CREEPY CRITTERS AND WHAT THEY REPRESENT

by Sting, Dream Master

Insects in general will often represent irritations in life, sometimes associated with our conscience and guilt. They depict those thoughts occurring just outside of consciousness. For example, hornets are indicative of painful (or stinging) emotions.

Sometimes insects do incorporate passionate emotions, sexual urges, such as ants as a group. Parasites, lice, and other indistinct mites represent selfish sexual appetites which could bring about disease or infection. Spiders represent the Mother (and occasionally the father in a female's dream) and they can also symbolize those emotions which you do not wish to face.

Not all dreams of insects imply nuisances. Bees for example were endowed with special wisdom by many ancient civilizations including the Israelites; Greeks; and Romans. Their appearances in dreams suggest great prosperity to come.

According to JE Cirlot in his A Dictionary of Symbolism, in Egyptian hieroglyphic language, the sign of the bee was a determinative in royal nomenclature, partly by analogy with the monarchic organization of these insects, but more especially because of the ideas of industry, creative activity and wealth which are associated with the production of honey.

In Christian symbolism bees represented diligence. All symbolism seems to have connections with work which, with its relationship to money, implies great wealth.

Bees - a sign of great wealth to come.

Ants - usually unfavorable symbol representing fragile existence in light of superior life greater than that of human life. Also can suggest uncontrollable sexual urges.

Worms - Jung defined these as a libidinal figure which kills instead of giving life.

Spiders - associated with the moon; and the moon is symbolic of a woman's sensuality; thus the spider represents the mother.

Mites - annoyances in life.

Butterfly - emblem of the soul and a symbol of rebirth.

Wasps or hornets - stinging emotions.