I have been thinking a lot about Arachne this past year.

There are not many myths with two women heroines. This one is about challenging power, about an artist challenging a god.

Arachne was a mortal woman who was an exceptional weaver. She was said to be better than the gods. Athena (goddess of war) heard this and challenged her. When the tapestries were complete, Athena unveiled hers to the awe of the crowd. Then Athena displayed hers - which was clearly better. Athena in anger cursed Arachne to weave for eternity, and all her children be weavers by changing her into a spider and all her children into spiders also.

What strikes me about this story is that people associate the spider with Arachne. That is a symbol of her powerlessness to Athena. I believe Arachne was and continues to be the best weaver, and think of her with a needle for thread and a shuttle for weaving. I believe in an Arachne that was human, moments before she was changed into an arachnid. It is with this in mind I ask to my work to be blessed.