Spiders are blood drinkers and some can kill. But to the Cherokee, spider gave them writing. They are the only North American tribe with a written language of their own. Spider is the gatherer. That among other things made spider Grandmother Spider. So spider means communication.
Spider is associated with the number eight due to eight legs and the body shape. Eight is numerological not always the most comfortable vibration. Being behind the eight ball. It means you can make money with what you create, but usually from hard work.
Eight is also octopus, the sea going version of spider which carries its web in its body. These were also terrifying. Recently it has been found that creature can survive some time out of water, if it chooses.
In Japan, there was a mythical form of octopus called a sea devil. Yet in some of the cultures around Crete, we see it as a decoration. In recent years as more studies are done, we find the octo uses a structure inside its body to capture prey. The web work is within. It surrounds and traps it then the beak comes from the center to eat. They are very strong. They see well. They prefer privacy, are territorial, and the male needs to be very careful when mating if he wants to get away unscathed. The sucker are their version of sticky and when you look at light passing through them you can see the web like structure.
So giant squid were the object of many scary tales when sea travel was popular. It can also squeeze itself through unbelievably small openings. If you ever tried to pry open a muscle shell you know that they can be tough. This is a common thing for octos and then they actually enter the shell to eat.
In one lab, they found that the reason fish has gone missing in a nearby tank is that the octo was pulling itself across the lab to get a late night snack. They videotaped it. Before that they had no idea they could see that well or perform such stunts on dry land. They occasionally seize bits of jewellery out of curiosity, and they would frequently rip helmets and masks off divers which of course is not only startling but can be deadly. They can unscrew twist off caps. They seem to remember people.
Numerology plays a big part in understanding the significance. Eight is also the lemnescate or infinity. Also a symbol of the grad procession of the poles. Spider woman is the web work of energy crisscrossing the earth. The spiders spinning and weaving connects it with the Fates and the norn.
There are two versions of eight. The upright eight means as above so below, but the sideways eight symbolizes the balance of forces as in our own male/female so is somewhat related to the yin yang in that way. So in the tarot card we see it sideways, and it means the person is balancing two different things or areas of life.
The spider was seen as the giver of the dream catcher during the trail of tears. Does everyone know the Dream Catcher legend?
During the trail of tears was a fearsome time, and many children were having bad nightmares. A wise grandmother asked for some way to help them sleep. So spider compassionately taught her to weave the dream catcher. The nightmares would get caught in the web, and the good dreams would know how to slip through the hole in the center. In the morning, the sun would dissolve the nightmares. This is why it was always hung where the morning sun could shine on it and near the sleeping area. In later years, we see them decorated. The wood was traditionally of white willow, flexible, and wrapped with leather strips in a spiral way. The feathers were a symbol of prayer, as a feather means prayer and protection, a gift. The hoop of the dream catcher is the circle, a protective symbol and also gathering.
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