I bumped into this spider the other day and very carefully got a close up pic or two. They are amazing creatures in the cycle of things.

Although I have had a great fear of spiders all my life (some of my earliest toddler memories are fear of spiders), I have overcome much of this. And I find them fascinating and worthy of intrigue, respect and love.

I just LOVE these photos you captured! What amazing detail. I can positively see six eyes - are there 8? - and the two big fangs!

I felt a healing feeling when I saw this photo. It is more magical than scary. It's eyes remind me of gems. Is this a huntsman? It looks like one, but I somehow thought they didn't have big fangs.

ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Thats gross i want to vomit i feel shivery and sick !

I’m not sure of what type of spider it is but its fangs are huge. I’m a bit like you overcoming the fear and they say best way to overcome any fear is to confront it and it think it actually works.
I see two eyes on the outer edges and six more that you rightfully described as gems that I think are receptors of some sort. I wish we had a resident Arachnologist to shed more light.

TVSAT from your description it sounds like you have been bitten by it.
If symptoms persist please see a medical physician or call emergency..!!

Gawd I had a fear of spiders for a long time - but that's because one fell down the back of my t-shirt when I was 16 and bit me on the back when I was hanging out my washing.

Took me a long time to get past my spider issue... But they don't bother me at all now.

Oh great...now I'm off to do laundry...

Since Spiders have decided to make a presence of themselves to me lately I managed to get another pic of one that has spun a web and is hanging out at the side of my house.
I believe it is a Golden Orb Spider after looking it up and here is some interesting stuff I found and learned about them…
The male is about one-fifth the size of the female spider
The male lives at the edges of the female's web, stealing her food, often without her even noticing.
In some species, the female will often eat the male.
Some golden silk orb-weavers display an almost manic fear of cockroaches.
They are found in tropical areas from Africa, India, China, and Japan, across Southeast Asia to Northern Australia and the South Pacific Islands.
The web can run from the top of a tree 6m high and up to 2m wide and last several years.
The web's silk is so strong it can trap small birds, which the spider does not eat.

Wow, another fascinating spider pic! Thanks for sharing, Flux.

And thanks for providing the interesting facts. That some "display an almost manic fear of cockroaches" is perhaps the most interesting thing I've ever read regarding a spider!

For me, there is such a spiritual concept in spiders. For one, they are beneficial predators that create balance by keeping the many pest-like bugs in check. A little search led me to this:



I often see spiders in my altered consciousness. They can be guides for me, or they can represent my fears, and they are a strong symbol for an ecosystem that is symbiotic.

I am really into the concept of symbiotic ecology at the moment--eating living food and probiotics as a way for superior physical and spiritual health. It is integration with the earth, accepting nature as it is and working in harmony with it rather than fighting it. These ideas are "consuming" me, so to speak. I'll have to do a separate topic on it. Thanks for feeding me with more wonderous thoughts, images and information, Flux.

[I am also led to the word commensal meaning "a relationship between two organisms where one benefits and the other is not significantly harmed or gains a benefit. The term derives from the English word commensal, meaning 'sharing of food' in human social interaction, which in turn derives from the Latin com mensa, meaning 'sharing a table'"].

The bit I’d like to find out is how the scientists concluded that the female doesn’t notice that the male steals her food. How do they know she doest leave it there for him and doesn’t care…?
Feeding cycles of all things are so intriguing…

Good point! U R Clevah.

Or how do they she isn't allowing it to fattening him up so she can have a better feed on him? With so many eyes it's kind of a stretch to think she didn't "see" him.

You really provide delicious food for thought, Flux.

Oh, and speaking of this spider, I neglected to post my interp of the spider smiling cutely. He was you know. I know you know though.