Lessons from a Wasp

I’ll start out by noting two things: one, I’m allergic to wasps – I get a severe though usually localized reaction to their sting. But if I get stung on my head, face, or neck, it could be life-threatening. And of course, allergies can get more severe with each contact, so I’m at risk for an anaphylactic reaction regardless of where I get stung, and I make sure to carry an Epi-pen.

And two, I’m new to my shamanic path – only a year into my studies. But over this past year, I’ve found animistic perspectives creeping in. Everything natural I come across, from mushrooms and streams to the small critters and insects hanging around (and in) our house, has received a greeting, and pause for admiration of the amazing life form or natural space I am experiencing.

There was no intention to make this shift in how I see the natural world – as a naturalist I’m already fairly in tune with, and in reverence of nature, so in many ways, it wasn’t all that big a change. But I have no doubt that this deepening relationship came about from my shamanic experiences and studies. It crept in in the most natural way, and I soon found myself in relationship with the smallest of insects, the fire that heats our house, and surprisingly, all of humanity in general (I’m still getting adjusted to that one).

This was my moment. I had to find my way into right relationship with these wasps.

We get wasps in our house with some regularity in spring and fall when temperatures are erratic, and a few weeks ago on a warm fall day, two wasps made their way into our living room. My knee-jerk reaction to call my husband in to dispatch them (I’ve developed an aversion to wasps, bordering on serious dislike) was thwarted by the fact that he wasn’t at home.

This was my moment. I had to find my way into right relationship with these wasps. That didn’t mean putting myself in danger, it just meant that I needed to consider them and their perspective more carefully and with the respect I believe all life forms deserve.

So (from the doorway) I spoke to them, greeting them, and letting them know that I wasn’t going to harm them. I politely asked them to keep some space between us, and in return, I would try to keep them safe until they could find their way back out. Thankfully I don’t use the living room much when working from home.

Sometime later, one of the wasps found its way to the window in my office (of course it did); the one right next to my chair. Once I got over my startlement, I made myself look more closely at the wasp. And I tell you, it looked dejected. Its wings and antenna drooped and it moved sluggishly despite the warm temps.

And suddenly, my personal perspective of the wasp fell away and I understood that this poor creature needed to be outdoors, and was suffering because it wasn’t. It was at the window trying to find a way out, but without help, it would most likely die without reaching its proper habitat.

Within moments my sympathy won out – I felt bad and wanted to get this being back outside. A potentially risky job for someone home alone with a wasp allergy. But it was so docile, I thought that if I could find a stiff piece of paper, I might be able to coax it on, bring it to an open window, and let it fly out.

Finding something small but appropriately stiff I approached the wasp, talking gently the whole time (probably more for my benefit than the wasp’s, but you never know), letting it know that I wanted to help it get back outside and that I meant it no harm. I opened the screen in advance, picked up my paper, and started to move it near the wasp’s feet. Instead of crawling onto the paper, it quickly grabbed the edge with its surprisingly strong barbed legs, which startled me. And so instead of gently moving the paper through the opening in the screen and holding it while the wasp flew away, I kind of shoved the paper and wasp together out the window and quickly shut the screen.

Perhaps not as gentle an exit as I had envisioned, but the mission was accomplished: I didn’t get stung, and the wasp got outside intact (along with some paper).

The reason this encounter stands out to me of all the new and interesting relationships with creatures and spaces I’ve had the past year, is because of my predisposed aversion to this particular animal. I’ve already mentioned being a naturalist, and my love of and respect for the natural world usually overcomes any discomfort or squeamishness that I might feel otherwise (with one notable exception).

These wasps forced me to take my ability to live in right relationship with other beings to the next level. If I can reach out (emotionally, definitely not physically) to a creature that unnerves me, this animistic understanding of the world has definitely changed me on a fundamental level. And I am so thankful.

PS – If you’ve taken a moment to follow the link and read about the exception above, you might be wondering where I am in relationship to …. um, grubs (still have a hard time with the ‘m’ word). It’s…. still a work in progress. I’ll keep you posted.

If you’d like to learn more about the shamanic path I’m following, you can find my story under the blog category of ‘My Shamanic Path‘.

Header photo by Wolfgang Hasselmann on Unsplash