I was in the living room of my childhood home, sitting on the couch with my family. I looked up and my kitty, Peanut Monkey, was scrambling up the walls like a spider, chasing after some creature. We all gasped... we couldn't believe our eyes! P-Monk would run at the wall with so much spirit and momentum, that she would stick and scamper vertically along the wall, hot on the trail of... what could it be? I finally saw that it was a small yellow and gray bird. P-Monk eventually pinned it, and held it in her jaws, pausing to savor the victory. I picked her up and plunked her outside, the bird wriggled free as I had hoped. P-Monk glared at me disapprovingly. Sorry, my dear.
Mystics have always traditionally considered the feminine aspect of
the universe as a chest, a house or a wall, as well as an enclosed garden. Another
symbolic association is that which equates the house (and the above, related
forms) with the repository of all wisdom, that is, tradition itself (4). In architectural symbolism, on the other hand, the house carries not only an overall symbolism but also particular associations attached to each of its component parts.
Nevertheless, the house as a home arouses strong, spontaneous associations with
the human body and human thought (or life, in other words), as has been confirmed empirically by psychoanalysts. Ania Teillard explains this by pointing
out that, in dreams, we employ the image of the house as a representation of the
different layers of the psyche. The outside of the house signifies the outward
appearance of Man: his personality or his mask. The various floors are related to
the vertical and spatial symbols. The roof and upper floor correspond to the head
and the mind, as well as to the conscious exercise of self-control. Similarly, the
basement corresponds to the unconscious and the instincts (just as sewers do, in
symbols pertaining to the city). The kitchen, since this is where foodstuff is
transformed, sometimes signifies the place or the moment of psychic transmutation in the alchemical sense. The intercommunicating rooms speak for themselves. The stairs are the link between the various planes of the psyche, but their
particular significance depends upon whether they are seen as ascending or descending. Finally, there is, as we have said, the association of the house with the
human body, especially regarding its openings, as was well understood by
Artemidorus Daldianus (56).
To see a house in your dream, represents your own soul and self. Specific rooms in the house indicate a specific aspect of your psyche. In general, the attic represents your intellect, the basement represents the unconscious, etc. If the house is empty, then it indicates feelings of insecurity. If the house is shifting, then it suggests that you are going through some personal changes and changing your belief system. To dream that a house has no walls, represents a lack of privacy. You feel that everyone is looking over your shoulder or up in your business.
To dream that you are cleaning your house, signifies your need to clear out your thoughts and get rid of old ways. You are seeking self-improvement.
If you live with others in your waking life, but dream that you are living alone, suggests that you need to take new steps toward independence. You need to accept responsibilities and be more self-reliant.
To see an old, run-down house in your dream, represents your old beliefs, attitudes and how you used to think or feel. A situation in your current life may be bringing about those same old attitudes and feelings. Alternatively, the old house may symbolize your need to update you mode of thinking. To dream that your house is damaged, indicates your waking concerns about the condition of your house.
To see a new house in your dream, indicates that you are entering into a new phase or new area in your life. You are becoming more emotionally mature. If you are locked out of the house, then it represents rejection and insecurity. You feel you are being left behind.
To dream that your house is broken into, suggests that you are feeling violated. It may refer to a particular relationship or current situation in your life. Alternatively, it indicates that some unconscious material is attempting to make itself known. There are some aspects of yourself that you have denied.
To dream of a haunted house, signifies unfinished emotional business, related to your childhood family, dead relatives, or repressed memories and feelings.
To dream that a house has disappeared, indicates that you are not feeling grounded. You feel uprooted by a particular circumstance or relationship in your life.
To dream that water is rising up in your house, suggests that you are becoming overwhelmed by your emotions.
To dream of building a house, you will make wise changes in your present affairs.
To dream that you own an elegant house, denotes that you will soon leave your home for a better, and fortune will be kind to you.
Old and dilapidated houses, denote failure in business or any effort, and declining health.
Seeing a house in your dream, represents your own soul and self. Specific rooms in the house indicate a specific aspect of your psyche. In general, the attic represents your intellect, the basement represents the unconscious, etc. If the house is empty, then it indicates feelings of insecurity. If the house is shifting, then it suggests that you are going through some personal changes and changing your belief system. Dreaming that you are cleaning your house means your need to clear out your thoughts and getting rid of old ways. You are seeking self-improvement. Seeing an old, run-down house in your dream, represents your old beliefs, attitudes and how you used to think or feel. A situation in your current life may be bringing about those same old attitudes and feelings. Alternatively, the old house may symbolize your need to update you mode of thinking. Dreaming that your house is broken into, suggests that you are feeling violated. It may refer to a particular relationship or current situation in your life. Alternatively, it indicates that some unconscious material is attempting to make itself known. There are some aspects of yourself that you have denied. Dreaming of a haunted house means unfinished emotional business, related to your childhood family, dead relatives, or repressed memories and feelings. Dreaming that a house disappeared, indicates that you are not feeling grounded. You feel uprooted by a particular circumstance or relationship in your life.
It is common to dream about houses. They usually symbolise our emotional and psychological selves. All of your experiences, stages of development, and parts of your conscious and unconscious life may be represented by that house. The house may be representing issues concerning a particular dilemma in your life, or it may be more general and comprehensive. Either way, if you pay attention to the details in this dream, you may learn a thing or two about yourself.
The spider is a symbol with three distinct meanings; sometimes they
merge or overlap, sometimes one or the other predominates. The three meanings
are derived from: (i) the creative power of the spider, as exemplified in the
weaving of its web; (ii) the spider’s aggressiveness; and (iii) the spider’s web as a
spiral net converging towards a central point. The spider sitting in its web is a
symbol of the centre of the world, and is hence regarded in India as Maya, the
eternal weaver of the web of illusion (32). The spider’s destructive powers are
also connected with its significance as a symbol of the world of phenomena. As
Schneider points out, spiders, in their ceaseless weaving and killing—building and
destroying—symbolize the ceaseless alternation of forces on which the stability
of the universe depends. For this reason, the symbolism of the spider goes deep,
signifying, as it does, that ‘continuous sacrifice’ which is the means of man’s
continual transmutation throughout the course of his life. Even death itself merely
winds up the thread of an old life in order to spin a new one (51). The spider is a
lunar animal because the moon (owing to its passive character, in the sense that it
merely reflects light, and because of its waxing and waning phases, taking these in
the positive and negative sense) is related to the world of phenomena, and, on the
psychic level, to the imagination. Thus the moon, since it holds sway over the
whole phenomenal world (for all phenomenal forms are subject to growth and
death), weaves the thread of each man’s destiny. Accordingly, the moon is depicted as a gigantic spider in many myths (17).
To dream of a spider, denotes that you will be careful and energetic in your labors, and fortune will be amassed to pleasing proportions.
To see one building its web, foretells that you will be happy and secure in your own home.
To kill one, signifies quarrels with your wife or sweetheart.
If one bites you, you will be the victim of unfaithfulness and will suffer from enemies in your business.
If you dream that you see many spiders hanging in their webs around you, foretells most favorable conditions, fortune, good health and friends.
To dream of a large spider confronting you, signifies that your elevation to fortune will be swift, unless you are in dangerous contact.
To dream that you see a very large spider and a small one coming towards you, denotes that you will be prosperous, and that you will feel for a time that you are immensely successful; but if the large one bites you, enemies will steal away your good fortune. If the little one bites you, you will be harassed with little spites and jealousies. To imagine that you are running from a large spider, denotes you will lose fortune in slighting opportunities. If you kill the spider you will eventually come into fair estate. If it afterwards returns to life and pursues you, you will be oppressed by sickness and wavering fortunes.
For a young woman to dream she sees gold spiders crawling around her, foretells that her fortune and prospect for happiness will improve, and new friends will surround her.
Seeing a spider in your dream indicates that you are feeling like an outsider in some situation. Or that you may want to keep your distance and stay away from an alluring and tempting situation. The spider is also symbolic of feminine power. Alternatively, a spider may refer to a powerful force protecting you against your self-destructive behavior. If you kill a spider, it symbolizes misfortune and general bad luck. Seeing a spider spinning a web in your dream means that you will be rewarded for your hard work. You will soon find yourself promoted in your job or recognized for your achievement in a difficult task. Spiders are a symbol of creativity due to the intricate webs they spin. On a negative note, spiders may indicate a feeling of being entangled or trapped in a sticky or clingy relationship. It represents some ensnaring and controlling force. You may feel that someone or some situation is sucking the life right out of you. Seeing a spider climbing up a wall in your dream indicates that your desires will be soon be realized. Dreaming that you are bitten by a spider, represents a conflict with your mother or some dominant female figure in your life. The dream may be a metaphor for a devouring mother or the feminine power to possess and entrap. Perhaps you are feeling trapped by some relationship.
Some believe that the spider is symbolic of an unkind and sneaky individual. Are you the spider building a web, or are you being dragged into one? A spider's web might represent entanglement and the general complexities of life. Depending on the details of the dream, it could also symbolise a smothering individual. Ironically, very old dream interpretations say that the spider is an omen of good luck! The spider and his web may be calling for an integration of the dream's personality leading to greater self-awareness and resulting in feelings of completeness. Therefore, the spider and her web may be considered profound and spiritual dream symbols that call for greater self-understanding and encourage us to derive meaning and satisfaction from the intricate framework and interplay of life.
Spider Symbolism
The Spider is an ancient symbol of mystery, power and growth.
We take our first lesson from the ancient symbol of the Spider by contemplating its web.
Just as the Spider weaves a web, so too must we weave our own lives. The Spider symbol meaning here serves as a reminder that our choices construct our lives. When the Spider appears to us, it is a message to be mindful of the choices we are making - and ask ourselves:
How are my choices affecting my life?
How can my choices improve my life?
How are my choices affecting others in my life?
Not only do Spiders and their webs draw attention to our life choices, they also give us an overview of how we can manipulate our thinking in order to construct the life we wish to live.
Spiders do this by calling our awareness to the amazing construction of their webs. Fully functional, practical, and ingenious in design - Spider webs serve as homes, food storage, egg incubators - seemingly limitless in their functionality.
When we consider this ingenious diversity, we can also consider the web-like construct of our own lives. How are we designing the most effective life?
When we see our decisions, choices and actions as far-reaching, effective tools in life - we can see how we weave a web that can either serve us or enslave us. The Spider symbol meaning beckons us to be mindful of our behaviors - be smart about the life we weave for ourselves.
We can derive more Spider symbol meaning when we consider certain subtle characteristics that represent ancient symbols of infinity.
The infinity symbol meanings occur when we consider most Spiders have eight eyes and all have eight legs. The number eight is also a symbol of infinity or lemniscate (an eight turned on its side). Also, the vibrational frequency indicates the meaning of number eight involves cycles, passage of time, and evolution.
Further Spider symbol meaning:
Cunning
Progressive
Female
Cyclical
Rebirth
Death
Crafty
Resourceful
Creation
Protection
Fate
In Native American symbolism, the Spider is a symbol of protection against torrential storms. In yet other Native American lore accounts, the Spider (personified as the Grandmother) was the teacher and protector of esoteric wisdom.
The meaning of Spider in India is associated with Maya. The term Maya comes from the Sanskrit root “Ma” which means no form or limit. The term Maya describes the illusory nature of appearances. The Spider’s association with Maya brings about the understanding that not all things are as they appear to be.
The Spider symbol meaning in Egypt, is akin to Neith, a complex deity usually depicted with arrows as she is associated with hunting. Along with hunting, she is also associated with the creation, specifically the process of recreation in the dawning and dusking of each day. Neith is also a weaver, and is often shown with a shuttle in her hand (a tool used for weaving). It is this activity that gains her association with the Spider.
And of course, no conversation about the meaning of spiders is complete without discussing the Greek myth of Arachne, a mortal (although of noble stature) who was a spectacular weaver. Acclaim for her luscious lively looms spread over hill and dale and ultimately reached the immortal ears of Athena. Arachne claimed she was the best weaver, and thus prompted a challenge from Athena.
And so, they played a round of “dueling looms,” but no one could confirm the victor. However, Arachne was quite smug about the whole process. So much so, that Athena smote her with a mighty blow of conscience and a dose of guilt. Arachne took the dosage hard, and could not live with the intense feelings of guilt and sorrow so she killed herself. Athena felt awful over the whole mess and decided to resurrect Arachne in the form of a spider so that she and all her offspring would forever be the best weavers of the universe.
One final note, if you've visited my website often, you know I'm a big proponent of individual interpretation. Symbol meanings are very personal and profound. I merely provide a foundation of symbol meanings; utlimately, only YOU can determine what the meaning of Spider is to you.
The Spider is a totem of responsibility and infinity. The shape of the spider and the number of its legs both show the number "eight," which represents infinity. The spider embodies the unlimited number of possibilities within creation. Doubling the number "four" indicates both the four winds and the four cardinal points. The spider instructs us to accept responsibility for anything that happens in our lives. We weave the web of our destiny. The victim who becomes caught in the web has not yet understood this lesson and has become entangled in a reality that appears to be unchangeable. The spider teaches that each being is responsible for its own plan of life. It is important not to lose oneself in deceptions of the senses, and it is helpful to write down one's progress to remember how certain strategies have led to success. The spider also stands for the development of writing.
The spider represents creativity and the weaving of fate. Everything you do in the present will help determine your future. The past always influences the present and the future. It also teaches the need to maintain balance between the past and the future.
Maintains a balance from past to present, helps in creativity and inspiration, helps understanding of illusions and reality, spiritual and physical balance, awakens sensibilities and weaves influences in development in your own world, stay focused on the center of things. Spider is gentleness and strength and will remind you of this pattern. She also will aid in communications and the written word. Are you creating to your fullest potential? Spider will teach the infinite possibilities of creative manifestation and the delicate strength of this balance. Notice the colors, patterns and behavior of the individual spider type for further insight to what Spider is saying.
The simians generally symbolize the baser forces, darkness or
unconscious activity, but this symbolism—like that of legendary fabulous beings—has two sides to it. If, on the one hand, this unconscious force may be
dangerous, while it may degrade the individual, nevertheless it may also prove a
boon—like all unconscious powers—when least expected. This is why, in China,
the monkey is credited with the power of granting good health, success and
protection, being related in this way to sprites, sorcerers and fairies (5).
To see a monkey in your dream, symbolizes deceit, insight and intuition. Those around you are working to advance their own interest. Alternatively, monkeys indicate an immature attitude, a playful nature and the mischievous side of your personality.
To see a monkey hanging or swinging from a tree, suggests that you are feeling troubled by some issue.
To dream that you are feeding a monkey, means betrayal by someone whom you thought cared about your interests.
Also consider the significance of the Three Mystic Monkeys who cover their eyes, ears and mouth to mean that they see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil.
To dream of a monkey, denotes that deceitful people will flatter you to advance their own interests.
To see a dead monkey, signifies that your worst enemies will soon be removed.
If a young woman dreams of a monkey, she should insist on an early marriage, as her lover will suspect unfaithfulness.
For a woman to dream of feeding a monkey, denotes that she will be betrayed by a flatterer.
Seeing a monkey in your dream, symbolizes deceit people are working to advance their own interest. Monkeys also symbolize a playful and mischievous side of your own personality or an immature attitude. Seeing a monkey hanging or swinging from a tree indicates that you be troubled by young ones. Dreaming that you are feeding a monkey indicates that you betrayed by someone whom you thought cared about your interests.
Monkey teaches the balance of dark and light, he brings awareness the darker side of oneself, aids in seeing both sides of all communication methods. Are you showing your creativity at this time? Is it time to examine an ancient wisdom you just encountered? Monkey ignites the inspiration and imagination from the deep recesses of the self and mind and teaches how to move within/without, above and below.
Its significance is diverse, depending upon which of its different characteristics is taken as fundamental. In the Egyptian system of hieroglyphs, the
wall is a determinative sign conveying the idea of ‘rising above the common level’
(19); clearly the predominant sense here is that of its height. A wall enclosing a
space is the ‘wall of lamentations’, symbolic of the sensation of the world as a
‘cavern’—of the doctrine of immanentism or the metaphysical notion of the
impossibility of reaching the outside. It expresses the ideas of impotence, delay,
resistance, or a limiting situation. Now, the wall seen from within as an enclosure
has a secondary implication of protection which, according to its function and the
attitude of the individual, may even be taken as its principal meaning. Psychoanalysts frequently regard it in this light and hence have classified it as a mothersymbol, comparable with the town and the house or home (56). Bayley sums up the two essential features of the wall as follows: Like the house, it is a mystic
symbol representing the feminine element of mankind. This enables us to understand the (otherwise absurd) assertion of the Shulamite in the Song of Songs: ‘I
am a wall’. At the same time, this image has another term of comparison, that of
matter as opposed to spirit (4). It should be noted that the symbolism in the latter
case remains unchanged, since matter corresponds to the passive or feminine
principle, and spirit to the active or masculine.
Every winged being is symbolic of spiritualization. The bird, according to Jung, is a beneficent animal representing spirits or angels, supernatural
aid (31), thoughts and flights of fancy (32). Hindu tradition has it that birds
represent the higher states of being. To quote a passage from the Upanishads:
Two birds, inseparable companions, inhabit the same tree; the first eats of the
fruit of the tree, the second regards it but does not eat. The first bird is Jivâtmâ,
and the second is Atmâ or pure knowledge, free and unconditioned; and when
they are joined inseparably, then the one is indistinguishable from the other except in an illusory sense’ (26). This interpretation of the bird as symbolic of
the soul is very commonly found in folklore all over the world. There is a Hindu
tale retold by Frazer in which an ogre explains to his daughter where he keeps
his soul: ‘Sixteen miles away from this place’, he says, ‘is a tree. Round the tree
are tigers, and bears, and scorpions, and snakes; on the top of the tree is a very
great fat snake; on his head is a little cage; in the cage is a bird; and my soul is in
that bird’ (21). This was given precise expression in ancient Egyptian symbolism by supplying the bird with a human head; in their system of hieroglyphs it
was a sign corresponding to the determinative Ba (the soul), or the idea that the
soul flies away from the body after death (19). This androcephalous bird appears also in Greek and Romanesque art, and always in this same sense (50).
But the idea of the soul as a bird—the reverse of the symbolic notion—does not
of itself imply that the soul is good. Hence the passage in Revelation (xvii, 2)
describing Babylon as ‘the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean
and hateful bird’. According to Loeffler, the bird, like the fish, was originally a
phallic symbol, endowed however with the power of heightening—suggesting
sublimation and spiritualization. In fairy stories there are many birds which
talk and sing, symbolizing amorous yearning (and cognate with arrows and
breezes). The bird may also stand for the metamorphosis of a lover. Loeffler
adds that birds are universally recognized as intelligent collaborators with man
in myths and folktales, and that they are derived from the great bird-demiurges
of the primitives—bearers of celestial messages and creators of the nether
world; this explains the further significance of birds as messengers (38). The
particular colour of a bird is a factor which determines its secondary symbolisms. The blue bird is regarded by Bachelard (3) as ‘the outcome of aerial
motion’, that is, as a pure association of ideas; but in our view, although this
may well have been its origin, its ultimate aim is something quite different—to
provide a symbol of the impossible (like the blue rose). In alchemy, birds stand
for forces in process of activation; here the precise sense is determined by the
location of the bird: soaring skywards it expresses volatilization or sublimation, and swooping earthwards it expresses precipitation and condensation;
these two symbolic movements joined to form a single figure are expressive of
distillation. Winged beings contrasted with others that are wingless constitute a
symbol of air, of the volatile principle as opposed to the fixed. Nevertheless, as
Diel has pointed out, birds, and particularly flocks of birds—for multiplicity is
ever a sign of the negative—may take on evil implications; for example, swarms
of insects symbolize forces in process of dissolution—forces which are teeming, restless, indeterminate, shattered. Thus, birds, in the Hercules legend, rising up from the lake Stymphalus (which stands for the stagnation of the soul
and the paralysis of the spirit) denote manifold wicked desires (15). The ‘giant
bird’ is always symbolic of a creative deity. The Hindus of Vedic times used to
depict the sun in the form of a huge bird—an eagle or a swan. Germanic tradition
affords further examples of a solar bird (35). It is also symbolic of storms; in
Scandinavian mythology there are references to a gigantic bird called Hraesvelg
(or Hraesveglur), which is supposed to create the wind by beating its wings
(35). In North America, the supreme Being is often equated with the mythic
personification of lightning and thunder as a great bird (17). The bird has a
formidable antagonist in the snake or serpent. According to Zimmer, it is only
in the West that this carries a moral implication; in India, the natural elements
only are contrasted—the solar force as opposed to the fluid energy of the
terrestrial oceans. The name of this solar bird is Garuda, the ‘slayer of the nâgas
or serpents’ (60). Kühn, in The Rock Pictures of Europe, considers a Lascaux
cave picture of a wounded bison, a man stricken to death and a bird on a pole,
and suggests that, by the late Palaeolithic, the bird may have come to symbolize
the soul or a trance-like state.
To see birds in your dream, symbolize your goals, aspirations and hopes. To dream of chirping and/or flying birds, represent joy, harmony, ecstasy, balance, and love. It denotes a sunny outlook in life. You are experiencing spiritual freedom and psychological liberation. It is almost as if a weight has been lifted off your shoulders.
To dream of dead or dying birds, indicates disappointments. You will find yourself worrying over problems that are nagging on your mind.
To see bird eggs in your dream, symbolize money.
To see birds hatching in your dream, symbolize delayed success.
To see a bird nest in your dream, symbolizes independence, refuge and security. You need something to fall back on. Alternatively, it may signify a prosperous endeavor, new opportunities, and fortune.
Dreaming of a chirping and/or flying birds, represents joy, harmony, ecstasy, balance, and love. It indicates a sunny outlook in life. You will experience spiritual freedom and psychological liberation. It is almost as if a weight has been lifted off your shoulders. Dreaming of dead or dying birds, foretells a period of coming disappointments. You will find yourself worrying over problems that are constantly on your mind. Dreaming of bird eggs, symbolizes money. Dreaming of birds hatching, symbolizes delayed success. Dreaming of a bird nest, symbolizes independence, refuge and security. You need something to fall back on. Alternatively, it may signify a prosperous endeavor, new opportunities, and fortune.
To dream that you are outside, represents freedom, openness and opportunities. You are able to spread out and enjoy. Alternatively, the dream signifies your need to be more expressive. It is telling you that you need to stop closing yourself off.