Even though I was never interested in animal symbolism and I didn’t think too much about it, there is definitely something that attracted me to it a while back. There is certainly a reason why our ancestors believed in animal symbolism that much and why animals represented such a big thing in their culture.
After all, the culture they have built is the culture we cherish today. Animal symbolism is going to open up your eyes to many hidden parts of your character and show you how to be more in touch with your inner self.
Possums or Opossums are nocturnal creatures that only live in few parts of our planet. They are not exactly the prettiest of all animals, but there is certainly something unique and interesting about them. These nocturnal animals spend most of their lives in trees and sometimes they come down to find food.
In today’s text, we will look deeper into the symbolic meaning of possum or opossum and find out the background of this animal’s symbolic meaning and how it was actually created.
Spirit Animal and Totem
The easiest way to find more about animal’s symbolic meaning is by learning more about them as spirit animals and totems. If you wondered how to determine your spirit animal, all you have to do is to look inside your dreams or your surroundings. Your spirit animal is an animal that has always been around you, following you wherever you go. The energy of this animal suits you completely and you can almost see yourself in some behaviors of this animal.
Your totem animal is an animal that is determined based on your birth date and every person has its own totem animal. Totem animals teach you about your character and help you to be more in touch with your positive characteristics and to control the negative ones.
Spirit animal
As a spirit animal possum or opossum is best descried by these words:
- Diversion
- Sensibility
- Talent
- Wisdom
- Surprise
- Strategy
- Recovery
- Drama
- Deception
- Appearance
- Guidance
People guided by the possum or opossum spirit animal are very intelligent and smart. They are able to, almost, predict what is going to happen next and act according to that. Their intuition and sensitivity are at maximum level, which allows them to always be right about things. They rarely make a mistake when it comes to people’s characters.
Possum or opossum spirit animal is also a symbol for diversity and deception. You are the type of person who can adapt to almost any situation and blend into any surroundings. This helps you to bond with many different types of people but it also makes you a very hard to read type of person. Even the closest friends and family members can’t read you completely and figure out your true intentions.
This spirit animal makes you a very sensitive person and you can get insulted very easily by others. Almost everything someone says can be taken as an insult by you, especially if your emotions are running wild at the moment. You tend to be extremely emotional when it comes to the people you love and their well-being is extremely important to you.
Possum or opossum spirit animal is a symbol of recovery and talent. People guided by this spirit animal are very talented and can be true artists if they use their talent in the right way. Jobs that suit them the best are creative ones where their creative energy can come up to the surface.
They are also very resilient and can recover from almost anything. All you have to do is to give them some time to think about what has happened and they will return in their happy state of mind as soon as they gather enough strength.
Totem
Possum or opossum totem is a representation of a not so strong but exceptionally wise personality. People born under the influence of this totem are not that strong or physically prepared for challenges, but they are certainly mentally able to compete with almost anyone. You can use your brain to reach to the top of almost any career, but the ones that suit you the best are the artistic ones. You are also very strategic and every step in your life is pre-calculated.
You leave nothing to chance because once something bad happens, there is no returning back. This is something you always keep in mind, which is the reason why you are always over prepared for everything. Another characteristic of the possum or opossum totem animal is cunningness and ability to read others. People are almost surprised that you were even able to read through their intentions and defeat them.
Family life is very important to you and you love keeping the people you love close to you. Their well-being is something that is very valuable to you, and you are prepared to go great lengths to protect them. As a negative characteristic some might mention your cunningness and sometimes even malicious behavior. You are the type of person who is going to point out other people’s weaknesses in order to put yourself in front of the game, but this is something you can control or use only when there is no other way to punish someone for their behavior.
Symbolism and Meaning
Possum and opossum symbolism and meaning was created by the people that lived near this animal. Since these animals aren’t widely spread across the world, their symbolism is very much influenced by folk stories of Native Americans and tribes of the South America.
Possums and people haven’t had a very good relationship. These animals were often seen as pests and people tried to destroy them and scare them away from their crops and plants. Because of this, possums were often seen as tricksters that would come into our homes and our gardens and try to destroy things we have worked hard for. In Native American culture, possum was a symbol of cunningness and trickster. Native Americans carefully watched how possums behave and they even imitated their behavior in hunting. This is only one example of how nature can actually teach us and how it has been teaching us valuable things for hundreds of years.
In Mexican culture, possum’s tails were very important to the Mexican women. They could wear possum tails with them as a talisman for protection. Possum tails supposedly brought protection during childbirth as well and also protected the baby after its birth.
In Australia, possum is one of the symbols of the Australian Zodiac. Possums are associated with people born in January and according to this Zodiac, people represented by possums are strong-willed and determined in life. They are always prepared and ready to take on any challenge, and everything they do is always done in the highest standard possible.
Dreams about Possums or Opossums
Seeing a possum – If you saw a possum in your dream, this means you have a friend who is not as loyal as it might seem. This person will try to trick you or harm in a way, and you need to keep your eyes open. Be prepared for a betrayal that won’t be easy to handle.
Possum digging a hole – When you saw possums digging a hole in your dream, this means you are about to experience something negative. This dream is a warning sign about your health or the health of people close to you. Be extra careful and make sure you warn those around you who have been experiencing problems, to visit the doctor.
Dead possum – IF possum in your dream was dead, this means you are about to have an amazing period in your life. All of the pieces are going to fall together and you will be able to prosper in many areas in your life. This dream is also a very favorable sign for those who are searching for love.
Possum attacking you – When possum in your dream attacked you, this means you need to be careful because someone in your workplace is plotting against you. Someone is jealous because of your success and this person might try to sabotage you in some way.
Baby possum – If you saw a baby possum in your dream, then someone young from your family is experiencing some problems. Open up your eyes and try to notice what is troubling this person, or talk openly about what is troubling him or her.
Conclusion
There is certainly a reason why our ancestors believed in animal symbolism that much and why animals represented such a big thing in their culture. After all, the culture they have built is the culture we cherish today. Possums or opossums are certainly peculiar animals and the relationship between people and them hasn’t been all that great.
Even though they are seen as pests in most cases, we have to admit that these nocturnal animals possess many qualities that we can envy them on. Possums or opossums are symbols of intelligence, great resilience but also diversity. All of these traits help them survive and overcome all of the hardships of life.
