Lizard – Spiritual Meaning | Myths | Legends + Dream Interpretation

Spiritual Meaning Of Lizards:

The lizard symbolizes a protective spirit; it is a living being that carries messages to us, humans, messages that are meant to make us remember that we, as children of nature, possess magical gifts that we can use to live as we were meant to: free and happy.

The lizard helps us become more detached from certain situations in our lives; in order to be able to continue, it is necessary to be able to separate ourselves from others, to leave the past behind.

In Shamanism (a practice that involves a practitioner reaching altered states of consciousness), the lizard teaches us how to let go of old patterns, ideas, belief systems, habits, and even lifestyles.

READ MORE: Broken Glass – Spiritual Meaning

The lizard shows us the need to thoroughly examine the present reality and then, with confidence, to step forward into a new chapter in our lives.

One of the most interesting features of the lizard is the ability to break its tail in order to escape its predators. The tail is left behind, squirming in order to distract the predators so that it can run to safety.

However, they can only do this once, as the new tail that grows is made up of cartilage rather than vertebrates. The lizard’s power lies in the ability to save itself from danger, leaving a part of its body behind. Just like the lizard, we too need to make our choices wisely because the consequences will manifest for a long time.

READ MORE: Spiritual Meaning of a Pair of Doves

Myth & Legends

The lizard has a symbolic significance for many cultures and civilizations. Thus, in Romanian culture, due to the fact that the lizard hibernates during the winter months, it symbolizes death and revival. Throughout the Mediterranean area, it was considered an old family friend.

In Greek and Egyptian culture, the lizard symbolized divine wisdom as well as a bringer of luck. In Egyptian hieroglyphics, it was used to describe the crowd and abundance.

READ MORE: Best Herbs For Astral Projection

For Christians, the lizard has an ambivalent significance: despite being part of the reptile family and being associated with the snake and automatically with evil, the lizard was at some point considered ‘the soul that humbly seeks Enlightenment.’

At the same time, the lizard symbolizes ecstasy, contemplation, delirium, and … serenity – this symbolism literally comes from the pleasure of these creatures to sit motionless in the sun for hours in a row, as if they are in a deep state of meditation.

The people of the Dogon tribe in West Africa carved lizards on the houses and granary doors to invoke the protective spirits.

On the meadows of Cameroon, the lizard is a fertility symbol for those in the Bamum tribe, while for Babanki, the lizard represents the peace of the home, of the household.

Lizards play a positive role in the folklore of many tribes of American Indians. In American tribes, the lizards are associated with healing, survival, prosperity, luck, protection (especially of children), and also with masculinity.

In some tribes, the baby’s umbilical cord was sewn by a lizard-shaped amulet for the purpose of protection and to provide the newborn with health and strength. Even today, the Cheyenne populations still consider it a bit of bad luck to kill a lizard.

Also, several Native American tribes believed that if a lizard spoke to you, it meant you were about to experience good luck.

In the mythology of some Indian tribes in California, such as Pomo, the lizard was one of the most important figures of creation, in which people would have been created partly by its image.

In Southwestern tribes, horned lizards are considered sacred animals in medicine – for Navajo tribe people, Gila Monster (a poisonous lizard of the desert) appears as the first man of medicine, the most well-known witch doctor, and also a fearsome warrior. It is said to possess the divine power to predict incurable diseases and then heal them.

READ MORE: Dragonfly – Spiritual Meaning

Dream Interpretation

The lizard in a dream seems to warn you about the hidden aspects of your mentality that may resurface in certain circumstances. Such a dream may also suggest that you have a hidden enemy or a fake friend.

If you dream of running into a lizard in your path, then you may soon meet someone who will lie to you; perhaps you already have someone in your life who deceives you.

Symbolically speaking, the lizard in a dream refers to the primary instincts and mechanical urges, to hidden thoughts that can reveal at any moment; it also reflects the emotions you sometimes repress.

READ MORE: The Spiritual Meaning Of Smelling Smoke 

Dreaming about a big lizard sitting in front of you and threatening you suggests that in reality, you will lose control in a situation that seems calm at first, and you may even have a fight with certain people.

If a small lizard appears in your dream, then you will experience a passing anger, an indisposition created by someone close to you. Dreaming of a colorful lizard running in front of you is a sign of confusion or deception.

Your attention may soon be distracted from the important things; it is as if someone would like to distract you from something important.

Moreover, the dream reflects the fact that you may soon abandon your plans and focus on non-essential aspects that are time-consuming, but eventually, you will finish what you have to do.

Generally, the lizard may also symbolize an instinct of defense or preservation of a situation. If you don’t like a change in real life, then surely your dream predicts the possibility of changing your familiar situation.

Resilience

Within the rich tapestry of symbols that inhabit our dreams and spiritual landscapes, the lizard emerges as a potent emblem of resilience, adaptability, and renewal.

This small but mighty creature, known for its remarkable ability to regenerate its tail, carries profound spiritual significance.

The lizard’s capacity to part with a piece of itself only to regrow it anew is a vivid manifestation of nature’s resilience, serving as a powerful metaphor for our own ability to recover from loss or hardship and emerge stronger and more adaptable.

To dream of a lizard is to tap into a deep wellspring of primal wisdom that speaks to the core of our being.

Such visions invite us to ponder our relationship with change and challenges, urging us to reflect on our capacity to adapt and transform in the face of life’s unpredictable twists.

The lizard, in its silent grace and enduring spirit, becomes a beacon of encouragement, reminding us that we too possess the innate strength to shed what no longer serves us and to nurture our growth from those experiences.

The spiritual essence of the lizard is not solely rooted in its regenerative prowess but also in its symbology as a creature of the earth and sun.

Lizards bask in sunlight to warm their cold-blooded bodies, symbolizing the need to seek out sources of energy and enlightenment that ignite our inner power and propel us forward.

This affinity with the sun further enhances the lizard’s role as a guide for self-awareness and clarity, illuminating the path to understanding our true selves and our potential for transformation.

In encountering the lizard in dreams or meditative states, we are confronted with questions about our adaptability and willingness to release the old to make way for the new.

The lizard challenges us to examine our attachments and to consider how holding onto past grievances or fears may be hindering our progress.

It encourages us to find resilience in vulnerability, to recognize that in letting go of what we fear to lose, we open ourselves to opportunities for regeneration and rebirth.

Furthermore, the lizard’s agility and quickness teach us about timing and intuition.

These creatures remind us to trust our instincts when navigating change, to move swiftly when opportunities arise, and to understand when it is time to retreat and conserve our energies for future endeavors.

Their presence in our spiritual consciousness calls us to attune to the subtle cues and rhythms of life, fostering an adaptive mindset that thrives on change rather than fearing it.

The spiritual message of the lizard, therefore, transcends its physical attributes, reaching into the heart of human experience.

It speaks to our journey of personal evolution, inviting us to explore the depths of our resilience and to celebrate the continuous cycle of shedding and renewal that defines our existence.

In the lizard, we find a mirror reflecting our own potential for adaptability, strength, and the undying spirit of survival.

Featured image credit – Shutterstock

READ THIS NEXT: Raven – Spiritual Meaning

References

https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/lizard.htm
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2018/07/hurricane-lizards-evolution
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3203870