Skip to Content

Spider Symbolism: The Spiritual Meaning of Spiders

Spider Symbolism: The Spiritual Meaning of Spiders

Whether you see them in your cupboards or ceiling, spiders can bring polarizing reactions depending on how you perceive them. If you’re scared of spiders, you’re not alone. Still, these arachnids carry messages from the universe. 

Spiders represent artistry, strength, creation, patience, empowerment, fortune, etc. Despite being considered scary creatures, there is a deeper symbolism this being presents. Keep reading to know what crucial importance spiders bring to our environment and life.

What Do Spiders Symbolize?

Spiders are considered versatile creatures, having lived for hundreds of million years. That is why the spiritual meaning of spiders are creativity, manifestation, patience, femininity, power, wisdom, illusion, resilience, balance, and interconnection.

Additionally, spiders have a notorious image like a black widow, which could also mean death because of its deadly poison. But not all spiders are harmful. With that, spiders play a vital role in our ecosystem. Although tiny, they also contribute to balancing the ecosystem.

Spider as a Symbol of Creativity

Spiders are natural weavers. As they patiently make their webs in places, they wave delicately. So, whenever the weave and the strand break, they weave the web repeatedly.

If your spirit animal is a spider, you are gifted with creativity. Spiders are visionary, deep feelers, etc., and can materialize whatever they create with their imagination, whether in art, music, cooking, surgery, or medical procedures.

Spider as a Symbol of Patience and Endurance

Not only spiders’ creativity can bring them success and power, but also their patience. This character combination can get you ahead in life. Just like how patient spiders are when weaving or waiting for the prey on their web, good things happen to those who wait.

Spider as a Symbol of Women’s Empowerment

Female spiders represent empowerment since their areas in size are bigger than male spiders, have longer longevity, and brawl to defend themselves.

Spider as a Symbol of Manifestation

As weavers, spiders are considered smart arachnids. They are good at planning and making strategies. The ability to manifest their imagination is a symbol of power.

Also, as it’s your spirit animal, being a master manifester, you can create a beautiful life for yourself and others.

Spider as a Symbol of Illusion and Resilience

A spider web can entrap an insect for a spider’s food. So, they can be considered a symbol of illusion and entrapment. They lure insects on their web. 

Spiders, as spirit animals, help you conquer any difficulty, even if you don’t feel like it. This technique is to act as if and show gracefulness under pressure.

Spider as a Symbol of Wisdom

Spiders are also symbols of wisdom. They have existed for millennia and witnessed the evolution of the world. So, if your spirit animal is a spider, you are open-minded and empathetic since you have experienced different lifetimes and experiences.

Spider as a Symbol of Infinity and Interconnectedness

Spiders symbolize infinity too. Unlike other insects, they have eight legs, and some have eight eyes. So, they are linked to the number eight, which means infinity. Additionally, the spider web symbolizes interconnectedness in the universe.

Spider as a Symbol of Balance 

Even though spiders usually represent negative and scary symbolism, like in horror films or on Halloween, they play a crucial part in the ecosystem. Paradoxically, they may kill to get food, but they are also created to support life and balance the ecosystem.

Spider as a Totem Animal

Having a spider totem means that you have symmetrical souls. You have a deep understanding of the balance between spirit and physical realms, good or bad, or old and new. And you keep the balance in both. Not only that, but you can also unravel challenging patterns or situations and give your own touch of creativity to make something purposeful.

If a spider is your spirit totem animal, you may observe qualities like tenacity, creativity, and inventiveness.

Spider as a Spirit Animal

Having a spider as your spirit animal means you are witty, resourceful, creative, brave, and resilient. You are someone who faces your problems and fears head-on. Like spiders, they thrive even in difficult situations, weave intricate webs with the resources they only have, and overcome the ebbs and flows in life.

Spiritual Meaning of Spiders in Religions

Indeed, spiders are widespread all around the world. Also, they give common themes you could take inspiration from. They have positive and negative representations in different religions. 

Spider Spiritual Meaning in Christianity

When Mary and Joseph were hiding Jesus to escape from the soldiers in Egypt, there was a tiny spider who helped them by weaving a web in a cave.

Many garden spiders carry crosses on their backs as a sign of service. They bring cosmic awareness, creativity, good omen, excellent craftsmanship, and the descending thread means receiving heavenly gifts and the Maker’s protection.

Spider Spiritual Meaning in Islam

Spider is considered a protector that must be respected in Islamic culture. Similar to the Christian story, Allah ordered a spider to weave a web to cover the cave entrance where Muhammad and Abu Bakr hid safely from the Quraysh.

Spider Spiritual Meaning in Hinduism and Buddhism

The spider’s web represents interconnectedness to all that’s in the universe. So, every action can cause a ripple effect towards everything connected to the universal force. 

Cultural Significance of Spiders

Although spiders are tiny creatures, they are ever present in different cultures and literature. Their remarkable characteristics have rich and powerful representations in some societies. 

Spider Symbolism in Native American Culture

In the Southwest native myth, Spider Woman is regarded as an influential teacher. She taught and helped women how to spin thread and weave articles of clothing. Additionally, Native Americans see spiders as symbols of medicine wheels, nomads, direction, hope, and the world’s creation.

Spider Symbolism in Celtic Culture

Celts believe spiders bring luck. They considered this being as money-spinners, so they don’t kill spiders. Also, in Celtic literature, a cobweb is like fabric with spiral patterns symbolizing creation and progress. Meanwhile, it also tells that evil is in the center with the goddess of the matrix, who binds all destinies together.

Spider Symbolism in Japanese Culture

In Japan, women pray to the Shinto spider goddess for safe childbirth. Also, spiders are associated with “yokais”, which are shapeshifter spirits who can turn into humans like the spider yokai, Jorogumo. She turns into a seductive lady luring men, spins her silk threads, and preys on them with her venom.

Spider Symbolism in Chinese Culture

In China, spiders or ximu means happy insects. They bring good luck and happiness in the morning and fortune at night. Moreover, spiders are considered saintly weaving maidens who are romantic guardian spirits for young women.

Spider Symbolism in Greek Culture

In Greek mythology, Arachne was a beautiful, talented and skillful weaver who became boastful and denied that the gods gifted her talent. So, Athena challenged her to a weaving competition, but the goddess lost. So, out of jealousy and anger, Athena cursed Arachne and turned her into a spider, including her descendants, to weave beautiful webs forever.

Spiders in Peruvian Culture

Spiders were illustrated by the people of Moche, Chavin, Nazca, and Cupisnique in their artworks and civilization. They represented abundance, fertility, and prosperity. 

What’s more, Nazca’s civilization was well-known for its gigantic drawings in the desert in 500BC to 500 AD. So, one geoglyph is a big spider.

Spider Dream Meaning

The interpretation of dreaming spiders in your dream depends on what you feel in that dream. So, you must pay attention to your emotions before interpreting your dreams.

Spider and Parental Issues

In Freudian dream interpretation, if you dream of spiders, this represents issues with your parents. For instance, it represents a mother who is overbearing towards her children by being possessive. Meanwhile, dreaming of a spider biting can mean you are frightened of your dad’s punishment.

Spider and Cobwebs

Spiders and webs come together, so it appears in your dream that this can mean old knowledge, language, complexity, creation, transmutation, feminine power, and a circle of life.

Also, this might indicate that you are cheated on or lied to. And, you have some parts of your mind that were not used for creativity. Finally, if you feel guilt, anger, or resentment, this might be a sign to start clearing things out.

Spiders and Fortune

Seeing spiders in your dreams can indicate that being thrifty and conscientious can bring a big fortune, especially when a huge spider is weaving a web. This is a sign that you are getting a lot of luck in your business or projects involving money.

In Chinese astrology, dreaming of spiders indicates good things coming your way, like better health, wealth, or friendship.

Spider and Creative Solutions

Since spiders are known for their characteristics as engineers of intricate webs, they also have the resourcefulness and patience to create webs even in the most challenging circumstance. With that, creative solutions and ideas are coming, and you must patiently wait for the results.

Spider Crawling 

Seeing a black spider crawling on your body in your dreams can be interpreted as your shadow self. It’s the dark side of your personality that you hide from the world and never really know what to face head-on. 

Summary

Spiders may have a bad connotation in our society but let us not overlook the essential qualities they bring to our world. Spiders’ creativity, resilience, wisdom, light, energy, etc., bring forth great inspiration and signs to keep pursuing and achieving whatever you dream in life with utmost patience and artistry.