Symbolism: Octopus

Photo from: http://www.hdwallpapersnew.net/

Susan Bird in her truly incredible blog Way of the Whale beautifully describes Octopus. Here is just a piece of her description:

There are many symbolic, spiritual, and energetic meanings for the Octopus. She is truly one of theintelligent, powerful, versatile, and fascinating animals on the planet.

It is said that Octopus participates in the Universe on multiple levels. Her unlimited supply of remarkable attributes makes it impossible to describe the full spectrum of her symbolic representation. 

From a broad spiritual perspective, octopus is reflective of the mystic center and the unfolding of creation. Her eight arms spiral outward in a metaphoric display of creative expansion. Creation is born from a balance between expansive freedom and working within an established parameter. The magical and mysterious octopus perfectly illustrates this balance.
The number of her arms is significant, as eight represents harmony and balance. In traditional numerology, eight symbolizes abundance, personal power, and authority. It is also the number of Karma, the Universal Law of cause and effect. According to kabbalistic teachings, the number seven symbolizes perfection that is achievable through natural means, while eight represents that which is beyond nature and its inherently limited perfection.

Although vastly mobile and an adept underwater traveler, the octopus is primarily a bottom dweller. In symbolic terms this is analogous of being grounded while still having the ability to exist in the watery world of the psyche. Octopus reminds us that while we may be spiritually and intuitively gifted, we are physical beings and must temper our psychic gifts with strong foundational grounding.

The female octopus can lay as many as 150,000 eggs. Mother octopus awakens us to our creative potential and inspires us to explore the many different ways we can express our creativity.