Bats tend to have a bad reputation due to Hollywood’s depiction of them. We often see them as symbols of death, uncleanliness or evil. However in dreams bats represent something totally different.
Our dreams speak to us in a language that is unfamiliar with us often in metaphors this is why the bat is considered very significant. The way a bat behaves in your dream determines if it comes to bring you a profound message, a new gift, or perhaps a warning.
Bats are ancient symbols depicting a creature that lives in the belly of the Mother, a symbol that connects with the womb or CAVE; the dreamer will undergo some sort of death and rebirth process. Since bats are associated with wisdom, spiritual guidance, ESP abilities, feminine energy, and unconsciousness, this shift might be taking place in these areas.
Bat Dream Meaning
Bats can be symbolic in your dreams when significant changes are expected in your life. Explicitly, you are being asked from your guides to be aware of the signs that are surrounding you. In this case, these clues can be a physical, mental, emotional or spiritual.
Bats can also come as a rebirth in your life, as the old part of you is dying off that no longer serves you. Therefore, new events will suddenly appear around you, increased heightened emotions rise as you continue on your life’s path.
This may be suggesting mediation, going deep within (cave) in order to emerge as something new. In essence this change will not come lightly as acceptance is needed.
These encounters shouldn’t be overlooked but embraced as it holds a key for you to unlock. This may be reminding you to focus on spiritual advancement and accepting smalls death of your ego. United with the shadow side of the dreamer one must do inner work to consciously rise on a higher dimension/vibration.
Once embraced, the universe will make every attempt to make these changes as easy as possible for you. Occasionally the bat reminds you to continue to pursue your spiritual growth by letting go of your ego.
You can do this by renewing your thoughts and beliefs on a regular basis, doing inner work, loving your enemies unconditionally and nurturing personal growth in all its forms.
Ancient Bat Symbolism
Bat was a cow goddess in Egyptian mythology depicted as a human face with cow ears and horns.
According to the Native Americans, the bat symbolizes a guide to go through the unknown. A bat symbolizes a good social relationship through powerful communication. Natives of North America understood that bats are extremely social animals who have very strong family bonds. Some tribes in the North West felt they would be connected to diligence; as they imparted wisdom on their people. Bats can suggest in with the new and out with the old.
The Ancient Chinese had a different spin on how they symbolized bats. They understood the bat as a symbol of happiness. They are symbols of transition, of initiation, and the start of a new beginning almost like an internal rebirth.
Bats In The Bible Meaning
In the Bible, the bat is reckoned among the birds in the list of unclean animals. Leviticus 11:19 provides a list of animals that the Israelites were forbidden to eat, which included bats. This list is definitely sound advice since bats carry diseases like rabies! Deuteronomy 14:18 restates this list with some additions and describes bats as “abominable things to eat.”
Isaiah 2:20 also mentions a day when people will cast idols to the “moles and to the bats.” This means to carry them into dark caverns or desolate places to which these animals resort, or to consign them to desolation or ruin. Scripturally, bats usually carry negative connotations death, darkness, isolation.
Bats In Religion & Folklore
In the interpretation of dreams in Islam, a bat also means hiding from people because of one’s evil doing, such as theft or eavesdropping. Think of how bats remain in caves and avoid the light, coming out only when the sun sets.
In Aztec mythology, bats symbolized the area of the dead, destruction, and decay.
Nigerian tales say bats developed their nocturnal habits after causing the death of their partners, the bush-rat, and now hides by day to avoid arrest.
The Roman god Mars declares that birds are superior, so that is where the bat chooses to cast his allegiance, rejecting the animals of the land.
Bats and Intuition
Your intuition that is possibly unconscious to you might be the bat in disguised. Bats have developed a amazing radar navigation system called echolocation to help find their prey. Bats are not blind as many people think, they are incredible hunters and can find anything miles away.
Bats are linked to the psychic or spiritual aspects of the dreamer and show that these senses are being ignored or undeveloped. They understand vibrations and the distance away, this is similar to what some have used E.S.P. to guide them through instinct.
Dreaming of bats could be connected to your social life. Bats are very intelligent and extremely social creatures. Some bats lead solitary lives, while others live in colonies of more than a million to reduce the risks of individual attack or threats.
Since bats have very good vision and communication skills this may be a sign one to either develop or use these traits to your advantage.
When the bat emerges from a cave, this is a metaphor for something has woken up that was once in the dark. The unknown part of the dreamer has awoken as the bat is trying to communicate with them.
But where exactly? Due to their nature, bats are often associated with other symbols:
Bat Attack
If you are being attacked or a bat is feeding off of your blood suggests depletion of your life’s energy. Energy vampires are emotionally narcissistic individuals who have the sense that the whole world revolves around them. They are almost incapable of seeing things from another person’s perspective.
They will feed off of your positive energy until you become drained. Bats will come as a metaphor for a forewarning to be careful around some people in your social circle.
White bats are usually signs of something ending or death of something. Black bats flying over your head could suggest negative or pestering thoughts.
The symbol of the tree has been found to translate the physical and spiritual feeding, transformation and liberation, union and fertility. Since bats fly and sleep on trees one might suggest a link for grounding.