Bridge Symbolism  

Are you interested in Bridge Symbolism? Then this guide is for you!

Bridges are symbols of our desire to cross to the other side – whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. We need a bridge to move from our current status to a more elevated status.

You need a bridge to cover the gap between whom you are today and whom you’d like to be tomorrow.

We need a bridge to cover the mind-boggling distances across time and space. And, when we die, we need a bridge to cross to the afterlife.

Bridges are required in almost every aspect of our existence. As long as you move from one place or state to another, you need a bridge.

What’s the Spiritual Meaning of Bridges?

Spiritually, bridges signify moving from the past into the present and on to the future. They show our desire to move from a less desirable position to a more elevated one.

A bridge symbolizes the connections one has to make as one goes through the various stages of development.

These stages are marked by an exchange of sensations, the flow of energy, and a change in perception.

If the right spiritual bridge is not put in place during these transitions, the person may go down the wrong path for the rest of their lives.

This is why it is important to introduce the matter of spirituality to a child’s life as early as possible.

The pathways we take from our childhood to adulthood are determined by the kind of bridges made available to us.

Some things we learn naturally, through our own intuitive abilities. Other things we acquire through formal and informal education.

Either way, the right spiritual bridges should be laid out to help every individual gain conscious control of their faculties.

Like a child gains control of its legs and learns to walk, we should feed our souls with the right food to gain command over our lives.

Some of the best bridges to gaining command of our lives are prayer and meditation. These spiritual tools are bridges that put us in touch with ourselves and with the angelic and spiritual realms.

Hidden Messages Behind the Bridge Symbolism

#1 – New Beginnings

Why do you want to make your way across the bridge? Likely, you want to start afresh. You hope that things will be different on the other side.

It could be that you have made so many mistakes that you feel the desire to begin anew. Or, you have suffered too much to the extent that you see the need to cross over to a safer place.

When you encounter a bridge, you are filled with excitement because you finally have a chance to cross over.

Think of the famous fireworks at the Sydney Harbor Bridge. They are conducted with pomp and color because they signal the beginning of a new year

#2 – Transition and Change

Bridges signal change – the movement from one place to another. You need a kind of a bridge to move from a lowly position to a better one.

The right spiritual bridge will conduct you from a place of pain and suffering to one of peace and happiness.

When you encounter a bridge, think of the aspects of your life you need to change.

#3 – Salvation and Rescue

A bridge symbolizes a lifeline to anyone who feels trapped. It is an avenue you can use to escape your troubles and problems and find refuge in a new place.

In many works of film and literature, the protagonists are depicted escaping perils via an old rickety bridge.

Seeing a bridge shows you are being given a second chance. Take it and be careful not to squander your opportunities this time around.

#4 – Peace and Unity

Warring communities find neutral ground in the bridges that separate them. Here, they can meet under relative safety to discuss a truce or a cessation of hostilities and set the terms of the ceasefire.

Throughout history, prisoner exchanges have been done at strategic bridges where neither side has an advantage over the other.

Also, bridges are put up to connect communities and open up trade spaces to each other. In this sense, bridges symbolize peace and togetherness.

#5 – Overcoming Fear

Bridges, particularly the high ones, can be quite scary to cross especially if you have a fear of heights. In ancient myths and folklore, children were told that trolls and witches lived under bridges.

Of course, this was meant to fill the children with fear and dissuade them from playing near bridges.

Crossing a bridge symbolizes conquering your fear. It tells you to work on the fears that have been holding you back.

#6 – Safe Travel

Bridges are primarily built to help people cross rivers, waterways, and ravines. They make it easier for you to get from point A to B.

Seeing a bridge encourages you to travel the world and sample different cultures. It is a sign that you need to know your world better.

#7 – Love and Romance

An arched bridge with romantic lovers walking across is a common scene in art and film. A bridge symbolizes the joining of two people in a romantic relationship.

In some cultures across the world, lovers lock themselves with padlocks onto bridges as a sign that their love was eternal and that nothing would pull them asunder.

Lovelocks exist in many romantic bridges across the globe.

#8 – Trust and Fidelity

A bridge is a sign of trust. As you walk or drive across a bridge, how do you know it is strong enough to hold your weight?

It is all a matter of trusting that the builders did a good job.

An encounter with a bridge tells you to trust yourself. Trust that the positive action you are taking today will take you to a better place tomorrow.

Although you may not know what tomorrow brings, trust in the process of doing good everywhere you go.

#9 – Good Byes and Farewells

In the olden days, it was customary to escort someone up to a bridge where you’d say your goodbyes, especially if they were going on a long or perilous journey.

These bridges can be equated to modern-day marinas and airports.

It is common in some cultures to throw the ashes of a departed loved one off the bridge as a sign of farewell.

Some people throw flowers as a sign of bidding their departed loved ones goodbye.

#10 – Liminal Spaces

Generally, people don’t live on bridges. They don’t cook, hold parties, or sleep there. A bridge is a place of transition, where you do one thing on your way to doing another.

This is known as a liminal space – a place where you are in between two things or actions. Spiritually, the bridge is a liminal space of the past and the future, the old and the new.

#11 – Meeting Point

The bridge that connects Canada and the United States is hailed as an example of a meeting point between two cultures.

Bridges serve as points where information and goods are transferred. A bridge enables you to gain access to what you don’t have, and to give out your surplus production.

The bridge has also been seen as a neutral ground where antagonistic parties can meet to iron out their differences.

Instead of either side having to move to their enemy’s camp for negotiations and discussions, they meet on the bridge where they both feel comfortable enough to speak their minds.

#12 – Divine Connection

According to the Bible in the Book of Genesis, Jacob dreamt of a ladder that connected the earth to heaven.

In Jacob’s dream, this ladder served as a bridge that the angels used to cross from heaven to earth, and back again.

Many Christian works of art and literature depict the bridge symbol in various ways. Some think that a bridge represents Jesus Christ, who is the mediator between God and humans.

Christians believe that they cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven unless they go through Jesus by being born again.

Thus, he is the bridge that makes it easy for a man to access God and eternal life.

In some cultures, it is believed that you need a human intercessor to reach the divine realm. Priests, pastors, shamans, and mediums act as bridges that connect us to the spirit world.

Many believe that without these spiritual bridges, we’d be unable to find our spiritual bearing.

#13 – A Break from the Past

The idiomatic expression to burn your bridges means that you are breaking from your past. You no longer want anything to do with someone or something from your past.

It could also mean that you have used and dumped someone in the belief that you’ll no longer need them.

We are usually told not to burn our bridges after crossing them because you never know when you’ll need to use them again.

You may want to go back to someone from your past, only to find that you burned your bridges, and you can’t access that person.

Final Thoughts…

The bridge symbol brings to your mind change and transition. You are moving from one stage or state of life to another.

This calls on you to be bold and confident. Changes can be painful and uncomfortable; but they have to be made, nonetheless.

A bridge is a sign of your ability to survive a tough period and conduct yourself successfully to the other side.