Damselfly Symbolism and Spiritual Meaning (Purity and Activity)

Seeing a damselfly is quite common in many areas. They look similar to dragonflies but have some small physical differences. Most notably, damselflies are smaller and hold their wings out at rest.

But just like dragonflies, damselflies also have deep spiritual and symbolic meanings. A damselfly tends to symbolize purity, protection, and equality.

The meanings and symbols associated with seeing a damselfly in real life are generally positive.

However, seeing a damselfly in your dreams can be an entirely different story. A damselfly in your dreams can symbolize memories of the past, lies, and deception.

Remember that symbolism is subjective. The below are examples of possible interpretations only, and may not be the correct interpretations for you and your situation.

Damselfly Symbolism

1. Purity

A damselfly generally symbolizes purity. Many people believe that if a damselfly lands on you, then it means that you have a pure soul.

The origin of this metaphor is not clear, but it’s likely linked to the fact that these are very elegant creatures of nature. They often appear during peaceful, calm situations in amongst nature and far from the corruption of cities and mankind.

Furthermore, they like to hang out around the water’s edge, and of course water is also a symbol of purity.

2. Activity

Damselflies can also symbolize activity. Damselflies are very active creatures. 

As a result of their very productive natures, we often look at damselflies and reflect on how they take so much action on a daily basis. We can learn fro this and take action in our own lives. If we take one step forward and continue to work on our daily tasks, we will see progression.

3. Equality

One of the key differences between a dragonfly and a damselfly is that the wings of a damselfly are of equal length and stick out like an equals sign.

Hence, the damselfly has come to symbolizes equality. They might therefore be useful animals in campaigns for human rights organizations or used as a spirit creature for a person who has a strong focus on equal rights.

4. Speed and Agility

Damselflies are fast and can’t be caught easily. That is why they are also associated with speed by many people.

On top of this, they’re incredibly agile creatures. It’s not just their speed that makes them hard to catch. It’s also the fact they can dart from side to side with ease. We can learn from their agility and focus on being more agile ourselves.

By reacting quickly to changes in our lives, we can set ourselves up for success and to take advantage of opportunities that might come our way.

Damselfly Dream Meanings

Dream meanings are very subjective things, and I encourage you to take all these examples with a grain of salt. In my opinion, dreams are fun to interpret but not something I’d ever want to use as a basis for taking action.

1. Stuck in the Past (Saving a Damselfly)

If you find yourself saving a damselfly in your dreams, then it can have a negative meaning. It can mean that you are still stuck in the past with painful memories.

Being stuck in the past with hurtful memories is not productive. Life is taking place in the present, so live here, where you have the agency and freedom to change things. When you live in the present, you can develop a good outlook for life.

I personally struggle a lot with being stuck in the past. One way I’ve tried to work on this is to use mindfulness. Whenever I feel my mind wandering to unhelpful past memories, I place that memory on a leaf in my mind and watch it float down a river.

2. Avoidance (Seeing a Darting Damselfly)

Seeing a damselfly in your dreams might also hint that either you or someone close to you is trying to avoid something.

People might think this because this is an insect that darts and moves about, never willing to be pinned down by anyone or anything.

If you’ve been trying to avoid something lately, perhaps this dream is a subconscious message from your mind – your mind has taken note that you’re avoiding a task, responsibility, or decision that you really need to address.

I personally avoid tasks that I know will be boring and hard to do. So, I always put a few hours aside every Friday morning to get those tough tasks done.

3. You’re Working too Hard (Seeing a Dead Damselfly)

If you see a dead damselfly in your dreams then it might be a sign that you’ve been too active.

This could be because damselflies are animals that literally work themselves to death. They are so active darting around all the time, rarely stopping to rest.

It could be a reminder to you to make sure you take time to rest. Let your mind rest and stop thinking by meditating or doing a calm, enjoyable activity. If your mind is at rest before sleep, this dream might go away.

4. Protection Against Negative Emotions of Other People (Damselfly                   Biting You)

If you find yourself getting bitten by a damselfly in your dreams then it can mean that your mind is trying to protect you from the negative emotions of other people.

When people cast their negative emotions on you, it can have a bad impact on your mind. Luckily, the mind can easily understand negative and positive emotions and in most cases, it automatically tries to shield you from the negative ones.

The good thing to do would be staying away from negative people so that they don’t get a chance to put their negative emotions on you.

5. Financial Concerns (Setting a Damselfly Free)

Setting a damselfly free in your dreams can highlight your financial concerns.

We all go through some tough financial stages in our lives where nothing seems to be positive and we feel hopeless. This dream might be interepreted as a sign that these financial concerns are on your mind.

6. Taking Care of Others More Than Yourself (A Damselfly Scaring You)

If you are scared of damselfly in your dreams then it can mean that you take care of others more than you take care of yourself.

A lot of people have a nature to put other people above their needs. While having that nature is a blessing for people around you, it might not be sustainable for you in the long run.

Obviously, you can’t change your helping and caring nature overnight but you can definitely start caring a little more for yourself. Only when you are healthy and happy, you can make other people healthy and happy.

7. Accept the Things You Can’t Control (Seeing a Damselfly Flying)

If you see a damselfly flying into the sky then it is a message from your mind to accept the things that you can’t change.

Sometimes there is just no way that you can change a thing. It goes way beyond your control and in such tough times, you need to think rationally and learn to let things go.

If you want to have a positive change in this world then you need to learn to accept the things you can’t change and change the things you can.

Damselfly Dreams – Table Summary

Seeing a damselfly in your dreams has mostly negative connotations and meanings. However, you can still learn and take out some valuable lessons from them.

Here are a few examples of possible interpretations (remembering none of them might be the right one!):

	Damselfly Symbolism	Potential Meaning or Interpretation
1.	Saving a Damselfly	It can indicate that you are still stuck in the past.
2.	Seeing a Darting Damselfly	You might be avoiding something that needs to get done.
3.	Seeing a Dead Damselfly	You might be working too hard and need to take a rest.
4.	Damselfly Biting You	Your mind is trying to create a wall to protect you from the negative emotions of other people.
5.	Setting a Damselfly Free	There is a chance that you are concerned about your finances.
6.	A Damselfly Scaring You	It could indicate that you take more care of others than yourself.
7.	Seeing a Damselfly Flying	It can indicate that you need to accept the things that you cannot change.

Conclusion

Seeing a damselfly in real life mostly has positive meanings and symbols. However, seeing it in your dreams can have some negative meanings. Remember that these are just examples, so don’t stress too much about them and take every dream interpretation with a grain of salt. Meditate and journal about your dreams to see what messages your subconscious might be giving to you, with the recognition that symbolism and dream interpretation are very subjective things.