Spiders are like the cats of the insect world.
It’s strange how afraid some people are of spiders. What are they really afraid of? An image created by the media? You are far more dangerous to them than they are to you. A spider is a delicate, little creature. Stop being afraid of them and really take a look at them. They look like bits of lace. They really aren’t ugly at all. They are nature, life.
If you think about it, the animals/ creatures associated with Witches (spiders, bats, cats, snakes) have a lot in common. They are (usually) nocturnal predators who prey on creatures who compete with humans for food resources. Spiders catch insects who live in our homes, barns, factories, stores, etc. Bats and snakes catch creatures that live outdoors, mostly insects that eat food in our gardens and fields. They don’t catch and eat human beings, no matter what the media would like to sell you. Cats, we know catch vermin, especially mice. These are important animals, useful to humans, so why are they seen as scary? Dogs kill more people than spiders!
How did such useful creatures, like spiders, become so reviled? Is it a co-incidence that they have been associated with Witches, also defamed? Probably not. It was easy to use one to keep making the others look scary and monstrous. By putting Witches, spiders, bats, snakes and all the rest together they can all be tarred with the same brush. All the animals who catch and eat vermin, of one kind or another.
Are you wondering how spiders are like cats? It was something I thought of this morning.
Spiders hunt, often at night, like cats. Spiders keep themselves clean, like cats. Spiders move like cats. Think about it, they have that athletic grace. Take the time to watch one before you go crazy trying to spray it with something, hit it with something, etc.
Appreciate the spider for what it is and leave it alone, give it some space, or at least (very carefully) take it outside. If you don’t want to have a spider in your house move it to the garage, a shed, something else outside. Indoor spiders don’t live outside, that’s why they are house spiders. They catch insects that also live in your home.
Before you work yourself up into a frenzy about seeing a spider, think about all the other insects it could have caught that will now be left free to roam your home. Letting the odd spider live in your house sounds better to me. Most of the time they stay out of sight, out of mind, just waiting for a good bug.