativity. In Native American culture, the spider is considered the spirit animal for writers. In Celtic myth, the spider created the Ogham--an ancient Irish written language where each letter is named after a tree. "Ogham stones" can be found all over Ireland and Wales. So can spiders.
Neith is an Egyptian goddess associated with the spider; she dates back more than 6,000-years before Christ's birth and was the mother of the world. Often depicted with a bow and arrow, Neith is also the mother of three sibling-gods that represented chaos/darkness (Apophis), light/life (Ra) and nature/magic/fertility (Sobek). In Asian-Indian mythology, a large spider wove the web that is our Universe, perhaps accounting for eight-armed goddesses like Kali-Durga, who is seen as the ultimate reality in tantric traditions. Hopi Indians have a similar mythology about a female spider sitting at the center of the world--a "web" she both designed and created.
In Africa, Anansi the Spider was a trickster god connected to storytelling and wisdom. He often got the upper hand by weaving a web of words that taught valuable lessons to those in need.
The word "arachnid" even derives from the Greek myth of Arachne. She was a talented young woman who bested the goddess, Athena. Angry and jealous, Athena turned Arachne into a spider--the first spider, according to the myth. However, a perfect spider's web was found frozen in a piece of 110-million-year old amber. But spiders are even older than that. The first true spiders evolved over 380-million-years ago. Humans only began to resemble who we are today about one-million-years ago. Something to think about the next time you have a murderous urge to kill an innocent spider--who, by the way, has no idea you even exist. Here's a helpful hint: If an insect or arachnid is running from you, it's afraid of you. That means you should not kill it; you should, in fact, protect it.
Regarding my dream, spiders represent the infinite worlds and realities I can create with my words. The possibilities are as endless as the webbing I witnessed all over the kitchen in my dream--which is a central space for sustaining and nurturing family, arguably, the "hearth" of any home. Seeing all the egg-sacks, with thoughts of caring for and protecting them, are consistent with other recent dreams. Watching one of the eggs unexpectedly hatch, spilling over with new life and opportunities that were literally hitting me in the face, likely represents new offers for book contracts I received earlier this week. Every unhatched egg-sack is perhaps a symbol of a book idea--something I need to nurture and protect. Keep close, even if I fear venomous creatures may hatch and the "idea" or "book" will have to be moved outside of my home--meaning, kept away from my family.
The man sitting in the chair where the first egg-sack unexpectedly hatched was looking down on me, whereas, I didn't even notice him until he physically pushed his chair back. I was on the floor studying the inter-connectivity of the webbing and the nests of the spiders and watching the babies bravely take off into a brave new world. I'd guess that I woke when I saw the man because I am scared of him. He "looks down" on me, perceiving my love and protection of something as insignificant as a spider as foolish. And, though in the dream, he could not seem to see all the webbing, nests and eggs--they were still prevalent and still existed all around him. When those egg-sacks eventually hatched, he would no longer ignore the spiders in his midst. Perhaps that is my ultimate fear manifesting in the dream--that I am like a spider to this man, who currently does not really see me for who I am, in the same way people tend to not notice a spider hiding in a corner of the ceiling. But, the moment the "real" me becomes visible, this man will try to kill me because, deep-down, he fears me.
The man in the dream was part of the reason I wanted to move the egg-sacks outside; I was afraid he'd kill them--the babies. Crush the new life before it could even be hatched. I guess that's true of how I feel about myself in my current environment, too. Sometimes, I'm afraid I've been damaged or crushed irreparably and will never achieve financial freedom or independence again. My books and book-ideas are my only lifeline keeping me connected to that possible future. The pulsating egg-sacks inside of protective nests is my subconscious reminding me that things not only can change, but, will change. And, soon.
The thick roadways of webbing built by different varieties of spiders working together might represent this very blog. My voice protects me. But it can only do that because of the multitude of readers who are assisting me, now from 124 countries (for which I am both humbled and grateful)! We are quite literally connected by the "world-wide web," an invisible yet indestructible interconnected roadway of life-strands that resonate to the same vibration. Truly, a miracle the likes of which I have never seen. That is what you are to me, dearest readers--miraculous.
My enemies have tried to use bows and arrows against me--but the bow and arrow are held by Neith, mother of the world and weaver of Destiny. My initials spell "RA." I am light and life, Neith's child. My brothers are darkness and chaos, magic and nature. There is nothing and no one that can or will extinguish my fire--not even in death.
My enemies have tried to ensnare me with false words, written and otherwise--but I am the one with the spider-totem. I am the one who not only writes, but reads in more languages than my books are published in. That number is currently nine, in case you were curious.
My enemies have tried to isolate me, make me scared, poor, and unable to earn--but I am Anansi. I patiently use my words to weave wisdom and lessons in order to gain the upper hand.
My enemies believe me as insignificant as a tiny spider on their ceiling or floor--but in reality, I am Kali-Durga, the eight-armed fiery face of life and death. I ride the constellation Leo into battle and defeat the asuras--demons--but from my central seat in the great web of humanity. I even wear skulls around my neck in the form of Alexander McQueen scarves--something that became synonymous with my work on stage as the #PopCultureProfessor.
A Svengali may be likened to a spider, too, but a person who preys on the weakness of others is nothing more and nothing less than human. Very, very human.
I am, too. Human, that is. At least, for now....
#Weaver
Post-script: Shout-out to Michael Madsen, featured in the #KillBill-esque video below. Madsen and I worked together on stage at Comic Con. He was one of the first Hollywood icons I interviewed in front of a live audience; his respect and confidence in me is something I've never forgotten and will always be grateful for.
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