SpyderWoman

http://zmyztickleonion.blogspot.com/2006/01/spyderwoman.html


SpyderWoman

SpyderWoman is ThoughtWoman or CreationThinkerWoman. She created everything there is by thinking, dreaming, or naming. SpyderWoman is a metaphor for one who creates from a central source. She teaches how to plant seeds. She brings the sun, fire and light. She teaches pottery, weaving, and how to make ceremonial blessings. She has the power to give and take life. As a weaver, SpyderWoman spun two glittering strands of silver, with which she connected the four corners of the earth; the East to the West and the North to the South, creating an equal-armed cross, symbol for the Road of Life. As a potter, SpyderWoman used the red, yellow, white, and black clay of the earth to create the 4 peoples of the earth. To each, She attached a thread of her Webb which came from the doorway (sea Dorje beelow) at the top of Her Head. This thread was the gift of creative wisdom. She bestows limitless wisdom and the divine gifts of magic and prophecy. SpyderWoman is known to appear as both young and old, and manifests as a sacred guardian, overseeing the welfare of all those in need. She weaves the Web of Life and Protection, pulling things together, letting us know that we are a part of everything else. During our dream time, we remove part of our consciousness from physical reality and venture off through Her Webb - Her Matrix - Her Maze - to explore that which we cannot understand while in a physical body. In the creation of the four peoples, SpyderWoman teaches us that we are all created from the same matter. SpyderWoman's Webb links us to everything and everybody. What happens on one part of the Webb influences all parts of the Webb. We eminate from the center of the Webb, where we are all of one Spirit, and that Spirit is all -- it flows in and out of everything and everyone -- it embraces the earth -- it encompasses the universe. It is the earth. It is the universe. We are universal in Spirit, and SpyderWoman encourages us to continue weaving our dreams, even in times of despair and unknowing.

Invocation for Protection:
Eagle of the East, Protect where we meet, both inside and out.
Lion of the South, Protect this house, both inside and out.
Serpent of the West, Do what's best, both inside and out.
Ancestors of the North, Bring justice forth, both inside and out.
Ladies Above, Bring forth the Dove, both inside and out.
Lords Below, End this woe, both inside and out.
From All these Directions,
plus Southeast to Northwest and Northeast to Southwest,
O GreatGrandmotherSpyderWoman,
SpreadThyGoldenCrystalineWebb,
ToCatchTheMoscasIfMoscasTheyBee,
OtherwiseLetThemFlyFree.~ShaRi

This image began life as a Samhain card. The spyder is a scan of a halloween spyder from the local drugstore.
The webb is a shot of a Samhain cape that hangs in a bedroom window.
The background is a shot into the back window of my RAV4. At the center of the webbs is a single DoorJay and in the Spyder's 'hands' is a Doubled DoorJay. (from http://www.fpmt-osel.org/meditate/white_tara.htm) Dorje is the Tibetan word for vajra. Do-rje means noble stone > Do = stone and rJe = noble or prince. It embodies not only the brilliance of refracted or reflected illumination, but it also symbolizes the impervious and fixed solidity of the point of power around which all else turns -- the axis mundi or hub of the world. 2 mee, the doubled DoorJay represents the Union of Heaven & earth. How many times have you seen a Spyder drop down 2 the earth from the heavens Upon her glitteRing strand? (sea http://www.khandro.net/ritual_vajra.htm) In the center circle of the DoorJay 'hub' is the crystal lotus. (Sea SuCasa for the Lotus' story-October 2006.) i had always wanted to add an 8-armed goddess to this image, and i searched & searched when this image first beegan, but found nothing suitable, until last night-05312007. Buddhist Goddess: Indonesia, Sumatra; Shrivijayan style (c. 7th - 14th century), 9th century, Copper alloy, H. 6 1/4 in. (15.9 cm) Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection of Asian Art 1979.084
The identification of this eight-armed goddess remains uncertain because with the exception of the vajra in her upper right hand, the rest of the attributes she once held are missing or damaged. The depiction of this figure's hair as a series of diagonal lines and the corkscrew curls running along the sides of her topknot and falling over her shoulders suggest that the piece may have come from Sumatra. The representation of the diadem as a thin band with triangular shapes and her high and extremely thin waist also point to a Sumatran provenance. The island of Sumatra was the site of the city of Palembang, generally accepted to be the capital of the kingdom of Shrivijaya, one of the greatest powers on Southeast Asia from the 7th through the 9th centuries. Very little is known about the religion of Shrivijaya, but we do know that Sumatra was once a major center for the study of Vajrayana Buddhism, the tradition noted for its worship of female deities. (sea http://www.askasia.org/teachers/images/image.php?no=539)


WebMaster
(sea RAinBowEnds-June 2007-for info on the 'pinwheel')

TaRA

A Dream, A Vision & A Hope, The Soul's Remembered Guiding Star


(from TaRA on Inconstant Bard — The Poetry of Rick Allen=Green Phoenix Productions=http://www.greenphoenixproductions.com/index.html)


OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SVHA
(aum tarray toot-tarray turay so-ha)
TaRA, Goddess of the Month for September 2002. Diamonds are Her Sacred Stone. Her animals are the sow, mare, owl and raven.
TaRA is the goddess of divine compassion and offers protection to all who turn to her. It is thought that she was born when the bodhisattva Avalokiteswara cried the first tears of compassion as he witnessed the suffering of humankind. From these first tears of compassion, a lake was formed from which a lotus grew. When the lotus bloomed, TaRA was born. TaRA rose on a white lotus. Her body was diaphanous and its translucent green seemed to hover between Reality and Non-Reality, quivering with an energy that could be seen, heard, and felt. Born from compassion, TaRA is the very essence of compassion. As a bodhisattva, she has vowed to always reincarnate in a female form and hence represents the liberated female principle of enlightenment. TaRA's vow to know and share love recognizes the oneness and inter-connectedness of all beings. She is known to help all those who call upon her in times of need. She helps find clear direction, respite, stillness and personal strength. TaRA sees beyond the mortal veil into eternity, gently reminding us that all things pass, and each moment is perfect.
TaRA means star. One of TaRA's ancient names was Dhruva, also the name of Polaris, the Pole, or North Star.
In the 108 Names of the Holy TaRA, She is the Leader of the caravans who shows the way to those who are lost. She is the protectress of navigation and earthly travel, as well as of spiritual travel along the path to Enlightenment.
TaRA is the guiding star showing us the way to the other shore.

In every ending there is a beginning.
These are the images used in the creation of TaRA.
The beauty of digital is that images can continue to evolve & change as we move thru time & space.
This image was taken on Mother's Day, in the same year that it coinsided with Miche's birthday. This is the same goddess used in the poem 'She', but here She is Yang beeing of the month of May and of the Day. The Other is Yin, beeing of the month of December and of the Night. His Voice said 'Let's go take photaes of the InfiniteRose'. Along Rio Grande Blvd., there was a Rose Parade of blossoms and buds. Many photaes were snapped, the reults of which were & are beeing used in the creation of imagery; HeSheRose, RoseBud, BuddingPotential, Blodeuwedd, VehickleLight, LightSeeking & ClimbHigh thus far, with more to come. The InfiniteRose InDeed! (sea http://www.greenphoenixproductions.com/brooks.html) My sojourn contined as i headed to my mom's house for a Mother's Day visit. His Voice said 'Swing by the Queen of Heaven'. i did, & lo & beehold, there was a Rose growing amonst the Stars! Upon viewing the 'TaRA' images, a friend of mine said that She looked like the goddess from his Queen of Heaven elementary school, & yep, U got it, She was! TaRA is truly a RAinBow goddess, & it is my beeleaf that the poem 'TaRA' was written 4 2 of them, the White & the Green. The Sanskrit root târ-means "to traverse" or "cross over" as in using a bridge to ford a stream (Bifrost). As a Târîni, she carries you across; she serves as a bridge (Bifrost) for you to get to immortality. But the root tar-can also mean "tree" (Rick-in-Tree). In Sanskrit, the name TaAR means Star, but she was also called She Who Brings Forth Life, The Great Compassionate Mother, and The Embodiment of Wisdom, and the Great Protectress. She is indeed the Soul's Remembered Guiding Star.
This image represents the White TaRA, the peaceful, compassionate White TaRA, who protects and brings health, long life, peace & serenity. Her body is white, as an autumn moon; clear as a stainless crystal gem, radiating light. Her whiteness is as RAdiant as the eternal snows (from the Land of Summer Snow) in all their glory & is indicative of the selflessness -- the purity -- of compassion. White TaRA seems to help more with longer-term problems, particularly problems of physical or mental health. It sometimes seems as if she is more distant, harder to contact at first. Then it is as if she sends us healing energies and mystical power and understandings. Every morning before she had taken food, she introduced and fixed innumerable beings in the state of acceptance; every evening she did the same, and so she became known as TaRA the Saviour. She sees beyond the mortal veil into eternity & gently reminds us that all things pass & that each moment is perfect. OM TARE TUTTARE TURE, MAMA AYUR JANA PUNTIN KURU SOHA (Ohm, Tahray Tootahray tooray, mahmah ahyoor poonyay jnyana pushtim kuru[-ye], So-hah) Inside the white TaAR is an image of Christ, the one most people think of when one thinks of when one says the word Saviour. This Christ is on a fountain whose base is formed by 3 seahorses, an animal whose main claim to fame is the ability of the male to give birth. The seahorse has allways been one of my favorite creatures. The photae was taken on CorraLess Road somewhere in the vicinity of the post office. The Chinese TaRA, Kwan Yin, was regarded by the Chinese as the goddess of mercy, she was originally male until the early part of the 12th century and has evolved since that time from her prototype, Avalokiteshvara, "the merciful lord of utter enlightment," an Indian bodhisattva who chose to remain on earth to bring relief to the suffering rather than enjoy for himself the ecstasies of Nirvana. In addition she is often referred to as the Goddess of the Southern Sea -- or Indian Archipelago -- and has been compared to the Virgin Mary. She is one of the San Ta Shih, or the Three Great Beings, renowned for their power over the animal kingdom or the forces of nature. One of the deities most frequently seen on altars in China's temples is Quan Yin (also spelled Kwan Yin, Kuanyin; in pinyin, Guanyin). In Sanskrit, her name is Padma-pâni, or "Born of the Lotus." One of the several stories surrounding Quan Yin is that she was a Buddhist who through great love and sacrifice during life, had earned the right to enter Nirvana after death. However, like Avlokiteshvara, while standing before the gates of Paradise she heard a cry of anguish from the earth below. Turning back to earth, she renounced her reward of bliss eternal but in its place found immortality in the hearts of the suffering. (Brunhilda) One legend of Kwan Yin is that the son of the dragon king had taken the form of a carp and was caught by a fisherman and displayed for sale in the market place. Kwan Yin sent her servant to buy the fish and released it. Kwan Yin carvings often were described to European purchasers as "white Santa Marias," so as to make them more desirable to a Christian market!!! (from http://www.holymtn.com/gods/kuanyin.htm)
Plants sacred to Kwan Yin include jasmine, lily, water lily, and lotus. The willow is her sacred tree. Jade and pearls are her jewels. Carp, dragons, and dolphins are associated with Kwan Yin. Her symbols include rosary, willow branch, and lotus. January 30 or 31(my parents wedding anniversary), and February 8 are Kwan Yin's feast days. Her nativity is celebrated on March 28. To invoke Kwan Yin, simply keep repeating her name. She is said to hear every call, and to answer every prayer. (from http://www.open-sesame.com/KwanYin.html) From this same photae is the 5-pointed star seen behind the lotus bell. (sea SuCasa-October 2006-4 the crystal lotus story) The ringing of a bell is often used as an invocation to prayer. The bird feeding seed bell is also a part of the photoae used to form the background for TaRA. It was taken from the back porch in CorraLess. Smoke seems to rise from the sagebrush like incense from a temple.


The White and Green TaRAs, with their contrasting symbols of the full-blown and closed lotus, together represent a union of opposites that symbolize the unending compassion that labors both day and night to relieve suffering. TaRA is an archetype of our own inner wisdom, a transformation of consciousness, a journey to freedom, a reminder that all living things are of one seamless body. Go into the quiet, go into the calm & discover within yourself the wisdom, compassion and glory that is TaRA. You will return stronger & more capable of dancing with life. OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SVHA (aum tarray toot-tarray turay so-ha)
Inside the 'bodran pool' of the Green TaRA 'prayer flags' is a golden carp or koi, often associated with Kwan Yin, the TaRA of China. The photae was taken by my friend Swari Hhan of a Koi pool at a restaurant in Taiwan. Attached to the 'bodran pool' are 2 red berry 'beaters'. The berries are actually rose hips from the back porch rose bushes in CorraLess. The berries and goldfish are InSynk with a day spent with Miche. She spoke of a dream of red berries and i flashed on this recently developed photae. She spoke of goldfish, and we encountered them in a outdoor pond at our friend Wendy's place where we had gone to create a custom IrishMist scent (http://www.zianet.com/sweeth2o/default.html) sense we had both been 2 Ireland, where there is a Hill of TaRA. The Hill of TaRA, known as Temair in gaeilge, was the sacred place of dwelling for the gods, and was the entrance to the otherworld. (from http://www.mythicalireland.com/ancientsites/tara/)

WellcOMe

http://zmyztickleonion.blogspot.com/2006/01/welcome.html

(sea http://westwindcollection.com/home/ww1/red.html)

Namasté, Wecome to The Myztickle Onion Blog. This precious young monk, his legs not quite in the lotus pose, illustrates that we do not have to achieve perfect form to have what really matters, a loving and respectful heart. "Namasté" means, The Spirit in mee honors the spirit in you; (i will treat you with respect, even if i do not understand or agree with you) (sea http://www.westwindcollection.com/home/ww1/smartlist_8/garden_statues.html) Namasté, "i honor the place in you in which the entire universe dwells. i honor the place in you which is of love, of truth, of light and of peace. When you are in that place in you and i am in that place in mee & wee are one." (sea http://www.westwindcollection.com/home/ww1/page/12/5) Namasté was also the name of Miche & mee show at the Jemez Mountain Trading Co. in May of 2004 (i think!), of which the first entry, TaRA was a part.
Prayers and mantRAs are carved into stones throughout the region by devout Buddhists. Most of these stones say, Om Mani Padme Hum. This photo was taken while trekking in the Himalayas at Nyurnging(Ghat), Nepal. The vertical prayer flags are called dhar cho or darcho - and send blessings on the wind...to bless those who place them and to benefit all beings. (sea http://www.westwindcollection.com/home/ww1/page/95/12) There are 2 mantRAs underneath the title of this blog, of which Om Mani Padme Hum is 1-The Jewel of Consciousness is in the Heart's Lotus. Tibetan Buddhists believe that saying the mantra (prayer), Om Mani Padme Hum, out loud or silently to oneself, invokes the powerful benevolent attention and blessings of Chenrezig (Tibetan) or Avalokiteshvara (Sanskrit), the embodiment of compassion. This mantra is particularly associated with the four-armed ShadakShaRi form of Avalokiteshvara. (sea TaRA-January 2006) In most religious traditions one prays to the deities of the tradition in the hopes of receiving their blessing, which will benefit one in some way. In the vajrayana Buddhist tradition, however, the blessing and the power and the superlative qualities of the enlightened beings are not considered as coming from an outside source, but are believed to be innate, to be aspects of our own true nature. Chenrezig and his love and compassion are within us. Om Mani Padme Hum is the mantra of Chenrezig. In the words of Kalu Rinpoche, "Through mantra, we no longer cling to the reality of the speech and sound encountered in life, but experience it as essentially empty. Then confusion of the speech aspect of our being is transformed into enlightened awareness." Gen Rinpoche, in his commentary on the Meaning of Om Mani Padme Hum said: "When you say the first syllable Om it is blessed to help you achieve perfection in the practice of generosity, Ma helps perfect the practice of pure ethics, and Ni helps achieve perfection in the practice of tolerance and patience. Päd, the fourth syllable, helps to achieve perfection of perseverance, Me helps achieve perfection in the practice of concentration, and the final sixth syllable Hum helps achieve perfection in the practice of wisdom. Reading from left to right the syllables are: Om (ohm) Ma (mah) Ni (nee) Pad (pahd) Me (may) Hum (hum)(sea http://www.dharma-haven.org/tibetan/meaning-of-om-mani-padme-hung.htm) The six syllables are the seed syllables of the six realms of the wheel of life. Om is white and stands for the god realm; ma is green and stands for the demigod or asura realm; ni is yellow and stands for the human realm; pad is blue and stands for the animal realms; me is red and stands for hungry ghost realm; Hum is black and stands for the hell realm. Avalokiteshvara actually helps to bring all beings from the six realms into enlightenment. (sea http://www.exoticindiaart.com/product/TI52/) Prayer is in the Air!! (sea TempleGaia-May 2007) as i come aCross Karmapa's Dream Flag whilst blogging this Om Mani Padme Hum!! The blue is the sky (heaven), symbolizing spiritual insight and vision, and the yellow is the earth, the actual world of our everyday experience. As a reminder of absolute truth, the blue symbolizes the wisdom, or emptiness aspect of awakened being, while the yellow stands for the compassion aspect. The wavy intermingling of the two colors represents their inseparability. The interdependence shown in the flag can also be seen as the wisdom of Mahamudra, the ultimate realization of ones true nature. (sea http://www.dharma-haven.org/dream-flag.htm)
Mahamudra is believed to enable one to realize mind's innate purity, clarity and perfection. (sea http://www.clearlightnature.com/art4/fractal2.jpg)