▲ Leans unlucky (a warning) Traditionally a warning — read it as pointing to what to watch, not as doom
Shows resolve to break free of ties or restraints on your own; lingering guilt hints you still miss what you let go.
Category: Animals (how to read this category)
Psychology
Unlike killing bugs in general, a spider often stands for someone who entangles you, so killing it reads as cutting a binding relationship. Relief means you are ready; a bad aftertaste means the tie still matters.
Folklore and history
Japanese lore says never kill a morning spider but kill a night one, as morning spiders bring luck or guests. English folk sayings also tie letting a spider live to prosperity. Killing one has always carried some hesitation.
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This site's view
In this site's view, time and place matter. Killing it in daylight asks whether you are driving away luck too; in darkness, it signals escape from a long trap. Leftover threads mean the tie is not fully cut.
Going deeper: our reading
Spiders eat flies, mosquitoes and small pests indoors, so many people simply carry them outside rather than kill them. In this site's reading, people who dream of killing a spider are often pressed to cut off a relationship or tie, while knowing deep down that the other person was also useful to them in some way. That is why relief and guilt may mix together. If you killed it instantly without hesitation, you have reached a point where you can make a clear decision. If you kept failing and could not kill it, your resolve to cut ties may not yet be firm. This is our speculation, but if you finally caught the spider under a cup and let it out, you may have the ability to find a third path: keeping your distance without hurting anyone.
What to do on waking
Name one habit or tie you want to cut and list what you would lose and gain before deciding.
In this scene
- ◎Good It comes close or is friendly: help is near (good)
- ▲Warn It attacks or bites: a held-back feeling or friction nearby (warning)
- It is dead or weak: the strength it stands for is running low
- Big, white or gold: the meaning is stronger; white and gold lean lucky
- It felt good: the lucky reading gets stronger
- ▲Warn It felt frightening or painful: the warning reading gets stronger — rest first
- The same dream again and again: something your mind has not settled yet
Turning a bad dream
In Japan, people once tried to turn a worrying dream for the better: a baku charm under the pillow, telling the dream to a nandina bush, or reciting an old dream-turning poem. Read the column on dream trading and dream-turning
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FAQ
Q. Is dreaming of killing a Spider a good or bad sign?
A. Traditionally a warning — read it as pointing to what to watch, not as doom. Shows resolve to break free of ties or restraints on your own; lingering guilt hints you still miss what you let go.
Q. Why do I keep dreaming of killing a Spider?
A. A recurring dream usually points to something your mind has not settled yet. Research suggests such dreams tend to stop once the underlying worry is resolved. Keeping a dream diary helps you notice what triggers it.
Q. What should I do after dreaming of killing a Spider?
A. Name one habit or tie you want to cut and list what you would lose and gain before deciding.
Related dream essays
- True Dreams and Reverse Dreams: Why We Read Dreams Backwards
- Buying Dreams, Turning Dreams: A Japanese History of Dream Trading and Dream Charms
Read this dream with your own scene in the Dream Dictionary →
More dreams in "Animals"
- Being Stung by an Insect
- Bugs Appearing in Your Room
- Catching Insects
- Being Bitten by a Spider
- A Giant Spider
- A Black Spider
- A Spider Descending on Its Thread
- A Spider in the House
- Killing a Cockroach
- Swarms of Cockroaches
- A Flying Cockroach
- A Giant Cockroach
※ Dream interpretation here is entertainment drawing on psychology and folklore — it is not scientifically proven. "This site's view" is our own interpretation.
