- Dying to our ego
- Loving our enemies as ourselves
- Going within to touch our inner demons
- Exploring the underworlds of reality (which can be scary)
- Renewing our thoughts and beliefs on a moment-to-moment basis
Bat symbolic meanings: Illusion - Rebirth - Dreams - Intuition - Initiation - Journeying - Inner Depth - Communication
The bat is largely misunderstood and so therefore many of its symbolic meanings are inappropriately fear-based. However, the very savvy Native Americans approached the realm of animals from a position of honor - knowing that all things are connected.
The Native Americans recognized that the bat was highly sensitive to their surroundings and so therefore was considered a symbol of intuition, dreaming and vision. This made the bat a powerful symbol for Native American shamans and medicine people. Often the spirit of the bat would be invoked when special energy was needed, like "night-sight" which is the ability to see through illusion or ambiguity and dive straight to the truth of matters.
It is a symbol of communication because the Native Americans observed the bat to be a highly social creature. The bat has very strong family ties. They are very nurturing, exhibiting verbal communication, touching, and sensitivity to members of their group.
The bat is a symbol of rebirth and depth because it is a creature that lives in the belly of the Mother Earth. From the womb-like caves it emerges every evening at dusk, it is reborn every evening.
Here are some pictures of bat tattoo for inspiration:
