Spiders often strike fear into people. Whether they’re in your dreams or crawling all over you, no one wants to be woken up by a spider.
But what does it mean when you dream about spiders? Spiders represent fear and the unknown in our subconscious. Usually, that means you have a fear of something that you haven’t confronted yet.
Read on to find out more!
The Spiritual Meaning of Spiders in Dreams
People have come up with multiple ways of interpreting their dreams about spiders. Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, the fathers of psychoanalysis, both had different interpretations of spider dreams.
Jung thought that spider dreams represented the parts of you that you’re trying to hide. He called this the “shadow self.” Essentially, the spider represents actions that you or others may deem bad or unhelpful, so you repress the action into your shadow self.
Freud believed that the spider was a representation of a mother. This representation is not a happy one. Instead, the spider represents strife between the mother and her child.
Other spiritual beliefs around spiders are common. Some believe spiders represent creation because of their webs, while others think spiders represent patience and planning.
Dreaming of Spiders—Different Scenarios & Their Meanings
Different sorts of spider dreams can represent different spiritual meanings. Let’s go through some different examples of spider dreams and find out what they mean.
Dream of Black Widow Spider
If you dream about a black widow, you most likely feel trapped. Black widows are often omens for bad events, so seeing one is an indication you are feeling uneasy.
If the black widow bites you, it indicates a coming conflict with your mother or mother-like figure. Black widows often represent women.
If the black widow is eating her mate, it could indicate that a transition in your life is coming. Black widows devour their mates, creating new mating opportunities. Your dream could be telling you that a good or bad transition will occur.
Dream About Big or Giant Spiders
Big spiders are often an indicator of a major life event occurring. They represent a large presence in your mind, much like whatever issue you’re dealing with.
Giant spiders could be a warning. They could be warning you that you’re suppressing a problem instead of dealing with it. By dreaming of a spider, your subconscious is trying to get you to deal with the problem.
If you ignore dreams about giant spiders, you’ll only be allowing the problem to fester. Listen to your subconscious and tackle that problem!
Dream of a Big Black Spider
Big black spiders surprisingly have a good meaning. They often indicate that good luck is on the horizon. Be on the lookout for a job opportunity or other advantage that might open up to you.
Others interpret their meaning as an omen of peace and tranquility. They can indicate that you feel content with where you are in life and that a time of calm will surround you.
Dream About Spiders Jumping On You
When a spider jumps on you in a dream, it can have multiple meanings. The most common meaning is that you feel trapped. Whether you're trapped in a relationship, a job, or a situation is dependent on your circumstances.
If you feel like someone is manipulating you or playing you for a fool, it could be the explanation for your jumping spider dream. Think about your dream after you wake up to remember its events better.
Dream About Spiders Crawling On You
Having a dream about spiders crawling all over you is often the stuff of nightmares. It can also help you better understand the issues your subconscious is wrestling with.
Spiders crawling on you in your dreams mean you are hiding something you are ashamed of. This attribute of yourself that you hide is usually something your friends and family don’t even know about.
The best way to stop these dreams is to face whatever you’re ashamed of. By not being ashamed or taking steps to remedy it, you can have a more peaceful subconscious.
Dream About Spiders Attacking You
If you’re dreaming about spiders attacking you, you probably feel uneasy about your current position in life. It is often a representation of feeling threatened. These dreams are often warnings that you can use to ward off bad results.
You could feel threatened in your financial or work life. When people are on the verge of losing their jobs, they often dream about spiders attacking them.
Some people think that it represents a threatening female figure in your life. They may be attempting to control or manipulate a particular aspect of your life, like a romantic relationship.
Dream About a Spider Biting You
When a spider bites you in a dream, it is often a reminder of a past event that harmed you deeply. There must have been a reminder of that event in your recent day-to-day activities that triggered your memories.
Spiders biting you in your dreams is often a reminder that you are fearful of the event or memory that triggered you.
When a spider bites you in your dream, it’s a reminder to stay away from that part of your life and not repeat the same mistakes. If you feel yourself heading down a bad path when you have this dream, it might be time to change things up.
Dream About Spiders Chasing You
If you dream about a spider chasing you, you probably have some sort of unresolved issue in your personal or work life. When the spiders chase you, it represents you running away from your problems.
If you keep running away from major issues in your life, you’ll never rid yourself of these dreams. The only way to get rid of spiders chasing you in your dreams is to face your problems. Whatever the outcome is, you won’t have spiders chasing you any longer.
Dream About Killing Spiders
Dreaming about killing spiders is another dream with good connotations. Killing spiders means you are able to confront your fears and overcome them.
You may wake up with a little more energy when you have a spider-killing dream. You may even feel more motivated to take on a large problem in your life.
When you translate that feeling to real-life events, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment from overcoming hardship. So don’t fret when you have a spider-killing dream, it just means your subconscious wants you to deal with an issue!
Dream About Black Spiders
Black spiders often indicate a deficiency in your life. Black spiders mean you’re feeling lonely, isolated, or rejected. You may have to reevaluate your relationships and find who’s important to you.
Small black spiders, especially when they’re in groups, mean that you are avoiding a problem you’re facing. Maybe you’re in a dead-end job or your romantic relationship is running to its end.
If you dream about black spiders, it means you are lacking something in your life and are failing to confront it. Your subconscious is telling you it’s time to take that problem and confront it.
Dream About White Spiders
White spiders, as uncommon as they are in real life, actually have a good meaning in your dreams. White spiders often mean that good news is coming your way.
Sometimes this good news is about a family member. Maybe a relative is coming to visit. Other people think that white spiders represent a coming pregnancy.
Dream About Red Spider
Dreams about red spiders often symbolize vitality or energy. If you’re in a new romantic relationship, red spiders can represent passion and excitement towards your new relationship.
Red spider dreams are often an indicator that your relationship is moving quickly. If you feel like it’s moving too quickly, slow down and take your time.
In a non-romantic way, red spiders also represent vitality. Red often indicates youth and excitement. By dreaming of red spiders, you might be trying to encourage yourself to be more youthful.
Dream About Baby Spider
Baby spiders indicate that you are likely in a new relationship, most likely a romantic one. The baby spiders represent your passion and the possibility of creating a family. They are often associated with luck.
If you’re not in a new relationship, baby spiders have a more ominous meaning. They can represent the things you hide from the world. It can be hard to confront these feelings, but doing so can stop more baby spider dreams.
Dream About Tarantulas
Tarantulas are one of the most feared spiders, even if humans rarely encounter them. When people dream of tarantulas, it means their subconscious is telling them to be wary of the people around them.
Tarantulas in your dreams can mean that you have enemies around you, even if they pose as your friends. The tarantula represents the hidden danger these people are in your life.
If you dream about tarantulas, be wary of the people you associate with. Choose carefully and only share personal details with those you know you can trust.
Dream About a Lot of Spiders
If you dream about a lot of spiders, it could mean various things. One interpretation is that you have a fear that you’ll overcome soon. Perhaps you have a job interview or an important date coming up. Once you overcome these, the dreams should stop.
Another interpretation is that you’re currently overwhelmed by some event in your life. You could be swamped by work or a certain holiday, causing you to feel overwhelmed, much like you would feel in a dream about a lot of spiders.
Dream About Spider Webs
Spider web dreams can have two meanings. The first is that you have a deep connection with another person or other people. The web represents how you’re connected to others and hold one another up.
Spider web dreams could also mean that you feel trapped in a situation. The web represents the constraints you feel all around you. This could be about a relationship or a general life decision. Once you make the decision, you should stop dreaming about spider webs.
Dream About Spiders in Your Bed
When you dream about spiders in your bed, it likely stems from an event in your life where you felt your boundaries were ignored or violated. It’s often in response to feeling betrayed by someone you thought you could trust.
Perhaps they revealed a secret about you or broke your trust in another way. They may have even assaulted you in one way or another. These can cause dreams about spiders in your bed.
Spiders in your bed could also be a manifestation of your fears about yourself. If you feel like you’re annoying, mean, or any other bad characteristic, you may have dreams about spiders in your bed. They represent the characteristics you view as negative.
Dream About Snakes and Spiders
When you dream about both spiders and snakes, you have a serious lack of trustworthy people in your life. Your subconscious uses entities like snakes and spiders to represent any negative people you may have in your life.
Snakes often represent fake friends and people’s malicious intent. Spiders can represent people who will stab you in the back to get ahead. They also represent the lies they may have told you.
The snakes and spiders in your dream indicate a severe lack of good intentions among the people you associate with. If you find more trustworthy people to spend time with, these dreams should stop.
FAQs
Aside from the information about specific spiders in your dreams, here are the most common questions I get about seeing spiders in your dreams.
Is Dreaming of Spiders Good Luck?
Dreaming of spiders, in general, isn’t good luck, although some variations may be considered good luck.
For example, dreaming of a tarantula isn’t considered good luck. It represents some sort of fear you have, so I definitely wouldn’t classify that as good luck!
On the other hand, dreams about white, red, or a big black spider often indicate that good luck is on the way. White and big black spiders often mean that good luck is on the way, while red can indicate that you have a new romantic relationship, which could be lucky!
Is it Bad to Dream About Spiders?
Although people often have a negative reaction to seeing spiders in their dreams, that’s not always the case! Some good omens that go along with spiders include:
- Luck
- New romance
- Pregnancies
- Job opportunities
But that doesn’t mean every spider dream is positive. In fact, most have negative meanings. If you think your spider dream was warning you of something negative, refer to the descriptions above to see what it means.
Oftentimes, dreaming about spiders is neither good nor bad. Instead, it’s your subconscious trying to tell you to deal with an issue in your life.
What is the Symbolic Meaning of Spiders?
Spiders have very many meanings. Spiders impacted countless cultures around the globe, and those cultures made symbolic meanings for these creatures.
In ancient Greece, spiders were linked to Arachne, a woman who challenged a goddess to a weaving contest. When she lost, the goddess turned her into a spider. For ancient Greeks, spiders represented intelligence and vanity.
In the middle ages, people had a limited understanding of diseases and ailments. But people in Europe still blamed spiders for spreading the plague, even though there was no evidence of them doing so. People thought spiders were symbols of death and pestilence.
Today, most people see spiders as symbols of patience and persistence because of the time they take to weave their webs and hunt for prey. They’re masters of waiting for the best opportunity to come to them.
Spiders and their webs also symbolize an interconnectedness between people around the world. We even use this in common conversation when we talk about the “world wide web.” The internet keeps us connected to one another like a giant spider web.
Wrapping Up
All in all, if you see spiders in your dreams, don’t worry too much! Most of the time, these dreams are telling you something you already know, you just don’t want to admit it.
For some people, that means the end of a romantic relationship, while others may quit a job that has been draining them. In both of these cases, the spider dreams were a subconscious response to things you already know.
By understanding what these dreams mean, you can react in ways that make you happier. So, if you’ve had a spider dream lately, recognize what its meaning is and try to respond in a way that will have a positive impact on your life!