Symbolisms of the Dragonfly

7/30/2019 Symbolisms of the Dragonfly

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Symbolisms of the Dragonfly

Maturity and a Depth of character

The dragonfly, in almost every part of the worldsymbolizes change and change in the perspective ofself realization; and the kind of change that has itssource in mental and emotional maturity and the

understanding of the deeper meaning of life.

The traditional association of Dragonflies with wateralso gives rise to this meaning to this amazing insect.

The Dragonflys scurrying flight across water representsan act of going beyond whats on the surface and

looking into the deeper implications and aspects of life.

Power and PoiseThe dragonflys agile flight and its ability to move in all

six directions exude a sense of power and poise -

something that comes only with age and maturity.

The dragonfly can move at an amazing 45 miles anhour, hover like a helicopter fly backwards like a

hummingbird, fly straight up, down and on either side.What is mind blowing is the fact that it can do this while

flapping its wings a mere 30 times a minute whilemosquitoes and houseflies need to flap their wings 600

and 1000 times a minute respectively.

The awe inspiring aspect is how the dragonflyaccomplishes its objectives with utmost simplicity,

effectiveness and well, if you look at proportions, with20 times as much power in each of its wing strokes

when compared to the other insects. The best part isthat the dragonfly does it with elegance and grace thatcan be compared to a veteran ballet dancer. If this isnot a brazen, lazy, overkill in terms of display of raw

power, what is?


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Defeat of Self Created IllusionsThe dragonfly exhibits iridescence both on its wings as

well as on its body. Iridescence is the property of anobject to show itself in different colors depending on the

angle and polarization of light falling on it.

This property is seen and believed as the end of onesself created illusions and a clear vision into the realities

of life. The magical property of iridescence is alsoassociated with the discovery of ones own abilities byunmasking the real self and removing the doubts one

casts on his/her own sense of identity. This againindirectly means self discovery and removal ofinhibitions.

Focus on living IN the momentThe dragonfly normally lives most of its life as a nymphor an immature. It flies only for a fraction of its life and

usually not more than a few months. This adultdragonfly does it all in these few months and leaves

nothing to be desired. This style of life symbolizes andexemplifies the virtue of living IN the moment and livinglife to the fullest. By living in the moment you are aware

of who you are, where you are, what you are doing,what you want, what you dont and make informed

choices on a moment-to-moment basis.

This ability lets you live your life without regrets like thegreat dragonfly.

The opening of ones eyesThe eyes of the dragonfly are one of the most amazing

and awe inspiring sights. Given almost 80% of theinsects brain power is dedicated to its sight and the

fact that it can see in all 360 degrees around it, itsymbolizes the uninhibited vision of the mind and the

ability to see beyond the limitations of the human self.


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It also in a manner of speaking symbolizes aman/womans rising from materialism to be able to seebeyond the mundane into the vastness that is really our

Universe, and our own minds.

The Tall Tales and the short stories

What can one say, for a harmless insect that does notbite, does not sew snakes wounds, and definitely doesnot measure human souls for good and evil, there havebeen a wide variety of myths and mythology associated

with the life and the existence of the dragonfly.

But before we go down to the lore by location, one verystriking aspect comes to mind. Change. In many regionsand as a norm of this day, the dragonfly is considered

to be an agent of change and presumably symbolic of asense of self realization. Self realization from how thedragonfly uses its power to control its movements andso elegantly. And change and evolution is all about the

dragonflys ability to fly and the way it can becomfortable on water, land as well as the air.

Asia and America

Lets start with something nice. To the Japanese, itsymbolizes summer and autumn and am admired andrespected all over, so much so that the Samurai use itas a symbol of power, agility and best of all, Victory.

In China, people associate the dragonfly with

prosperity, harmony and as a good luck charm.Amongst Native Americans, it is a sign of happiness,speed and purity. Purity because the dragonfly eats

from the wind itself

Europe and subsequently Australia

Beginning from calling the dragonfly, the witchesanimal, and that Satan sent it on earth to cause chaos


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and confusion, to calling it, Ear Cutter, Devils Needle,Adderbolt and worst of all, Horse Stinger, which soon

spread Down Under, when the British colonizedAustralia. The name Horse Stinger comes from the

misinformed observation that horses that were kickingand stamping around usually had a few dragonflies

hovering around them. Fact remains though, that thedragonflies could well have been helping the horse by

eating some of the parasitic insects that were doing theactual horse stinging.

Well, the Welsh call the dragonflythe snakesservant

and think they follow snakes and stitch up theirwoundsand continuing with the misnomers, they arecalled eye pokers and eye snatchers in Portugal.

In Sweden, folklore suggests that we dragonflies comearound to check for bad souls - to weigh souls to be

more accurate and elsewhere, believed to sneak up tochildren who tell lies and also adults who curse and

scold, to stitch up their eyes, mouth, and ears

respectively.

For a species of insects that have inhabited our planetfor almost 300 million years, it is only natural perhaps

that they have such a wide and varied perceptionamongst various civilizations.

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Symbolisms of the Dragonfly