These small, fluffy creatures are beloved by the entire planet. They inhabit large portions of Earth and can be found on almost all continents. They are not aggressive creatures by nature and they spend most of their lives hidden in tree holes and on high branches.
Squirrel symbolism was created by people who lived near them and spend their lives next to squirrel natural habitats.
Animal symbolism is very interesting and contains many details about animals and their behavior. Even though humans are much different than animals, we still have some habits and behaviors that can be flagged as similar. People are creatures from the nature, just like animals, and we sometimes can’t control our animalistic behavior.
Squirrels are by nature gentle creatures therefore their symbolism reflects exactly that. If you ever wanted to learn more about their behavior, but also get to know your spirit animal and totem (if it is a squirrel), this is a good chance to do that.
Spirit Animal and Totem
Spirit animals and totems guide us through life and show us aspects of our own character we often forget and stop cherishing. Animal behavior is much simpler than ours, but we are both striving towards survival and overcoming difficulties in everyday life.
To determine your spirit animal, you need to look at your life and figure out which animals have always been around you. There must be an animal that was always by your side, which was constantly following you everywhere you go.
Perhaps your life is always full of cats, even though they are not your favorite animals. Our spirit animals find a way to approach us and show up in our lives unannounced. Spirit animals guide us through life and help us determine our own life’s purpose.
Your totem animal is determined by your birth date. Every person is born under a certain totem animal and they express our characteristics and our positive and negative sides. You can call upon your totem animal to send you power and strength to persevere and to push through some hard moments. These animals protect us and send us strength whenever we need it.
Spirit animal
As a spirit animal, squirrel is best described by these words:
- Life
- Planning
- Playful
- Benevolence
- Energy
- Gathering
- Saving
- Awareness
- Activity
- Socializing
- Action
People guided by a squirrel spirit animal are resourceful and love having their life in check. Their life’s philosophy is to always be in control of every possible situation, because it is better to be safe than sorry. They are not adventurous people and risks don’t interest them. Their only goal is to have enough resources for them and their family and that is all they need. Everything else is extra and doesn’t have to be fulfilled.
People guided by the squirrel spirit animal are also full of energy. They are very hard working and they love spending time on work. Work sometimes defines their life, not because they love what they are doing it is because they love providing for themselves and others. When you see these people on the street, they are always walking fast and have somewhere to be.
Socializing with other people is another important part of their lives. They love being close to their friends and family members, because they feel full of energy and uplifted when they are surrounded by people they love. They are always going to find time for their loved ones, no matter how much work they have to do at home.
Joking and having a good time are other things they love to do, and they are very playful people. No matter how old they are, they are always going to be children at heart. This is often portrayed by others as childish, but they are proud of that part of their personality and don’t care about other people’s opinions.
Totem
Squirrel totems symbolize the future and present time. People who are born under this totem love providing for their future and also enjoy the presence. We can say that they know how to keep a healthy balance between work and fun, and they are rarely overworked or exhausted.
Planning ahead is also important for you, because nothing can happen suddenly. You don’t like being surprised by other people’s reactions and words, and this can be considered as a negative characteristic of yours. Your reaction to change is not very admirable and this is something you need to work on.
Squirrel totem symbolizes focus and playfulness at the same time. Even though your life is almost programmed according to your desires, you still love to have some time for fun and your loved ones. You are considered to be fragile by other people, but you simply love saving your money and resources in case something bad happens. You know that good luck is not forever, and that the situation can change rapidly and without warning.
Symbolism and Meaning
Squirrels are mostly loved by people. They have a very gentle and non-intrusive behavior, which makes them beloved by everyone. Squirrel symbolism was created by people who lived near them and watched their behavior over the years. In times when people didn’t have a lot of information about the world that surrounded them, they saw animals as deities and magical spirits from the forests that can help or harm them.
In Native American culture, these small mammals were considered to be noisy and bossy creatures. They saw them as thieves and small creatures that would come from the forest and steal their fruits and vegetables. Native Americans used to link certain animals to people, and people represented by the squirrel were often aggressive people who usually annoyed other people with their actions. To some other tribes in Native American culture, squirrels were messengers who brought news about danger to humans. In other words, they had a much positive symbolism.
In Chinese culture, squirrels were symbols of playfulness and fun. They are still very important symbols in Chinese culture, and to them squirrels had the ability to overcome every problem and obstacle in their lives without a problem. The reason why Chinese people saw squirrels as symbols of perseverance and survival was because they saw the amount of focus that a squirrel invests into finding food in nature. Squirrels are very hard working and dedicated to their mission, and that is definitely survival.
In Europe, squirrel was also a symbol of hard work and dedication. The red squirrel that mostly inhabits the Eurasian continent, can often be found as a symbol in children’s books and songs. Norse mythology also saw squirrels as symbols of gossip and sending a message. They weren’t necessarily depicted as bad, but most of their symbolism was linked to sharing words and communicating your thoughts with others both positive and negative.
The phrase “squirrel pelt” is considered to be a symbol of money in many parts of the world. In popular culture, squirrels are still symbols of hard work, dedication but also stinginess and resourcefulness. Squirrel tattoos are good examples of how their symbolism still continues to live in modern times.
Dreams about Squirrel
Dreams about certain animals can project that animal’s symbolism in our lives, but it can also have a completely different meaning. To interpret your dream, you need to remember as much details as possible about your dream and decipher each symbol.
Once you combine every symbol of your dream, you will get a clear message that needs to be applied in your life.
Seeing a squirrel – If you saw a squirrel in your dream, this means you are too engaged in work obligations. You feel like your job has become more important than your personal life and this is beginning to take a toll on your life. Perhaps it is time to take some time for yourself and forget about the stress that is currently taking over your life.
Dead squirrel – Dead squirrel in your dream is a symbol of financial problems that might come up in your life. These problems are not going to be major, but as soon as you take care of them the better it is going to be. This is not a good period for investments as well, because money will simply be falling out of your hands.
Several squirrels – Seeing several squirrels in your life is a symbol of business that you are soon going to become a part of. This business is going to change your life completely, so make sure you invest a lot of time and effort into it.
Squirrel on a tree – If squirrel in your dream was on a tree, this means you are entering a very lucky period in your life. Everything you do is going to be followed by luck, so there is no need to be afraid of anything. Both your personal life and work are going to be filled with luck so you can plan events and business deals as much as you want.
Conclusion
Squirrel symbolism is mostly positive. Some cultures like Native American and Norse mythology, considered them to be carriers of bad luck and saw them as annoying creatures. In almost all other cultures, they were symbols of activity, hard work and dedication to your goal. In popular culture, squirrels are symbols of fun and energy, and many cartoon characters are represented by squirrels. Their high energy is what makes people love them. They are overall gentle creatures that make themselves unnoticeable.
We rarely see squirrels because they don’t like spending time close to us or making themselves visible. They will forever remain as important symbols of hard work and resourcefulness, no matter what other attributes we give them.
