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Sacred Medicine of Bee, Butterfly, Earthworm, and Spider
Shamanic Teachers of the Instar Medicine Wheel
Published by Bear & Company
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
Table of Contents
About The Book
Spiritual lessons from insect archetypes of the Medicine Wheel
• Reveals the sacred wisdom inherent in Honeybee’s pollinating, Butterfly’s transformation, Spider’s weaving, and Earthworm’s recycling
• Provides experiential practices, such as Shamanic Breathwork journeys, to connect with insect teachers and harness their consciousness-activating patterns
• Shows how Dragonfly, Cicada, and Cricket connect us with the Great Star Nations, the depths of Mother Earth, and the music of life
• Includes access to Cricket Chorus Meditation audio tracks
Our insect brothers and sisters are some of the most ancient beings and teachers on planet Earth. Their powerful skills of adaptation and their plight, such as the widespread colony collapse facing honeybees, have brought them to the forefront of collective consciousness, as every being on Earth faces a time of incredible transformation. The archetypal energies of these sacred Wisdomkeepers can guide us through this evolutionary time with new pathways of shamanic healing and transformation to realize the highest potential of humanity.
Exploring the insect and arachnid archetypes of the Sacred Instar Medicine Wheel, authors Linda Star Wolf and Anna Cariad-Barrett reveal the consciousness-activating patterns in the pollen flight of Honeybee, the transformative chrysalis of Butterfly, the creative weavings of Spider, and the alchemical recycling of old into new of Earthworm. They show how Dragonfly, Cicada, and Cricket connect us with the Great Star Nations, the depths of Mother Earth, and the music of life, as demonstrated on the accompanying audio tracks. Each chapter includes experiential practices, such as Shamanic Breathwork journeys, to help you embody the strengths of these humble teachers, live within the natural cycles of planet Earth, and discover a higher octave of sacred purpose.
• Reveals the sacred wisdom inherent in Honeybee’s pollinating, Butterfly’s transformation, Spider’s weaving, and Earthworm’s recycling
• Provides experiential practices, such as Shamanic Breathwork journeys, to connect with insect teachers and harness their consciousness-activating patterns
• Shows how Dragonfly, Cicada, and Cricket connect us with the Great Star Nations, the depths of Mother Earth, and the music of life
• Includes access to Cricket Chorus Meditation audio tracks
Our insect brothers and sisters are some of the most ancient beings and teachers on planet Earth. Their powerful skills of adaptation and their plight, such as the widespread colony collapse facing honeybees, have brought them to the forefront of collective consciousness, as every being on Earth faces a time of incredible transformation. The archetypal energies of these sacred Wisdomkeepers can guide us through this evolutionary time with new pathways of shamanic healing and transformation to realize the highest potential of humanity.
Exploring the insect and arachnid archetypes of the Sacred Instar Medicine Wheel, authors Linda Star Wolf and Anna Cariad-Barrett reveal the consciousness-activating patterns in the pollen flight of Honeybee, the transformative chrysalis of Butterfly, the creative weavings of Spider, and the alchemical recycling of old into new of Earthworm. They show how Dragonfly, Cicada, and Cricket connect us with the Great Star Nations, the depths of Mother Earth, and the music of life, as demonstrated on the accompanying audio tracks. Each chapter includes experiential practices, such as Shamanic Breathwork journeys, to help you embody the strengths of these humble teachers, live within the natural cycles of planet Earth, and discover a higher octave of sacred purpose.
Excerpt
Chapter 6
Spider
The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web.
--Pablo Picasso
Imagine moving with the delicate speed of eight legs and looking out at the world through multiple eyes. Imagine floating through the air on a strand of silken gossamer and weaving a home from the imaginings of your inner self. Imagine living--receptive and open to the elements--listening to the vibrations and aliveness of the Web of Life. The intricate dance of Spider teaches us about the qualities of harmonic leadership and service, how to open into our visionary natures, and how to weave our medicine into the Web of Life for the highest good of future generations.
EXPLORING SPIDER’S PLACE ON THE MEDICINE WHEEL
The North Direction, Connection to the Ancestors, and Wise Elder Phase of Life
Spider is the keeper of the North Direction: the place of the wise, responsible elder, the ancestors, and the season of winter. After the leaves of autumn have fallen, we come into a place of stillness. The richness of life--our experiences, lessons, and developed abilities--is carried within our beings. Our outward energetic expressions now turn inward. Our entire life journey has prepared us for this moment: to turn our attention into the stillness, into the void, into the cosmic darkness of galactic center.
The winter of life, our elder years, is a rich phase in which we have the ability to make meaning of our past experiences, to find greater purpose for our long-developed gifts and abilities, to move increasingly beyond the mundane creations of physical existence into the spiritual, etheric realm. It is a unique opportunity to synthesize the meaning of our life journey with our increasing ability to enter the veils of universal reality.
Spider reminds us that elderhood is a special and revered place on the Instar Medicine Wheel. We need our elders to empower themselves, to listen to the call of Spirit and teach us the wisdom they hear among the stars, from the call of wild birds, from the visions they receive from Universal Source. In the in-breath and out-breath of life, elderhood represents the moment in between--just as the winter is the quiet, still point between the disintegration of autumn and the new creations of spring. In the quiet of winter, we breathe fully into our bodies, feeling the rich oxygen permeate and enliven our cells. Then we begin the out-breath: releasing into spirit, into the veils beyond physical existence. There is a spark of possibility--the source of imaginal creativity--inherent in this moment. From this place, we connect fully to the Divine universe and through our beings come the weavings, dreams, visions, and wisdom of our Spider nature. We become the ancestral creator, keeper of the North, keeper of the new dreams for humanity and all creation.
It is important to note that while human elderhood is usually found in the later years of the human life cycle, the wise elder can be embodied at any point of life. The developmental evolution of consciousness is a unique process for each person and is not limited to a certain decade or concrete definition. In addition, many beings are coming to Earth at this time who have within them vast wisdom, heart, and cosmic awareness. They need simply to be supported and sometimes activated by life to step in to their identity as wise cosmic elders. These children are pure dreaming conduits who have much to teach those of us learning to embody our sacred purpose in this lifetime. As we have discussed, the Instar Medicine Wheel is not meant to be a linear process. Rather, we spiral round and round, integrating and experiencing new facets of the archetypes throughout our lives.
TRANSFORMATION
Receiving Future Visions for Tomorrow’s Highest Good
Spider teaches us that leadership is not about being a prominent, hierarchical figure who oversees life from above. Instead, we are encouraged to weave ourselves into the Web of Life, co-creatively collaborating, imbuing the web with our wisdom, and receiving the nourishment of the entire interconnected network of the universe.
We cannot contribute and enhance the Web of Life, if we do not open ourselves to the essential learning and growth of human experiences. Through this Instar transformational process, just like Spider, we molt and evolve our consciousness into new forms, many times. We are transformed, and so we become wise shamanic elders and leaders--capable of transforming and harmonizing the web itself.
This is the leadership archetype that Spider teaches:
- being open and receptive,
- integrating one’s own learning and transforming it into medicine,
- learning to weave oneself deeply within the entire web of interconnected life,
- understanding our humanity in relationship to all beings,
- building frameworks that bring new dreams,
- and weaving these dreams into physical form in service to future generations.
Spider may appear to be solitary, but this an illusion. It has woven itself into the very fabric of the universe; swaying with the breeze, communing with the starlight, speaking and listening to the Web of Life.
Spider Invocation
Sacred Celestial Grandmother, grant us now the gift of becoming dream catchers through your patient persistence in weaving the magical silk web from our heart’s secret longing into creation. Show us the way. Ancient One, teach us as we observe in wonderment and awe the sacred manifestation of what was once within yourself now cast as a sacred net out into the world, so that we too may remember that we have all of what we need deeply embedded within ourselves to attract and create our futures, while living in sacred harmony within the great Web of Life. Show us the way. May we learn to honor the wisdom of the wise elders and awaken the spirit of truth within ourselves. Show us the way.
Spider
The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web.
--Pablo Picasso
Imagine moving with the delicate speed of eight legs and looking out at the world through multiple eyes. Imagine floating through the air on a strand of silken gossamer and weaving a home from the imaginings of your inner self. Imagine living--receptive and open to the elements--listening to the vibrations and aliveness of the Web of Life. The intricate dance of Spider teaches us about the qualities of harmonic leadership and service, how to open into our visionary natures, and how to weave our medicine into the Web of Life for the highest good of future generations.
EXPLORING SPIDER’S PLACE ON THE MEDICINE WHEEL
The North Direction, Connection to the Ancestors, and Wise Elder Phase of Life
Spider is the keeper of the North Direction: the place of the wise, responsible elder, the ancestors, and the season of winter. After the leaves of autumn have fallen, we come into a place of stillness. The richness of life--our experiences, lessons, and developed abilities--is carried within our beings. Our outward energetic expressions now turn inward. Our entire life journey has prepared us for this moment: to turn our attention into the stillness, into the void, into the cosmic darkness of galactic center.
The winter of life, our elder years, is a rich phase in which we have the ability to make meaning of our past experiences, to find greater purpose for our long-developed gifts and abilities, to move increasingly beyond the mundane creations of physical existence into the spiritual, etheric realm. It is a unique opportunity to synthesize the meaning of our life journey with our increasing ability to enter the veils of universal reality.
Spider reminds us that elderhood is a special and revered place on the Instar Medicine Wheel. We need our elders to empower themselves, to listen to the call of Spirit and teach us the wisdom they hear among the stars, from the call of wild birds, from the visions they receive from Universal Source. In the in-breath and out-breath of life, elderhood represents the moment in between--just as the winter is the quiet, still point between the disintegration of autumn and the new creations of spring. In the quiet of winter, we breathe fully into our bodies, feeling the rich oxygen permeate and enliven our cells. Then we begin the out-breath: releasing into spirit, into the veils beyond physical existence. There is a spark of possibility--the source of imaginal creativity--inherent in this moment. From this place, we connect fully to the Divine universe and through our beings come the weavings, dreams, visions, and wisdom of our Spider nature. We become the ancestral creator, keeper of the North, keeper of the new dreams for humanity and all creation.
It is important to note that while human elderhood is usually found in the later years of the human life cycle, the wise elder can be embodied at any point of life. The developmental evolution of consciousness is a unique process for each person and is not limited to a certain decade or concrete definition. In addition, many beings are coming to Earth at this time who have within them vast wisdom, heart, and cosmic awareness. They need simply to be supported and sometimes activated by life to step in to their identity as wise cosmic elders. These children are pure dreaming conduits who have much to teach those of us learning to embody our sacred purpose in this lifetime. As we have discussed, the Instar Medicine Wheel is not meant to be a linear process. Rather, we spiral round and round, integrating and experiencing new facets of the archetypes throughout our lives.
TRANSFORMATION
Receiving Future Visions for Tomorrow’s Highest Good
Spider teaches us that leadership is not about being a prominent, hierarchical figure who oversees life from above. Instead, we are encouraged to weave ourselves into the Web of Life, co-creatively collaborating, imbuing the web with our wisdom, and receiving the nourishment of the entire interconnected network of the universe.
We cannot contribute and enhance the Web of Life, if we do not open ourselves to the essential learning and growth of human experiences. Through this Instar transformational process, just like Spider, we molt and evolve our consciousness into new forms, many times. We are transformed, and so we become wise shamanic elders and leaders--capable of transforming and harmonizing the web itself.
This is the leadership archetype that Spider teaches:
- being open and receptive,
- integrating one’s own learning and transforming it into medicine,
- learning to weave oneself deeply within the entire web of interconnected life,
- understanding our humanity in relationship to all beings,
- building frameworks that bring new dreams,
- and weaving these dreams into physical form in service to future generations.
Spider may appear to be solitary, but this an illusion. It has woven itself into the very fabric of the universe; swaying with the breeze, communing with the starlight, speaking and listening to the Web of Life.
Spider Invocation
Sacred Celestial Grandmother, grant us now the gift of becoming dream catchers through your patient persistence in weaving the magical silk web from our heart’s secret longing into creation. Show us the way. Ancient One, teach us as we observe in wonderment and awe the sacred manifestation of what was once within yourself now cast as a sacred net out into the world, so that we too may remember that we have all of what we need deeply embedded within ourselves to attract and create our futures, while living in sacred harmony within the great Web of Life. Show us the way. May we learn to honor the wisdom of the wise elders and awaken the spirit of truth within ourselves. Show us the way.
Product Details
- Publisher: Bear & Company (January 4, 2013)
- Length: 256 pages
- ISBN13: 9781591431497
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Raves and Reviews
“Linda Star Wolf and Anna Cariad-Barrett bring a unique and fresh perspective to the teachings of the medicine wheel. By weaving together the lessons of Bee, Butterfly, Earthworm, and Spider, the authors show how essential these teachings are in understanding transformation and evolution. This is a beautiful, inspirational, and powerful book!”
– Sandra Ingerman, author of Soul Retrieval and Medicine for the Earth
“Please get this book and get back in touch with your mother--Nature. Reading about the sacredness of our earth creatures, the wild soul within you is ignited. Come to life! For anyone who wants to sustain themselves and the earth, this book is the medicine.”
– James M. Wanless, Ph.D., author of Sustainable Life and Voyager Tarot Deck
“In this inspirational book bursting with ancient wisdom, we are reminded that some of the greatest examples of transformation occur in some of the smallest creatures upon the planet, such as the Honeybee, the Spider, the Worm, and the Butterfly. Together, like the medicine wheel, they remind us that life consists of continual cycles of creativity and change.”
– Christine R. Page, M.D., author of The Healing Power of the Sacred Woman
“The authors weave a fascinating tapestry of insight, arriving at the sacred consciousness of our interconnection with the innate wisdom, power, and love carried forward by early creation. A magical journey comes alive to the reader, quite an experiential book to read!”
– Peter Amato, author of Soul Silence
“We live in a time where increasing numbers of people are turning once again toward the complex library of Nature, within which everything is true. The authors are to be commended for they have created sacred medicine to help us access those natural truths for guidance and wisdom.”
– Hank Wesselman, Ph.D., anthropologist and author of The Bowl of Light and coauthor of Awakening to t
“Sacred Medicine of Bee, Butterfly, Earthworm, and Spider illuminates the fascinating cycles, wisdom, and guidance of the insect realm. This beautiful, inspiring, and visionary text encourages us to walk the path of our soul’s evolution with the support of the infinite depths of Nature’s wisdom as our guide.”
– Danielle Rama Hoffman, author of The Temples of Light and founder of Divine Transmissions and Thoth&
“The medicine wheel is a powerful and tangible path that has long been the basis for many people’s spiritual walk. Star Wolf and Anna now offer a new dimension to these ancient teachings with the Instar Medicine Wheel. This is sure to be a great new tool in anyone’s medicine bag.”
– Rev. Kathryn Ravenwood, author of How to Create Sacred Water
“What a marvelous window this book provides into the magic, medicine, and mystery of the earth’s smallest creatures and their connection not only to us but also to the stars. The visionary authors of Sacred Medicine of Bee, Butterfly, Earthworm, and Spider show us how these teachers are guiding us to our greater humanity.”
– Thea Summer Deer, author of Wisdom of the Plant Devas and clinical herbalist and medical intuitive
“Sacred Medicine of Bee, Butterfly, Earthworm, and Spider introduces the Instar Medicine Wheel, a unique medicine wheel that responds to the need for gentle earth-based assistance as we collectively experience the growing pains of being birthed into a new reality.”
– Gail Lord, Spirit of Change, March 2013
“A refreshing dive into the living experience of Native American spirituality by two of the finest living translators of these traditions. How can one not love this book?”
– Allan Leslie Combs, Ph.D., director of the Center for Consciousness Studies, California Institute of
“These insects teach us about renewal, strength, and illumination. As you journey through the pages of this wonderful book, may the shaman in all of you awaken to the beauty and power of the insect kingdom.”
– Panther Wind Woman (Wind Daughter), medicine chief of the Panther Lodge Medicine Society and keeper
“This unique book of spiritual lessons from insect archetypes of the Medicine Wheel reveals the sacred wisdom inherent in Honeybee’s pollinating, Butterfly’s transformation, Spider’s weaving, and Earthworm’s recycling. It provides experiential practices, such as Shamanic Breathwork journeys, to connect with insect teachers and harness their consciousness-activating patterns.”
– Branches of Light, June 2013
“According to the authors, ‘insect wisdom’ is magic waiting to happen, as we learn to honor their creative tendrils into the collective web of life. Here we are shown the value of these tiny creatures and how to embody them into our world. From the earthworm to the butterfly, including vibration healing stories about the medicine wheel, and everywhere within the vast sphere of these items, we are pointed to the divine and a lesson that can be learned from each. ”
– Awareness Magazine, July 2013
“All of life is interrelated and interconnected, and this amazing book shows how and why that will impact your life.”
– Von Braschler, author of Seven Secrets of Time Travel
“Sacred Medicine of Bee, Butterfly, Earthworm, and Spider is a beautiful and significant book.”
– Nita Gage, Ph.D., director of Healer Within Retreats, cofounder of NeuroImaginal Institute, and auth
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