Bat Symbolism & Meaning (+ Spirit, Totem & Omens)

Are you interested in the Bat Spirit Animal? Then this guide is for you!

In many cultures, bats have been associated with death since time immemorial. All the same, some cultures look at the bat as a symbol of good luck and prosperity.

When this spirit animal flies into your life, it wants you to deal with your darkest, deepest fears. This spirit guide will locate you when you are handling a painful loss or transition.

The presence of the bat spirit animal and bat totem tells you to discover greater power and spiritual connection.

This is possible only when you transcend the fear of loss, come to terms with your own mortality, and embrace change.

The bat spirit empowers you to master your own life. This gives you the courage to reach out and bring positive change to the world around you.

What’s the Bat Meaning and Symbolism?

Symbol of Change and Growth

The bat spirit animal makes its presence known when you are about to undergo some major changes. Being highly sensitive creatures, the bat will know when a transition in your life is inevitable.

It asks you to keep your senses alert as you keenly listen to the signs from the Universe on the best path to follow.

Symbol of Insight

The bat totem wants you to use all your senses to see and feel your life for what it is. This is particularly important if you have been living a false life.

This spirit guide wants you to have a real taste of your environment to make the changes you need to thrive.

Symbol of Self-Awareness

Did you know you have well-developed clairvoyant and psychic abilities? The bat spirit animal comes to open your eyes to your skills and talents.

You are richly endowed, with enough power to touch the lives of those you come into contact with. This spirit guide helps you refine your senses of sight, taste, touch, hearing, and smell.

Symbol of Death

The presence of the bat totem does not necessarily mean that someone close to you will die. Rather, this symbol indicates endings and conclusions.

The bat spirit guide wants you to know that a stage in your life is concluding. It could be that your relationship or career will come to an end.

Or, your time at a particular place has expired, and you may have to change locations.

Symbol of New Perspectives

While at rest, bats hang upside down. It is said that they have a unique perspective on the workings of the world because of their unique poise.

This spirit animal encourages you to think outside the box. Come up with innovative ways of solving your problems instead of relying on the same old, tired ways.

Symbolic Meaning of Bat Spirit Animal in Various Cultures

Bat Symbolism in Christian Culture

In Christianity, bats are viewed in a negative light. While the angels are said to have birdlike wings, demons and other forces of darkness have bat-like wings.

The Prophet Isaiah compares bats to the devil because they hide in caves and dark places during the night.

They only come out at night to rule and cause mayhem with other dark creatures of Satan.

Early Christians taught that demons were attracted to women’s hair. In his teachings, the Apostle Paul tells women to cover their hair while in places of worship, lest they attract demons.

Although this rule held fast in the Early Church, it has whittled down to a mere suggestion nowadays; a woman can choose not to have her head covered.

In early Christian works of art and literature, bats are associated with graves, abandoned places, ruins, and tombs.

It was believed that these creatures frequented tombs and graves to torment the souls of the evil dead.

Bats had a close association with the devil. He would send them out at night to suck the blood of anyone that subscribes to his dark and morbid ideas.

In the mid-17^th Century, the trials of the Salem Witches in Massachusetts found that witches worked closely with bats to execute their schemes.

The witches would send bats during the night to spy on their Christian targets. It was believed that witches fed on bat’s blood to acquire astral powers.

The Bible mentions bats about three times. In all instances, these animals are classified as unclean.

They are an abomination; not fit for human consumption.

Bat Symbolism in African Culture

The African culture is rich in folklore and myths about bats.

Almost all the narratives paint bats as malevolent creatures of the night, out to cause spiritual harm to the individual and the community as a whole.

Take the cultures of Southern Africa, for example. They believed that bats were responsible for the constant quarrels between couples.

Bats would be sent by malevolent spirits to plant seeds of discord in marital beds at night. Interestingly, the solution to such a problem lay with the bats themselves.

African shamans would grind bat excrement and make a concoction that would be used to bring peace to the home.

It was believed that bats brought disease, bad luck, and pestilence. Powerful traditional healers would occasionally venture into bat caves and conduct rituals to neutralize this evil force.

Africans believed that bats brought negative messages from the dead. They would nibble your ear at night while you slept.

This would either cause someone to get confused and lose focus or go completely mad. For this reason, it was common practice for African children to be covered in headgear as they slept.

African myths indicate that bats were a disrupter to divine linkages. They would appear at night to negate all the good work one had done during the day.

Some said these animals traveled to the spiritual realm to tell lies about humans. This was the reason why sometimes were inexplicably angry with the people.

Overall, Africans believed that bats are ill-omen that cause pain, confusion, and suffering.

Bat Symbolism in Native American Culture

Native Americans saw bats as symbols of the interconnection between life and death. There are different representations of this flying mammal in different places.

While some think that this creature is sinister and frightening, others look at it as a benevolent animal that brings a good omen.

For example, paintings and art from the Hopi tribe indicate the bird as a symbol of pain, suffering, and death.

The Zuni, on the other hand, believe that bats can communicate with the rain. Tribal shamans would talk to the bat spirit animal asking for his intervention during periods of a long drought.

They linked bats to water and fertility.

Other communities believed that the bat was the king of darkness. They associated the bat with sorrow, grief, and inner darkness.

Despite his small size, the bat had command over the night and all the morbid things that happened when people were asleep.

Some Native American tribes regarded the bat as a cheat spirit that misled people to make the wrong choices.

In these communities, children were forbidden not to venture into bat caves and other dark places.

Bat Symbolism in Celtic Culture

To the Celts, bats are messengers of the underworld. Celts believed that if one was stuck on their journey to the underworld, they could call on the bat spirit to guide them.

This link probably came about because bats hang upside down. They are seen as special spiritual navigators with a keen knowledge of what happens in the world of the dead.

Celtic myths indicate that bats helped one to overcome the pain and suffering of the past. They are masters of transformation, helping one to let go of the old and be reborn anew.

There was a close connection between the bat and the spirit of the festival of Samhain, which is modern-day Halloween.

This celebration started as the festival of the bats, where huge bonfires would be lit to attract these creatures.

The presence of the bats brought personal healing from emotional pain and mental torture.

Bats’ feces were ground to form a very powerful ointment that was used to heal some skin and physical conditions.

Celtic women were asked to keep their hair covered because bats were said to be attracted to their hair.

The problem was that if a bat got caught up in your hair, it would mean bad luck for you and your family.

Men and boys too were asked to keep this animal clear off their heads as it would cause confusion and unnecessary distractions.

A bat flying close to your head meant that you’d lose your magic.

Bat Symbolism in Eastern Culture

The Japanese believe that bats bring good luck and fortune. Actually, the words ‘bat’ and ‘luck’ are pronounced in almost the same way in Japanese.

It was believed that if the bat made a home under your roof, you’d find happiness, inspiration, and progress.

In some Japanese communities, the bat was also a symbol of fertility, longevity, and wisdom.

Chasing this animal away would invite chaos, confusion, and unrest.

In Chinese culture, five bats represent the idea of wufu, which translates to five blessings.

The Chinese believe that an encounter with five bats would bring good health, wealth, longevity, good relationships, and happy retirement.

The Chinese word for bat is fu, which translates to good luck and fortune. In this culture, bats are regarded as good luck omens.

A close association with this spirit animal opens doorways and pathways to greatness.

Bat images are a common feature on everyday items. People have this image on their fabrics, cars, chairs, smoke pipes, and other items to signify good luck.

Regardless of your trade or occupation, the bat image attracts good fortune, longevity, wisdom, and happiness.

Businessmen and women go for the image of a bat biting a coin. This is believed to be a particularly good omen for money and material wealth.

When the Bat is Your Spirit Animal

The bat spirit animal comes into your life to boost your thinking. This spirit guide challenges you to think outside the box.

People with this spirit guide have uncanny perceptions. It is difficult to take advantage of them.

The bat spirit animal asks you to take your endeavors seriously. You should have no time for fooling around or wasting time on things with no bearing on your future.

Bats are highly social. By coming into your life, this spirit guide wants you to take care of your social needs.

Surround yourself with family and friends. Be there for your loved ones when they need you – you too will one day need a shoulder to lean on.

This spirit guide wants you to communicate openly and candidly with your partner and those that matter in your life.

With this spirit guide on your side, you’ll know how to avoid collisions and conflicts. You just need to be responsive to the needs of your environment.

The Bat Power Animal

Are you scared of bats? Or, do you feel a powerful connection with them? Either way, if the bat keeps popping up in your life, t means there’s a thing or two it wants to tell you.

The bat power animal will only reveal itself to you if it knows you are willing to listen and take up its advice.

So, if you are already seeing this power animal, it means you are the right candidate. The bat power guide wants you to open your mind and heart to its learning.

It wants you to look at your life for what it is – and not what the world has deluded you to believe. It’s high time you accepted your strengths and shortcomings.

The bat power animal wants you to look at the world from a different perspective. Have you been doing something repeatedly with little results to show for it?

This power guide suggests a change of approach. Start thinking outside the box and come up with new ways of solving your problems.

You see; the world had become dynamic. The old solutions no longer work as well as they used to. It is time for the wise – those with perceptive solutions – to thrive.

The bat power animal also encourages you to create lasting bonds with your loved ones.

The Bat Totem Animal

The bat totem helps you to go beyond the physical exploration of life. It wants you to reach higher to attain a real spiritual connection with your heavenly attendants.

People with the bat totem are good at uncovering secrets. It’s hard to take advantage of this person – all their senses are perpetually alert.

The bat totem helps you to uncover your hidden secrets. Perhaps, you don’t know why you behave in a certain way.

Do you keep making the same mistakes over and over, despite promising yourself to change? Do you find that the more you avoid the destructive route, the more you seem to find yourself in it?

The bat totem helps you understand your motivations. It wants you to become self-aware, so that you can take full charge of your life.

Also, this totem knows it when you are going through emotional burdens. It’s okay to pull back a little to give yourself time to deal with the issues you are going through.

Embrace the bat totem whenever you want to get rid of the old, negative ways of thinking and conduct.

Bat Encounters and Omens

Although some cultures fear bat encounters, the truth is that not all bat encounters are morbid. Actually, the bat spirit animal makes its presence known to you because it wants to help.

A bat flying ahead of you indicates untapped potential. This bat is urging you on, asking you to take advantage of your talents and abilities.

A bat flying behind you is a sign that you should be cautious. It could be that you are moving too fast for your own good.

If you are about to sign contractual agreements, take the time to read them well. You never know what could be hidden between the lines.

The bat reveals itself to help you rise above the pain and doubts of yesterday. Likely, you have allowed anger, resentment, and fear to take you hostage.

Your bat spirit guide is here to help you break free.

If you have a fearful understanding of this animal, it wants you to know the fear stems from ignorance.

A bat flying far above you is a sign that you should rise above your circumstances. Do not allow your situation to pin you down.

The mistakes you made in the past should be a lesson, not a life sentence.

Bat Tattoo Meaning

If you love mysteries, then you may like wearing a bat tattoo. Bats are shrouded in mystery the world over.

A bat tattoo could also be a sign that you are paying homage to the bat spirit animal. You have faith in your protector, and you know that you are not alone in life’s journey.

People who feel drawn to the concept of death and rebirth may also like having this unique image on their skins.

These people know that failure does not mean the end of their projects. They know that with one conclusion, a new beginning emerges.

A vampire bat tattoo is a statement in bravery. You are determined to overcome the odds stacked against you to achieve your goals and dreams.

People with the bat tattoo are insightful. They know when to press on, and when to hold back.

Final Thoughts…

When the bat spirit animal locates you, it wants you to open your eyes to the future. Learn from your past patterns and make the best decisions about your life going forward.

This spirit guide has a keen eye on what lies ahead, it can predict, forecast, and decipher the meaning of events long before they happen.

With the bat totem on your side, you’ll realize that life is less of a mystery. Your mind’s eye will be open to secrets and mysteries that you previously had no access to.