What does dreaming of spiders mean?

07/28/25 4:36pm

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Jesse Lyon MS, CCHt, QS, LMHC
Dream Interpreter and Clinical Hypnotherapist

07/28/25 4:37pm

When you dream of spiders, keep in mind that every symbol has a light side and a shadow side. “Good and bad” is a little bit too reductionist. All dream symbols have that duality of meaning depending on how that symbol shows up in the dream. For instance, a friendly spider represents the light side and a spider trying to bite you represents the shadow side.

Let’s look at the light side of a spider: they’re very crafty and cunning. They plan these intricate webs and traps to catch their food. A spider can be a wonderful sign that says, “Hey, slow down, make a little bit of a better plan, prepare, and then just sit and wait. Your well-laid preparation will bring the good things into your life that you're searching for.”

On the shadow side, spiders are tricksters. Oftentimes, those little legs and the venom can feel like, “Ah, something small has penetrated my defenses and I'm afraid. I'm afraid that my life will be poisoned by some little vulnerability that I have, where the spider will sneak in and attack me.” It can also be about deceptions in your relationships or even situations in your life. A dream of a spider is like, “Hey, I'm walking through life,” and then boom, spider web in your face as you walk down this hallway. It's like, “What trap in my life am I not seeing that I need to be aware of?”

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Lauri Loewenberg
Certified Dream Analyst

08/21/25 3:24pm

In my 30 years as a Professional Dream Analyst and researcher, I have found that spiders most often represent deceitful behavior or the "web of lies" someone in your life is spinning. However, while there are common meanings for certain symbols that show up in our dreams collectively, dreams are very personal to the dreamer.

So a fun little trick to find out what the spider that crawled into your dream means specifically for you, is to ask yourself this: If I was hired to write the definition of a spider for Websters Dictionary, what would I write? Go ahead and write that down. Now, take a look at it. Do the words you chose also describe anyone in your life lately? Do they describe any part of you?

I did this little exercise with one of my clients who had been dreaming of spiders. She described them as home invaders. That is an interesting choice of words! When I asked her if anyone in her life had been invasive, she was able to connect it to a friend that had snuck into her bedroom, while visiting, and read some of her private journal. And naturally, she now wants to squash her! Lol. Figuratively, of course.

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