I’ve always loved dragonflies. Watching them dart, float, and dance through the air… Just through observing dragonflies, it quickly becomes clear that their meaning and impact on us as humans goes much deeper than just being a beautiful part of nature.
“Dragonflies are reminders that we are light/and we can reflect light in powerful ways if we choose to do so.” – Robyn Nola
A Deeper Look at the Spiritual Meaning of Dragonflies
The totem of the dragonfly holds the insights of adaptability and transformation. They are spiritual creatures connected to light and change. When you see one, be reminded of these qualities in yourself.
Perhaps you are in need of more lightness and joy in your life?
Or perhaps it’s simply time to take a moment to be consciously grateful for the lightness and joy that you do have.
Dragonfly Meaning and History
Every culture and civilization throughout human history has developed a folklore and meaning behind the existence of the dragonfly.
It is from the Greeks that they get their root name, Odanates, which means tooth. Because of the way dragonflies crush prey, it was once believed they possessed teeth. The more modern name of the dragonfly comes from the myth that they once were dragons.
Some cultures imagined dragonflies as elemental messengers with the spirits of Devas inside them. Since human eyes aren’t naturally trained to the world of magic, the beauty and aerobatics of the dragonfly were considered the perfect way to catch our attention.
They can travel upwards of 45 miles per hour, fly backwards, hover like a helicopter, and change direction with seemingly impossible speed. They do all this by flapping their wings only 30 times per minute. To give you some perspective, a mosquito flaps its wings 600 times per minute.
Because of this, dragonflies take on the role of spiritual guides for us. They are powerful yet graceful – even in high wind. They show us how to navigate life’s storms with confidence and ease. They motivate us to let go of whatever holds us down or holds us back.
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Not only does the dragonfly symbolize change in life, it specifically represents a change in perspective and a shift toward self-realization.
Maturity
Change is rarely easy. Because of this, the ability to be open to it and accept it requires maturity. Dragonflies symbolize this maturity as well as our ability to see the deeper meaning of life.
Poise
Dragonflies move easily in all six directions. If you’ve watched them, you’ve become aware of their grace and poise. Two qualities that come with the acceptance of change and maturity. With roughly 20 times more power in each flap of its wings, it isn’t a clunky or heavy insect. It remains elegant in its strength.
Other symbols of the dragonfly:
Adaptability
Joy and lightness
Emotional depth
The invitation to go deeper
A connection to spirit beings
Wisdom
Connecting to Nature
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It’s easy to notice the fairy-like quality of the dragonfly. This likeness make them an auspicious connection to nature and her spirits. They are fascinating creatures, and feelings of fascination and amazement are need to tap into the magic of nature, lightness, and the elements.
They are also strongly associated with water because they begin their lives in ponds and small bodies of water. They learn to scurry across water surfaces – a strong symbol of looking beyond the surface of a person or situation. Life is complex and as creatures of both air and water, dragonflies remind us of this.
Dragonfly as a Spirit Guide
Dragonfly enters our life when our joy diminishes or when we start taking things too seriously. They are our reminder to lighten our thoughts and habits.
Because of their connection to water, dragonflies are tied to our emotional selves. They are the perfect guides to ask questions like:
What emotion is it that I need to explore?
Am I hiding something from myself or others?
Am I using this emotion as a smoke screen for something more important?
Call on the guidance of the dragonfly when you are struggling to adapt. The energy it brings will give you flexibility and a fresh perspective. So many of our problems contain an element of not being able to accept our emotions. They end up overtaking us and stalling our growth. Dragonfly energy is perfect for digging in, embracing, and understanding emotions.
If you are stuck in an emotional pattern or just stuck in a temporary rut, give over to the dragonfly’s transformative power.
Your Spiritual Animal
If your personal spirit animal is a dragonfly, you’re likely to be highly adaptable and quick thinking. New people, places, and situations are easy – it’s where you shine. Maturity and presence are words often used to describe them.
Dragonfly people will also likely experience many evolutions and metamorphoses throughout life. The experience of change is part of their soul’s journey. These people, when tapped into their highest vibration and purpose, have the ability to soar to great heights in this lifetime.
Meaning when a dragonfly crosses your path
If you’ve become conscious of dragonflies around you recently, this is a great time to start to work with their energy and symbols. When your subconscious is calling this spirit animal into your life, you might be in line for a transformation. Let them be your inspiration.
The more you tune into their symbolism, the easier it will be to find balance and maturity in your emotional life. The clarity to work with your emotions without ignoring them or promoting them is the gift of the dragonfly.
Consider dedicating a meditation session toward dragonfly energy. Focus on self-awareness, working with the elements, or understanding your current emotions. Use the image of the dragonfly to awaken its symbols within you as you begin, then focus on bring your vibration in alignment with this transformative and strong energy. Then let your own energies guide you from there.
If you’re feeling stuck in a situation that seems impossible to navigate, call on the dragonfly spirit animal for help. Whether you need to adapt, see things differently, gain some poise to navigate a tricky situation, or raise your vibration to release negative energies that are holding you back, dragonfly energy can help.
The Final Lesson
The final, and perhaps most important lesson of the dragonfly lies in its short life span. They live a complete life in only seven months. Let the dragonfly be a reminder to you to live life fully present. Let it teach you to look out for the gifts and beauty that you encounter each day.
Then offer a small prayer of gratitude for your dragonfly spirit guide.
With love and blessings,
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Melanie Beckler is an author, meditation guide, and the soul behind Ask-Angels.com. Her meditations, angel messages, and bestselling books, including "Archangel Michael Speaks," inspire individuals around the world to realign with their higher potential, inner light and soul purpose. Her work is rooted in love and compassion, empowering you to shine brightly on your unique spiritual journey of growth and transformation.
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I love this so much! Before my mother passed away, 7 months ago, I asked her to send me a dragonfly to let me know she was ok. About a week after she passed, I was pumping gas and a dragonfly flew and landed on top of my car, above where I was pumping gas. I reached out and offered it my finger and it flew up, hovered, then flew away. I received my sign. I've loved dragonflies and their beauty for years.
Last summer, 2 nights in a row around a campfire with friends, many, many dragonflies hovered above us. Since then I have noticed many that come near me. I feel change is coming for us all and that is a good thing.🥰
I think the dragonfly is my spirit animal. Yesterday one landed on a bush in front of me, and not having seen one in several years, I knew it was a sign. I felt a sense of peace and calm.
I always get such a good feeling when I see a dragonfly and this past summer my front and backyard were full of them all summer. I have a cousin that always believed dragonflies come to give a message from a lost loved one. One day he stepped outside his door and a dragonfly flew over to him and landed on his shirt and stayed for the longest time. After awhile it flew away. My cousins son had recently passed away so he believed his son was sending a message to him that he was ok. I found a glass dragonfly in a little shop and sent it to him. I’m going out tomorrow to try to find a couple more of those glass dragonflies. A young police officer and his pregnant wife live next door to me and he was just killed while working on New Years Eve. I feel like I need to give his wife and his mother one of those glass dragonflies and explain what I feel they represent. I hope it will help in some small way especially this summer when the dragonflies are back.
My cat Tubsy was killed today and while I was nursing her on my front step I seen a dragonfly land on the may bush which she was sleeping under when she was attacked.. I believe the dragonfly helped her sole.
I had a green dragonfly fly into my car that I just purchased. He fly into the inside front windshield and passed away. I took his little carcass out of my car and googled spiritual meanings of Dragonflies. I’m hoping this is a good sign and the poor fellow finished his 7 month life span and left his little sweet spirit with me for good luck. Heaven knows, I’ve been through a great deal of struggles in my lifetime…most recently a bad car wreck which led me to the purchase of this car.
I always notice dragon flies. Especially when I’m driving to a stop light or slowing up in traffic. They always seem to tap my windshield… one morning there was about 40 of them flying in sync in my back yard.
But this morning, I found a dead dragon fly on my bathroom floor.
My first thought was, how in the heck did it get all the way into my bathroom and only to die.
Just wondering what this may mean, if it’s spiritual at all🥰
I have been battling emotionally about life. Life have been difficult for me this period then this morning I woke up with tears; am tired, why are my prayers about marital settlement not answered, then after some while I got up from where I was laying and I saw a dragon fly on the window net. I wondered how it find itself inside the house and wanted to kill it but a thought came to me to check what it means so I have to charge my phone and do other houseworks before browsing it’s meaning, since that early morning till this very minute of about 1:20pm the dragon fly has been there on the net and the doors and windows has been open for it’s escape!
Pls what’s it trying to tell me…?
Today I had a dragonfly land on my leg. I petted its wings and said hello. Then I thought of my friend Bilel and imagined that he was the dragonfly comming to visit me because he lives in Tunisia and I live in Montreal. During the day he sent me an image of a dragonfly. I had not spoken to him about this dragonfly landing on my leg. Later on that night is when I realized he had sent me the image of a dragonfly. If you have any kind of feedback about this experience I have shared with you please feel free to express it. Thank you for the space to share my dragonfly story.
My sister was recently called to heaven to join our mom. I was given notice by her as a dragonfly. Many years ago while she was going through some very tough times, she had an experiene with a dragonfly. It was one day after a major storm in the Dallas area had just blown through. My sister was sititng on her back porch and noticed a dragonfly sitting on a board. She took a picture of it and looked up the meaning of dragonflies. She came to recognize them to her that it was our mom coming to give my sister encouragement, hope, love and more. She had just recently found her picture she took. Just recently, I was watering my in-laws roses and grapes on Tuesday. While watering I noticed a dragonfly kind of just hanging there watching me. I would move and it would follow. I thought it was a little strange because I live in the high desert. Although there are dragonflies pretty much every where, it is just not often you see one here. The next day while my wife and I were watching the grandchild in the pool splashing around, a dragonfly appeared. It floated about the grandchild near the splashing water. My wife commented that it was my mom. But, something did not feel right. I got this message that it was not my mom. Later that day I got a text from my younger of the two sisters, asking when the last time I spoke with my other sister. Which was the day before the fourth of July and spoke for nearly two hours and she was in very good spirits. My dad called me an hour later and told me my sister was gone. That dragonfly for two days was my sister telling me she was free! The following day, a rainbow appeared, Rainbows are actually what I recognize as my mom stopping by to say Hi. This time it was her telling me my sister had arrived in heaven and she is just fine! May my sister be floating around and shinning brightly as the new star in heaven!
I love dragonflies and after loosing my father I was at a friends place a couple hours after I was told he had passed… I had a huge dragonfly hanging around where i was sitting that morning, a few months latter in the early hours (1.30am) at a new years party i had another appear and fly around close to me for quite a few minutes.
when im in my lowest moods and feel im being pushed to breaking point… ill have dragonflies appear very frequently.
Dragonflies i think must be somehow connected to a higher form we as humans can only try to understand
thank you!
I love this so much! Before my mother passed away, 7 months ago, I asked her to send me a dragonfly to let me know she was ok. About a week after she passed, I was pumping gas and a dragonfly flew and landed on top of my car, above where I was pumping gas. I reached out and offered it my finger and it flew up, hovered, then flew away. I received my sign. I've loved dragonflies and their beauty for years.
Last summer, 2 nights in a row around a campfire with friends, many, many dragonflies hovered above us. Since then I have noticed many that come near me. I feel change is coming for us all and that is a good thing.🥰
I think the dragonfly is my spirit animal. Yesterday one landed on a bush in front of me, and not having seen one in several years, I knew it was a sign. I felt a sense of peace and calm.
Thank you
I always get such a good feeling when I see a dragonfly and this past summer my front and backyard were full of them all summer. I have a cousin that always believed dragonflies come to give a message from a lost loved one. One day he stepped outside his door and a dragonfly flew over to him and landed on his shirt and stayed for the longest time. After awhile it flew away. My cousins son had recently passed away so he believed his son was sending a message to him that he was ok. I found a glass dragonfly in a little shop and sent it to him. I’m going out tomorrow to try to find a couple more of those glass dragonflies. A young police officer and his pregnant wife live next door to me and he was just killed while working on New Years Eve. I feel like I need to give his wife and his mother one of those glass dragonflies and explain what I feel they represent. I hope it will help in some small way especially this summer when the dragonflies are back.
Hi i saw 1 dragon fly this morning while I clean my patio and he is still sitting hear what is the meaning of that
Thank you Melanie,
This was beautiful to read
My cat Tubsy was killed today and while I was nursing her on my front step I seen a dragonfly land on the may bush which she was sleeping under when she was attacked.. I believe the dragonfly helped her sole.
I had a green dragonfly fly into my car that I just purchased. He fly into the inside front windshield and passed away. I took his little carcass out of my car and googled spiritual meanings of Dragonflies. I’m hoping this is a good sign and the poor fellow finished his 7 month life span and left his little sweet spirit with me for good luck. Heaven knows, I’ve been through a great deal of struggles in my lifetime…most recently a bad car wreck which led me to the purchase of this car.
Thank you ever so much for all the information about dragonfly energy!
All the best!
I always notice dragon flies. Especially when I’m driving to a stop light or slowing up in traffic. They always seem to tap my windshield… one morning there was about 40 of them flying in sync in my back yard.
But this morning, I found a dead dragon fly on my bathroom floor.
My first thought was, how in the heck did it get all the way into my bathroom and only to die.
Just wondering what this may mean, if it’s spiritual at all🥰
I have been battling emotionally about life. Life have been difficult for me this period then this morning I woke up with tears; am tired, why are my prayers about marital settlement not answered, then after some while I got up from where I was laying and I saw a dragon fly on the window net. I wondered how it find itself inside the house and wanted to kill it but a thought came to me to check what it means so I have to charge my phone and do other houseworks before browsing it’s meaning, since that early morning till this very minute of about 1:20pm the dragon fly has been there on the net and the doors and windows has been open for it’s escape!
Pls what’s it trying to tell me…?
Today I had a dragonfly land on my leg. I petted its wings and said hello. Then I thought of my friend Bilel and imagined that he was the dragonfly comming to visit me because he lives in Tunisia and I live in Montreal. During the day he sent me an image of a dragonfly. I had not spoken to him about this dragonfly landing on my leg. Later on that night is when I realized he had sent me the image of a dragonfly. If you have any kind of feedback about this experience I have shared with you please feel free to express it. Thank you for the space to share my dragonfly story.
My sister was recently called to heaven to join our mom. I was given notice by her as a dragonfly. Many years ago while she was going through some very tough times, she had an experiene with a dragonfly. It was one day after a major storm in the Dallas area had just blown through. My sister was sititng on her back porch and noticed a dragonfly sitting on a board. She took a picture of it and looked up the meaning of dragonflies. She came to recognize them to her that it was our mom coming to give my sister encouragement, hope, love and more. She had just recently found her picture she took. Just recently, I was watering my in-laws roses and grapes on Tuesday. While watering I noticed a dragonfly kind of just hanging there watching me. I would move and it would follow. I thought it was a little strange because I live in the high desert. Although there are dragonflies pretty much every where, it is just not often you see one here. The next day while my wife and I were watching the grandchild in the pool splashing around, a dragonfly appeared. It floated about the grandchild near the splashing water. My wife commented that it was my mom. But, something did not feel right. I got this message that it was not my mom. Later that day I got a text from my younger of the two sisters, asking when the last time I spoke with my other sister. Which was the day before the fourth of July and spoke for nearly two hours and she was in very good spirits. My dad called me an hour later and told me my sister was gone. That dragonfly for two days was my sister telling me she was free! The following day, a rainbow appeared, Rainbows are actually what I recognize as my mom stopping by to say Hi. This time it was her telling me my sister had arrived in heaven and she is just fine! May my sister be floating around and shinning brightly as the new star in heaven!
thank you for sharing your experiences.
I love dragonflies and after loosing my father I was at a friends place a couple hours after I was told he had passed… I had a huge dragonfly hanging around where i was sitting that morning, a few months latter in the early hours (1.30am) at a new years party i had another appear and fly around close to me for quite a few minutes.
when im in my lowest moods and feel im being pushed to breaking point… ill have dragonflies appear very frequently.
Dragonflies i think must be somehow connected to a higher form we as humans can only try to understand