It’s my morning ritual to sit in the front yard and take in whatever nature has to offer me. I receive messages from Spirit in profound ways from simple things. Simple things like thin, invisible threads.
The other day, something in the air caught my eye. It hovered between the tall pine in the very front of the garden and my neighbor’s apple tree over the fence to the right. I walked over to take a look, and there in the air were a small handful of what looked like dead grass cuttings. Of course – they were caught in a spider’s web!
But how in the world did the spider do this? It stretched about 9 feet between the two trees. And still, those blades of grass were suspended by a few delicate strands. Invisible threads, yet so strong and supportive.
This spider’s web reminded me that we are all held and surrounded by invisible threads. There are three kinds of these imperceptible supports in our life.
The Threads of Spirit
We may feel alone and unsupported. But just because we can’t see the support doesn’t mean it’s not there.
Our planet is supported in space, by unseen yet palpable forces. We are held on this planet by gravity – we don’t perceive it other than by feeling our feet on the ground, which we take for granted. There is a similar invisible support in our lives – the support from the Divine.
Whether you think of it as God, the Universe, Great Spirit, Buddha, Jesus, Lakshmi, or a myriad of other names, the Source out of which everything arises has supported and is supporting everything in the Universe. This doesn’t mean that life always goes perfectly. But it does mean that we can call on the support we need to meet each day from those invisible threads. We are given what we need to rise up to any challenge before us. The threads of Spirit hold us up on our life path every day, in every moment, even when we don’t think they’re there. Just like gravity holds us on the planet.
The Threads of Connection
When I went into the front yard this morning, I saw the creator of those threads. A very large garden spider hung in the middle of the web. She seemed proud of her work, and by the size of her I could see she’s been successful at catching those bugs!
This is another aspect of these invisible threads. We, too, are creating invisible threads all the time. There are two kinds of threads of Connection that we create or co-create with others. The threads of Connection are energetic strands between us and others in our lives. They are generally formed out of love, but sometimes are created out of unhealthy attachments.
Some of these threads support us and are deeply fulfilling. Family, loved ones, friends, respected associates – we have threads of connection with all these important people (and beings – you can have a thread of Connection with a pet, too!) in our lives. They, like the threads of Spirit, provide us with nurturance, support, encouragement, and a feeling of belonging. We all want to feel connected, both to one another and to something Greater than us. We can have threads that connect us to the land, the elements, to sacred places and sacred people that we are inspired by.
Other threads, however, can pull us down. It is up to each of us to assess what threads of connection are founded in love and mutual support, and what threads have we created or allowed to be hooked into ourselves that aren’t healthy. Being overly dependent on others, holding on to anger or resentment, or allowing others to drain our time and energy are dysfunctional cords that might need to be cut, healed, or modified to be more mutually beneficial.
If an invisible thread between you and other doesn’t feel right, take some time to sort out what the problem is. Do you want to keep this connection to this person? If so, how do you want to rectify the relationship? How might you change your interactions and responses? If not, is there anything you need to do or say to really let them go? Make sure that these invisible threads of Connection are relationships that you truly value in your life.
The Threads of Intent
This last invisible thread is one that you may not know about, yet it is an essential component of spiritual living. Without it, the spider wouldn’t have made her web nor would she have caught enough morsels to grow into her formidable size!
We create threads of Intent all the time, whether we are conscious of them or not. Intention fuels our goals and keeps us on course for reaching them. When we set an intention, we are casting out a thread towards our intended destination.
This has a couple of effects. First of all, it pulls us towards our goal, and draws the goal towards us as well. We cast the thread, it hooks to our vision of what we want, and then like a tractor beam, we are drawn towards it. The stronger our Intent, the more intense and powerful the beam. When we are gung-ho about running a marathon or finishing a knitting project, our intent focuses our attention and energy in that direction. We are out running miles each day, or knitting like there’s no tomorrow. We will see opportunities to fit in a run on a short trip, and make time for more knitting in the evenings after work.
The second effect of creating a thread of Intent is that it “catches” what resonates with our vision. Just like the spider who spun her web to catch flies, when we have an Intention, it’s like a web out in the Universe, waiting for something to fly by that fits the bill. If you are seeking a new mate and focus your Intent on the kind of relationship you want, the threads of Intent will let you know when someone is near that plucks your heart strings. Like the spider, when that person comes near, you’ll feel a tug on that thread of Intent and know that this is a person worth connecting to. The spider got big from catching all those bugs – and you, too, can be deeply fulfilled when you are conscious about sending out your Threads of Intent.
Weave Your Web Well
Everyday, we are creating threads and feeling the effects of our connections to Spirit, others, and our life visions. Begin to pay attention to your threads, which are energetic connections. Cultivate your threads of Spirit and allow yourself to receive that Divine support. Nurture your threads to those you love and who encourage and love you. Choose your threads of intention with mindfulness and service to a higher good.
Weave your webs of light well. The fabric of those threads is the light of Consciousness itself.
When you’re attentive and conscious about your energetic threads, you will spin a glorious tapestry of truth, harmony, beauty, and empowerment which will ripple out to uplift others, too.
What threads are you noticing in your life, and what web are you weaving?
