My Connection to the Dragonfly

I’ve always noticed dragonflies. It doesn’t seem I go intentionally looking for them or anything but when there is one near I notice it. Their colors, the pattern they are flying, where they head next and where they land. They intrigue me and while I’ve never understood why I see them it feels like a strong part of nature that connects with me. Sometimes I feel like they are following me daring me to watch them, which I will stop what I’m doing and take in the playful design they make with their long graceful wings as they fly.

The evening that my special fur friend Magnolia’s Ramblin Rose (Rosa) passed I stood on our back deck for a moment. My heart deeply hurt from her passing that afternoon and I just needed to pause to take in all that had happened. The sunset was bright orange and yellow with pink clouds and I just stood there looking at it with tears rolling down my face unable to stop them. I turned and looked out at our pool, the pool we installed because of Rosa and saw dozen’s of dragonflies all over our backyard and over the pool. Maybe it was coincidence but I chose in that moment to think it was Rosa sending me love. She did always know when I needed her most.

The dragonfly is a very important element in natural symbolism. I think people often brush aside these ideas as nonsense until they experience it themselves. Or perhaps they are too embarrassed to admit they believe it because it sounds like believing in Santa or the Easter Bunny. From those that believe though, it is said dragonflies are the messengers from Heaven carrying small messages from loved ones to remind us they are still close. That was the meaning I chose to consider that evening as I stood watching them against the sunset with my heart breaking.

As a totem or spirit animal, dragonflies are believed to tell us what we think creates the physical environment we are in. Our thoughts control our destiny currently and in the future. This philosophy being related to the saying what we think becomes our reality and thoughts are things. The idea behind it though is we can manifest our dreams into reality by thinking them into being. It requires us to release limiting beliefs and fears of scarcity. It may also be time to make a decision and learn the lessons of what we’ve been struggling with so we can move forward. Dragonflies are associated with water and air and thought to be an element of light in both spaces so they are associated with wisdom that we can use in our decision making and strategies put into motion to build our dreams.

The other symbolic meaning of dragonflies is they symbolize a change in perspective in ourselves. Again this is the result of gaining wisdom, perspective and growth from learning in our own personal development journey. It is a symbol of harmony and balance from mastering the wisdom we gain through experiences, challenges and freedom from limiting beliefs. The symbolism of these messages appearing to us throughout our life as best practices to make use of our experiences. Sometimes they arrive in the form of graceful dragonflies to remind us of the sensation of pushing against the wind in order to fly and other times a result of personal accomplishment and feat over a challenge that was once a tall mountain to climb in our life.

While dragonflies have these deeply spiritual associations at a more basic level they represent nature and our relationship with it. They represent beauty, splendor and grace. They give us hope and the permission to dream, wonder and be curious. They catch our attention to bring us back to what is most basic in life itself. Nature. Everything we are and will ever be is because of nature. Life can be whatever we create it to be but how that is accomplished, where it is manifested and how it emerges comes from nature as much as it comes from our very own internal nature to see it through. The dragonfly represents those things in life that require our own strength, perseverance, courage and faith to reach those goals and dreams.

When I chose the dragonfly as my logo for Dragonspit Apothecary I had none of this in my mind ironically. Rosa was still by my side healthy, playful and mischievous swimming in her pool every day. Dragonflies were things I noticed but never intentionally sought after or explored what they represented. Yet when my logo was designed and I saw it for the first time, it started to connect for me why this was the perfect representation of helping people find their way back to nature. It represented that burst of realization that we are always surrounded by nature and able to use her to help us manifest what we need and want in our life. For me that was centered on improving my health, finding support in our family and living well while helping others do the same. The dots connected without me even realizing it. Again, maybe it was all coincidence?

I think too often in life we don’t give coincidences enough credit. We can be surprised and amazed by them but we don’t give credence to their occurences. As a modern people it can seem ridiculous to still belief folklore and tales of totems, spirit animals and mystical ways nature is used to guide us. Yet, is it in fact silly to believe it when it actually happens and is experienced first hand? Is it too far out there to even be plausible? Logically it can indeed be called insanity to consider but I have found there are a lot of things that do happen in life that we chalk up to coincidence simply because we cannot explain them.

Perhaps the idea that not everything can be explained and scientifically proven with logic has more value than we give it. That mere coincidences are actually messages of nature giving us comfort and guiding us in helping our thoughts become reality is entirely possible. The idea that nature can heal, support, and be a resource for our needs is entirely possible for medicinal and emotional health needs so why then can it not also be true that it can work with our spirit and instinct, as a way of life? Perhaps the world being less black and white lends to greater things of the frontier left to explore?

I think living naturally means connecting directly with nature. It is seeing and experiencing these unexplainable coincidences as something greater than passing randomness. In my own thinking if it gives us comfort during times of grief, solace when we need rest and support when we are afraid why not believe in it? If it helps us lift our spirit to feel happiness then surely it is worth just that alone given how much sadness there is in our world. If by simply feeling the sun on our shoulders or seeing a dragonfly gives us what we need to press on and do our best in life why would we not want more of that simple grace?

Are you ready to be connected with dragonflies?

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