Aloha Daughters of the Goddess,
Please join us in celebrating Grandmother Spider Woman and the Fall Equinox. We'l be singing, drumming and dancing in the Dark Time of the Year!
Celebrate Grandmother Spider Woman
and Fall Equinox: Balance of Dark and Light
Monday, September 22nd; Gathering time is 7:30 p.m.
Clayton (OUTDOOR) locale given upon RSVP
$30 newcomers/$40 one time fee exchange
"Weave and Spin, Weave and Spin; this is how the work begins.
Mend and Heal, Mend and Heal; take the dream and make it real."
Grandmother Spider Woman appears in so many different places and cultures. She is the Great Weaver, the Great Connector. She encourages us to see using 'webbed vision". How are things connected? Her web is the "Spiral of Life." Grandmother Spider Woman reminds us that we are our own lives' Creators. What and how should we create?
Please think on these questions: What is the old baggage that you are still carrying around that doesn’t even belong to you? What relationships, possessions and ideas are ready to go? Barbara Ardinger writes in Goddess Meditations, “Dark work is cleansing, letting go, and destroying one thing so another can be born. There is a definite cycle of creation, destruction, and re-creation to make the necessary changes in our lives.” At this time in the balance of dark and light, we remember that Grandmother Spider Woman as both Destroyer and Creator.
For the altar, please bring a Fall-colored candle in a glass jar (such as a novena candle), and images of Her and Her spiders. Her symbols also include dream catchers and labyrinths. If you are called, please also bring fruits and/or vegetables of the season as gratitude for the Earth’s bounty. Also, this is important: If you have a drum or other percussion instrument, please bring it. We will need everyone’s voice and participation to usher in the next phase of the Wheel!
Please dress warmly (i.e. heavy coat, hat, scarf, gloves, etc.) as we will be outside and we want everyone to feel comfortable. Please remember that we are a Green Temple and ask each Sister to bring her own plate and utensils for our after-ritual feast.
Images of Grandmother Spider Woman:
http://xa3.wanga.com/275c7b1772034171948596/z130585819.jpg
http://allecto.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/spiderwoman.jpg
http://www.artofmelush.com/images/ancientexhimages/spiderfull.jpg
http://www.manataka.org/images/susan_Seddon_Boulet_Shaman_Spider_
Woman.jpg
http://www.mythinglinks.org/GrandmotherSpiderWoman~NavHistory~r25s2~
drksepia~ovalTransp.gif
More about Grandmother Spider Woman and Spiders:
From The Women's Book Myths ad Secrets by Barbara Walker
The spider was a totemic form of the fate-spinner where man’s helplessness in the web of Fate was symbolized by the helplessness of the fly in the spider’s web. The fly was a common archaic symbol of the human soul, even thought to be the actual embodiment of the soul in passage from one life to the next. In Hindu myth, the spider represented Maya, virgin aspect of the Triple Goddess, spinner of magic, fate and earthly appearances. The spider’s web was likened to the Wheel of Fate and the spider to the Goddess as a spinner, sitting at the hub of her wheel. The female spider’s habit of devouring her mate led to identification of the spider with the death goddess.
From Susan Elenor Boulet's Animal Spirit card on Spider:
The symbology of the spider is protection, aid, and wisdom.
Spiders are found throughout the world and appear in the legends of nearly all peoples. They are depicted as helpers, protectors, and creators. The Ojibwa people hang hoops of spider webs over their infants to protect them from harmful influences. Native American peoples from the Southwest of the USA associate the spider with a grandmother spirit who lives underground who is a source of wisdom.
From http://www.rainewalker.com/spiderwoman.htm:
Grandmother Spiderwoman is the divine spinner among Native Americans in the Southwest. Her Web is a shining web of spiritual, human and ecological relationships that has too often become invisible in the contemporary world.
When we work with the Spiderwoman, we are inviting Her to weave us back into the Web, strand by strand, story by story, re-membering our connections, finding our way back to the Center. They say that when Spiderwoman returns, the world will enter a new age.
From http://www.crystalinks.com/mayanspiderwomen.html:
This Spider Woman is now thought to have been a goddess of the underworld, darkness, the earth, water, war, and possibly even creation itself. To the ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica, the jaguar, the owl, and especially the spider were considered creatures of darkness, often found in caves and during the night. The fact that the Teotihuacan Spider Woman is frequently depicted with all of these creatures further supports the idea of her underworld connections.
The "great goddess" is connected to darkness and caves, water, and war. One reason to accept these associations is simply because of the jaguar commonly found in her headdress. The jaguar was arguably the most important animal to the Mesoamericans when it came to mythology. The fact, then, that the Spider Woman was associated with the jaguar suggests her greatness. The largest species of cat in the new world, the jaguar can be active at any time during the day, but is most often seen on the prowl at night, and especially at dusk or dawn. It is no wonder, then, that these ancient people related the big cats to darkness, for they are truly the rulers of the night.
Jaguars are also surprisingly good swimmers and are often found near ponds and small lakes, providing the idea that the 'great goddess' is also related to water.
It was also very common amongst the ancient Mesoamericans to associate jaguars with warfare. This is probably the most obvious symbolism suggested for the big cats, provided their predatory nature, mighty jaws, powerful musculature, and huge claws.
The other animal commonly seen in the goddess's headdress is the owl, providing another reason the Spider Woman is thought to have been a goddess of darkness. The owl is one of the most recognizable nocturnal creatures, and was believed to be a messenger for the lords of the underworld. Burrowing owls were also common in the area, living in old prairie dog burrows and other holes in the ground, further suggesting their relationship to caves and the underworld. In numerous cultures throughout the world, the owl is a symbol of darkness, evil, sorcery, and death, but also revered as magical and wise.
To also have been associated with this bird of the night, the Teotihuacan Spider Woman must have indeed been related to the underworld.The great goddess is mostly recognized because of her unusual relationship with spiders. In many murals, the Spider Woman is shown with many of the scurrying arachnids in the background, on her clothing, or hanging from her arms.
She is often seen with shields decorated with spider webs, further suggesting her relationship with warfare. Then, of course, is the remarkable nosepiece for which the Teotihuacan Spider Woman is most known. This nosepiece is the single most recognizable adornment of the deity, finalizing her transformation into the arachnid-like goddess.
Similar Deity
Interestingly enough, the Spider Woman is not exclusively found in Mesoamerica. Some American Indians in what is now the United States, such as the Pueblo and Navajo worshiped a very similar deity. Referred to as the Spider Grandmother, she shares many traits with the Teotihuacan Spider Woman. Although the idea of this deity originating in Mesoamerica is highly accepted, no one is really sure which culture she initially came from, or how exactly she was passed from one to the other.
Participation Details
Daughters of the Goddess Womyn's Temple is located in the San Francisco Bay Area, with most events held in the East Bay.
If you are interested in participating in a ritual or celebration, please help out by doing the following:
**Please note the revision of participation detail #3.
Please bring a snack to share (if possible, food of the culture we are celebrating) , washable eating utensils (bowl, cup, plate, utensils, etc. In honor of Mother Earth, we do not provide disposable items), a candle (for safety reasons, we highly recommend a candle in a glass container, often called a novena), and pillow or chair to sit on to all rituals. For more information about our rituals please visit our FAQ's page.
Please see our current series schedule and check the web page for the specific ritual to see what items to bring and how to prepare yourself. Please take the time to read this, especially if you are a newcomer. New information is added from time to time so even if you feel you have already seen this, it is important to check back in every now and then.
1. E-Mail, Call Leilani or Write to this announcement list as soon as possible to RSVP--this includes those womyn who have signed up for the series or if you have already informed us that you will be attending. This is not a drop-in circle. Please do not show up if you have not contacted Leilani first.
Call: 925-787-9247
E-Mail: Leilani@Daughtersof theGoddess. com
Please be on time!! Especially if it is an evening ritual, womyn need to get home at a decent hour. If you are late we wait to begin ritual until you arrive unless you call to tell us otherwise.
2. We highly prefer not to collect moneys on the day of the ritual. Please send a check to:
Daughters of the Goddess
3527 Mt. Diablo Blvd., #353
Lafayette, CA 94549.
***Please note, this is not a home address.
You may also pay via PayPal to this email address: Leilani@Daughtersof theGoddess. com.
3. If you tell us that you are attending, you still need to pay for your space even if you don't show up. Once you RSVP, the ritual is designed based on your attendance. Each ritual is designed specifically for the women who have RSVP'd, therefore work has been done and energy has been given towards creating a space for you whether or not you attend. Sorry, no refunds.
4. Feel free to forward this to interested friends and family and tell them to give Leilani a call.
5. If you have never been to the circle you need to call Leilani first so she can meet you over the phone; this is not a drop in circle. Please do not show up if you have not contacted Leilani first.
We know this sounds like a lot of rules, but it greatly helps the cohesiveness, safety and integrity of the circle, and we don't use up precious ritual time going over these logistics.
Thanks for your kokua/help for helping us manage the wonderful growth we are experiencing in our Temple. I ask that you do your best to be accountable for all the things that are being asked.
See you there.
Leilani
High Priestess, Daughters of the Goddess Womyn's Temple
Leilani@Daughtersof theGoddess. com
