Bat Spiritual Meaning & Symbolism

Bats carry one of the most misunderstood reputations of any animal on Earth. Their nocturnal lifestyle and scary behavior made them targets of many of humanity's superstitions for centuries. Some call Bats guardians of the night because their mothers give birth to babies just like humans do. Traditionally they've been seen as messengers between living beings and the spirits who inhabit other worlds.

Tapping into our inner bat—the nocturnal winged mammal—lets us see things we don’t normally pick up on and trust our instincts even when there isn't good evidence for them.

Nocturnal winged mammals also let us know (often without literal drama) that something familiar has ended so that new identities can emerge.

Our mortal existence can scare us into not facing what’s in front of us—but once we go ahead anyway, we start noticing things we’d never noticed before.

Bat personalities read people with extraordinary accuracy, often spotting problems before anyone else. That social insight also helps Bats steer conversations away from touchy subjects without offending others.

When other people get hang-ups they have trouble talking about, Bats seem more tolerant and accepting than most. They don't even mind having to change course in a social gathering — they'll do what needs to be done so that nobody leaves feeling irritated.

Those qualities make Bats a great choice to run projects, welcome newcomers into a community, or just clean up messes.

Calling to the Bat Power Animal can be called upon when excavating old patterns which have been hidden from yourself due to the shadows which keep us from seeing them clearly within ourselves. During our lives we all keep some things deep inside, treasures and scars alike, and part of finding personal fulfillment means examining these. Instead of being afraid, let Bat light the path of accepting this journey and learn to trust your inner voice which will guide you along the way.

In Maya mythology, bats appear as symbols of fertility, charged with the protection of crops like corn, and as messengers traveling between the spiritual and human realms, including stories where shaman transform into bats. The deity known as Camazotz (death-bat) embodied these ideas of night, sacrifice, and the underworld; also, the Zapotec people worshipped an analogous bat-god, and across Mesoamerican cultures, the bat represented themes of night, death, and sacrifice.

Folkloric depictions across Africa frequently show Bats as a clever trickster. For instance, one tale pinpoints a shifty rival for leading Bat on nighttime excursions. In a Tanzanian legend a shape-shifting entity known as the Bat-Wing Spirit is mentioned. Meanwhile, another intriguing myth tells how Bat upended a basketful of moonlight, thereby bringing about an unwanted level of twilight darkness.

In earlier human societies, particularly Middle Eastern cultures some millennia past, legendary descriptions emphasized vengeful devil-like beings with feathered wings who would drain away life forces from mortals during their slumber. These sinister demigods form part of an ancient genesis blueprint which later molded elements intrinsic to vampire lore as we know it today. Yet intriguingly real, living Vampire Bats do indeed exist amongst the wider population; however comprising only three separate species out of over 1,500 known safe variants worldwide.

Bats signal something mysterious or changeable, not fear of death. They're sometimes paired up—two bats usually mean 'good long life,' while five can represent good fortune. This is more likely on Japanese-inspired tattoos, but any bat design suggests a person comfortable with exploring what other people find scary.

A bat dreamscape is rarely as menacing as it initially seems—just your unconscious humorously poking at you right? Usually, it indicates unused prospects or a concern you've conveniently sidestepped: • A bat gliding over you: an opportunity or apprehension which demands further contemplation. • A jet-black Bat: purge depressive nuisances prior to their lingering detriment becomes insurmountable. • A milky-white Bat: serenity, discontinuation, or a sorrowing event that necessitates thorough mulling-over. • Feeling "as blind as a bat": acquire more information regarding inconspicuous events prior to leaping blindly into irrational conclusions.

Bat embodies the ability to be comfortable when things get dark.

Not only that, their mystical explorations transport them into other worlds besides our own. Just like how mythology describes Persephone taking trips to the Underworld, so does bat evince familiarity with esoteric territory; namely, its appearance within certain tarot cards such as "the hanged man".

Whenever it appears, consider it indicative of deeper truths just beneath your everyday life experiences; ones perhaps requiring patience before being fully understood.

The Kulin people of Australia told stories about a mythical creature called Balayang, or Bat. Balayang was the brother of another mythic hero named Bunjil, which means Eagle Hawk.

Bunjil wanted Balayang to move with him to the drier interior; when Balayang said no, Bunjil got mad and ordered some smaller birds to go torch Balayang's home, turning everything black.

Another piece of legend suggests that Balayang actually was kind and generous, bringing some women from beneath the surface of a waterhole in which they'd been hiding.

Strip away the scary stories people made up about Bats, and you'll find something that shouldn't even be possible in nature: a creature with wings strong enough to stay aloft. Bats owe their aerial stunts to ancient beginnings (the oldest fossils in the family come 56 million years ago). By now, Bat has managed to colonize nearly all parts of the globe except Antarctica, which puts the species into second place behind mice/rats in number of species alive today. Those numbers scream one central teaching—namely, the value of patient accumulation rather than flashy performances that don't pay off.