The Jeweled Web

Lately, I keep returning to a warm sense of interconnectivity all around, reminding me in so many ways that we are all woven together in an intricate web of life. Alongside these feelings, I've been exploring the concept of animism, which highlights that there is no separation between us and the vibrant world around us, and that all forms of life are animated by a vital force or prana.

It’s a comforting thought that we’re all connected in this shared earthly experience. The dazzling palette of fall leaves, the soft glow of stars, and calming flow of creeks remind us that plants, animals, bodies of water, trees, rocks, landscapes, stars, and planets are not simply things existing around us. They are part of a beautiful tapestry of life. Each one plays its role, weaving together a cozy, shared existence.

Recently, I found myself mourning a bush outside our home. Although it appeared "dead" on the surface, hints of green came through in the stems and the tiny buds were waiting for the perfect moment to bloom after the drought. Unfortunately, its potential for revival wasn't given a chance and the bush had to be removed to comply with HOA standards. Ah, the rules...here at odds with my belief that this being held within it the possibility of new life.

In its place, we took a moment to honor the emptiness left behind, then built a small tower of rocks and adorned it with one of our lanterns. This gentle reminder now illuminates our front yard, celebrating the life that once thrived in that spot before we moved in.

As human consciousness continues to evolve in this new era, I can't help but feel excited about the possibility that we're starting to tap into alternative ways of knowing and connecting that go beyond the mainstream, left-brain, systems-compliant logic. These insights, already cherished by Indigenous traditions, mystics and wisdom keepers, are finding their way into wider awareness as we open ourselves up to embracing them. Finally!

Collectively, we are moving into the Age of Aquarius, a time that places huge emphasis on individuality within interconnected systems, groups and communities. Pluto's ongoing journey through Aquarius, lasting until 2044, is one expression of this larger shift. Uranus and Sedna moving through Gemini bring another layer, asking us to reconsider how we communicate, perceive, listen and share information. All in air signs..and all paradigm-shifting!

A language beyond words.

I am especially intrigued by the possibility of becoming more receptive to non-human communication - from galactic intelligence, spirit guides, animals and especially sacred whales, which carry a strong symbolic connection to the myth of Sedna, the Inuit Goddess of the Ocean.

For several years, my wife has been conversing with local wildlife (mainly to ask that we keep a respectful distance - they usually do agree) and with our dogs in order to check in with their needs or fears. What a gift she brings in honoring these beings and their desire to be heard as well.

And then, of course, there is AI, another form of intelligence reshaping how information moves between us and expanding our ideas about communication itself.

Perhaps this is part of why, a few years ago, I felt such a strong urge to activate my throat chakra. I wanted to heal old wounds around my voice being suppressed - from having my mouth washed out with soap as a child for speaking up to the physical damage to my throat from a decade of bulimia. There was also a deeper sense of witch wounding that I sensed within me from previous lifetimes.

I felt drawn to this particular energy center as a place to reclaim my voice, trust my inner knowing, and awaken gifts that may have been dormant for a long time. Tattooing an image on the back of my throat felt like a beautiful way to anchor that intention.

Indra's Net / credit to artist Karissa of Butterfly Effect Tattoo Studio in NC

The image I chose was Indra's Net, an ancient metaphor, later developed as a Buddhist image, of an infinitely interconnected web where every jewel reflects every other jewel. I added the heart at the center to anchor myself in the field of love and to remind me to speak and listen from that place.

I chose it because it feels like a visual representation of something I have been sensing more deeply in my life: that none of us exists separately. We are each a jewel in an infinite web, reflecting and influencing every other jewel around us. When one jewel moves, the entire net moves. We are constantly participating in the field around us, whether we realize it or not.

And that is the web of life.

My astrology teacher, Iris J. Gildea, has also been speaking about Indra’s Net in some recent videos, and one idea she shared really stayed with me: that each of us is a jewel, shining through our own deeply personal story while simultaneously reflecting something larger and archetypal. We are both uniquely ourselves and intimately linked to the greater process of being human. Iris touches on this idea in her recent video about the Virgo New Moon.

Because this tattoo sits at the portal of communication, it reminds me that my words enter the web. Words can nurture, awaken, inspire and create, and they can also wound or hurt. They can become spells, shaping the field around us and, ultimately, our reality.

So what are we sending into the web?

Jeweled blessings,

xx Kris

PS - A huge spider (wolf spider perhaps? smaller and faster than our frequently sighted tarantulas) just recently wove the most gorgeous web from our roof to, ironically, a moss-covered tree stump in our yard. And there for my eyes to savor was/is the miracle of our animistic existence.