Dragonfly Symbolism for Empowered Survivors

If you do a little research, many powerful words and phrases describe the dragonfly’s symbolism. When I think about what it means to Becoming an Empowered Survivor, words and phrases like resilience, joy, wisdom, lightness of being, spiritual awakening, self-realization, self-awareness, new perspectives, and breaking free of old patterns are all relevant. As an empowered survivor, the words that resonate most with me are rebirth, transformation, impermanence, and freedom.

The dragonfly nymph is hatched from eggs that an adult lays in water. The nymph, or larvae, lives most of its life in one place for up to three years. Once the dragonfly reaches the end of its larvae stage, it crawls out of the water, where its exoskeleton cracks open, and the beautiful, ethereal, winged creature is born. Or reborn from what it was previously. 

This life transition from water to air and shedding their outer covering multiple times is why dragonflies are associated with rebirth, transformation, and impermanence. The dragonfly’s metamorphosis shows us that transformation, while difficult, is beautiful once we reach the other side. Becoming an empowered survivor is much the same: rebirth from victimhood and unhealthy survivorship, the transformation from victim to empowered survivor, and the impermanence of living bound by the heart-constraining emotions that often come with trauma and abuse.

Dragonfly Rebirth

After the dragonfly is reborn, it takes flight, living much of its post-metamorphosis life in the air. Dragonflies are aerial acrobats, symbolizing the freedom that comes with transformation. They fly up and down, hover like helicopters, fly backward, and mate mid-air. They only eat what they can catch while flying. Dragonflies must be completely free to thrive. This freedom, represented by breaking free of the water and taking flight, is the same freedom that we, as survivors, can experience when we shed our past and become empowered. 

The dichotomy of a dragonfly’s living environment – water and air – is a powerful reflection of the survivor's journey and a part of dragonfly symbolism. It represents the balanced juxtapositions in our lives, such as darkness versus light, secrets versus truth, suffering versus contentment, and surviving versus thriving. Just as the dragonfly navigates these opposing elements, so too can we, finding balance and strength in our journey to empowerment.

Dragonfly is the perfect symbol for Becoming an Empowered Survivor.

Dragonfly Colors

Dragonflies come in various colors, each with its own assigned meaning according to those “in the know.” Yellow, white, green, purple, brown, black, red, and orange are all there. However, the one that resonates most with me as an empowered survivor is blue.  

Blue Dragonfly

Blue is said to relate to communication and understanding. Spiritually, Blue Dragonfly symbolism is said to help us hear what is not being said and to express what needs to be said. Indeed, blue is the color of the Throat Chakra or Vishudda. While typically associated with communication and finding your voice, this Chakra is also related to an ability to hear, understand, and empathize with others. Much of what we have suffered as survivors of trauma and abuse is the unspeakable, the stuff that no one wants to talk about. But bringing truth to secrets and light to darkness requires us to find our voice, say what needs to be said, and support other survivors. 

A blue dragonfly is indeed the perfect symbol for those of us who are Empowered Survivors.

Red Dragonfly

A personal comment on the red dragonfly. They are rare; seeing one in the wild is a lucky treat. During the first eighteen months of the intense and focused part of my healing journey, I was living in Hong Kong. There was a small pond outside my apartment building where red dragonflies lived! I was lucky to see them multiple times a day except during the winter. Spiritually, the red dragonfly means much-required transformation and eternal love. For me, to HEAL means to hope, evolve, and love. In other words, to heal is to undertake a much-required transformation to have eternal love. It was fitting for me to live with red dragonflies during a time in my life when that is precisely what I was doing: transforming to know love.

Sources:

Dragonfly – A-Z Animals (a-z-animals.com)

Dragonfly Symbolism & Meaning | Spirit, Totem & Power Animal (whatismyspiritanimal.com)

Dragonfly Meaning and Symbolism: Facts, Myths and Messages (sparkous.com)

Dragonfly Symbolism & Meaning (+Totem, Spirit & Omens) | World Birds