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Ladybug

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Ladybug

This morning I awoke dreaming of two words, Lucky and Joy.
Lucky was a little red bug with dots and inner wings as soft as silk stockings.
And Joy was a tiny bird dressed up in blue feathers…

Coccinellidae, or more commonly known as; the ladybug, ladybird, lady beetle, ladyclock, lady fly, or lady cow. She is the lucky one with the alarming red wings and spicy black dots.

The word Coccinellidae originated from the Latin word coccineus meaning scarlet. The common name ladybird originated from Britain where the insect came to be known as Our Lady’s bird or the Lady beetle. In early paintings Mary was often depicted wearing a red cloak with the spots of the seven spot ladybird. The spots were said to symbolize the seven joys and seven sorrows. In the United States the name was adapted to ladybug and the German name Marienkäfer translates to Marybeetle. (1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coccinellidae

I chose the laydbug to stand as the totem for the joss of my fame, my icon for the south facing feng shui sun and all things to represent fame and reputation. I mainly chose her because she is known for being lucky, but the south corner turned out to be suitable since she likes warm days. And the best and brightest sun sits in the south!

I can’t think of a better legacy for fame than the legacy of luck, but she also reminds me of awakenings, of warm spring weather and the good divas that twirl around the garden beds.

But later I discovered the ladybug had secrets. Those red and black spotted wings are not her real wings, they are wing covers. Her real wings are the thin black ones underneath.

Ahhh, intrigue! A mystery, a creature with secrets and a story that might tell much more than her red wings will allow.

One day as I was reading the story of Manawee, it all started to make sense. The ladybug is the perfect embodiment of the dual nature of the feminine archetype.

In the story of ‘Manawee’ as told in ‘Women Who Run with the Wolves;’ Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D., has this to say about the dual nature of women;

“Anyone close to a woman is in fact in the presence of two women; an outer being and an interior criatura, one who lives in the topside world not so easily seeable… Understanding this dual nature in women, sometimes causes men, and even women themselves, to close their eyes and hail heaven for help… These “two-women-who-are-one” are separate but conjoined elements which combine in the psyche in thousands of ways.”

When I read these words, I suddenly felt known, and I precisely understood why I chose this tiny bug, lucky spots and all, to stand in the south corner as the Joss of My Fame.

Her outer wings are the ones she carries to the grocery store; as are mine. These are the wings she wears to work, the wings she wears to social gatherings and parties; as are mine. These are the wings she uses to protect her inner self, her inner black-silken wings!

The story of Manawee is about the quest to get inside the feminine, to find her true face, her inner twin, the flame that lives and dwells within. Manawee is the insightful, yet curious embodiment of the masculine who wants more than anything to know both of her names, to know both names of the beautiful women on the edge of town.

It is a story about integration and the joy of finding and knowing the full self.

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*’Ladybug’ was originally published in the Dream-Speak Journal / Issue Eleven / Lucky.

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I have a fascination with all things in red capes and feathers. Little Red Riding Hood, the Cardinal, the Ladybug and now this ancient depiction of Mary in her red cloak. As though Mary could be the fully awakened counterpart of Little Red Riding Hood. Her seven sorrows proving the transcendence of her journey and proving her worthy of the spiritual integration of the awakened feminine and masculine.

*I have some new creative plans going forward, plans I’m working on in the background, and I can only say that the Ladybug is a big part of this new journey. I can’t wait to share her black wings with you!

Nicole~

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Dream-Speak 11widget 179Issue Eleven of Dream-Speak
is available at HPMagcloud.

Digital copies are $3.95.
Print copies are $10.95.
Print purchases come with a customary digital copy.

See the Dream-Speak web-site
for membership information.

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