The Dream of the Spider

A dream and its interpretations

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I had a dream a few weeks ago; indeed, a dream which made a sufficient impression to stay with me for a whole day afterwards, haunting me in its central conceit.

Today I would like to tell you about this dream.

I dreamt I was in a city in the future, and to the extent it looked like anything it looked like central London and specifically the area around Victoria in the mid 2000s, lots of grey walkways and stairwells.

Everyone was going to work, tramping along the road, but I was alone at home.

I was refusing to go into the office; I was refusing to fulfill my (in the dream unspecified) employment. To the extent that my refusal was noticed, and two plain clothes police officers came to speak to me about it. They talked with me about it on the roof of a building.

I refused to work and asked them to explain what was wrong about the life I was leading of study and creation.

Then they told me: I was not actually a person; I was, in fact, a spider. Indeed, everyone I could see around the city were spiders, and the selves we could see were avatars. The whole city was a computer simulation. We were being used, by our movements around the city, to generate energy, particularly as we filed along in a column to work.

They had created this simulation to create a nicer environment for us as we created energy.

I was distressed to learn that I was in fact a spider and a little disgusted but soon began to plead my case. They had created this situation, I said; they had exposed me to a life of learning and diversion I would not have encountered if I had just remained an ordinary member of my species. Therefore, they had an ethical responsibility to let me continue my work – and my studies would surely not make any difference to the overall functioning of the city. I was, after all, only a single spider.

I continued to prosecute my case in front of institutions and in court. But the dream left the outcome of my case unresolved.

After I woke I lay in bed for a few hours, drifting in and out of sleep, perhaps adding a few bridging elements to make it make more sense, as one does with dreams.

What did the dream mean?

I decided, in the hope of elucidation, to ask four of my friends.

Their interpretations follow below.

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Three salient details

The moment of revelation. You feel disgust, when it is pointed out to you that you are a spider. Why? Kafka’s Ungeziefer occasions self-loathing to the extent that Gregor is the only one who has been thus transformed—hence the ties to his loved ones will become frayed, or broken. But in your world, everyone is a spider. The drones who go to work in the morning are just as much a sham—yet you feel disgust on your own account. Why? Could it be that you feel that artistic creation is somehow contradicted by your insect nature, more than going to work?

The plain-clothes policemen. They wear a disguise of plain clothes. Why? To gain access to your building? You would hardly have put up a struggle. Are they also spiders? (Spiders disguised as police disguised as ‘normal’ people…) Or perhaps the police – unlike you, unlike the other workers – are not in fact spiders. Perhaps they triumph because they have found a better or more successful way to conceal their essential nature. Which would make this a dream about disguise.

The roof-top. At some point you move from your room, where you create, to the rooftop. This seems significant. Here you can look down on the office workers (united, here, with the police, with whom to some extent you perhaps identify despite yourself). The rooftop is also out in the open air yet trapped – unlike your working space in both respects (I presume). Hidden here is the desire for movement – for culture as movement, of a different sort to useless office-work. Might you want to generate electricity? - Dr Ewan Jones, teacher

I think that your dream is about the nature of work and how it has invaded all areas of life. There are no holidays in the world you are talking about because in a way it is totalitarian and you are being told that your work is not what you think. In a totalitarian regime the idea of holiday makes no sense because you are forced to work not out of choice but necessity. - Chris Hogg, writer and educator

I’m going to immediately be that annoying person who breaks the rules that you’ve assigned to me and rather than straight away interpret the dream I have some questions… How recently have you seen the film ‘Brazil’ and or/read seen an adaption of ‘Metamorphosis’ and what you have been reading or watching, particularly the day of and days preceding the dream…

I think the feeling of how you feel in the dream seems more important to me than trying to come up with any literal or metaphorical translation… I’m really interested in this idea of you (having) an idea of your place in society not being respected and understood… This creates discomfort and distress for you… Also the world you perceive around you doesn’t really seem to make sense or have a purpose in the way … So I’m not really going to go into what it means in terms of spiders and simulations but I think that the case that you are making and the journey you are on feel the most important.

But spiders are interesting right? I’m not going to google spiders right now but they appear in lots of different global mythologies and fables… In Ghana, where my mother’s from, the Anansi stories are really loved sort of moral trickster stories, with Anansi like a trickster like Loki is a trickster… And I wonder are the people who are in charge also spiders and are they tricking you into thinking that you’re a spider instead of a person, or attempting to?

My other question would be… What was the feeling that you had when you woke up from the dream? That feels really important to. Did you wake up feeling distressed? Did you wake up feeling relieved that it was just a dream? Did it take you a little moment to fully come to?

You know, sometimes when you wake up from a dream and you’re like, it takes a moment to fully come to and (…) like oh, that was just something I made up and other times you’re like, Thank fuck that was a dream. I have no idea if this is relevant or useful - Paula Varjack, artist (via voice note)

This is rather difficult for me to comment on as a believer in the anti-psychologistic pre-Freudian notion of the dream as prophecy and of prophecy as prediction. As such, I am not well-placed to offer an interpretation as requested in your message ‘can you interpret a dream I had?’. On reflection and strictly speaking the answer is: ‘no’. I believe your dream should be taken strictly literally, and it is really bad news for you James.

I’m really sorry to hear about the spider thing. All I can say is that I hope your case goes well before the courts and the other institutions you will be engaged with. To be honest, I’m quite sympathetic to the police: why aren’t you fulfilling your unspecified role? Are you really happy sitting around and engaging in so-called cultural pursuits while we generate energy for everyone through our journeys to work?

However, if I’m still around, then as your friend, do feel free to call on me. Even if I don’t accept your position, as one of the spiders on your side I will support your case vis-a-vis the courts and other institutions in any way I can. Though having said that, please don’t expect me to do anything that might get me into trouble. I’m not sure the rule of law is still in place, it all sounds rather authoritarian and intimidating, for instance, why did they insist on the roof of a building to have a conversation about your case? Perhaps your human avatar might run a marathon to raise money for your case? If so, I will be happy to contribute £10 or whatever £10 is in real terms at the time of your case – do send me the crowdfunding web-site when the need arises. Best of luck, my friend. - Jonathan Nassim, philosopher and Substack author

Summary

The dream has not lost its sense of significance to me even a month on.

In answer to Paula’s questions, though, I do have some clues as to its cultural provenance; the marvellous episode of the series Love Death and Robots ‘Beyond the Aquila Rift’ has a similar idea of a spider represented by the avatar of a beautiful woman. And I read a lot of classic sci-fi, which is full of men who dream they are spiders and spiders who dream they are men, though I remain confident in not being the latter.

Nonetheless I am none the wiser as to the dream’s fundamental meaning.

What do you think?

Your comments and interpretations are very welcome below.