Spider and Weaving

The spider is typically a symbol of the negative side of the mother archetype and of unconscious fate, ensnaring the dreamer in its web.

The Terrible Mother  

As an archetypal image, the spider is associated with the Great Mother, often in her dark and terrifying aspect. The spider possesses many traits attributed to this image: it lures, entangles, paralyzes, and devours. Tolkien explicitly describes the symbol’s negative qualities in the “shelob” of The Lord of the Rings.

Jung states: “The enveloping, embracing, entwining inevitably points to the mother.” (CW Aion, par. 20.)  

Fate and Individuation  

The spider weaves, much like the Norns, goddesses, and figures such as Penelope. (Note that all these figures are women, aligning with the above.) The web connects the spider with fate, with the “weaving of life.”  

Spiderwebs often appear in dreams to illustrate how the dreamer is caught in his or her individual fate. (Visions, pp. 1126f.) It can feel as though the unconscious or the soul has spun a destiny in which one is trapped, like a fly in a spider’s web. Yet this individual fate is linked to the process of individuation, which, in its negative, unconscious, or unaccepted form, manifests as the spider and/or its web.  

When one is “caught” in a dream—by a web or a pit, for example—one often finds oneself in the place where one truly belong: one's individual place. “This is one of life’s greatest disappointments,” Jung comments. (Ibid.)

“One senses a kind of unconscious force in the background, for which the spider is a fitting illustration… Thus, individuation as something negative is expressed through the spider’s web.”  

This negative image can, over time and with awareness and acceptance, transform into a positive, protective mandala. The spider itself possesses a mandala shape with its body and legs, especially when sitting at the center of a symmetrical web.  

Maya – The Web of Illusions  

In Hinduism, the spider symbolizes Maya, the illusory web of the external world in which humanity becomes ensnared. As a dream symbol, the spider can express a similar meaning: the dreamer is caught in his or her false notions, such as illusions about the self in relation to inescapable circumstances.  

Being Stuck  

The web and fate are also tied to the image of “being stuck” in something, or even paralyzed, perhaps by a maternal force. The spider’s web ensnares, and its venom paralyzes.  

Spinning  

However, the web can also entangle the dreamer, binding him or her into another world; for example, thoughts and fantasies can “spin” (go round and round) to the extent that the dreamer becomes paralyzed and loses touch with reality.  

Spinning is a feminine activity (see Weaving); in a man, it may express his “inner woman,” spinning fantasies that he projects. Unconscious fantasies shape our destiny—bringing us back to the spider’s web.  

Trickster  

In folktales, rhymes, riddles, and other folk expressions, the spider has a trickster quality—it is clever and playful in folklore. It is a widespread superstition that spiders are connected to luck (a trickster quality) and must not be killed; in some places, killing a spider foretells rain. The spider has even been considered “a friend of humanity.”  

Air Demon  

According to James Hillman ("Going Bugs"), the spider as a symbol belongs to the air rather than the ground. Though most spiders live on the ground, in dreams and fantasies, they are more aptly described as “air demons.”  

The Self  

Traits such as the spider’s eight legs, its mandala-shaped web, and its association with fate sometimes make it an expression of the Self—most prominently in its negative aspect, however. It often appears in dreams when we fear the unconscious striving for integration.  

Popular posts from this blog

Forget About the Archetype - It's the Complex

A good post on Reddit expresses criticism towards people seeking answers to their personal problems in Jung’s archetype theory, arguing that they misunderstand Jung’s fundamental theoretical framework, particularly the process of individuation. The post became popular, receiving many upvotes and quickly garnering several fairly lengthy, often well thought-out responses. But what struck me was that the writer didn’t mention complexes a single time in the nearly 600-word post, and no one else did either in their comments. This prompted me to write a short post highlighting the point that when people share their thoughts on Jung in relation to their own or others’ psychology, it is actually, in most cases, about complexes—not archetypes. A couple of days later, the thread had 54 comments and 246 upvotes, which are rather high numbers in this forum for a serious post that sticks to the topic of Jungian psychology. However, my post hadn't received any comments or upvotes. Still no-one e...
Read more

Shadow Work – A Critical Commentary

When browsing public channels on various platforms that deal with Jungian psychology, one is struck by how frequently “shadow work” appears.  It seems to be mostly young men, who don’t appear to have studied Jung to any significant extent, who are fascinated by and encourage this "work." As someone who has studied Jung and Jungian literature for a long time, I don’t recognize this focus on so-called shadow work in the sources at all. It actually seems to be a modern internet phenomenon rather than something genuinely Jungian. Yes, it is of course true that the “shadow” is a central concept in Jungian psychology, and it is true that Jung stated that it is "a therapeutic necessity for the ego to confront its shadow" (CW 14, par. 514) – but this shadow work they speak of, where does it come from? Because it certainly doesn’t come from Jung or any influential Jungians. What is the shadow according to Jung? It is simply hidden or unconscious aspects of ourselves that we...
Read more

3. The Muster of Rohan; 4. The Siege of Gondor

Since neither Frodo, Gandalf or Aragorn participates in the events of this chapter, there is very little symbolic significance. We may note that Théoden’s army meets Éowyn at Dunharrow, an ancient fortress to which the people have fled under her leadership. During supper, Merry asks about Aragorn and the Paths of the Dead, but no one—neither Théoden, Éomer or Éowyn—understands why he chose to take this hopeless road. No one knows of the Stone of Erech or the “peril in the south.” “Woe that so valiant a man should trifle with death in this dire hour!” Éomer exclaims. The reason for Aragorn’s reticence is probably that his initiation is an intensely private matter, a secret pure and simple. Théoden intends to leave both Éowyn and Merry behind here—neither of them is suited to battle, he believes. But when the host later rides toward Gondor, Éowyn and Merry ride with it in secret. Both refuse to be left in a place where their respective callings would remain unfulfilled. 4. The Siege of G...
Read more