Insect Insights

I don't like bugs!

Me and mosquitoes don't get along. They sting me. I itch, scab and scar.

Spiders are cool if they are outside and scorpions creep me out, especially when they are the size of mini-lobsters (OK. There were only two of them and they were only about 6" long, but when they are in your bedroom, "objects appear larger than what they are.")

Last week I had a black widow outside of my office door and for the past four days, I have had a praying mantis clinging to the screen door to my office. It looks like she may be pregnant because her belly is bulging, but I have no idea what time of year these insects give birth/hatch/lay eggs???

What are these creatures here to tell me?

In looking up these bugs in my book, Animal-Speak, by Ted Andrews, I found a deeper reason to why they are hanging around (and I don't think it's a sign to call the pest control people).

According to Animal Speak, the spider:

"...teaches you to maintain a balance between past and future, physical and spiritual, male and female. Spider also teaches you that everything you now do is weaving what you will encounter in the future. In the tarot deck, this is the Wheel of Fortune. This is a card that has to do with rhythms -- the rise and fall, the flow and flux...The spider reminds us that we are in the center of own world. (pp. 345-347)

And the message for praying mantis include:

The keynote for this insect is the power of stillness. Through learning to still the outer mind and go within, we can draw upon greater power -- physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual. That stillness can be simple contemplation, a meditation or even sleep and dreams....Mantis comes from a Greek word meaning 'Prophet.' If we learn to go into the stillness, we can open ourselves to prophecy." (pg. 343)

Knowing this, I can see why these two bugs came into my life and hovered around and on my office door.

In the past two weeks, I have added to my meditation time about 15-30 minutes of automatic writing. This is where I just write what pops into my head. When I re-read these messages, they are so eloquent. They must be messages from my higher self, the Divine, the angels, or some other power beyond my humanly existence.

The spider and the praying mantis came into my life to remind me to stay balanced, be silent and connect with my higher self. They are affirmations that this time in quiet meditation, listening and writing are helping me to clarify my purpose and deepen my intuitive gifts.

Thank you, my dear bugs, for the wonderful messages. (P.S. Just stay out of my bedroom, please.)