You might have come across countless caterpillars in your life. Any gardener will let you know how polarizing the creature can be.
They are well-known for being a figure of transition, change, and metamorphosis. In addition, people know well how they can ravage plants and leave them dying.
However, caterpillars promise new life and play an important role in the conservation of any area.
They are seen as a symbol of patience and determination which usually ends in great results.
We look at the creature in more detail. This article analyzes its symbolism, spiritual meaning, dream interpretation and much more. So, keep reading to find out just how incredible caterpillars really can be!
Symbolism And Meaning
The meaning of the caterpillar is to trust the process.
When this creature appears in your life, it tells us you need to have faith in the outcome of your goals. It will be worth the struggles you are going through.
The caterpillar also tells you to be patient. Therefore, the spirit animal encourages you to endure a long wait without complaining about it or getting frustrated.

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The caterpillar is also a symbol of transformation. Its presence in your life lets you know you can evolve to who you are right now. Further, you can be what you want to be with a little hard work and effort.
Furthermore, if you have been holding onto painful past experiences, the caterpillar tells you that you need to make progress. It also tells you to acquire knowledge in every possible way.
The soft and tiny nature of the caterpillar might seem defenseless. But, their colors act as protection and make it hard for predators to find them.
Their color attributes make them teachers of when it is time to camouflage yourself. It also tells when it is your time to stand out from the crowd.
They tell us how appearing delectable is not always the best thing to do.
In its butterfly form, the caterpillar is an omen of good luck and symbolizes joy and health.
The new form of the creature opens new horizons. If you are starting a new endeavor, seeing a caterpillar is a presage to experiencing creative inspiration.
Caterpillar medicine helps you discover little things you might be overlooking and urges you to make every moment magical.
You should avoid judging life or others in your life at one glance. There is so much more to the world that you should experience with more than your five senses.
Spirit Animal
Depending on circumstances, the caterpillar as a spirit animal can carry several messages.
The caterpillar heralds a time of change. You need to break out of your cocoon and embrace spiritual inheritance as a child of the Universe.
You should liberate yourself and let those wings dry in the sunlight.

If you are stuck in a rut or stuck in old thought forms, the caterpillar spirit animal can be very helpful. The caterpillar knows developments take time, but they believe ‘everything in its time and season’.
The caterpillar reminds us to be patient, keep our eyes on the horizon and keep moving forward. Those with a caterpillar spirit animal should feel no need to rush in life.
They should take things slow and steady. These people are better suited in jobs that allow them to work at their own pace. They are also intuitive and can pick up on tiny details others might miss.
Finally, the caterpillar can crawl into your life with good news. Where this is a financial win or promotion, you should let it warm your soul.
A very unexpected surprise could be on the horizon. It can be a wonderful moment of serendipity which you should learn to say thanks. It will improve your mood and overall positive energy.
However, it can also warn you of other ‘bugs’ in your life such as people who give you false hope. If you feel the caterpillar fur is ‘up’, you should take a step back. Do not rush any important decisions.
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Totem Animal
Those born with a caterpillar totem are flexible characters and can handle whatever life throws at them. They can quickly adapt to change and this helps them live a happy and satisfying life.
These individuals are also patient and remain optimistic towards life. They believe their efforts will pay off one day and so they keep working hard, even when they don’t receive recognition.
People with a caterpillar totem are also very protective of themselves and they know how important it is to look after your physical and mental health.
They also have a strong connection to nature and when it comes to transformation, they know this is part of nature’s plan.

Maintaining progress is essential to those born with a caterpillar totem. Though they feel no need to rush, they need to keep moving forward at a steady pace.
All their talents seem to increase steadily and they know they have a lot more inside of them that they let others see in public.
If the caterpillar is your birth totem, you also can sense the weather in a figurative and realistic sense. You always know if the winds are fair and if a storm is approaching, you are always prepared.
Walking with a caterpillar totem means you understand there is a magical power in secrecy.
You tend to keep plans to yourself but when that butterfly is finally ready, you introduce yourselves to the whole world.
You also rely heavily on instincts and in nature, the caterpillar has 12 eyes but they do not see actual images.
Instead, along with other senses, light guides them and this means it’s not surprising for you to rely wholly on your gut for information and guidance.
Power Animal
You should call on the caterpillar as your power animal when you need help to protect your creative domain.
Caterpillar Medicine however can also help you when you need to step back, heal and make necessary changes in your life.
As a caterpillar protects itself inside a cocoon during metamorphosis, it can help you protect your ideas if you choose to work with its energy and medicine.
When you want to reveal that bold, important idea, you should call on the caterpillar as your power animal.
The creature makes an amazing transformation into a butterfly and this makes it a great ally for reaching for a figurative brass ring or understanding your true potential.
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Native American Symbolism
In Native American folklore, the caterpillar represents humility and weakness and among the Navajo, the caterpillar and the Tobacco Horn Worm drive water monsters away from the tribe.
They can also cure the poisoned hero and as a result, the Hornworm has ties to Navajo Tobacco Medicine.
Dream Interpretation
If you dream of a caterpillar, it could be a sign of an enemy that hides their intentions, such as a family member who has trouble.
It also signifies a person who might want to spend more time with you and expects attention from you.
They might have spiritual trouble within the family and want you to be aware.

Green Caterpillar in Dream: It is telling you that a person who wants to use you for their interest will seek your attendance as they appeal to you.
Caterpillar cocoon: This implies you have a relative who uses you for their interest and they will reveal their intention soon, before completely leaving your life.
If caterpillar is eating in your dream: This represents how you will detract yourself from the person whom you love too much because of their bad personality, you will instead seek new friendships.
Killing the caterpillar in your dream: This suggests you will notice your friend who is doing something behind your back and by revealing that issue when the time comes, you will trivialize that friend in society.
A swarm of caterpillars such as a house full of the creatures: This means you will understand that the people who want to harm you will not be able to harm you and they will instead line up to be with you.
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Tattoo Meaning
The tattoo meaning of a caterpillar is potential, transformation and renewal. The meaning can differ, depending on what type of design you choose.
A watercolor caterpillar tattoo symbolizes beauty, good luck, rebirth, and transformation, whilst depicting the nature of the wearer might be cheerful and creative.
A gray and black caterpillar tattoo signifies growth, adaptation, power, and brilliants. If the caterpillar is laying on a lead, this signifies beauty, evolution, creativity, and sensitivity.
The wearer might be innovative and flexible. A caterpillar with a butterfly tattoo symbolizes positivity, freedom, potential, good luck, power, hope, and femininity.
The wearer is likely to be free-spirited, independent, and powerful. A tiny caterpillar tattoo depicts evolution, renewal, and changes.
The nature of the wearer might be calm, strong, and even-tempered.
A green caterpillar tattoo signifies transformation, creativity, and adaptability suggesting the wearer is flexible and creative, whereas a purple caterpillar tattoo symbolizes similar traits but also patience and positivity.
Spiritual Meaning
In a spiritual sense, the numerous legs of the caterpillar and looping motion that helps to propel it, remind us how we should always strive to advance or improve our spirituality.
The creature will edge into your life slowly and will inspire you to break free from your cocoon, whilst accepting spiritual gifts as a child of a higher being.
Although this might seem challenging at first, your words and actions will be guided by faith.
The spiritual meaning of the caterpillar also encourages us to remain patient and strongly believe everything happens with due time and reason.

These changes might span over several years but the caterpillar reminds us to keep our eyes on the horizon and to constantly keep moving forward.
They remind us things might be difficult, but we need to recognize the importance of the little things we take for granted as they lead us to discover the magic in every moment.
Astrology And Zodiac Signs
When it comes to zodiac signs, there is a comparison made between the Scorpio and the metamorphosis process of a caterpillar into a butterfly.
In astrology, we refer to Pluto which is Scorpio’s ruler and who moves when someone has gone through a complete change in lifestyle, personality, and way of life.
As the caterpillar must give up its life to become a butterfly, the ego must give up its life to higher levels of reality.
The transformation of the caterpillar to a butterfly is thus described by the Scorpio and the lighter, colorful butterfly in its full form belongs to the Gemini.
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Hawaiian, African, And Greek Myth/ Symbolic Meanings
In Hawaii, there is a figure called Kumuhea and he is the God of Caterpillars and son to the God of War.
He married a woman but as he was in his caterpillar form in the day, could only see her at night.
When the wife learned of her husband’s true form, she became scared and in anger, Kumuhea ate all the foliage of the jungle.
He, as a result, had to be turned into lots of tiny caterpillars so their hungry nature would stop destroying all the Earth’s leaves.
African tales tell us of Kalahari, a creator God who made the moon from a shoe and was the God of natural phenomena. He enjoyed manifesting the caterpillar and his family and himself made a home in the sky.
There is also the io caterpillar named after the Greek Goddess IO, Priestess of Hera. Io is sometimes the Hera of the Corn or the Queen of the Corn and the caterpillar uses corn as a host plant.
People in Upanishads see the caterpillar as bringing great fortune because of how gracefully the creature moves from leaf to leaf. Seeing one moving is, therefore, good luck for travelers.

Symbolic Meanings
- Hope
- Creativity
- Luck
- Metamorphosis
- Longevity
- Goals
- Inner Beauty
- Determination
- Appearances
- Cycles

Final Thoughts
We hope by reading this article you have gained an understanding of what the caterpillar represents in terms of its spiritual meaning, dream interpretation, symbolism, astrology sign, and more.
The caterpillar is a key symbol of transformation and can help you adapt to change.
You should trust the process if you find a caterpillar crawling into your life, you should embrace what is to come.
Remember to call on the caterpillar as a power animal when you are ready to present new and bold ideas and hold it by your side when you need to protect those ideas.
We promise the caterpillar is small but mighty and its ability to transform into a beautiful butterfly makes it one incredible creature.
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