Arachnophobes, Don’t Read This! Spiders, Halloween, Samhain & Denial.
There are some extraordinary spider decorations up for Halloween this year. Most people find spiders a little spooky. Is it because they’re so different from humans? So many legs perhaps? The way they move? Have you seen any close-up photos of their faces, though? Some are adorable, like this guy.
I’ve had a few close spider encounters over the years. Nothing especially dramatic. A black widow on my door. I didn’t realize she was one until I touched her, but she was chill. I’ve become better at identifying them. I am the designated spider remover in our home and have caught and released many spiders of varying shapes and sizes.
This fall, I cleaned some windows that were quite webby, and my spider encounters leveled way up. Our house is old, and the windows and storms don’t line up well. Accessing the windows in question is awkward, and they don’t get washed as often as they should. I dove into the window-cleaning project with dual purposes: practical and symbolic. Practically, I love a clear view of the outside. Symbolically, I asked for this project to fuel my intention of clear vision. I don’t enjoy window washing, but I was determined.
Friends, there were SO MANY SPIDERS!
Tiny little guys, elegant ones with impossibly long legs, and big fat hairy ones. Different shapes, strategies for evading me, and levels of boldness. I was careful spritzing the cleaner and wiping the panes. Each window took longer because I kept hopping down with a spider I’d gently coaxed onto a cloth or leaf, delivering it to an area outside. I moved quickly because they moved quickly.
Arachnophobia Warning
Arachnophobes, it only gets worse from here. I am not making light of fears or phobias but am giving fair warning.
I found one curled up between my toes. This was a little too close for my comfort, and a reminder not to wear flip flops on a ladder or while cleaning spidery windows. I also realized they were just terrified and hiding. No harm done. We were both happy to say our goodbyes and part ways.
One big fat one took an assertive approach and leaped for me. Face height. I almost fell off the ladder.
Most of the spiders were small or spindly. They were trying to make a safe home for their babies or themselves in a sheltered space they found hospitable, where they could find food, out of the weather, safe from those wishing to do them harm. Aren’t we all trying to do some variant of that? For many people right now those basics are at risk. It’s a spooky time in more ways than one.
Otherworldly is Uncomfortable
There is much about this season, when the veils between the worlds are thin, that feels eerie to us —otherworldly, a little uncomfortable. Maybe that’s partly why spiders make us uncomfortable; there is something otherworldly about them. Much of what we ascribe supernatural qualities to are natural things that we can’t or don’t want to explain. Just because we can’t see, label, or understand something doesn’t necessarily make it less real.
During this particular week, we celebrate the thin separation between the worlds of the living and the dead (Halloween, Samhain, Day of the Dead, All Saint’s Day). Some do it by honoring ancestors and the natural cycles of life and death; some do it by making light of the things that scare us – if we laugh at ghosts and demons, they can’t harm us, right? Right?
Denial
Denial is powerful, but it doesn’t change reality. Looking away is a coping mechanism, but it does not change what is.
My daughter and I were on a nighttime jungle hike a few years ago. The ground was shimmering. After we had walked for a while, the guide told us that the seemingly infinite points of light we saw blanketing the ground were reflections from spiders’ eyes. An astonishing number of spiders. The reality is they were everywhere, we just didn’t know until the light illuminated them. When we learned the truth, we had the choice of where to focus our attention.
Denial doesn’t change reality.
Sharing Spaces
The reality is we share our intimate spaces and the world itself with many others. We share spaces with a huge variety of animals who also have a right to live. We coexist with other humans who embody everything from the best to the worst potentials for our species. We live with spirits whom we alternately honor and make light of during this season.
Let’s try to distinguish between what makes us uncomfortable because it’s unfamiliar and what is truly threatening to our shared world. Let’s remember how much we have in common. All living things seek safety. Everyone needs to eat. Young creatures play. We depend on the same water and air to survive. We are all warmed by the sun and find solace in sleep.
During this glorious season, I wish you and your family safety, health, and peace.
Photo Credit: Eric Karits
Arachnophobes Don’t Read This
©2025 Mara Bishop