If these winged creatures seem to be following you lately, here’s what they could be trying to tell you, according to spiritual experts. As Dawn Baumann Brunke, author of the book Animal Teachings, tells mbg, “Most moths navigate by moonlight and are at home in the dark. For this reason, many cultures have associated moths with the foreshadowing of death.” In Ancient Greece, for example, moths and butterflies were linked with souls of the dead. As two Greek researchers write in their paper “Soul, Butterfly, Mythological Nymph: Psyche in Philosophy and Neuroscience1,” “While the butterfly symbolizes awe, the moth has become the unwilling symbol for that which is ugly and negative. Other symbols identified with moths—such as insanity, for example—are also responsible for the moth’s low esteem. However, the moth, attracted by the flame—just as the soul is by heavenly truth—burns itself in the flame, reflecting the trials that must be endured to eliminate the flesh before knowing the joys of the beyond.” Baumann Brunke adds that moths aren’t always looked at in a negative light, however, explaining that they’re also sometimes seen as a messenger of spirit or a representation of a departed soul returning to earth. “In some myths, moths signal immortality,” she adds. Or take black butterflies and moths, for example, which research2 indicates are associated with the souls of the dead/ancestors in places like Chad, Senegal, and Madagascar. The Luna moth, on the other hand, connects to themes like intuition, psychic abilities, and searching for truth. “Key things to consider when a particular moth appears to you are not only its coloring,” according to Baumann Brunke, “but also its shape and any distinguishing features.” “Dreams are much more personal than we realize, in which case, the symbol is supposed to get us to look at what is going on in our life and ask ourselves if it mirrors what happened in our lives the last time we experienced that animal in the aforementioned fashion,” Van says, adding, “If so, what issues from that time might still need to be resolved?” And if moths have been appearing to you in dreams, it’s worth noting that they are often associated with dreams and inner visions, according to Baumann Brunke, who notes some say they hold the secrets of the night. “Dreaming about moths can be powerful. Moth may show up in a dream as an inspiration to open conscious pathways to the inner world, or perhaps as a teacher to help heighten your intuitive or psychic abilities,” she says, adding, “Moth can also appear in dreams to help us be more aware of the dream realm and learn to be more comfortable in that realm.” Baumann Brunke explains that for many, moths remind us of the importance of endings in the process of transformation. “While we may fear its connection with death and endings, Moth is also a sign of rebirth. Its presence encourages us to trust the process of letting go so that we may move ahead,” she explains. That said, the first thing she recommends is asking yourself how you feel about endings. “Seeing a lot of moths may indicate the ending of something—a job, a relationship, a particular phase of your life,” Baumann Brunke tells mbg, adding, “Thus you might ask yourself, Is it time to let go of something? Do you fear loss or are you excited to let go and move on? Endings are inevitable, but resisting those endings doesn’t have to be. As Baumann Brunke says, “How we feel about endings in our lives often influences our experience. Moth is so helpful in this way, because it reminds us that by coming to terms with endings, we can better welcome and move into new beginnings.”
