| weaving our way
around
and round we go
and where we split and tear
we dart and tuck, we seam,
we mend
we yield and bend and wind
our way
together toward the light Abagail Brown, Lady-Unique
The legend of Spiderwoman, of the Pueblo peoples, is that
She created (spun) the world (web) and wove a web-thread coming
out of each being's head. Native American legends speak of
connecting with the Spiderwoman by opening the tops of our
heads with chanting. She will then spin her awesome Goddess
spirit into our bodies.
Spidrwoman is portrayed as one being, in her three aspects:
as the Maiden she spins the wheel of life, as the Mother she
weaves the web, and as the Crone she cuts the thread of time.
The Moirae were three wise womyn who, according to Greek tradition,
wove the fate of humanity. The wheel and web are both traditional
symbols of destiny. Arachne, the Spiderwoman, was once a mighty
Goddess of creation who wove time and circumstance, and was
associated with webs and chariot wheels. She was thought to
be the thirteenth sign of the zodiac. Later, the powers of
these weaving Goddesses were trivialized, as were many ancient
women's skills. Yet, the archetype of womon as weaver and
spinner still resonates with the traditional card of fate,
the Wheel of Fortune. Internalizing this archetype can assist
us in seeing ourselves as weavers or creators of our own lives.
This is an important reclaiming, considering we live in a
society which teaches us that women cannot create their realities.
This card represents life as a living wheel and the wheel
of karma, whereby we experience the results of the seeds we
have planted in the past. Each time a similar situation comes
around, we remember its lessons more clearly, until we can
anticipate and time responses of our choosing. As we become
more aware of the results of our acts, we develop more control
over them. Our sense of destiny becomes a positive trust in
life. Of course, great responsibility comes with this skill,
and sometimes we wonder which is easier, the way of the innocent
who steps blindly into joys and sorrows, or the way of The
Wise One who must make so many careful decisions based on
Her knowledge. For centuries scholars have searched for the
perfect formula for turning the wheel of life, while some
mystics urge us to get off it altogether, dismissing it as
illusion, and therefore, rendering it unnecessary. The Pagan
approach is to welcome it as a miracle, celebrating the major
landmarks as sacred rituals with poetic ecstasy.
If you get this card in a reading you might be dealing with
a sudden shift of events, experiencing the consequences of
your deeds or those of your group. The nature of your fortunes
should be reflected in the cards nearby. You are lucky now,
and it appears that fate has stepped in, bringing a whole
new turn of circumstances. Appearance of the Spider Woman
shows us how we can do things differently the next time around
on the Wheel of Fortune. She also gives us the strength to
change.
Reversed meanings indicate that you are losing your connection
with Goddess and your ability to create new realities. It
can also mean that you are harvesting the fruits of a not-so-positive
planting that you sowed in the past.
So all forms repeat, return,
Rebirth, dissolve, reflect forever
Down the passages of space and time,
Each birth the same, yet ever new
Universes blooming into unimagined worlds
That yet shall be Shekhinah Mountainwater |