Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard

260 Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard

moves forward either in sinuous waves or in a steady

rippling of her stomach scales, like the tread of a tank.

But she cannot back up.

Because she crawls through holes down into the

Underworld, Serpent is the Messenger between the

realms of the Living and the Dead. Because of her

shedding, she represents healing, renewal, and re-

birth—and also arcane knowledge and sexuality. In

ancient Crete, Egypt, Greece, and Rome, snakes were

kept in temples and under homes to control disease-

bearing mice and rats.

Spider

Right after they hatch, tiny

baby Spiders climb to a high place and spin long stream-

ers of thread out into the wind, like kite strings with

no kites. They let go their grip and are carried by the

wind over the land, finally to settle like gentle para-

chutes in new homes. Wherever they go, they con-

tinue to spin out their webbing. Spider silk is the stron-

gest material in the world—stronger even than steel

cable. I look at satellite dishes on the rooftops, and

then at Spider webs in the grass and garden, and I

wonder, what signals are they picking up? Are Spiders

spinning a worldwide web for Gaia?

In Greek legend, Arachné (from whom we get the

scientific name for spiders—arachnids) was a weaver

whose skill incurred the jealousy of the goddess Athena,

who turned Arachné into a Spider. Other peoples say

that Spider wove the world, the universe, the first al-

phabet, and the webs of Fate. She teaches us the cre-

ative magick of weaving and networking in our lives

and destinies.

Chinese say, “A house without spiders is cursed

by the gods.” Your friendly little house Spider works

hard to keep nasty bugs out of your home—including

other, more dangerous Spiders. When her cobwebs

become so dusty that you can see them, however, they

must be cleaned out, because they cannot catch flies

like that. Use a Webster to wind up the old webs, be-

ing careful not to hurt the Spider. She will then hap-

pily spin invisible new webs. Never intentionally kill a

Spider, unless it is a Black Widow or a Brown Recluse

(in the U.S.); learn to recognize them and avoid them.

Of course, if you live in Australia, all bets are off—

practically every Spider there is deadly!

Turtle

Some creation myths tell that

the world is actually the shell of a gi-

ant Turtle. Our favorite author, Terry Pratchett, has

written dozens of books about Discworld, a pancake-

shaped world supported by four enormous elephants

riding on the back of the great space-turtle A’Tuin.

Turtle is completely safe and secure inside his shell.

Nothing can get at him to hurt him, as long as he doesn’t

come out. Without taking any risks, he can live for

centuries...or exist, at least. Like Turtle, you too can

erect a shield to protect you from the pains and injus-

tices of a cruel world. And if, like Turtle, you’re very

careful, play it safe, and never stick your neck out,

then nothing bad or good will ever happen to you.

Still, Turtle’s patient progress through life, like the race

of the Tortoise and the Hare, can give us the les-

son: “Slow and steady wins the race.”

Wolf

In the Wolf pack, only the al-

pha (first) couple mates and has

pups, and that couple mates for

life. They are the pack leaders.

Wolf exhibits profound loyalty to his mate and his fam-

ily pack, which are all related by blood or marriage.

However, just as there is an alpha couple, a pack will

also have an omega (last), who is at the bottom of the

social order and gets picked on and beat up by every-

one else. Wolf is the essence of untamed wildness, as

his descendant, Dog, is the very symbol of domestica-

tion. Wolf teaches us both loyalty and self-reliance.

Lesson 6: Mottoes of Animals

(by Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart)

Each kind of animal has its own particular lesson to

teach us, if we can truly understand them. Here are a

few more lessons from the natural bestiary, in the form

of “mottoes” by which they each live and survive.

Consider these if you choose (or are chosen by) any of

these animals as your totem. And then go and learn

everything you can about that animal to find out why

this is its motto!

Bee: “Bee-come so much a part of a community that

you will gain from its strength and wisdom, bee-

coming more than the sum of its parts.”

Chameleon: “Blend into your surroundings so well that

you never need to be fast or strong to survive.”

Dolphin: “Grace, joy, and playfulness bring oneness

with one’s environment.”

Eagle and Hawk: “See far and make your plan; then

height and swiftness will not be your undoing.”

Hermit Crab: “Adapt to whatever is around you by

learning to use it to your own advantage.”

House Cat: “Cut the deal on your own terms.”

Lion: “Beauty and strength with cooperation is the key.”

Monkey: “If you’re clever enough and cute enough,

others will put up with you when you are annoying.”

Octopus: “Flexibility is the best protection and great-

est advantage.”

Skunk: “Sometimes it’s not the worst thing to be un-

popular.”

Squirrel: “Make your work into play and life will be

sweet every day.”

Stag: “Listen to the wind with your whole body, and

most of all with your heart, and you will learn to

run with silken swiftness.”

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