I need a little help.......

[Mattimeo]

O.K. my problem is not dream related but I still need some help so here it gos

I have a bad fear of spiders ( not a 'pointless' fear I have a good reason i will post it if you want but for now lets just say I almost died) and any way i know I could end my fear if I can get my self to just kill the next spider I see and be done with it so my problem? I can't kill them. It's not that i'm to scared to kill them not at all I just Can't. when ever I try thousand of voices cry out to me "No! You can not do this you must stop!" and I just cant do anything about it the voices controll my actions some how.
any idea how to stop the voices? please help.

[Lugus]

Mattimeo,

I sympathize with your fear of spiders. There is just something about spiders. And, for you, this apprehension seems to be justified. You wrote that you “almost died.”

I believe that there is a good chance that the spider is your power animal. It is very common for a person to be frightened or have a bad experience with his/her power animal or animal totem or animal guide (or whatever it should be called).

OK – so, what does it mean to have the spider as your power animal? Thought that you would never ask. Here is some info from a couple of sites, but there is much more info for those who want to look.

“SPIDER - teaches us to weave our lives. As Spider weaves her web so we weave our realities. This medicine teaches to remember that we are the creators of our lives. When spider appears in your life think about writing down your thoughts, telling your story.”
Power Animals

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From: Power Animals/Companions for the Journey: Spider

Spider: Weaver

The conscientious housekeeper, upon seeing a spider web, may reach for a broom and destroy what appears to be a sign of uncleanliness. A child, watching a spider weaving its web, may be mesmerized by the delicate, magical tapestry it is creating.

The web is the same, but the eyes of the beholders see it in very different ways.

This is the magic of Spider medicine.

To weave is to (among its other functions) to join separate strands of fabric into an integrated pattern, and Spider is the master weaver.

Though weaving is no longer a familiar task in most of our lives, Spider remains a significant reminder of a more subtle art: that we are constantly weaving the fabric of our lives.

Unlike Spider we are not always able to consciously both create and travel through our creations. Nor do we have Spider's ability to see our lives as a whole. So often we experience conflict in our lives, not knowing how to integrate desires and paths which seem in opposition to each other.

Here is the beauty of Spider medicine. When we attune to the energy of the Weaver we begin to see that many of the inner dividing walls that seem to separate aspects of our lives are not as solid as they appear. We discover that by looking at things differently barriers can disappear, and we can see our lives in a more integrated way.

We see also that the webs we weave need not be sources of entanglement, but a network of roads to travel.

Spider brings us to even deeper integration through its association with the spiral, the basic symbol of universal energy, and the figure eight (physically related to the spider's shape) the symbol for infinity. In contemplating Spider we realize that we are connected to all life, and that there is no past and no future, only the infinite now.

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The voices that you hear are telling you not to harm your power animal. Instead, you should want to work with the spider. It can help you and you can help it.

The shaman will often want to honor his animal helper. In real life we might honor people by giving them gifts. But, what can you give a spirit? Eventually, you may have dreams or visions from your animal guide where the spirit will tell you what he or (more likely) she wants. But, until that happens, I suggest that you honor your power animal with images of spiders. You may want to put spider's on your desktop wallpaper. Or, you could get a spider key chain or something else with the image of a spider.

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But, how can you be sure that the spider is your power animal? To be honest, you may never know. But, here is something that you might want to try. You could ask for your power animal to show itself (or come to you) in your dreams. If you do decide to try this method, the best approach is probably to give yourself some silent instructions as you are about to go to sleep. BTW -- this may take several nights. So, be patient.

Hope this helps.

[swift]

Ok, here goes. You may not have to kill the spider to overcome the fear. Phobias are very difficult to grapple with, but fear usually comes from not understanding.

Instead of killing the spider could you trap it? Keep it for a short time and observe it, and/or read more about the spider. The more you understand a thing, the more familiar it is to you, the easier it is to dispell the fear.

I have a phobia of swimming in water that includes a)fish or b)mammals that act like fish....On the flip side, I am positively fascinated with what I learn about these creatures and I never miss an opportunity to learn more...

I just plain avoid things like oceans too though, no so easy with spiders.

Hope this helps ^_^

[Mattimeo]

Originally Posted by swift

Ok, here goes. You may not have to kill the spider to overcome the fear. Phobias are very difficult to grapple with, but fear usually comes from not understanding.

Instead of killing the spider could you trap it? Keep it for a short time and observe it, and/or read more about the spider. The more you understand a thing, the more familiar it is to you, the easier it is to dispell the fear.

I have a phobia of swimming in water that includes a)fish or b)mammals that act like fish....On the flip side, I am positively fascinated with what I learn about these creatures and I never miss an opportunity to learn more...

I just plain avoid things like oceans too though, no so easy with spiders.

Hope this helps ^_^

I think that this is my favorite answer so far. I have tried to stop the fear by learning more I have read five books spent maby twelve hours googling sipders and watch three shows on them ( all of witch I had trouble looking at the T.V. lol) and I WAS getting over this untill camp two years ago I had goten bit by a daddy longlegs (and I KNOW that they can't kill you but it shure did hurt!) and last year... I'll wait and and post this if people are intrested (It's a long stoy)