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Mystic Mantra: Wisdom from the Spider’s Web

by Rajgopal Nidamboor(more info)

listed in psychospiritual, originally published in issue 259 - January 2020

 

Republished from The Asian Age

asianage.com

https://www.asianage.com/opinion/oped/080619/mystic-mantra-wisdom-from-the-spiders-web.html

 

Archane’s excess pride resulted in her being transformed into a spider.

Silk is nature’s sublime, also wondrous creation – because the pint-sized spider, as a freak of nature, was given the facility to make silk, a cloth like no other. As Robert Boyle, the celebrated Anglo-Irish natural philosopher, chemist, physicist and inventor eulogized, we are indebted to the little caterpillar – along with its web-centric tiny companion – for silk, just as much as the ant-hill-inspired King Solomon’s sublime contemplation that turned his horse aside and all his troops followed suit, so as not to harm the diminutive living beings moving along the path. No sooner had this happened, the Queen of Sheba proclaimed, “Happy, indeed, must be your people, wise King. I shall remember the lesson. He only is noble and great who cares for the helpless and weak.”

 

Rajgopal Nidamboor 259 Spiders Web

 

One may also, in the context, highlight the amazing good old parable of Archane – the gifted mortal weaver who challenged Athena, the Goddess of wisdom and craft, to a weaving challenge. Archane’s excess pride resulted in her being transformed into a spider. The fabled story allegorically illustrates that it is to the humble spider that we owe the first cue for weaving cloth too. Or, as modern philosophy teachers, David Werther and Mark Linville explain, every mystery in any religiously significant sense is best construed as a species of appreciation, knowledge or acquaintance, and perhaps, of what silk ‘feels’ like – silken finesse.

When the “Tiger of Mysore” Tipu Sultan first thought of silk as an industry, he may not have visualized that science would one day tweak the fabric’s ‘natural’ ethnic appeal from the ground up. That is, synthesize the exquisite fabric for use as protective attire, bulletproof vests and other accessories, including a ‘diamond’ for a coveted World Cup cricket trophy. Or something that would give the silk weave a new tag – one that could be used or employed as the most ideal, durable material in the manufacture of specialized items, viz. parachute cords, not to speak of synthetic tendons, non-allergic sutures, implants, silk protein patches to repair damaged hearts and most importantly, artificial skin, among other paraphernalia.

The point also is, irrespective of whether you accept or reject such groundbreaking exemplifications, you ought to embrace noted arachnologist – one who specializes in the study of spiders and other arachnids – Theodore Savory’s progressive aphorism: “Silk is the warp and woof of the spider’s life.” It simply means this – from their birth to death, the lives of spiders are tied up in silk, which is akin to every soldier’s call of duty in the service of their motherland. This is a noble avowal – the ‘web’ of life’s lesson too – for each of us to do our humble bit and make our world a better place.

Acknowledgement Citation

Republished from The Asian Age

asianage.com

https://www.asianage.com/opinion/oped/080619/mystic-mantra-wisdom-from-the-spiders-web.html

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About Rajgopal Nidamboor

Rajgopal Nidamboor PhD FCCP M-CAM is a Board-Certified wellness physician, Fellow of the College of Chest Physicians (FCCP), Member of the Center of Applied Medicine (M-CAM), writer-editor, commentator, critic, columnist, author, and publisher. His special interests include natural health and wellness, mind-body/integrative medicine, nutritional medicine, psychology, philosophy, and spirituality. His focus areas also encompass contemporary research and dissemination of dependable information for people concerned about their health. He feels that it is increasingly gratifying to see most individuals, including physicians, thinking outside the box – especially in areas such as natural health, where the body knows best to heal itself from the inside out. His published work includes hundreds of newspaper, magazine, Web articles, four books on natural health, two coffee-table books, a handful of E-books, a primer on therapeutics, and, most recently, Cricket Odyssey. He’s Chief Wellness Officer, Docco360, a mobile health application/platform, connecting patients with Ayurveda, homeopathic, Unani physicians, and nutrition therapists, among others, from the comfort of their home — and, Editor-in-Chief, ThinkWellness360.  Rajgopal Nidamboor lives in Navi Mumbai, India. He may be contacted via raj@rajnidamboor.com 

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