Biggest spider in the world
- Thread starter Magical Realist
- Start date
Magical Realist
Valued Senior Member
I don't either. Nothing would terrify me more than a large spider in my bed at night..
At one time I wouldn't have considered arachnophobia to be much more severe than our common level fear of spiders. That was before seeing somebody with it being utterly terrified just to glimpse one on a TV screen, downsized so tiny that it was hardly recognizable as an 8-legged entity. Of such a degree of panic (in regard to even small, innocuous spiders) that it almost seemed innate rather than resulting from any past experience or conditioning. As if an archetype of that shape was embedded in the neural circuitry of the sufferer, with a likewise inherent concept of "threat" accidentally becoming associated with it during brain development.
I'm often reminded of form constants as a potential example of "archetypal" geometrical patterns global to human minds, but they usually only make themselves known during hallucinations. And also seem to have no utilization behind the scenes for recognition or cognition of shapes and actions in the environment (though as Kluver wrote, they can occasionally "infect" the "real" objects of external perception during certain stages).
Heinrich Kluver: The author's analysis of the hallucinatory phenomena appearing chiefly during the first stages of mescaline intoxication yielded the following form constants: (a) grating, lattice, fretwork, filigree, honeycomb, or chessboard; (b) cobweb; (c) tunnel, funnel, alley, cone, or vessel; (d) spiral. Many phenomena are, on close examination, nothing but modifications and transformations of these basic forms. The tendency towards "geometrization," as expressed in these form constants, is also apparent in the following two ways: (a) the forms are frequently repeated, combined, or elaborated into ornamental designs and mosaics of various kinds; (b) the elements constituting these forms, such as the squares in a chessboard design, often have boundaries consisting of geometric forms. At times, the boundaries are represented by lines so thin that it may be impossible to say whether they are black or white. Many observers have stressed the fineness of these lines, especially Ceroni and Möller. As Moller has pointed out, the "absolute one-dimensional" appears to have become a reality.
For the sake of analysis in terms of "form," we have ignored aspects of color, brightness, and movement, but it is just these aspects which often deeply impress the subject and which he can not adequately characterize when describing the kaleidoscopic play of forms and patterns. He may, for instance, claim that colors unknown in his previous experience appear; he may even be more impressed by the textures of colors-"fibrous, woven, polished, glowing, dull, veined, semitransparent"; he may insist that the hallucinatory objects consist of materials that are never seen in nature and yet may strangely resemble certain kinds of wood, straw, hair, jewels, wool, silk, or marble. If we ignore the colors and movements as well as the "meaning" with which the phenomena are invested by the subject, the geometric-ornamental structure of the hallucinations becomes apparent. This appears even in the drawings made by artists during or after mescaline intoxication. Such drawings have been published by Szuman, Marinesco, and Maclay and Guttmann.
The fact that certain geometric forms and designs constantly recur has led us to assume certain hallucinatory form constants. Although further analysis may reveal additional form constants, it seems certain that the number of basic forms is limited. At certain stages of the poisoning, the geometric forms and designs may be seen with open as well as with closed eyes, e.g., on the face of a person or on the soup the subject is about to eat. It is significant that the tendency toward these forms may be so strong as to dominate the perception of external objects. One of Beringer's subjects looked at the small branch of a tree and reported: "The leaves … suddenly appeared in an ornamental pattern as if joined in a circular design having the form of approximately a cobweb. I looked at other branches, and, looking at them, all leaves assumed the same lattice-like arrangement".
http://www.samorini.it/doc1/alt_aut/ek/kluver.htm
I'm often reminded of form constants as a potential example of "archetypal" geometrical patterns global to human minds, but they usually only make themselves known during hallucinations. And also seem to have no utilization behind the scenes for recognition or cognition of shapes and actions in the environment (though as Kluver wrote, they can occasionally "infect" the "real" objects of external perception during certain stages).
Heinrich Kluver: The author's analysis of the hallucinatory phenomena appearing chiefly during the first stages of mescaline intoxication yielded the following form constants: (a) grating, lattice, fretwork, filigree, honeycomb, or chessboard; (b) cobweb; (c) tunnel, funnel, alley, cone, or vessel; (d) spiral. Many phenomena are, on close examination, nothing but modifications and transformations of these basic forms. The tendency towards "geometrization," as expressed in these form constants, is also apparent in the following two ways: (a) the forms are frequently repeated, combined, or elaborated into ornamental designs and mosaics of various kinds; (b) the elements constituting these forms, such as the squares in a chessboard design, often have boundaries consisting of geometric forms. At times, the boundaries are represented by lines so thin that it may be impossible to say whether they are black or white. Many observers have stressed the fineness of these lines, especially Ceroni and Möller. As Moller has pointed out, the "absolute one-dimensional" appears to have become a reality.
For the sake of analysis in terms of "form," we have ignored aspects of color, brightness, and movement, but it is just these aspects which often deeply impress the subject and which he can not adequately characterize when describing the kaleidoscopic play of forms and patterns. He may, for instance, claim that colors unknown in his previous experience appear; he may even be more impressed by the textures of colors-"fibrous, woven, polished, glowing, dull, veined, semitransparent"; he may insist that the hallucinatory objects consist of materials that are never seen in nature and yet may strangely resemble certain kinds of wood, straw, hair, jewels, wool, silk, or marble. If we ignore the colors and movements as well as the "meaning" with which the phenomena are invested by the subject, the geometric-ornamental structure of the hallucinations becomes apparent. This appears even in the drawings made by artists during or after mescaline intoxication. Such drawings have been published by Szuman, Marinesco, and Maclay and Guttmann.
The fact that certain geometric forms and designs constantly recur has led us to assume certain hallucinatory form constants. Although further analysis may reveal additional form constants, it seems certain that the number of basic forms is limited. At certain stages of the poisoning, the geometric forms and designs may be seen with open as well as with closed eyes, e.g., on the face of a person or on the soup the subject is about to eat. It is significant that the tendency toward these forms may be so strong as to dominate the perception of external objects. One of Beringer's subjects looked at the small branch of a tree and reported: "The leaves … suddenly appeared in an ornamental pattern as if joined in a circular design having the form of approximately a cobweb. I looked at other branches, and, looking at them, all leaves assumed the same lattice-like arrangement".
http://www.samorini.it/doc1/alt_aut/ek/kluver.htm
Magical Realist
Valued Senior Member
I can imagine a survival advantage to having spider and snake shapes being imprinted in our unconscious. When it comes to survival, it doesn't matter so much either way if you jump away when you see anything resembling a spider or snake. But what DOES matter is the one out maybe 10 times that you jump away and it IS a spider or snake. This fear appears to especially kick in when we sleep at night as many suffer hynagogic hallucinations of spiders and snakes then. A few months ago I dreamed there was a snake under my covers in bed which prompted me to wake up, jump out of bed, and turn on the light. Now had I been my simian ancestor sleeping on the jungle floor that dream MIGHT have saved my life as it was likely an unconscious response to feeling something brush against my leg. Fortunately for me it wasn't anything more dangerous than my own comforter.
Last edited:
elte
Valued Senior Member
I get nervous around many spiders except the cellar spider, which is different in many ways. I always try to return niceness back to cellar spiders, and they haven't ever bothered me, always being completely unoffensive towards me.
from Wikipedia said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellar_spider
I am impressed with how they will take on a sturdier-looking spider in a fight and prevail.
elte
Valued Senior Member
I recall Carl Sagan mentioning that such fears are instinctive. I can relate to your feeling of fear. I've been bitten by a centipede when I was sleeping.
Magical Realist
Valued Senior Member
I've had little exposure to centipedes, but seeing those big ones on Monster Bug Wars put's me in mind of something like a big snakey spider--the worst of both nightmares merged together. I deliberately avoid ANY area of the country where such monstrosities might prowl. (curled up in a fetal position humming to myself now). I live in Oregon, and we have so many trees here that the bird population is big enough to keep the entire ground bug-free year round.
elte
Valued Senior Member
I recently watched a cellar spider kill a white-tailed spider on Monster Bug Wars. I've seen cellar spiders offered for sale online as pets and for classroom education. I'm glad to have all the cellar spiders that will stay around here so that they can clean out as many bugs as possible, and they've been here the 20 years that I have lived here.
Indeed, birds are an effective natural predator of bugs, so they are good for helping make your life better out there, which I'm glad about. Otherwise, it could take great care to seal up all entrance points that bugs could use for house entry.
Indeed, birds are an effective natural predator of bugs, so they are good for helping make your life better out there, which I'm glad about. Otherwise, it could take great care to seal up all entrance points that bugs could use for house entry.