Dreaming of Insects
Insects in dreams often symbolize small, irritating problems in waking life. These can include negative feelings that you can’t quite define or explain but which, nevertheless, continue to nag at you. They can also include feelings of guilt or regret that you feel powerless to deal with.
Some insects, however, have positive qualities. For example, we admire bees and ants for their social organization, their industry and their productivity, and caterpillars for their ability to transform. We may admire a butterfly for its beauty.
Because insects such as mosquitoes can sometimes carry dangerous diseases, a dream about insects can be a warning from your unconscious that a toxic influence has infected your life.
A dream that an insect has stung you can mean that criticism or gossip has hurt you in waking life. It can also mean that someone has cheated (“stung”) you or be a warning that you are about to be deceived.
On the other hand, if an insect stings you in a dream, your unconscious mind may be trying to prick you so that you will pay attention to something or to take action about something.
If you dream about an insect, think about what that particular insect means to you. For example, if you dream about bees making honey, you may be concerned with how productive you are or how you work with others. A dream about a hornet’s nest can mean that a problem is festering below the surface.
Dreaming of Arachnids and Spiders
Arachnids include spiders, scorpions and ticks.
A spider can represent achievement through hard work, as well as the ability to create things that are useful and beautiful.
If you dream of a spider web, you may be feeling trapped in waking life. A spider web can also represent connections with other people, as well as the circle of life.
Many people have a strong phobia of spiders. For these people, a spider in a dream can stand for any repressed idea that they find too horrifying to think about when they are awake.
Scorpions are symbols of death and rebirth. A scorpion in a dream can represent getting rid of something old and replacing it with something new.
A scorpion can also symbolize a painful situation in your waking life. The sting of a scorpion can stand for “stinging” negative words or thoughts.
A tick can represent something that is draining your energy from you.