Insect

Irritations or feeling something ‘bugging’ one; feeling insignificant – the ant in the mass of other ants. It can relate to the automatic unfeeling processes of life; cold unfeeling urges; sexual urges, especially with cock-roaches – insects may also represent the sperm swarming toward the ovum, and therefore may deal with pregnancy.

As Jiminy Cricket suggests, insects can represent our conscience and guilt which reminds us of feelings we might sooner forget – perhaps insects represent these areas because they live their life in our house and garden largely unseen – so depict thoughts and feelings occurring on the edge of consciousness.

Ants: Like many insects, the ants might depict small irritations or criticisms things that have got into you in some way. Ants have been used in a dreams to suggest sperm also.

Bees: Collective activity; working as or within a community; hard working or self sacrificing.

Beetle: As the first example points out, they are sometimes associated with things that are repulsive or are irritations. But sometimes are used a symbol of eternal life, of fate, or cause and effect.

They can also indicate the destructive forces at work in us, such as negative emotions of repugnance. The Egyptian scarab can suggest a force of positive cange or influence in your life – a force of resurrection.

Example: I am walking around looking for someone to connect with and talk to. I see the turtles laying their eggs, that are really little transparent, snail-like things. A bunch of large beetle-like bugs come out and go to the babies and begin to latch onto them. At first I think this is a ritual where a symbiotic thing happens to help the babies. But then I realize the babies are being eaten. I feel sick. I try to walk and everywhere there are slimy, nasty bugs and things and I must step very carefully. I try to put shoes on to protect my feet so I won’t feel them. I feel sad for the babies.

Example: I dreamt that I was with a very wise being like a teacher and that I had a Scarab (Egyptian Beetle) in my chest. The feeling that I had was that it was alive and I had a very full feeling in my chest. The wise being told me it was all right and then he just said to me, “past lives.” Recently I have been meditating everyday for 10-15 minutes and asking to be guided to my purpose in life. Maybe that has something to do with my dream.

Bug: They are small things that might still ‘bug’ you. Small irritations or things that might scar you. But some dreams are about how beautiful the bug is or how useful. Also, what are the bugs doing and what do you feel about that?

Idioms: bitten by the same bug; bug (someone); chicken on a June bug; cute as a bug’s ear; Love Bug; put a bug in my ear; snug as a bug in a rug.

Bumblebee: There are hardly any dreams in my database about bumblebees. But in general the bumblebee is not aggressive unless its colony is threatened. So you need to use Talking As to see if you can understand what it signifies in your dream.

Butterfly: Something beautiful, such as a delicate realisation that is fragile and easily destroyed. The butterfly also links with the caterpillar, and therefore the ability to transform and leave an old way of life behind, therefore transformation and the spirit.

Dead insects: Has been used to represent an unwanted baby in some dreams. As such it shows the death of the foetus, or abortion of the foetus.

Fly:

Glow-worm: Intuition; inspiration in dark moments; the inner light.

If flying off: Ones children leaving home.

Lice, fleas or parasites: Thoughts or sexual habits which are purely selfish or carry a health risk; feeling your relationship with someone is parasitic. Thoughts that sap resolves, energy, or ambition, and that detract from your sociability. Attitudes or beliefs, worries, that draw strength from you, or even cause illness. They may be attitudes or feelings you have ‘caught’ from someone else through relationship of one form or another – perhaps in childhood, or even films you have watched.

Scorpion: Like any of the stinging insects, the scorpion can indicate your fear of being hurt, or vulnerability to hurts and slights. Its shape and down curled sting also gives it the sense of inturned negative emotions – the way we hurt ourselves with fears negative judgements, or angers turned in upon ourselves. In this sense it is like the snake. But it might be that you know the scorpion is an amazing mother, and so use it in your dreams to represent the ferocious and protective mother, carrying her children with her.

Spider: Often the dependent emotions and conflicts one feels ‘caught in’ connected with mother or family; any emotions you don’t want to ‘handle’, such as those surrounding a spouse leaving; wanting to ensnare, or feeling trapped by someone.

A spider can also indicate the basic survival instincts in us such as a spider might have – can I eat, or will I be eaten in this meeting/relationship? This level of our sensory and feeling perception is important. Like a spider it keeps one of our feet/fingers on the web or influences that connect us with other people and the world. Like the spider, if we are wise, we thereby know something of what is coming our way – do we advance or run? See: web.

Stung by Wasp Bees or hornets: Painful emotions; feeling stung by remarks.

The example below shows memories of pain and anger are still irritating or ‘bugging’ Rita. The swamp shows these feelings undermine her confidence. See moth.

Example: ‘I have to keep walking because there is something I am afraid of behind me. When I am pressed up against the ceiling being crushed I look down and the stairs and banister rail are swarming alive with a black moving wave of crawling things, like some awful insects. In the hallway is a swamp with crocodiles and other hideous things. My terror is terrible. The person who actually lived in this part of the house was the owners mother. She treated me badly but no one knew as she was artful in her abuse. She pulled me along by my hair, locked me in a cupboard, and once locked me in the orchard – four high walls and a hidden door.’ Rita

Example: I had an awful pain in my left thumb. On going to the doctor he examined it and changed into a surgeon who operated on the thumb. As he cut it open masses of spiders poured out, releasing the pain. Paula LBC.

Paula’s mother had died shortly before the dream. She had subsequently experienced a lot of emotional pain about undealt with feelings between herself and her mother. These had begun to pour out into her conscious life. The dream therefore represented this as a healing process.