I’ve been traveling a deep journey, maybe many Dark Nights of the Soul played out at breakneck speed–almost feeling like what I can only imagine a bad acid trip might be like. Diving to the depths of emotions as triggered by recent very unsettling, harsh events in my life. Wanting to be feeling the warmth and vibrational resonance of my inner space that came so much to life in my recent trip to India, but feeling rather disconnected on one level from that sensation and stillness.
Today I looked through the book by Ted Andrews, Animal Wise — The Spirit Language and Signs of Nature to see what light would be shed on the last week of tumultous emotions and facing the charge of so many experiences and beliefs. (A friend of mine had pulled this off her shelf last week to read to me about significance of flies.)
Last week, my kitchen was suddenly the favorite hang-out for lots of flies–probably 30-50 at a time that would gravitate to being on or around my back window. I checked to see where they might be coming in the house and found no windows open where they might have entered. So what do flies represent? “Stability even within indiscriminate and unhealthy environments.” “Flies further teach us how to maneuver and remain balanced when things are decaying or dying around us.”
The message of the fly is to see the color of life and situations no matter what the environment. “It is a reminder to look toward the positive.” “When flies appear, it is important to take a look at the issues that have been most on our mind in the past two weeks.” Well the issues for me were around staying connected to the inner self in spite of the tragic events and happenings around me. I became aware of the sense of giving my lifeline to another many years ago, relying on them to keep me afloat, to fix and stabilize so life would be secured. Trust had broken and a very harsh reality appeared as to what was going on for this person. I have been on a roller coaster for months working on stabilizing my sense of who I am and if this person is to be in my life or not, given the drama that was playing out around me.
Well, the flies kept coming day after day for almost a week. Each day, I’d go on a mission to rid the flies from the window–killing lots at a time with an improvised swatter, each time thinking about their message. As I began to create support for myself and much contemplation and resolution to love myself and stay connected, the flies started decreasing in number and now they’ve all gone elsewhere!
This window into my garden also brought some other messangers. One day a little newt appeared on the screen a few feet a way from a spider spinning its web. The newt represents success in creative endeavors and “coming home” to the real you. Hmmm…one of my realizations since India is that I’m tapping into a much richer reservoir of who I am than I could ever access before–the authentic me is coming forward in reflections, contemplation and being expressed with friends and family in ways I had never thought possible for me. It’s as if my one note or one chord has been changed into a symphony of interlacing melodies. How much I had locked away of myself that even I could not see or feel what is part of my being.
And now to the “orb weaving spider” as it’s called in the book….This spider hung out for a few days on the screen and I watched it weave it’s web and then attract some poor victim into the web to become food for the spider. I know it’s nature’s way, but I always have so much compassion for the creatures that become some other creature’s food. Nature’s recycling of energy and life force is so amazing!
“Insects and arachnids are oten likened to the element of water. Water is the natural sharpeshifter, shifting as it flows and confrming to whatever contains it. Like water, we learn to adjust the flow of our life, to take on the form that is most suitable for what we are.” The message of these creatures, then, is to look closely at the changes around us.
Reflections that the spider invites: Are we building bridges and/or foundations that will be needed to attain what we seek? Are we hanging on to what we no longer require and which no longer benefits us? Orb weaving spiders teach us how to build bridges to get past difficulties! Whew!
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Hi Sadish,
I found your website after searching for the significance of flies. In the last two days, I came across one fly each day. These flies were hurt and couldn’t fly. One was on my floor and the other made his last flight on my nightstand as I started to meditate. I looked at it and felt sorry for it and wondered if I should take him outside like I did the other one yesterday. Then I wondered, “Should I put him out of his misery?” I don’t know if flies can survive without flying and I’d be saving him from a slow death. My gut was telling me to put him out of his misery. I carried it outside and shook him off the paper but then he disappeared. I didn’t see it on the porch. I don’t know if he actually flew away or I just couldn’t find him amongst the other leaves and twigs.
It’s funny you mentioned orb weaver spiders. I wrote an article about them almost two months ago but never sent to the local paper like I’ve been wanting to along with the great shots I have of their awesome webs. It iwas on my “to do” list for this weekend. I’m an aspiring writer. I guess you just reminded me. By the way, That is a gorgeous picture on your site. Where is it?
Thank you so much for your inspiring words. I will heed them in my search for myself.
Sincerely,
Sheila
Hello there,
for a good minute i have been wondering about the representation of flies, of course for the most part it probably means u have a messy environment, but what if ur environment is always clean? I mean i work in a brand new facility and its almost always kept clean. I have been going through a very bad emotional roller coaster and started noticing one fly everywhere i go. So today i took the time to see if theres another meaning to that, and your post really gave me another perspective on things. Great work.