Sometimes messengers come in many forms.
When our spirit guides have a message for us, they can be persistent about providing signs. Animal spirit guides are no different. Last evening, while preparing for my evening yoga practice, I felt very strongly a sensation of being watched. I was alone in the room except for a sleeping puppy. I tried to shake the feeling but it was growing stronger by the minute. So I stood still and allowed the feeling to wash over me. My eyes were guided towards the ceiling above the fireplace mantel, where I spied a giant wolf spider. I have always had a fear of spiders. So many eyes! So many legs! So many opportunities to sneak up on me! Age and education about spiders has alleviated that fear to some extent and I’ve grown to appreciate the beauty of spiders and their intricate and varied webs and importance to the ecosystem. However, when one sees a spider the size of one’s palm, well… suffice it to say that it was not a comfortable moment for me. (Especially as I have what Jerry Seinfeld once comically referred to as Man Hands. I can easily reach an octave on a piano with room to spare.)
Spider had her eyes focused on me and so after my breathing returned to a normal rate, I turned my focus to her. I haven’t spent much time communicating with arachnids but I felt her reassurance that she meant no harm. In turn I reassured Spider that I would see her safely returned to the outdoor world. To facilitate this, I politely asked her to move towards the window so I could open it and let her out. She politely refused. I enlisted the help of my spouse, who after his initial exclamation of “That spider has FANGS!” quickly set up a catch and release system involving a shoe box and an open french door. I say quickly, but this operation took at least 20 minutes because of my need to periodically run from the room to shake off the sensation of spiders crawling on me.
Once we agreed that using sticks, brooms, and other such items were out of the question as we could unintentionally harm Spider, the question was how to compel Spider to move out the door, or failing that, to compel her safely into the box so we could carry her out the door. I tried ting sha chimes – perhaps high frequency sound would help. Nope. Chanting because I thought maybe she’d object to the sound of my voice. Nope. She wasn’t moving until she had delivered her message. So I focused on Spider and her energy field. And it hit me. Spiders are spirit guides of creativity, encouraging us to express ourselves through written words. I suddenly understood why in recent weeks I had seen more spiders in our house than we had seen in the past decade. It took a very big spirit guide Spider to get my attention.
Aha! In the soft glow of the light bulb that now appeared over my head, I promised Spider that I would begin to write. I would journal! Record my lucid dreams! You can go back outside now Spider. Nope, Spider didn’t move. I could almost hear her sighing at my denseness. She stared at me, I stared back. The light bulb over my head glowed a tiny bit brighter and it came to me - I’ll write that blog I’d promised. I felt Spider think “finally!” and could swear she was shaking her head in frustrated approval.
And yet, she stayed up there by the ceiling, staring down at me. Finally, I lit a smudge stick, offered her thanks for bringing her message and again encouraged her to vacate the house and move outdoors to a more spider-friendly environment. As the smudge smoke drifted towards her, she waved one leg in farewell and then began slowly spinning down a silk thread of webbing, landing gently in the shoe box.
My husband, patiently waiting for Spider and I to finish our interactions, grabbed the box, courageously pausing at the open door to ask just where exactly he should set Spider down. Fortunately, Spider was not inclined to leave the shoe box to crawl up his arm and she was safely delivered to the woods behind the house.
As a child, I loved to write, jotting down silly poems, song lyrics, story ideas. As an adult my writing has been confined to emails, texts, policy documents and program evaluations. Pretty dry, straight-forward stuff. As my federal career draws to a close, Spider has come to show me that it’s time to again explore the creativity of the written word.
Take note of the wildlife that you encounter in daily life. When you see or hear an animal, bird, insect, etc. that isn’t normally about, pay attention. If you suddenly find yourself seeing the same creature over and over, ask yourself, is this a messenger? Ask the animal, what message do you have for me? Allow time and space for the answer to be made clear. There are many books and websites that can help you interpret what messages are associated with an animal. Don’t discount your own feelings about the symbolism of that animal. Use your intuition to guide your understanding. Consider the natural traits of the animal. Do you recognize those traits in yourself? Perhaps you could benefit from developing one or two of those traits.
The natural world has so much information and wisdom to impart. Open your eyes and ears and heart and let it all in!
Beth Cavalier of Changing Seasons Healing Arts is an animal communicator, Reiki Master and EMC instructor- contact her for a session here.