I had a spark of creativity! I’m going to do something a little different in the way of the metaphysical in this one. I’m talking about the energy of spiders. No, we’re not cooking with actual spiders; don’t worry. Being that Halloween is almost upon us I decided I wanted to decorate some cupcakes with spider webs and the idea struck that this would be a fun and new way to add correspondences to kitchen witchery. I’m sure I’m not the first to bring animal correspondences to decorating but it’s a fun little twist on the idea of sigils and is a little more undercover. So stay tuned below for a little information about spider energy and symbology.
For those of you here just for cooking though I have a small batch recipe of cupcakes. I really like finding small batches of baked goods because I don't really have a sweet tooth but sometimes I just get that craving. Below we will go through making cupcakes, icing and the easiest way to decorate cupcakes with spider webs!
SMALL BATCH CUPCAKES
Yields: 5 cupcakes
Ingredients
Batter:
1/2 cup flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 large egg
¼ cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup milk, 2% or higher recommended
Icing:
¾ cup powdered sugar
3 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tsp milk
Food colouring
Directions:
We’ll start with our cupcakes. Preheat your oven to 350.
Combine flour, salt, baking powder.
In a separate bowl whisk together your egg and sugar for about 30 seconds. Work quickly to avoid burning your egg (yeah, sugar and egg reacts to create a weird burnt taste!) Add in your vanilla and melted butter and whisk until well combined.
Add half of your dry ingredient mix and stir just until combined. Add in the milk. Stir just until combined. Add the rest of your dry ingredients and, you guessed it, stir just until combined. Resist over mixing.
**witchy tip** You have so many opportunities to stir in your intentions with this one. Maybe think about breaking your intention into smaller pieces and really focusing on a single aspect with each stir.
Divide the batter evenly between 5 muffin tin cups that have either been lined or generously greased. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Cool completely on cooling rack before icing!
While we wait for those to cool we can make out icing. We’re going to need 2 different colours to make the webs. One of those colours can obviously be white.** witchy tip ** choose colours that match your intention to add a little extra oomph
Beat butter and sugar together until smooth. I do most things by hand including this but you can definitely, and maybe should, use a mixer. 
Add vanilla extract and one tsp of milk. Beat until light and fluffy. If using a mixer I suggest medium speed for several minutes. For those of us doing git by hand it will take a little longer but it's a great arm workout! At this point you can adjust the consistency if need be by adding more milk to thin it out or more sugar to thicken it up. we want a relatively loose icing for what were doing for decorating. 
Split your icing into two small bowls at about 1 third and two thirds. The colour you are using for the web strings will be the smaller amount. Colour accordingly. Keep in mind adding too much food colouring will affect the consistency of your icing. If you have piping bags and tips they will come in handy but if not don’t fret! You can make your own with a plastic bag, plastic wrap or wax paper. Simply cut a small hole or roll up into a cone and tape a sheet of plastic or wax paper. 
Once cooled ice the tops of your cupcakes with the base colour making sure the tops are relatively smooth and flat. The next step is to use your piping bag and small tip to create a bullseye. You want the center to be about a ¼ inch thick and then the rest of the circles around it to be the width of the tip about an ⅛ inch across. You can put the other circles at whatever distance you want depending on how dense you want your webs to be. Finally you are going to draw the other lines. This is the fun part. You can use a toothpick, the point end of a decorating nail or simply a fork tine or butter knoe. Staring at the center, drag your point through the icing all the way out to the edge. This should transform your loves into those tell tale curves of a spider web. Continue around the whole bullseye again at the density that you want.
And there you go a small batch of cupcakes ready to go for Halloween.
Onto the witchy stuff!
Spider energy! Spiders are already associated with the “mundane” holiday of Halloween but it's Spider energy! Spiders are already associated with the “mundane” holiday of Halloween but its oddly perfect for this time of year in the metaphysical department too. She is associated with our shadow self and we are entering the dark half of the year which is often a time of introspection and healing.
Spiders web specifically reminds us of how everything is intertwined: in our personal lives, our spiritual lives, the state of the world and across time and space. It reminds us that there is a connection between past and future (within our current lives as well as past lives and our ancestors before us) but that we also have the chance to make our own decisions and change our destiny. When paying attention and working with this energy we can be more aware of what lies ahead, both positive and negative, the way a spider can feel her prey struggle on her web.
While spiders are generally associated with female (yin, cold) energy she, like a nurturing mother, can switch from still and patient to a lightning strike of ferocity in an instant. She can be both gentle and vicious. She reminds us that there is a balance between the past and the future, masculine and feminine, delicate and strong.
Spider is associated with the number eight both for her eight legs as well as the shape of her body which is similar to that of figure eight, also the infinity symbol. Which in numerology is associated with life cycles, beginning to end and repeating.
Her elaborate weaving skills while symbolically can be seen as that great web of fate can more tangible be seen as beautiful natural art. So she is also connected to our creative selves.
So call upon spider energy when you are feeling in a rut, especially if that rut is a creative block. Remember her when you are trying to manifest your life long dream. Ask her to guide you to your destiny and find the strength to make those necessary changes. Ask her to help you rid yourself of the things from your past that are holding you back and to instead find strength in them, to utilize your past lessons.
Get out there and get creative! Begin a new journey! And don’t forget to tell me about your experience following Spider across her magnificent web of Fate!
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