I didn’t realize how soon spiritual lessons I learned from spinning yarn might need to be applied to a serious life challenge. But even when life tangles like yarn, Arachne’s web of life nurtures me.
I spin yarn on sticks:
August 18: Interesting event for me last night, as a spiritual seeker and newbie spinner: I spent hours untangling a piece of yarn. The unknotting process varied from maddeningly aggravating to mystically graceful to hurting my back to figuring out ways to make untangling not stress my body. Spread through all those moments, life lessons came.
I’d finally spun a single length of yarn that was quite long. When I was setting the yarn, it became tangled. After I untangled it, which took quite a while, lo and behold it tangled again. I untangled it. It tangled a third time.
This was because I didn’t know how to properly fasten such a long length.
Where has my/your life tangled because I/you did not organize it better?
Great Mother Goddess and Arachne and all my other Gods, help me keep my life untangled.
I finally permanently unsnarled the yarn by wrapping each end onto something so the ends couldn’t retangle while I was unknotting the mess. (Yes, that’s an obvious solution. But I’d tried it early in the process, and the wrapped ends were too bulky to move through all the little knots I was undoing. I finally worked around that.)
I finished untangling by 6 AM. Have had wicked insomnia lately. After spending insomniac hours in a yarn labyrinth, I knew my yarn really well. Previously, I’d worried if my spinnings were strong enough. Well, in all that untangling and knotting and unknotting, my yarn did not break once. It was silk and maybe some bamboo, and it was solid solid solid.
I also got to see the beauty and nature of yarn in general and of mine in particular.
Has untangling one of my (your) life problems helped me (you) recognize the nature and beauty of my (your) life and realize my (your) strengths?
My Gods, show me the lessons in life’s tanglings.
The yarn may not be quite as “pretty” as before I pried at it for hours to get out knots. That too was a lesson because even if some unwound to return closer to being roving, it remained unbroken despite being stressed by the unknotting process. I’m going to let my spinnings just be what they are and stop worrying about someone else’s standards or aggravating my hands trying to remove slubs or other imperfections. Mind you, I was already going with the flow to a great degree but now I will do it more.
Where in my (your) life does perfectionism hurt me (you)?
My Gods, keep me from acts and thoughts that harm my body and spirit.
Below are all the yarns I set last night (still a bit wet), including the one that repeatedly tangled. Yes, there’s a short length of yarn wrapped around the vase. I had to cut a small piece off to get the tangles undone; the vase stood in for a niddy noddy as did the stick shuttle. There’s a quarter and a nickel in the picture for scale. Some of the yarn is quite fine which added to the likelihood of tangling and the difficulty of untangling. I’m so proud and happy as a new spinner to have made this yarn.
As a child, I had few art supplies and none of them were quality. The upside: I learned to create with whatever existed. A friend of mine says, “Francesca, you actually could make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.”
I eventually learned to buy myself supplies, and good ones at that, but I still forget to acquire supplies sometimes.
While untangling, I pondered the gads of spinning and weaving paraphernalia a generous friend has sent me. This reminded me to make sure I purchase whatever spinning and weaving supplies will help me be less limited by my disabilities, will help me not exacerbate injuries I have, and will just help me creatively!
This morning I bought three small PVC-pipe niddy noddies, which will stop yarn from tangling and just generally speaking make setting my yarn less stressful on my body. I can submerge these niddy noddies in water!
What do I/you need right now for self-care physically, spiritually, and creatively?
My Gods, show me what I need and how to get it.
Not having the tool I needed snowballed into other problems: while untangling, I walked across the kitchen to release my sore back and dropped the yarn on the floor exactly where the cat had deposited a gob of cat food. Back to the sink to rewash the yarn, which caused the second of the three tanglings.
Is there some way I—or you—do not take care of business—e.g., acquire tools needed to be creative, eat healthily, listen to our feelings—and it snowballs?
My Gods, help me take care of myself.
August 19: When up all night de-knotting, I’d hoped to remember the lessons it taught me. I guess they were given me at just the right time: today I received a major knotted quandary; due to cruel bureaucracy, in two weeks I’ll lose a resource that is pivotal to keeping me physically alive. I cannot physically survive without this resource, but only wealthy people have enough money to pay for it. I might be able to pay for a bit of it each month—I have to check my finances to see if tightening my belt will make it possible—but it would not be sufficient.
There are many huge knots to undo. Our medical system is tied in endless tangles—ranging from lack of qualified doctors where I live to corrupt personnel blocking medical care—that will make it hard to find a solution.
What spiritual and magical lessons have I/you learned recently that need to be remembered and applied?
I don’t know how all my insomniac night’s revelations are relevant to my crisis, because it only occurred hours ago. But I’ll explore the possibilities, suspecting Divine Synchronicity gave me lessons right when they’d be needed. I do know I don’t want untangling this crisis to hurt my body or keep me up till six a.m.
Great Mother Goddess and Arachne and all my other Gods, please help me always apply my shamanism when push comes to shove and show me how to apply it.
I pledge to you: right now, I release the panic that’s at the base of my spine because otherwise it will exacerbate Multiple Sclerosis symptoms, and my health will deteriorate.
Please give me the tools to feel the panic (which rises inevitably when one faces a life-and-death situation) but not live in it.
Please give me tools to stay serene both for my health and so I’m clearheaded about how to overcome the medical situation.
Help me untangle my thoughts, feelings, and the dilemma.
I’m grateful to be teaching shamanic classes, acting as a spiritual guide, and giving direct spiritual transmissions because lessons and blessings I convey come to me as well and are exactly what I need to stay sane and proactive right now, thank you.
Thank You for all you give me.
So mote it be!
