Sacred Southwest Journey 2026: Part 1: Canyon de Chelly: Spider Rock
Day 1
Lance and I dedicated our 2026 journey to Spider Woman. Spider Woman, in the Navajo mythology, is a revered deity who gave the Diné (the People) the art of weaving on the loom, the importance of interconnection (think of a web and the world wide web of the internet) and a way for parents to guide their children not to misbehave or Spider Woman would carry them away. Spider Woman is considered the creator of the universe. She watches over humans and protects them.
The 800-foot sandstone spire in Canyon de Chelly is where Spider Woman’s sacred home is located.
We left our home on September 8 and drove up to Winslow, Arizona with our pop-up tent camper in tow. Since it was a long drive (3 hours), we stayed in a hotel that offered a breakfast in the morning. Unfortunately, the breakfast was not appealing to us, so we headed to Denny’s restaurant.
We arrived at Spider Rock campground in the Canyon de Chelly National Monument on the Navajo Nation. The elevation was 6,632 feet above sea level. We were the only ones camping here. It was a help-yourself reservation set-up. We filled out the envelope, put the money inside and placed it in the slot. After setting up camp, we drove to Tseyi Overlook.
The Navajo people (Diné) have lived in this canyon for the past 5,000 years and still do. If you zoom in on the rock wall, you will see ancient dwellings. The canyon bottom is sacred to the people living here, passed down from degenerations. The original people were known as the Basketmakers. The Ancient Pueblo settled here next, then the Navajo.
Day 2
I woke up with a massive headache at 3am. I returned to sleep, then woke up at 8:45am, feeling miserable and irritable. After taking two aspirin, symptoms ceased within the hour.
We ate breakfast, then drove to town to buy gas for the car and ice for the cooler. On the way down the mountain, we found ourselves in the middle of a marathon. Navajo people were walking with escort vehicles beside them. About every 100 yards, we saw water stations with canopies. We waved to the people and they waved back to us with smiles.
Metaphysically, marathon implies great efforts expended on an achievement. This is in regards to Lance and my spiritual inner work.
We drove to the Canyon de Chelly National Monument Welcome Center. This is where we visited the museum, and watched a video about the area and its people.
There is a full size Navajo hogan here to look at. The door always faces East to greet Father Sun.
After visiting the welcome center, we prayed, gave honor and respect to the 7 overlook areas. Tseyi, Tunnel, Junction, White House, Sliding House, Face Rock and finally, Spider Rock.
I wore my green beaded spider named Moonglow Spinner, crafted by Anita of Incognita Jewelry. Her specialty is beaded spiders. She also has kits so you can make your own spider. Each spider comes with a cute little folklore story about the magical attributes of each one, a velvet ribbon to wear, a handmade clip adaptor, and a delicate thread for hanging. You can check out her website here: https://www.incognitajewelry.com/
We completed our ceremonies and returned to our campsite around three in the afternoon. It was a quiet evening, watching the blue jays fly around the juniper pines. Blue jays represent spiritual contentment. What a beautiful message from Spirit.
The next morning, we broke camp and headed for Cortez, Colorado about 10:30am.
Part 2: Mesa Verde National Park…
Comments