I've written extensively -- detractors might even say ad nauseum -- about experiences with spiders and
Cobweb essence, particularly the ways the essence has helped me through the periodic dark days of my writing
career. (See them here
and here.) There's
always more, and this part of the saga is one that I think can uplift seniors who, like myself,
are struggling to adapt to the rigors of retirement. These last few days, I've been trying to stave off
discouragement about the failure of my latest dream, which is to teach other hopeful authors what I've
learned about writing through these many years. The response to months of diligent promotional attempts to establish online classes could not even be described as tepid. It's more like non-existent.
Oh, I made a remedy mix and included the usual suspects -- Gorse for deep discouragement, Borage for cheerful courage, Larch for those who are afraid to try, Madia and Blackberry for perseverance, Goldenrod for holding to your vision despite lack of validation from others, and Oak for those who are ready to give up after a long, hard struggle. I thought of adding Cobweb, since it had several times helped me pull it back together after failing to realize my writing aims, that powerful one for weaving lost strands back into your life. But I resisted -- nope, not this time, not gonna do it. I never said I wasn't stubborn.
Dewy spider webs glinting in the sunrise began to catch my eye when I went outdoors for an early morning communion
with the earth. That happened again this morning, again the thought of adding Cobweb to the mix came up,
and again I sneered. I then "coincidentally" boiled some eggs, a rare occasion because it's frustrating that I can never seem to get
the shells off cleanly like regular people. I tapped an eggshell to begin cracking it, and was dumbstruck to note
that the circular pattern of the cracks looked exactly like a spider web -- the same network of fine spokes
radiating out from the center of impact. Then I realized that this is the same pattern of shattering
that happens when a rock hits a windshield or a bullet hits a skull. And thus I was led to ponder whether shattering events could be helped by Cobweb Essence.
A spider web also looks a bit like a dream catcher, and when I researched dream catchers online, I found out that they are attributed to Spider Woman, a mythical figure revered by a number of Native American nations. According to
Native Net,
Spider Woman was kept busy weaving little dream catchers on the tops
of cradle boards to ensure the babies a peaceful slumber. Bad dreams stuck into the spider-web-like weaving, unable to go any further, while the good dreams find their way through the openings to the visions of the dreamer. With the first rays of sunlight, the bad dreams would perish.
Immediately after reading about dream catchers on the web, I took a belt of Cobweb essence straight from the stock bottle and dabbed it on my third eye, throat chakra, and solar plexus before adding it to my dosage bottle. I already feel stronger and will keep taking it until I climb out of the pity pot I've been wallowing in lately. It's helped me before, and there's not a doubt in my mind that it will work profoundly again.
It occurred to me that Cobweb may even be one of my type remedies, since I
do have a deep -- albeit ambivalent -- connection with spiders, as my earlier articles on this essence have discussed.
A type remedy, as explained
by David Vennells, is one, two, or three remedies that make up the core of someone's personality. In simpler language,
you might call it the standby or mainstay in your essence box. The type remedy is often one of the most effective to be used, perhaps on a long-term basis. We also tend to come back to those remedies at times of stress, crisis, or major transition -- to those periodic turning points of our lives such as retirement.
I had to ponder what it would mean for Cobweb to be a type remedy for me -- am I prone to having my dreams shattered periodically? Do I dream too large and invest too much of my heart into them? Is it neurosis -- excessive idealism? Or, is it a remedy for the Dreamer and Visionary whose dreams are bigger and more far-seeing than the dreams of the Collective? I don't know, but I seem incapable of living well without a dream to aspire to -- been that way all my life, it's taken me to places my kinfolk would never have dared to go, and as a retiree, I'm not about to quit now that I actually have enough free time to go for them.
So, yes, Cobweb makes sense for times when your hopes are shattered or when you've lost some part
of yourself due to a shattering event at some time in your life and you need to get it back.
The senior years, with more freedom to expand neglected parts of your core self and of your youthful visions,
may be a time when reintegration is a key to self-fulfillment. It's a senior with a blessed life who hasn't
had one or several soul-shattering events that resulted in abandoning a dream. Recall your youthful dreams;
remember those talents you gave up on for practical reasons or because the world didn't validate them.
Maybe now is the time to reclaim them -- hey, a bottle or two of Cobweb mixture wouldn't break your budget,
even if you're on a fixed income. It might just give you a whole new vision of possibilities for those senior years.
The Cobweb essence I use is by Gretchen Lawlor, but Wild Earth Animal Essences' Spider Essence is similar.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ivory Phoenix gives herself the title of E.E.U. (Essence User Extraordinaire). In reality, it's the nom de plume of someone who for the past twenty years has been a devout user of vibrational healing tools like flower remedies, homeopathy, Reiki, and lightwork, and who, despite all that, has yet to reach perfection. Go figure.
DESIGN CREDITS: This page was designed by Deborah Bier and Donna Cunningham; photos are from Clipart.com.
The World Wide Essence Society does not mean to imply any recommendation of nor give certification to any individuals or companies above. This article is provided purely for informational purposes. We ask consumers to make their own determination as to quality of the services and products offered above. This article is not meant to be advice, and the information is not meant to replace medical or psychological treatment.
