This picture is of Spider Rock. It is located in the depths of Canyon de Chelly in the Navajo Nation. It is a remote and solitary place. Only those with a significant intention can ever journey to this extraordinary place. It is a place that has inspired many sacred stories and continues to invoke a profound sense of the great mystery that surrounds our lives.
The early Dine (Navajo) spoke of Spider Woman, who lives on top of the rock. She was the first to weave the “web of the universe” and balance the diverse pieces of creation. In the same way, she taught the Dine how to balance their body, mind, and soul. Every time a Dine woman sits at a loom, she remembers the Spider Woman. She weaves Spider Woman’s body, mind, and soul into her rug or blanket.
Before reading any further, take a moment to imagine yourself standing at the foot of that 800-foot rock. You have come a very long way through a narrow and rugged canyon. The ground beneath you is alive with the vibrations of centuries of pilgrims who have made the same arduous journey. Wonder and awe fill in the silence. You hear the voices of the Elders speak in your soul. They tell of Spider Woman and her weaving. Your mind expands as the whole of the universe begins to unfold before you. At the same time, your physical presence shrinks into the shadow of that overwhelming natural obelisk. At that moment, the sacred presence blesses you. Your only response is a gentle whisper of gratitude for the joy that fills your spirit!
(Before reading on, sit with this image for a while and allow it to surround your body, mind, and soul.)
Spider Rock is a “thin place.” These are “holy places” where the veil between this world and the next is fragile and blows in the winds. The name “thin place” comes from the oral traditions of the Celtic People as they journeyed across Europe. But the Celts were only one of the cultures of the Neolithic and Bronze Ages that encountered such thin places in their travels. In scripture, we find a story of the “Burning Bush.” In Southern France, the Stone Age people saw the petroglyphs and paintings from the hands of Neanderthals many centuries before. In the caves, these later people felt the presence of the great mystery beyond their campfires. The ancient and more culturally advanced people of Africa and India erected temples to honor these holy sites that had been speaking to their ancestors for generations. A thin place is where the human spirit finds its connection to the wondrous mystery that enfolds us all into one web.
These thin places help us gather and tell stories, legends, and myths to give voice to our hopes and fears. These sacred sites point us beyond ourselves, our tribe, and our time. They allow us to see that life is far more than a brief sojourn in a particular time and place with a specific set of companions. We come together in these places and marvel together about the grandeur of life. We share our hopes and dreams, as well as our deepest fears and sorrows. We sit should-to-shoulder with one another around a fire, drawing warmth from the flames and our companions. We break bread together and remember those who no longer join us at this sacred place. In these thin places, we find that the journey within and the journey beyond is the same and that we are part of something far greater than we will ever understand.
We all have our Spider Rocks. Your thin place may be a traditional religious ritual where you gather around a table for a symbol-laden feast. It may be a favorite stop along a trail that opens your heart to the glory of nature. You thin place may be a comfortable chair where you curl up with a book and allow yourself to escape into a realm of new ideas or stories about the human experience. For some, it may be sitting around with friends as you celebrate the lives you have shared and the hopes and dreams that will keep you together.
Find your thin place. Go there often. Allow it to speak to you and do not allow your story to overwhelm the voices of that particular time and place. Instead, share your story and listen as it echoes off the canyon walls of the other voices of that place. Most of all, let memories of the past and future fill your heart and mind with gratitude, joy, hope, and connection. Let the creation story of that sacred place tell you the story of creation. Allow it to weave your life into the web of life. The Spider Woman is still sitting on her rock and is inviting you to refresh your spirit in the sacred air of her thin place.
Blessings, my friend!
Bob