10 Jellyfish Symbolism Facts & Meaning: A Totem, Spirit & Power Animal

The Jellyfish is one of the most primeval creatures still alive today. Nowadays, the Jellyfish is simply a floating disc in the background of the great blue sea that we hardly even pay any attention to. It is a shame considering the countless eons the Jellyfish has existed. This means that not only did it evolved to a point where it has perfectly adapted to its surroundings, but also more importantly has gained millenia’s worth of wisdom that it can share to those who would just give time to focus on it.

Jellyfish Symbolism Facts & Meaning: A Totem, Spirit & Power Animal

Indeed, the Jellyfish has the answer to the question that many keep asking: “What am I here for? Why do I have to undergo these experiences?”

The Jellyfish, being ancient as it is, understands that man is defined by the very basic responses they pose to daily situations — emotions. These emotions, when left unchecked or undefined, could very well become us. The Jellyfish tells us that when we are able to rein our emotions, when we are able to react with appropriate emotions to the challenges of life, then we can easily define our place in life and in the world.

I
Jellyfish Symbolism & Meaning

The Jellyfish is a very simple organism. It has a very simple nervous and circulatory system, and for the most part, it cannot move large distances on its own. It is only able to move by having a feel for the ocean currents, and by being able to ride these currents to get to their destination.

The ocean is life, and these currents are the emotions that wash over us. The Jellyfish, simple as it is, is much like us humans — simple and insignificant against the vast tapestries and complexities of the world. Like the Jellyfish, we must be ever ready to accept life as it is, and find a way to survive with the innate abilities that the universe has granted us. We must also learn to ride the waves of our emotions expertly in order to succeed.

II
Jellyfish Spirit Animal

When the Jellyfish comes bobbing into your life, then it is time to simplify your life. We live in a very complicated world, and there are many times when these intricacies prevent us from seeing the true and big picture of life. This simplification does not have to be negative, as we tend to hold onto many things that do not make us better people. In essence, the Jellyfish is telling us to cast aside all things that weigh us down so we can move up in life.

III
Jellyfish Power Animal

When you feel worried about the direction that life is taking you, where you need to learn to trust and just go with the flow, then the Jellyfish is the one you should call on. It tells us that there will always be things in life we cannot control, but we can control how we react to them. The Jellyfish assures us that there is a natural course of things in life and though we may not always like where we are taken, we could always retain our identity and act according to what we deem is right for the situation.

IV
Jellyfish Totem Animal

People born under the Jellyfish totem are very placid in terms of how they accept the events in their life. They are not given to emotional extremes, and they often take even the worst events in stride.

At the same time, Jellyfish people are very intuitive, and they quickly learn to trust their gut feelings when making decisions. This allows them to be effortlessly agile when making choices. They learn well from past experiences. They are also very sensitive to the changes that go about them.

V
Jellyfish Native American Symbolism

As the Native Americans were not primarily seafaring people, they did not meet any Jellyfish and as such were not able to give any special attributes to them. Hence, the Jellyfish’s attributes were split over different animal symbols. The faith in life that is inherent in the Jellyfish, for example, appears in the porcupine. The emotional sensitivity, on the other hand, appears in the frog.

VI
Jellyfish Celtic Symbolism

The Celtics were pretty much similar in this regard to the Native Americans, as they did not meet the Jellyfish enough to give them symbolic meanings. Instead, the ancient ability to trust the mysteries of life and understand emotion was attributed to the salmon.

VII
Jellyfish Far Eastern Symbolism

The Jellyfish appears in the Far East pretty frequently, with China, Japan, and Korea all having Jellyfish-based delicacies. However, they too did not attribute any special properties to it. In Japan, for example, the Jellyfish’s traits were given to the carp, a resounding similarity to the Celtic’s salmon.

VIII
Jellyfish in Dreams

When the Jellyfish appears in your dreams, it is important to have faith. You may be facing a difficult time in your life, or at the very least you need to make an important decision that has the potential of impacting your life down the road. The need to make decisions may be paralyzing you. But you need to have faith and confidence in yourself, because nothing is truly permanent.

Like the Jellyfish, everything you need to survive now has already evolved in you through past experiences. And even in the worst case when you fail, this is just another lesson in life that would help shape success in future attempts. Evolution, after all, never stops.

IX
Jellyfish Encounters / Jellyfish Omens

When you encounter the Jellyfish in life, it is sending you a message to become more emotionally sensitive. Much of the conflict that arises in life happen because we fail to gauge the tide of emotions correctly. Therefore, we strike off in directions that make things worse, instead of gently riding things until they calm down. Like the Jellyfish, we must learn to navigate the subtle currents in order to reach our destination.

X
Jellyfish Mythology and Folklore

In Japan, the Jellyfish is tied to the god Ebisu. It was said that Ebisu was originally born without any legs or skeletal structure (much like the Jellyfish). The child struggled to survive, and as he grew up, he was able to overcome his limitations. He grew bones and feet, and became the “laughing god” because of his mirth.

This legend once more reminds us of the Jellyfish’s important life lesson — life will always wind its way, and though sometimes we are at a disadvantage, we just need to have faith and act in the best way we could. Life will take care of the rest.


One thought on “10 Jellyfish Symbolism Facts & Meaning: A Totem, Spirit & Power Animal”

  1. zidane says:

    very clear and good article easy to understand. Thank you

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