I am extremely afraid of spiders. Just the sight of them makes me feel like something is on me.
We have this really sick gag going on in our household: My daughter has a plastic tarantula (for some reason) that gets hidden in places my family knows I’ll find it. Under piles of laundry, in my slipper—one time they even put it on my seat in the car. And although I should be used to it at this point, it gets me every single time. Everyone else thinks it’s hilarious. I, however, do not.
What is it about spiders that makes arachnophobia so common? For me, it’s two things. One, the fact that they bite—although few spiders are actually harmful to humans, it’s still not nice being bitten by one. Two, and more important, it’s the way that they move. Those long, spindly legs, creeping and crawling their way along. And there are eight of them. Eight! Shudder.
Over the summer, at one of the playgrounds we frequent, we watched a black widow catch a cicada in its web (this was at the height of cicada season) and go to town snacking on it. If that doesn’t give you nightmares, you might not be afraid of anything. It was altogether disgusting, terrifying, and weirdly fascinating.
And yet—yet!—spider jewelry doesn’t quite have the same effect on me. I’ll admit to having a slight visceral reaction to some, but for the most part, I can tolerate it.
More than tolerate, actually—I’d even wear some! Why? Well, maybe it’s knowing they can’t come to life and crawl on me. Maybe it’s the idea of facing my fears (except not really though, right?). Maybe it’s like a magical badge warding off other spiders, because dangling their effigies from our ears and necks warns of what we do to wayward spiders, so do not cross us!
Whatever the reason, even someone as fearful of them as me thinks these spider jewels are cool, and just in time for Halloween. After all, we all like feeling a little spooked this time of year, don’t we?
Jewels like these that feature the furry eight-legged demons are more chic than creepy, though it’s cool for them to be both, particularly during this time of year, when we tend to embrace the menacing and macabre.
And don’t for one moment think you can only suggest spiders to your clientele at Halloween time. While surely a must for spooky season, arachnids play an important role in our ecosystem year-round and represent everything from patience and balance to manifestation and wisdom. My favorite of the meanings I found when searching on the web? Female empowerment. Nothing sexier than that. And if it’s possible, I might like spiders just a bit more now.
Top: Spider pendant with enamel, price on request; Lord Jewelry
Follow JCK on Instagram: @jckmagazineFollow JCK on Twitter: @jckmagazine
Follow JCK on Facebook: @jckmagazine
