![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/124\/2023\/03\/spider-g9bf7b0df7_640.jpg\")
<\/a>Physical Characteristics & Personality<\/h3>\n
Spiders, spiders, spiders. There are few creatures on this planet with so many variants; in fact, they are ranked 7th in most diverse living organism (which includes not only animals, but also plants, fungi, algae, and viruses). They can be found on every continent around the world, with the exception of Antarctica.<\/p>\n
There are approximately 48,000 \u2013 yes, that\u2019s FORTY-EIGHT THOUSAND \u2013 known species of spider, well over 3,000 of which live in North America. Sweet dreams, now knowing that fact. Can I move to Mars yet? The first time I learned this, my first thought was \u201cthat was something I could have happy lived my entire life without knowing!\u201d But I now do, and so I am sharing that fact with you. You\u2019re welcome.<\/p>\n
The myth that everyone eats spiders in their sleep at some point in time, or the myth that all chocolate bars have an average of 8 spider legs in it, are likely not true (I\u2019m certainly not going to stop eating chocolate, either way), but they do point to the fact that spiders are so prevalent that you are more likely than not close to one when you don\u2019t even realize it. They\u2019re everywhere, but don\u2019t worry, they\u2019re likely going to actively avoid you\u2026most spiders are far more afraid of you than you are of them (as someone who has horrible arachnophobia, I am not sure that I agree with myself here).<\/p>\n Spiders can range in size from smaller than the head of a pin to the size of a dinner plate (don\u2019t believe me? Google \u2018Goliath bird-eating spider<\/strong><\/a>\u2019 \u2013 or don\u2019t, if you\u2019re arachnophobic like me, and save yourself from a nightmare or two). All spiders have venom, but not all will affect humans when bitten. Most spiders use it to paralyze or kill their prey so that they can either wrap them in silk or simply begin eating them without a struggle.<\/p>\n Speaking of food \u2013 spiders are carnivorous. They are actually beneficial to the world\u2019s ecosystems in that they eat pests who can cause harm. Most spiders eat insects, but larger spiders, such as tarantulas, have been known to eat larger prey, such as rodents and birds.<\/p>\n Spiders, despite their appearance, are very delicate. If you were to drop a tarantula (why you would have one in your hand is beyond my comprehension), it would likely die. They can easily be killed, whether intentionally or accidentally, and this delicate strength is part of what makes them so interesting.<\/p>\n Have you ever looked at the shape of a spider\u2019s body? Granted, they\u2019re all a bit different, but generally speaking, spiders have two body sections instead of 3 as insects have. You could say they look almost like an 8 \u2013 hence the association with the number 8. But what is an 8 sideways but the symbol for infinity! This symbolizes the endless cycles of the universe and time as a cyclical concept with no end and no beginning. It continues to flow and loop back around.<\/p>\n A spider\u2019s two halves symbolizes balance in all things. The past, the present, the physical, the spiritual, masculine, feminine, life, death\u2026it\u2019s all maintained in balance, and this is part of what spider teaches. Spiders are truly liminal creatures, existing between all things on a single delicate thread. Look at a spider\u2019s web, and it will take you in many different directions that are all connected with each other. The spider is the one who is in control of that, and this is part of what spider teaches. Are YOU in control of your web?<\/p>\n PATIENCE, young padawan. Ok\u2026minus the Star Wars reference, this is also what spiders teach. In the day when you can order food in an instant from home without lifting a finger, imagine having to wait until your food just happened to stumble upon you! Now, not all spiders do this \u2013 some are active hunters and pursuers, which is where you can see the message of being assertive, but for those spiders who build a web with the intention to catch prey, they must wait. And wait some more. Meditate on this the next time you happen upon a spider web.<\/p>\n Spiders have wonderfully creative and imaginative energy. Not all spiders weave webs, but those that do spin them in such a way that they can easily catch their prey, sometimes, with larger spiders, building strong, intricate webs powerful enough to hold even birds. Some, instead, make funnel webs or bundles. Those that don\u2019t make burrows underground where they can hide and jump out to ambush their prey. Spiders can also use their silk to protect their young eggs within a sac or to hide themselves. They can also use them to drift through the breeze. Flying spiders! Yikes! For whatever purpose they use their silk, they can be powerful allies in creative pursuits.<\/p>\n Those who are writers or storytellers \u2013 anyone who loves word weaving in any way \u2013 would benefit from meditating on spider\u2019s lessons. In addition to (and in conjunction with) being the weavers of creativity, spiders are also strongly associated with language and words. Look into a spider\u2019s web, and you can make out geometric shapes, words, and messages. Word weavers and web weavers, spiders are.<\/p>\n Life and all things are part of a woven tapestry, a web, and a spider has control over what that web looks like. Spiders constantly build and rebuild their webs. What web are you weaving in your own life? Are you seeking balance? Do you need to express yourself more in writing or speaking?<\/p>\n Energies\/Themes:<\/strong><\/em> magick, manifestation, witchcraft, power, fate, patience, creativity, imagination, dreams, connection, memory, wisdom, shamanic work, trancework, destiny, cycles, life and death balance, opportunities, rebirth, shapeshifting, assertiveness, feminine energy, time, time travel, balance<\/p>\n Colors:<\/strong><\/em> generally \u2013 black, brown, white, silver; additional colors for certain species<\/p>\n Zodiac:<\/strong><\/em> Scorpio, Gemini<\/p>\n Planetary:<\/strong><\/em> Sun, Moon<\/p>\n Time\/Season:<\/strong><\/em> All directions of time<\/p>\n Number:<\/strong><\/em> 8, 2<\/p>\n Deities:<\/strong><\/em> Ariadne, Arianrhod, Spider Woman, Freyja, Grandmother Spider, Tiamat, Uttu<\/p>\n Animal Speak<\/strong><\/em><\/a> by Ted Andrews<\/p>\n Llewellyn\u2019s Complete Book of Correspondences<\/strong><\/em><\/a> by Sandra Kynes<\/p>\n<\/a>Spider Magick<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/a>Correspondences<\/h3>\n
Resources & Recommended Reading<\/h3>\n