Flamingo – Spirit Animal, Totem, Symbolism and Meaning

Flamingos are bright-color birds that inhabit only small parts of our planet. These beautiful birds can be found in coastal regions of Africa, South America and South Asia. They are mostly known for their pink color feathers and the fact that they usually stand on one leg.

The word Flamingo comes from the Portuguese word “flamengo” which means “flame-colored”. Ancient cultures gave it this name because of its bright color and the fact that his feathers looked like they were on fire.

Animal symbolism is interesting because it gives us a general idea about a certain animal, but we also get to know our own behavior much better. Animals have a much simpler behavior, but sometimes we can find ourselves in a certain animal. Just like them, we are also creatures from the nature and we too are sometimes guided by our natural instincts.

Animal symbolism digs deeper into characteristics of each animal and teaches about their behavior and habits. Through their characteristics, we are getting to know ourselves better and what we can expect from our own behavior in certain situations.

Bird symbolism is especially interesting, because people always admired birds for their ability to fly in the sky and see the world from a different perspective. Flamingo symbolism is as bright as his feathers, and if you ever wanted to learn more about it this is your chance.

Spirit Animal and Totem

Spirit animals and totems are our guiding lines in life. They give us a general idea about who we are and what is our behavior like. Spirit animals guide us through life while totem animals are more of a representation of our character. Even though people often confuse these two terms, they do have some differences. Spirit animal is the animal that has been around you your whole life in a spiritual or worldly way. They often come to us in dreams and during meditation, and we feel a strong connection to this animal in general. Totem animals on the other hand are representations of our character.

They are good representations of our positive and negative sides. You can even turn to your totem animal in your times of need, and ask for help. Their powers used to be very important to ancient tribes, and many still believe in the magical connection between a human being and an animal.

Spirit animal

As a spirit animal, flamingo is best described by these words:

  • Ability
  • Power
  • Illusion
  • Emotion
  • Color
  • Balance
  • Lessons
  • Soul
  • Shape shifting
  • Team work
  • Open hearted
  • Communal living

People guided by the flamingo spirit animal are all about team work. They enjoy spending time with other people and joining in activities that require a lot of communication. You rarely see these people alone, since they are mostly surrounded by a bunch of people. They enjoy dedicating a lot of time to friends and hanging out with them. This makes them truly happy and fulfilled.

People guided by the flamingo spirit animal are also powerful. Their power does come from team work, but they are still a very powerful link to have on your team. Their dedication to work and personal life, gives them a special kind of aura that makes other people respect them.

This power, however, doesn’t affect their open-heartedness. They enjoy meeting new people and helping others in time of need. Having a lot of people around them is not their goal, but they love helping others and making them feel good. This is why they usually accumulate a lot of good friends over the years.

Another characteristic of these people is their passion for love. They love being loved and giving others love. This is something that makes them happy, even though this love is not always returned in the same amount. When they get their heart broken, they don’t waste time suffering and in despair, because they are always surrounded by people who love them and get them out of this bad mood.

Flamingo people love being in relationships. Like I said, they are always surrounded by people and this is something they truly enjoy. They couldn’t imagine their lives without other people, because this would be a truly dull place.

People guided by this spirit animal are very balanced in life and know how to maintain this balance. They don’t allow others to set them off track, and they are very secure about their path in life. Maintaining a positive balance between work and family life is important to them, and if it gets disrupted, they might start feeling less confident.

Totem

As a totem, flamingo is a symbol of group efforts. You love being a part of group and this is what defines you. Sometimes you feel more confident in a group than when you are by yourself. There is no real limit to what you can do when you have the support of other people. People see you as flamboyant and colorful, but you are also perceived as very flirtatious. It is not hard for you to find a partner, and once you do find him, you give your partner even more love than he deserves.

You are a very balanced person and everything in your life is planned ahead. You like having a strong balance between your personal life and work, and if someone messes this up you tend to get really insecure. As a negative characteristic, some might mention your over dependence on other people. Sometimes you can’t even make a simple decision, until you consult with someone. This makes you feel less confident in other people’s eyes and they sometimes see you as a person who can’t make any decision alone.

Symbolism and Meaning

Flamingos have always been interesting to people because of their bright colored feathers and behavior that was a bit unusual. Flamingos usually spend their days on one leg, standing on water and enjoying the sun. This behavior captured human attention quite early on, and many myths and stories came from this early impression about the flamingo bird.

In ancient Egypt, flamingo was a representation of the God Ra. God Ra was the god of the sun and every animal associated to this deity was a reminder of god’s magnificence and creation. To Egyptians, flamingos were very important and they did everything to preserve them.

Flamingos in Peru were seen as sacred animals. They were also protected in Peru and represented through art and poetry. To them, flamingo was a very important symbol and it carried a divine message for the recipient. Flamingos were usually presented as saviors in many ancient stories and myths, because of their ability to bend their necks. Some even told stories about flamingos being men, who were transformed into flamingos in order to fight and protect the human kind.

Flamingo in popular culture has become an important symbol. His bright feathers are still an inspiration for the artists and their images are being used in print and in art in general. Flamingo’s bright pink color inspired many songs and novels. In Alice in Wonderland, we have flamingos as well as in many other children’s books.

Flamingo’s symbolism in tattoos is similar as it is in general flamingo symbolism. They are still symbols of power, community, optimism and strength. There are many various objects with flamingo motifs today, and they have become an interesting way to brighten up your life.

Dreams about Flamingo

Dreams about flamingos can have a positive or negative message for us. Dream interpretations in general can be tricky, and we need to take all of the elements into consideration in order to decipher the real message behind our dream. Flamingos are usually good signs but in certain cases they can warn us about the future.

Seeing a flamingo – If you had a dream about seeing a flamingo, this means you are about to meet someone very interesting. This person is going to become the center of your world and you are going to fall madly in love. If you are already in a relationship, be careful not to hurt the other person and weigh everything in before you decide to risk it all.

Dead flamingo – If you saw a dead flamingo in your dream, this means a minor problem is going to appear in your life. This problem is solvable but you will have to invest some time and efforts into resolving it. This problem is going to be related to your personal life, and not your work. Be very careful in your behavior towards others, because your words and actions might hurt them.

Being a flamingo – When you had a dream about being a flamingo, then you are feeling very confident in your skin and nobody can disturb this feeling. You are very sure about your life decisions and other people’s pinions don’t matter to you.

Being attacked by a flamingo – If you were attacked by a flamingo in your dream, this means you are going to have a conflict with someone close to you. This person is going to do or say something that is going to hurt you and make you feel bad. Before you say or do something that might ruin your relationship with this person, try to weigh everything in and don’t let your anger overrule.

Several flamingos – If there was more than one flamingo in your dream, this means a happier period is ahead of you. This dream is announcing a lot of positive energy and happiness that is going to enter your life and make you feel better than ever.

Conclusion

Flamingos are peculiar birds that, unfortunately, only live in some parts of our planet. Their bright, pink color brings instant joy to people, because it is always magnificent to see how colorful and bright the nature can be.

Flamingos are gentle creatures and their symbolism reflects that. They are symbols of community, partnership, power and optimism. Even though, their symbolism was created by different cultures of the world, they all saw flamingos as symbols of positive energy and optimism.

Flamingo symbolism is still strong and continues to grow and expand. In popular culture, flamingo symbols can be found in all areas of human existence, from art to literature, fashion and design.

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