Spider Animal Totem

Spider Animal Totem

Seeing a Spider can serve as a warning; we must think about the effects of our choices, those that have been made, and those that we are currently planning. My personal belief is that spiders do represent some form of danger, I believe this is a sign that you need to be wary of WHO is around you, this is what I see when looking at them from the spiritual plane.

The power behind a spider doesn’t come from fear but rather wisdom - something all shamans seek - which invites respect rather than dread when facing such creatures spiritually/emotionally/mentally/etc. As long as we remember this sacred truth about spiders during our journey within ourselves then perhaps they will not seem so daunting!

Spiders are sources of fear for many people, and I bet you wondering why this is. The spider is around 300 years old, given we as humans have been on this earth for 200 million years then the spider outlasts us. Carl Jung the famous psychologist also explored why humans have this fear of spiders, he believed that the spider is about our own ability to overcome obstacles.

What is the symbolism of seeing a spider in our home?

The spider’s appearance in our home means that other people surrounding you are considered a warning, to not trust people around you. A spider’s web is an important asset. One can see the efficiency as they use it for storage, egg incubation, and catching food. Throughout the course of life, the webs one makes for themselves can sometimes be a trap, entangled in a web of destruction. This animal calls for how we treat others, ourselves, and the events that happen simultaneously in our life.

You may read on most websites that spiders are commonly associated with creation and fertility in many cultures and traditions around the world. In Siberian shamanism, for example, spiders were symbols of creative weavers who wove webs to catch animals or humans to take back to their spirit world. Other interpretations see them as powerful protectors who provide strength and courage against adversaries on one's path.

In some Native American tribes, spiders are viewed as a reminder that we should never forget what our purpose is here – much like Arachne in Greek mythology – which can be summarized into two words: creativity and responsibility. The spider’s intricate web reflects this purpose; weaving these threads together creates something beautiful out of nothingness – just like how each thread weaves its own unique story together into our journeys through life.

Spiders also represent transformation and growth in many traditional beliefs due to their ability to shed their skin multiple times throughout their life cycles, allowing them space for continuous recreation and evolution (physically). On the same token, they teach us about non-attachment - letting go of things that no longer serve us or hold us back from reaching our highest potential instead of clinging to harmful patterns or habits.

In ancient times, the Spider represents a more subtle appeal, more linked to that of infinity symbols. As a spider has both eight eyes and legs, it is quite a coincidence that the number eight is similar to the symbol of infinity. Not to mention the significance of the number eight in Trigonometry, physics, time, cycles, and space; it is like a frequency, a vibration to infinity.

The Spider is a manifestation of concepts such as being cunning, developing, and not surprisingly feminine. It is extremely rare as an animal totem. Also, spiders are related to cycles, rebirth and also of death, creativity, defensive strategies, and fate. Native Americans see Spiders as an icon of protection, especially against storms and destructive calamities. For the Indians, Spiders are of the Mayan civilization; where the spider was an icon. Trivia has it that the ‘Ma’ in the word Maya meant no form or limit, in Sanskrit. Thus, it is associated with the Spider who is illusive in appeal. It promotes the culture of the Mayans that do not adapt things as they appear, but also meditate to discover the unknown.

Egyptians associated spiders with hunting. Spiders are depicted with the Egyptian deity Neith, and as such are also associated with matters of how the world is created, the process, and the transition of night and day. The Egyptians appreciated the dusk and the dawn, and they all gave credit to the Neith. Weaving is the exact reason why Neith is associated with the Spider.

Of course, the Greeks would not overlook the appeal of the Spider, as it appeared on the legend of Arachne, a human of nobility who weaved fabulous creations that ornamented the hills and plains. Athena was made aware of the spectacular Arachne and was challenged in Arachne’s claim to have made the most beautiful looms around. This was the advent of the “dueling looms”. It was not clear though who won in that myth, but Athena cursed Arachne with guilt and conscience. In summary, Arachne committed suicide, Athena became guilty, and she resurrected Arachne as a spider. Athena even gave the blessing to their kind as being the best to weave in the face of the earth.

Spider shows up as a spirit guide when

  • You need shape-shifting.
  • You need wisdom.
  • You need to be creative.
  • You need divine inspiration.
  • You need to understand your fate.

Call on Spider as a spirit guide when

  • You need to understand patterns of illusion.
  • You need to understand female energy for the creative force of life.
  • You need to be interconnected.
  • You need to connect the past.
  • You need to create possibilities.
  • You need to be industrious.

By Flo Saul
Mar 23, 2013