DICTIONARY OF INSECT TOTEMS
The following dictionary is by no means complete. It is even minuscule when ompared to that of the birds and mammals given within this book. There are too many different kinds and variations of insects to cover them all. It also includes spiders which are not insects at all. They are being included in this category simply for the ease of description.
The examples given are those which have the greatest abundance of myth and lore surrounding them. The myths and their origins would make for beneficial study as well. This may provide further insight and even provide clues to possible past-life connections. Not all are described in as great detail as many of the other animals within this text, as the field of insects is too large and too intricate to explore within this book’s confines. Also, many of the characteristics of insects overlap, and most of the information in the previous chapter can be applied to most insect totems.
As with all totems, study each one individually. Its behaviors, characteristics, and such will have significance. What activity is it involved in as you discover it? What time of year does it show up? What has been going on in your own life within the previous 72 hours that might be connected in some way to the energies of this insect?
Also, no Cycle of Power is given for them as it will vary according to the season, the lifespan (which can be relatively short in many insects), and the stage of metamorphosis. Most insects become most active in the spring and summer, with activity declining as autumn and winter approach, with winter usually bringing some form of dormancy. In spite of this, remember that even the creepy crawlies will speak to us if we will listen.
ANT
KEYNOTE: Industriousness, Order, and Discipline
The ant has long been a symbol of work and industry. Partly this is due to the Greek tales of the ant, such as is found in Aesop’s Fables. Their wisdom and intellect in their endeavors is often acclaimed. There are many types of ants, some of which are solitary, but most of which are part of a larger community. Though drudgery is often associated with them, this is far from true. When by themselves, they display simple and uncomplicated behavior patterns. Within the community, there is a repertory of activities and behaviors.
Ants are social. Much of their work centers on community activity. The primary activities are gathering, hunting and growing. Yes, some ants do farm, growing a kind of fungus. Ants also participate in food exchanges within the community, and they will often make slaves of other ants to perform labors.
There is discipline and order within most ant communities, and everyone knows his/her place. Predominantly, there are three castes: (1) the queens who found new colonies, (2) the winged males who fertilize the queens for life, and (3) the sterile females who serve as babysitters and laborers.
The queen ant has wings and the ability of flight until fertilized. Once she is fertilized, she pulls off her own wings, sacrificing her own flight for the birth of newborn. The queen usually dies after twelve years. Those with ant totems may find that the cycle of industriousness and building of goals may increase over a period of twelve years. The cycle of twelve-days, months, years, will be of significance. For those who are into numerology, this would be a beneficial number to study if the ant is your totem.
The worker ants are skilled architects. They build complex homes, galleries, and even vaulted ceilings. Their skill and undaunted efforts reflect much about what this totem can awaken. The ant is the teacher of how to build, how to become the architect of your own life. It can show you how to construct your dreams into a reality. It will show you that the greatest success occurs with persistence. If the ant has shown up as a totem, examine your own industriousness. Are you disciplining yourself enough to accomplish the tasks at hand? Are you or those around you looking for the quick and easy way? Are you neglecting important activities? Are you laying a good foundation? Are you adding new structures to your life with each passing year in some fashion-education, jobs, hobbies, etc.? Are you being patient with your efforts? Are you being patient with yourself? With others? Are you making things greater and more difficult than they need be? Are you missing an opportunity to initiate new creations and endeavors? Ant can teach you how to harness your own power to design and recreate your life and its circumstances from the ground up. Ant can show you how best to work with others for the good of everyone. Ant teaches us that regardless of circumstances, if the effort is true, the rewards will follow-in the most beneficial time and manner. Ant is the promise of success through effort.
BEE
KEYNOTE: Fertility and the Honey of Life
Bees have been mythical symbols throughout the world. In Hinduism, depending upon how depicted, the bee could relate to Vishnu, Krishna or even Kama, the god of love. In Egypt it denoted royalty. In Greece, it was used in the symbology of the Eleusinian Mysteries, and the Celts associated it with hidden wisdom.67 Probably the most significant and consistent symbolism is that of sexuality and fertility, due primarily to its stinger and its part in pollination.
Bees are also long-time symbols for accomplishing the impossible. For many years, scientists were unable to determine how bees were able to fly. Aerodynamically, the body was too large for the wings. It has only been in more recent times that science has determined that bees move their wings at such a high rate of speed that it makes flight possible. Still, it remains to many as a symbol of accomplishing quests that appeared to be impossible.
All bees are essentially “honey” bees. They gather and pollinate. Bees are often considered the busiest and most useful of insects. Without them no flowers and many fruits would never blossom. It occurs through the pollination. As the bees land upon one flower, collecting its nectar, pollen also attaches itself to the leg fibers. It is then transferred to other flowers, creating a fertilization process.
Pollination is just one productive process the bee participates in. It also furnishes food, i.e. honey, and it also preys on other insects, helping to keep the insect population in balance. Bees that build their homes in the ground help turn over the soil, often much better than the earthworm itself.
If a bee has shown up in your life, examine your own productivity. Are you doing all you can to make your life more fertile? Are you busy enough? Are you taking time to savor the honey of your endeavors or are you being a workaholic? Are you attempting to do too much? Are you keeping your desires in check so they can be more productive?
The legs of bees are one of their most sensitive organs. A bee actually tastes through its legs. It is able to determine if there is nectar in the flower it lands upon. Are you taking time to enjoy the labors and activities you involve yourself in? The bee helps remind us that activities are more productive and sweeter if we take time to enjoy them.
The stinger is often seen as a phallic symbol. Most bees only sting once. There is a barb attached to the stinger, which pulls the stinger off when used. The queen can sting more than once, but it only fights when another queen is born.
Most bees have organized communities. This is most evident in the bumblebee family. There are the queen, the drones, and the workers. The first brood the queen lays become workers, and they take over the building and maintenance of the nest. Bees, like ants, are excellent builders. The honeycombs are constructed in a six-sided shape, called a hexagon. This geometric shape has had long mystical significance associated with it. It is a symbol of the heart and the sweetness of life found within our own hearts. It is a symbol of the sun and all the energies associated with it.
The bee is the reminder to extract the honey of life and to make our lives fertile while the sun shines. The bee reminds us that no matter how great the dream there is the promise of fulfillment if we pursue it. The elixir of life is as sweet as honey, and the bee is a symbol that promises us that the opportunity to drink of it is ours if we but pursue our dreams.
BEETLE
KEYNOTE: Resurrection
The beetle is the most varied of all insects. There may be as many as 280,000 kinds of beetles. To put this into perspective, the number of vertebrate animals-including fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals-may be around 44,000.68
In Egypt, the scarab, or sacred beetle, had great significance. The beetle would take a piece of ox dung and shape it into a ball by rolling it from east to west. The eggs were laid within this and then buried. After about a month, the beetle would dig it up and push it into the water, and the young would emerge. Because of its east to west rolling, it came to be associated with the sun and its movement across the sky. The scarab thus came to be a symbol for solar deities and for new life.
As with many insects, the beetle goes through a tremendous metamorphosis from the grub stage to the winged. Because of this, it is associated with resurrection and change. In its winged stage, the front set of wings are thickened into hard covers which fold and protect the soft underside. This may indicate for those with this totem a need to be more protective, or possibly that you are too closed off.
If the beetle has shown up in your life examine the need for metamorphosis. Are you in the process? If so, what stage? Do you need a change? Are you needing new sunshine? Is it time to resurrect some aspect of your life? Is it time to leave the past behind? The beetle can show you how to do this with the greatest success.
BUTTERFLY
KEYNOTE: Transmutation and the Dance of Joy
Probably no animal or insect has come to represent the process of transformation and shapeshifting more than that of the butterfly. For those with this totem, the process of metamorphosis should be studied closely. With butterflies and moths there are always four distinct stages of change, as outlined in the previous chapter. (The cocoon is only spun by the moth, and not by a true butterfly, for the chrysalis stage).
When butterfly shows up, make note of the most important issues confronting you at the moment. This is probably why butterfly has shown up. What stage of change are you at in regard to them? To determine that, you may have to examine and determine what you wish the outcome to be, and how best to accomplish it.
The butterfly is a powerful symbol in myth and religion. In early Christianity, it was a symbol of the soul. In China, it was used as a symbol of conjugal bliss and joy. In the Hopi tradition, unmarried girls of the butterfly clan wore their hair in the shape of butterfly wings. In Indian lore are stories of how butterflies come when called by children of the Nez Perce tribe.
To the Native Americans, the butterfly is a symbol of change, joy, and color. The colors of the butterfly should be examined for its significance and to help you understand its role within your life. Prior to a workshop on fairies and elves recently in Florida, I was performing a meditation at a nearby nature center in preparation for the workshop. When I opened my eyes, I was surrounded by approximately a dozen black and yellow butterflies (Zebra Heliconius). There were even several on my lap.
This was very significant to me for several reasons. First, there has long been an association in folklore of a relationship between those of the Faerie Realm and butterflies. The black and yellow was even more significant. In traditional angelo 1- ogy, these are colors often associated with the archangel Auriel in her guise of overseeing the activities of the nature spirits. It was a wonderful indication of the energy that would accompany me to my workshop.
Butterflies appear to dance as they light upon flowers and such. They remind us not to take things quite so seriously within our lives. They awaken a sense of lightness and joy. They remind us that life is a dance, and dance, though powerful, is also a great pleasure. Butterflies can be reminders to get up and move, for if you can move you can dance. Dance brings the sweetness of life back. This is further exemplified by the fact that butterflies actually have taste receptacles on their front legs. They taste flowers by walking upon them.
Butterflies bring color and joy with them. When butterflies come into your life look at how much or how little joy is within your life. Lighten up. Look for change. Don’t forget that all change is good. Butterfly medicine reminds us to make changes when the opportunities present themselves. Transformation is inevitable, but butterfly will help teach you that growth and change does not have to be traumatic. It will teach you that it can occur as gently, as sweetly, and as joyfully as we wish.
DRAGONFLY AND DAMSELFLY
KEYNOTE: The Power of Light
Dragonflies and damselflies are very ancient with estimates of having been around for over 180 million years. They have a beautiful, jewel-like coloring. The bright colors take time to develop, reflecting the idea that with maturity our own true colors come forth. This is part of dragonfly medicine.
For many it is difficult to tell the difference between a dragonfly and a damselfly. Dragonflies have broad bodies and enormous eyes. Damselflies are more slender and delicate. When dragonflies are at rest, they hold their wings out like a glider. Damselflies will fold their wings over their backs when at rest. Dragonflies will often eat while in flight, and damselflies will always land before eating.
Both are known for their fast flight and their dazzling aerial feats, as if imitating how light itself can be moved and directed. They twist, turn, change direction in an instant, hover, move up or down, and even fly backwards. Dragonflies are sometimes known as mosquito hawks. Both the damsels and the dragons are excellent hunters of flying insects. They can fly at speeds up to 30 miles an hour, and their eyes help spot flying insects. They can spot a movement forty feet away. They use their sharp, spiny legs and strong jaws to capture their prey.
Dragonflies and damselflies inhabit two realms-water and air. The significance of these should be examined. In their early life-as a nymph-they live within the water. As they mature and go through their metamorphosis, they move to the realm of air. It is not unusual to find individuals with dragonfly totems to be very emotional and passionate in the early years, but as they get older, they learn to balance it with greater mental clarity and control. Sometimes it can indicate that the emotions have gotten shut down because of emotional issues in the early life. Remember that the dragonfly and damselfly are always found around water. There must be expressions of the emotional and the mental together.
If a dragonfly has shown up in your life, you may need some fresh air in regard to something emotional. You may need to gain a new perspective or make a change. It may even indicate that you are neglecting your emotions. Are you being too rational about everything? Are you not keeping the color of emotions alive?
Dragonflies are very territorial. They will lay their eggs within their territory near the water. The egg eventually develops into the nymph stage of metamorphosis in this insect, and remains as a nymph for almost two years before it transforms into an adult dragonfly or damselfly. This can reflect a number of possibilities for those with this totem. It can indicate that an approximate two-year period of change is about to reach its culmination. It may reflect that you are coming into a two-year period of transformation. It may even reflect a need to institute changes that may culminate in the colorful transformations you desire within a two-year period. Only by examining your life and activities will you begin to understand its specific role.
Just as light can bend and shift and be adapted in a variety of ways, so can the archetypal forces associated with the dragonfly. It is one of the most adaptable of insects. It is why it has been able to survive for so long. Dragonflies have two pairs of wings, but if need be, they can fly with one. Their eyes are kept clean with special combs on their legs and by washing the eyes with water drops collected in the mouth.
Their main predators are frogs and birds. Particularly the frog should be studied by those with this totem. Examining its information found in the last chapter will help you with this.
Their realm is the realm of light, and they are only out during the day, as they are cold-blooded. Summer is their most powerful time, as they need the warmth and the light of the sun. For those with this totem, this will be important to consider. Spending time outside in the sun near fresh water sources will be beneficial for restoring and changing health conditions for the better for those with this totem.
Although some have color pigments in their skin, for most the colors are caused almost the same way rainbows form. Structures in their shell scatter and refract the light, making them look iridescent green and blue. As they age, they may pass through several color changes. This ability to reflect and refract light and color has caused it to be associated with many forms of magic and mysticism-including color magic, illusion (causing others only to see what you wish), and more. Dragonfly’s magic is the power of light and all that has ever been associated with it.
Dragonflies and damselflies are often depicted in Japanese paintings, representing new light and joy. To some Native Americans, they represent the souls of the dead. Some stories speak of the time in which they used to be real dragons. Often we assume that dragons have to be gigantic beasts breathing fire, but the fantastic creatures of the Faerie Realm often come in many shapes and sizes. Dragonflies because they are mythical relatives of the ancient dragons are wonderful links to working with nature spirits. For more information on them, you may wish to refer to my earlier work Enchantment of the Faerie Realm.
The dragonfly and damselfly reflect and work with the sun and light. The light changes throughout the day. The dragonfly and damselfly undergo their own transformations. If they have shown up, look for change to occur. Are you resisting change when you shouldn’t? Dragonflies remind us that we are light and can reflect the light in powerful ways if we choose to do so. “Let there be light” is the divine prompting to use the creative imagination as a force within your life. This is part of what dragonflies and damselflies teach us.
Life is never quite the way it appears, but it is always filled with light and color. Dragonfly can help you to see through your illusions and thus allow your own light to shine forth. Dragonfly brings the brightness of transformation and the wonder of colorful new vision.
GRASSHOPPER
KEYNOTE: Uncanny Leaps Forward
Although the ancient Hebrews saw the grasshopper as a symbol of the scourge, in other societies it held a position of honor and respect. In China grasshoppers and crickets were symbols of good cheer, good luck, abundance, and virtue. Some even believed that relatives would come back to life as a grasshopper or cricket, and they would construct small cages for those they would find. Even to the ancient Greeks the grasshopper was a symbol of nobility.
As its name implies, the grasshopper moves by leaping and hopping. This is also how it escapes. Grasshoppers have a tremendous jumping ability, and they can leap horizontally up to twenty times their own body length. For those with this totem, it is important to get off the haunches and move. Take a chance; take a leap forward.
The hind legs of the grasshopper differ from the rest of its legs and the legs of other insects. They are extremely long and large. The hind legs have delicately controlled muscles. Those with this totem will usually find that things don’t move or flow the way they do with other people. Progress is not usually made step by step. Instead, others may seem to be progressing while you seem to be sitting still. Do not become discouraged. When grasshopper shows up, there is about to be a new leap forward-one that will probably carry you past the others around you in your life.
Grasshoppers have an instinct for finding the sunny sides of mounds and other places so they can be exposed to the sun. They have a knack for being in the warmth and light and knowing when to make their leaps. Trust your own instincts and rhythms if this is your totem. What works for others will not necessarily work for you. (Also remember that what works for you probably will not work for anyone else.)
Listen to your own inner voice to know when to make your moves in any area of your life. Grasshoppers possess a tympanic organ on the front legs. As they breathe, this organ is activated. By moving the legs in different directions they are able to locate a sound’s source. This connection between sensing sounds and the legs is highly significant. Trust your inner voice.
Those with grasshopper totems have an uncanny ability to leap into successful ventures. This becomes even more true when they learn to listen to that inner voice and follow their own instincts. Sometimes grasshopper can show up if we are not listening or if we are afraid to make the leap off our mound. Many times such fears have to do with the fact that “no one else has done it this way.” Grasshopper people have to learn to make new leaps. Life only becomes difficult when they refuse to move. At such times they may feel as if they are experiencing a scourge themselves. Remember a grasshopper always leaps up or forward. It doesn’t leap backward.
PRAYING MANTIS
KEYNOTE: Power of Stillness
Mantis has shown up in mythology and lore. In China, a system of the martial arts evolved around the activities of the praying mantis. Kung Fu is based upon the imitation of animals and aspects of nature. One form of it is the praying mantis form.
Most prominent though are the tales of the praying mantis found within African lore. To the Kalihari Bushmen of Africa, Mantis was a Bushmen. There are abundant tales that speak of Mantis and his adventures. In many ways, they are similar to the coyote tales of the plains Indians and the raven tales of the Northwest Indians. Whenever Mantis got himself into trouble, he would go off and hide. He would then go to sleep and dream a solution to his problem.
This epitomizes the keynote for this insect-the power of stillness. Through learning to still the outer mind and go within, we can draw upon greater powerphysical, emotional, mental, or spiritual. That stillness can be simple contemplation, a meditation, or even sleep and dreams. The ancient mystics spoke of seven levels of silence that can be used by us, the first being simple contemplation and the last being death. In between them are dimensions that can add tremendous power to our life. This is part of what the praying mantis teaches. It teaches how to still the outer, so that when it is time to act (in any form) it is done with surety, accuracy, and great power.
According to The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, mantis comes from a Greek word meaning “Prophet.”69 If we learn to go into the stillness, we can open ourselves to prophecy. One form of meditation sometimes taught in conjunction with traditional kung fu is called “chi kung.” This meditation helps the individual to go within and direct the body’s life force along specific avenues, strengthening and empowering it through the various organs and systems of the body. This has healing and strengthening applications. We can learn to use the stillness in varying degrees-whether for creativity or for healing-and this is part of what the praying mantis teaches.
It is this ability for stillness that makes the mantis a great hunter and enables it to survive. It will wait motionless, blending into its surroundings. Then at the most opportune time, it will suddenly grasp its prey in its long forelegs which fold over its victim like closing a jackknife upon it.
For those with this totem, some examination may be necessary. Are you letting others know your plans before they are even laid? Are you being indiscriminate in what you say and to whom? Are you being impatient? Are you needing help meditating and quieting the outer mind? Are you missing opportunities to grasp life’s rewards because you act or speak too hastily? All of these things praying mantis can help with.
SPIDER
KEYNOTE: Creativity and the Weaving of Fate
The spider has shown up in myth and lore throughout the world. Usually its symbolism has been very similar wherever it is used. In India it was associated with Maya, the weaver of illusion. It has had connections to the Fates in greek mythology and the Noms in Scandinavian lorewomen who would weave, measure, and cut the threads of life. To the Native Americans, spider is grandmother, the link to the past and the future.
Unlike insects, spiders have a two section body instead of three, often giving them a figure eight kind of appearance. This in conjunction with its eight legs (unlike an insect’s six) links it to all the mysticism associated with life, flowing from one circle to the next. The difficulty is learning to walk those circles or even hold your position within the middle between the two.
Spider teaches you to maintain a balance- between past and future, physical and spiritual, male and female. Spider teaches you that everything you now do is weaving what you will encounter in the future. In the tarot deck is a card-The Wheel of Fortune. This is a card that has to do with rhythms-the rise and fall, the flow and flux. It is linked to the energies of honor and fame, and the sensitivities necessary to place ourselves within the rhythm of Nature. Meditation upon this card would be beneficial for anyone with the spider as a totem.
The spider awakens creative sensibilities. It weaves a web of intricate and subtle fabric, as if to remind us that the past always subtly influences the present and future. Often the webs will take a spiral shape, the traditional form of creativity and development. The spider found within the web reminds us that we are the center of our own world. The ancient mystery schools had one precept inscribed above their portals: “Know Thyself and Thou Shalt Know the Universe!” Spider reminds us that the world is woven around us. We are the keepers and the writers of our own destiny, weaving it like a web by our thoughts, feelings, and actions.
The spider, because of its characteristics, has come to be associated by mystics and in mythology with three predominant expressions of magic. The first is the magic and energy of creation. It is a symbol of creative power, reflected in its ability to spin a silken web. It is also associated with assertiveness of that creative force, of keeping the feminine energies of creation alive and strong. As will be discussed further, this has ties to the characteristics of some spiders, i.e. the female black widow, which will kill and eat the male after mating has exhausted it.
The third predominant magic of the spider is associated with its spiral energy, the links with the past and the future. The spiral of the web, converging at a central point, is something to be meditated upon by those with this totem. Are you moving toward a central goal or are you scattered and going in multiple directions? Is everything staying focused? Are you becoming too involved and/or selfabsorbed? Are you focusing on others’ accomplishments and not on your own? Are you developing resentment because of it-for yourself or them?
Spider is the guardian of the ancient languages and alphabets. Every society has had myths about how the different languages and alphabets were formed. The Chinese alphabet is attributed to Ts’ang Chien, the god with the dragon face and four eyes. He formed it from the patterns of the stars, the marks on the back of the turtle and the footprints of birds in the sand. The Norse god Odin created the Runic alphabet after hanging upon the great tree of life for nine days and nights. After this time, the twigs fell off and spelled out certain formulas and words.
To many, there was an alphabet even more primordial. It was formed by the geometric patterns and angles found within spider’s web. To many this was the first true alphabet. This is why spider is considered the teacher of language and the magic of writing. Those who weave magic with the written word probably have a spider totem.
The spider has long been associated with death and rebirth. Part of this may have to do with the fact that some female spiders will kill and eat the male after mating. This is often found in the insect world, the praying mantis being another such example. Because it is constantly building and weaving new webs, it has also been a lunar symbol, with ties to the waxing and waning of the moon. For those with this totem, this pattern is a reminder to maintain balance and polarity in all aspects of life. Spider teaches that through polarity and balance creativity is stimulated.
Books, movies, and television have had a tendency to promote a fear of spiders in the general public. Most spiders are poisonous. This is how they kill or stun their prey. They serve a vital function in controlling insect populations. The black widow probably has received the worst reputation undeservedly. It is found all over the United States. It is jet black, but it has a red hour-glass shaped marking on the belly. It is a poisonous spider, but it is not fatal to humans as many assume. It is actually a very timid spider, and it is usually as much or more afraid of humans than they are of it.
Tarantulas are another common big spider that people are familiar with. The tarantella, a folk dance of Southern Italy, was named after the tarantula. They believed incorrectly that its bite caused convulsive movements in humans. The dance with its circular direction and quick foot movements was named for it.
The tarantula is one of the largest spiders, and it is hairy. Its mouth is underneath its body. Its bite is poisonous, as with most spiders, but it would not affect the average human any more than a bee sting. Tarantulas do spin a thread, but they do not weave a web. They dig a burrow or a hole in the sand and hide in the bottom of it. As soon as they feel something walking around the opening, they will jump up, grab it, and pull it back in. That is how they catch their food.
Most spiders are actually very, very delicate. If you were holding a tarantula and dropped it, it would break and die. Spiders are a combination of gentleness and strength, and they have learned to combine both for successful survival. This is an important lesson for those with this totem.
As delicate as they are, spiders are also very agile. They can maintain balance and walk the tiny silken threads with ease. To walk the threads of life and maintain balance has been one of the mysteries throughout the ages. Myth and lore often speak of individuals who have learned to walk the threads between life and death-waking and sleeping-between the physical and the spiritual. This is part of what spider medicine can teach, for spiders are the experts at walking threads.
Most people have little or no contact with the bigger spiders, but they will often see a wide variety around the house and home. Many of these serve vital functions, killing more harmful insects. Most of their movement occurs in the dark, and they move into inaccessible areas. This reflects much about how to express the creative energies. Don’t be afraid to employ it in seemingly inaccessible corners. Weave your creative threads in the dark and then when the sun hits them, they will glisten with intricate beauty.
If spider has come into your life, ask yourself some important questions. Are you not weaving your dreams and imaginings into reality? Are you not using your creative opportunities? Are you feeling closed in or stuck as if in a web? Do you need to pay attention to your balance and where you are walking in life? Are others out of balance around you? Do you need to write? Are you inspired to write or draw and not following through? Remember that spider is the keeper of knowledge of the primordial alphabet. Spider can teach how to use the written language with power and creativity so that your words weave a web around those who would read them.
67. Cooper, J. C. Symbolism-The Universal Language (Northamptonshire, Aquarian Press, 1982), p. 71.
68. Farb, p. 12.
69. Stein, Jess. Random House Dictionary of the English Language (New York: Random House, 1970), p. 873.
