today i'm remembering that fear often stands in front of the wisdom we need.
now, i'm too stubborn and proud to let anything "scare" me for long. i'll hide and cry for a little while, but i quickly get tired of myself. eventually, i'll crawl out, take a deep breath, and bulldoze over whatever had the nerve to frighten me in the first place.
generally, this works.
but not with spiders.
i've been terrified of spiders my entire life. there was no horrible incident or movie that did it. it just was. they show up in dreams, and i scream until i wake myself up.
as a child, i would wake my father--something of a cardinal sin in our house, given his work schedule--to do it for me. he was always very compassionate about it.
if i had to deal with my mother, she'd click her tongue and chastise the phobia. she was into the "you're bigger" and "they're more afraid of you" method, but it didn't work. size didn't matter, and if they were so scared, how come they didn't move like birds when i made loud noises or waved my arms?
if they show up in my house, that's a wrap. if someone else is there--particularly a man--i have them stomp the ferocious insect out. 'cause, you know, it takes me forever to find something large/long enough where i don't have to be right in its face to kill it. and i can barely look at it to verify its demise, but i have to in order to be at peace.
god help me if i swat at it and it jumps. or runs away so i have no idea where it is.
i've been known to spend a night somewhere other than my bed after a failed squashing attempt.
yes, it's that serious.
i feel awful about this fear, particularly given my general indifference towards most other insects (i.e., i don't really like 'em, but they don't frighten me). i often beg forgiveness before i smash them, aware that many cultures see spiders as good, helpful bugs and spiritual messengers.
i know grandmother spider is here to help me. we've talked. i know she wants to show me how to weave all my selves, gifts, and ideas into a self contained whole. she's resourceful, living anywhere. she's strong, and so is her web. i've already been bitten.
who do you think taught you to make connections, weave thoughts? when you expand and your aura easily stretches across at least half a dozen pathways, who else do you think could have shown you that?
some of my greatest fears have been of my power, rooted in the notion that if i were to truly delve into myself, my deepest desires, dreams and ways of being, that'd be too much for this this existence. i already feel alone enough; i need to be normal.
as soon as i found writings speaking of spider as expansion, i understood a little more about my fear.
even so, i've been floundering for some time, and, frankly, i'm tired of it.
i am more aware of my gifts than i've ever been, but i struggle with creating a cohesive whole.
i know i need to center myself and begin weaving.
for me, in this lifetime, grandmother spider stands at that gateway. if i'm going to pass through and gain the wisdom i need, she must be given her due.
*deep breath*
may the lessons be gentle. and the apparitions few.
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