Spider Woman Exists In Native Mythology
By James Donahue
When Doris and I lived among the Navajo in Arizona we heard the stories of Spider Woman, the great creator of the people. Our host, a wise old medicine man named Raymond Begay, once took us out along the rim of Canyon de Chelly and pointed out a tall pointed rock formation where he said it was believed that Spider Woman still lived.
Not long after that, we befriended Ted Kootsewatewa, a Hopi two-horned priest, who talked about a path leading from his home at the foot of the Second Mesa, under the village of Mishongnovi, where he said Spider Woman made her home.
While the Spider Woman myth was known to the Hopi, we discovered that another God figure, Masau, was said by both the Hopi and their cliff-dwelling ancestors, the Anasazi, as the all-powerful creator of the world.
It was interesting to note that these men were priests, and therefore they were recognized as spiritual leaders among the tribes. Among the tribe members they spoke with high authority. They made it clear that neither Spider Woman nor Masau were worshiped. The relationship was more of respect and perhaps even a state of awe, but the people never bowed down to these so-called god figures.
Begay told of a dream in which he became entangled in a great web before coming face-to-face with Spider Woman. Rather than attempt to flee, Begay said he realized that he had no other route to travel than to go directly into the image, which he did. He later recognized the dream as an important test during his personal spiritual journey.
The Pueblo people recognize Awonawilona as the creator of everything, including the sun. The Algonquin know the creator as the great spirit Kitcki Manitou.
The Cherokee call him Ocasta, a name that means "stone coat." The story is that the creator wears a coat that appears to be made of stones.
Hearing these myths may have helped prepare my wife and me for the concept of Luciferian origins when presented some years later. When first heard, the stories were received as a shocking twist to our own Christian myths. Because of our personal background in middle class American Christian thinking, the very thought that the fallen angel Lucifer, or Masau, or Spider Woman might be the creators of mankind was a shock to our sense of reality.
That was what the Bible stories were meant to do.
Christianity programs its slaves from childhood throughout life to think of Lucifer as the epitome of evil, the manipulator of fallen mankind, the tempter in the garden who led us all into a state of constant sin. But could this not be by clever design?
That Lucifer is, in reality, a representative of an advanced alien race who visited Earth many thousands of years ago. Could it be that these alien visitors planted their own DNA in native primates and turned them into thinking, reasoning and conscious beings? When compared to the Spider Woman story, we found the Bible story to fit in with the other myths.
Thus, like the god figures in native mythology, Lucifer becomes a personality of awe and respect, but never to be worshiped. He may, however, be our creator and our ancient ancestor.
That the Pueblo god Awonawilona also is recognized as the god of the sun parallels the Egyptian myth of Ra and Horus. That most native tribes on this planet also share a respect for both the Earth and the Sun, recognizing them as sentient beings, also shows an understanding of the great intelligent energy of the Universe that we commonly identify as God.
The concept of Spider Woman as the creator and controller of life also is important. The Navajo and Hopi stories, then, suggest that Lucifer may be female instead of male. This creature is described in the Old Testament as the most beautiful of the archangels. Yet Lucifer's sex is never told.
This exercise in writing has shown me that I have much more to learn about our creator. Pleasing, at least for me, is that my mind is no longer closed to the possibility that Lucifer may be more than a fallen angel tossed out of heaven by an angry God.
By James Donahue
When Doris and I lived among the Navajo in Arizona we heard the stories of Spider Woman, the great creator of the people. Our host, a wise old medicine man named Raymond Begay, once took us out along the rim of Canyon de Chelly and pointed out a tall pointed rock formation where he said it was believed that Spider Woman still lived.
Not long after that, we befriended Ted Kootsewatewa, a Hopi two-horned priest, who talked about a path leading from his home at the foot of the Second Mesa, under the village of Mishongnovi, where he said Spider Woman made her home.
While the Spider Woman myth was known to the Hopi, we discovered that another God figure, Masau, was said by both the Hopi and their cliff-dwelling ancestors, the Anasazi, as the all-powerful creator of the world.
It was interesting to note that these men were priests, and therefore they were recognized as spiritual leaders among the tribes. Among the tribe members they spoke with high authority. They made it clear that neither Spider Woman nor Masau were worshiped. The relationship was more of respect and perhaps even a state of awe, but the people never bowed down to these so-called god figures.
Begay told of a dream in which he became entangled in a great web before coming face-to-face with Spider Woman. Rather than attempt to flee, Begay said he realized that he had no other route to travel than to go directly into the image, which he did. He later recognized the dream as an important test during his personal spiritual journey.
The Pueblo people recognize Awonawilona as the creator of everything, including the sun. The Algonquin know the creator as the great spirit Kitcki Manitou.
The Cherokee call him Ocasta, a name that means "stone coat." The story is that the creator wears a coat that appears to be made of stones.
Hearing these myths may have helped prepare my wife and me for the concept of Luciferian origins when presented some years later. When first heard, the stories were received as a shocking twist to our own Christian myths. Because of our personal background in middle class American Christian thinking, the very thought that the fallen angel Lucifer, or Masau, or Spider Woman might be the creators of mankind was a shock to our sense of reality.
That was what the Bible stories were meant to do.
Christianity programs its slaves from childhood throughout life to think of Lucifer as the epitome of evil, the manipulator of fallen mankind, the tempter in the garden who led us all into a state of constant sin. But could this not be by clever design?
That Lucifer is, in reality, a representative of an advanced alien race who visited Earth many thousands of years ago. Could it be that these alien visitors planted their own DNA in native primates and turned them into thinking, reasoning and conscious beings? When compared to the Spider Woman story, we found the Bible story to fit in with the other myths.
Thus, like the god figures in native mythology, Lucifer becomes a personality of awe and respect, but never to be worshiped. He may, however, be our creator and our ancient ancestor.
That the Pueblo god Awonawilona also is recognized as the god of the sun parallels the Egyptian myth of Ra and Horus. That most native tribes on this planet also share a respect for both the Earth and the Sun, recognizing them as sentient beings, also shows an understanding of the great intelligent energy of the Universe that we commonly identify as God.
The concept of Spider Woman as the creator and controller of life also is important. The Navajo and Hopi stories, then, suggest that Lucifer may be female instead of male. This creature is described in the Old Testament as the most beautiful of the archangels. Yet Lucifer's sex is never told.
This exercise in writing has shown me that I have much more to learn about our creator. Pleasing, at least for me, is that my mind is no longer closed to the possibility that Lucifer may be more than a fallen angel tossed out of heaven by an angry God.