A Circle of Insects

I have been thinking about stealing spiritual practices from other cultures, particularly [in the Untied States] the indigenous tribes of the Americas. There are new agers, white lighters, wiccans, and some folks who don't know what else to do with their money who are all souped up on shamanism, medicine circles, and other practices which they believe to be the real thing. And because there is an average of a sucker born every minute, there are lots of grown up suckers willing to part with their hard-earned cash to go on vision quests. And there is a market for those glossy slick-backed "Medicine Cards" with the nice drawings of Bear and Shells and stuff on them.

Awhile back, I posted to an e-group which I no longer belong to asking about how come no one ever claims the cockroach as their special animal. Everyone wants wolves, lions, tigers, bears, eagles, buffaloes, deer, frog. But absolutely no one wants to have any sort of spiritual relationship with a cockroach. The cockroach is the most successful evolutionary experiment, able to adapt under a myriad of conditions, and quite the traveler too. The spiritually bent should be fasting and begging for Cockroach to be their power insect or totem animal. But alas, not.

Now and again, there are folks who assign mythical beasties to the four cardinal directions or elements in a working circle. Dragons and unicorns abound, right along with the more traditional undines and salamanders. Phoenix and sirens, gargoyles and mermaids yet nary a real insect is noted.

For those who are so inclined, I present the Circle of Insects!


earth: deer tick, cockroach, wood bee, head louse, termite, house fly, ground killer wasp

air: flea, white-faced hornet, pubic crab, fruit fly, horse fly, jumping spider, hover fly

fire: firefly, honey bee, wasp, sweat bee, fire ant, red ant, scorpion

water: skate, diving beetle, mosquito, springtail, noctuid moth, leech, stone fly

sapphoq healing t.b.i.