Dragonfly Symbolism: 8 Spiritual Messages of the Dragonfly
Updated 2024.11.06
Dragonflies are thought to be one of the most ancient winged beings to still exist on the earth today.
Thought to have evolved as the first winged insects to appear in fossil records over 300 million years ago - older than the dinosaur record, these fossil dragonflies had wingspans of around two feet.
Today there are more than 5,000 species of dragonflies and they often appear in art, dreams, meditations.
They sometimes appear as Spirit Guides, also called Animal Guides or Animal Totems.
Because they have been around for ages and were present when we began walking the earth, they’ve become a part of our shared cultural symbolism.
Below, I’ll go over some of that symbolism.
Read on to discover 8 spiritual messages when a dragonfly appears:
1 - Become an expert at what you do
Dragonflies can fly straight up and down, mate in mid-air, exhibit flight control down to the millisecond and hover like a helicopter when necessary.
They’re experts of flight. Part of the reason for this may be that if they don’t fly they don’t eat, as they survive entirely on prey caught during flight.
Thus, it pays for a dragonfly to be good at flying.
Dragonfly may symbolically cross your path as a reminder to seek excellence at what you do to gather the energy resources you need to survive.
It will pay off if you become the best at getting the energy sources you need to live.
2 - Increase your success rate
Rachel Crane’s research at UC-Davis has found that dragonflies capture prey with a 95% success rate. This is an impressive level of efficiency for capture attempts.
If a dragonfly appears to you in business or money, it can be a sign to focus on improving your rate of efficiency. They can also be a confirmation that your success rate has or is currently improving, too.
Since we are enough right now and we can always be better, faster and stronger, when you see a dragonfly ask yourself:
What can I do to increase my overall success percentage when I spend energy to achieve something?
How can I improve the accuracy at which my efforts pay off a guaranteed return?
3 - Look at your current environment from many facets
Dragonflies have compound eyes which have 30,000 eye facets, each facet bringing in information about its environment. Compound eyes are good at giving a wild field of view.
When a dragonfly appears, it can be a sign that seeing things from many individual vantage points is important right now.
Take in as much visual information as possible when making moves in the physical world right now.
4 - Be a benefit to other beings
Dragonflies are positive insects, beneficial for humans to have around as they are a main predator of mosquitoes, a human blood-sucker. They can kill hundreds of mosquitoes a day.
Due to dragonfly’s expert flying, they are also a human engineering inspiration. Their flight is studied to mimic it in human technologies.
When a dragonfly appears, it can be validation that you have a beneficial impact on other beings in your world. They can also be a reminder to continue to be beneficial to others in your actions.
5 - You may have Fairies as Spirit Guides
Irish lore indicates the little people of nature ride dragonflies. They are miniature dragons of the Fae Realm. Some say the dragonflies are actually fairies in disguise.
After all, when they’re born as larvae, they’re called “nymphs.”
If dragonflies come into your yard or across your path synchronistically, consider the dragonfly may be your Spirit Animal or perhaps as a Faerie Guide.
6 - Zero in on one target to achieve results
Dragonflies use their mental acuity to focus on just one prey to capture, which may be part of a swarm. Once it has locked in on its target, its success rate, as mentioned above, is one of the highest in the predator world.
When dragonflies appear, it can be a sign to focus on one goal, one target, one acquisition, one meal at a time.
What is your number one priority right now? Lock it into your mentality and go after that.
7 - They want to help you manage the terrain
According to Universe of Symbolism, when dragonflies come into your life, they may be appearing to assist you in performing swift and precise actions to maneuver successfully in the terrain you’re in.
To call in the dragonfly’s assistance, take three deep breaths in and out.
Uncross your legs, and visualize yourself accepting the loving, positive energy of the dragonfly into your energy field.
8 - Go that extra mile
Dragonflies are famous for their long-distance migration habits. They have been shown in the research to travel up to 3,000km (that’s 1,800 miles) to greener pastures.
Science authors write that their distance records shatter all migration records among insects.
When dragonflies appear, it can be a sign that it’s the right time to go the distance. Whatever goal you have in your long-range sights, put in the miles necessary to reach your desired destination.
So to recap, 8 spiritual meanings of the dragonfly:
Seek to become an expert at what you do
Increase your success rate
Look at your current environment from many facets
Be a benefit to other beings
You may have Fairies as Spirit Guides
Zero in on one target to achieve results
They want to help you manage the terrain
Go that extra mile
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