For Spider, a Florida-based Pagan artisan and musician, the journey into flute-making began with a moment of surprise—and a sound that changed his life.
In the fall of 2005, a friend handed him a Native-styled flute and showed him how to play. Skeptical at first, Spider did not expect much. “Over the years I had tried repeatedly to be a musician to no avail,” he recalled. But the resonance of two flutes played together, his and his friend’s, caught him instantly. “When I heard that sound, I was hooked.”
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Within weeks, he was playing with the help of instructional DVDs, soon purchasing a flute at a local Pow Wow. His collection grew, as did his curiosity about how flutes were made. When his friend handed him a few damaged flutes to repair, Spider eagerly tried his hand at restoring them. That spark quickly turned into a craft. By 2006 he was building his own instruments and seeking out master flute makers to learn from.
Today, Spider works with a wide variety of materials, often reclaimed, everything from walnut, maple, and cypress woods to old pianos, dining tables, and dresser legs. He has also experimented with bone, horn, and synthetics. Each flute, he believes, carries its own spirit. “The player picks the flute, and the flute picks the player,” he explained. His goal is always to create an instrument that pleases both the eye and the ear.
Spider playing a flute that’s from some 3500-year-old wood. [Courtesy
Flute-making, for Spider, is deeply tied to his spiritual path. Long before he picked up the instrument, he had been attending Native American sweat lodges and following the Red Road since 1995. Festivals became a natural extension of this journey. After attending a New Age gathering, he was invited to the Florida Pagan Gathering (FPG) in 2008. He began vending that very year and has been part of FPG ever since. “If there’s a Pagan or New Age festival in Florida, there’s a good chance I’ve conducted a workshop on how to play the native-styled flute,” he said. While Spider’s path has drawn deeply from Native-inspired practices, he is mindful of approaching them with respect and gratitude toward the cultures from which they originate.
The rewards of his work, Spider said, come in moments of connection. He treasures seeing the joy on someone’s face as they learn to play or hearing their stories when they return to his booth months later. He has even helped struggling players by sitting down and playing alongside them until the problem resolves. “Another rewarding part of making flutes,” he said, “is watching people look at the different types of flutes I’ve created and say things like, ‘I’ve never seen a flute look like this.’”
Spider’s table of flutes [Courtesy
Challenges, of course, come with the path. The decline of Pow Wows and Pagan festivals has meant fewer vending opportunities, and Spider admits that finding venues that fit his craft is difficult. Word of mouth remains his strongest resource, though he also connects with customers online. “The downside,” he noted, “is the customer can’t play the flute first.” These days, he occasionally invites people to his home so they can try out different flutes in person. Age has also slowed his pace, but not his passion. “I move a bit slower than when I started twenty years ago,” he said with a smile.
Some of Spider’s fondest memories come from festivals, where music becomes both communal and transformative. He recalls closing his eyes while playing a fujara flute in his booth, only to open them and discover a small audience gathered, listening intently. At other times, people have mistaken his live music for a recording. But his favorite moments are those spent playing with friends, when the music swells into something larger than the players themselves. “It becomes a very emotional experience for us and those around us,” he said.
As for advice to those beginning their own artisan or spiritual journey, Spider stresses patience and openness. “Learn to ask lots of questions to those who have come before you,” he said. In his early years, he believed everything needed to be perfect, but now he embraces the natural imperfections of handcrafting. “Handmade flutes have imperfections, which show that they are handmade. You need to practice your craft as much as possible and strive for progress, not perfection. Nothing needs to be perfect.”
For Spider, the flute is more than an instrument; it is a bridge between the maker, the player, and the spirit of the wood itself. “The playing of native-styled flutes will change you,” he reflected, “as it has changed me for the better.”
Spider is based in Winter Springs, Florida, and will again be at the Florida Pagan Gathering next week for Samhain near Silver Springs. He can be reached through his website SpiderSong Flutes.
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