My dad has always loved a good mystery. Poirot is one of his favorites. He has a mind for solving things and over the years frequently received gifts of puzzles; flat and three dimensional. In my research on labyrinths I learned of an ancient mystery in a parched corner of Peru. Around 500 A.D., single-line labyrinthine shapes, Nazca lines, were “drawn” on the floor of the San José pampa plains. These mysterious lines and drawings of plants and animals can only be seen from an aerial view. The animal lines at Nasca were walked to assume the power of that animal. The 45-yard spider has been identified with a particular female spider which carries her eggs only on a certain leg, the next to last leg on the right-hand side. This fact was verified with a microscope in the 1950’s and is the same leg that forms the entrance and exit of this large walking path. The Nascan people believed that by walking the lines they could pick up the powerful energy of the spider. They entered and exited the labyrinth spider at a point which focuses on fertility, reproduction, and continuation of the species.
How did these ancient people know that this spider carries her eggs only on that particular leg? They must have had a keen sense of observation to discover this without the help of a microscope. This mystery may never be solved or explained. Just like faith.
Bread for the Journey 