spider girl

I just saw a wolf spider in my basement, near the washer and dryer. I haven't seen one in quite awhile, and when I saw this little (or rather "big") one, I smiled and said, "Oooooooh!" as in "Cool! Yay!"

Strange.

I remember when I didn't like spiders. I remember a wolf spider on my pillow when I was 8. Funny-- spiders' bodies are shaped like an 8, like the infinity symbol.

And now I love spiders. Just last week, I was wondering why I haven't seen many lately, and why the only ones I ever see are in the basement. Why don't they show up in the main part of the house? Why don't they show up in the attic/loft I sleep in?

The only answer I can come up with is that it's because I sort of worship them. And so they don't mess with me.

Worship might not be the right word. Love certainly is. Respect certainly is.

I think if I have a totem animal, Spider is it, or at least one of them.

And so I have spider pendants, spider figurines, a spider candle-holder, a spider web placemat for my candle holder. I dream of them, see them in my mind's eye while receiving bodywork or energywork. Not always, but sometimes.

So what's the deal with spiders?

They represent balance and creativity. Gentleness and strength. The weaving of fate. The magic of words and language. Building your web and letting things come to you. Maintaining balance between past and future; holding your position between the two, in the present.

Wolf spiders, in particular, represent finding greater success in daytime activities and getting the most out of what presents itself to us. Pursue opportunities. Digest past experiences. Wolf spiders, unlike other spiders, have good eyesight, which teaches us to trust what we see in addition to what we feel. Other spiders rely only what they feel (through fibers on their legs).

Wolf spiders also send the message to keep our creative projects tight within ourselves until ready to be truly hatched (as they keep their eggs); "don't speak of them or show them prematurely to others."