When you think of a hawk, you usually think of its talon and speed. But, what if there’s more to it? Not just physically, but spiritually.
Before we get into the spirituality and symbolism that hawks can represent, let’s talk a bit about what hawks actually are in regard to the physical world.
The scientific name for hawks is Falconiformes. It does not refer to a single species. Instead, it refers to a group of prey birds that are active in the daytime.
There are about 270 species of these birds that can be found all over the world except Antarctica. They can be categorized into four groups by looking at their body type and physical features. Buteos, accipiters, kites, and harriers.
Buteo hawks are the biggest and have short legs with broad wings. Two hawks that come under this classification are the Swainson’s hawk and the Ferruginous hawk. Said hawks are the biggest overall with a wingspan of up to 5 feet.
Accipiters are smaller than buteos but share the same broad, round wings. They also have a long tail that helps them make sharp maneuvers. Especially, when they chase down their prey whether it be a mouse or a smaller bird.
Kites also have long tails as well as pointed, long wings. Their prey is much smaller than the buteo and the accipiters because their legs are shorter with less powerful talons. However, they are more graceful and are fascinating to watch as they dart about the sky.
Finally, there are the harriers which have a distinct face. It almost resembles an owl which gives them sharp hearing abilities. They also have slender bodies with long wings, tails, and legs.
As they hunt, they fly close to the ground in open areas and favor small mammals, birds, and reptiles.
Hawks are so intelligent that they can use tools to reach their goals. They come up with plans and strategies, as well.
Other characteristics that these hawks have in common are speed, independence, and adaptability. Different spiritual ways such as visions, dreams, and physical patterns represents such characteristics..
Since hawks can be found in almost every continent, people have written them into our history for hundreds of thousands of years. Therefore, have given us the time to decipher them and respect them for what they can teach us.
Hawk Spirit Animal
Ways that your hawk spirit animal will let itself be known by you is through meditation, visions, dreams. They also reveal themselves even physically by flying around you, shrieking, or perching near you.
It is up to you whether you accept them and listen to what they can teach you. But, you can also walk away and continue living your life as you have been.
However, if you accept them as your spirit animal, they will open your eyes. They’ll show you how to become the best version of yourself. It’s also a great gift to have a hawk as your spirit animal. So, be sure not to take it for granted.
The hawk chose you because you already look at things from a different perspective compared to those around you. It can also be because you have received visions in the past. Visions both awake and in your dreams, making you more open-minded to spiritual guidance.
RELATED: Eagle: Spiritual Meaning, Dream Meaning, Symbolism & More
Hawk Totem Animal
Those with the hawk totem tend to be impulsive. But, they can also be great leaders and having a hawk totem can help bring their dreams to life.
The purpose of totem animals is to transfer messages sent from nature to you. If your totem animal is hawk, then pay attention to them as they are trying to relay messages to you.
If you are in need of protection, you can ask your hawk totem to look over you. It’ll protect you from anything negative that may come your way.
In some cases, you may require to bring more than one hawk with you on certain journeys that are more challenging. You can also use the hawk totem to make yourself stronger by manifesting the sharper intuitive insights of a hawk.
RELATED: Griffin: Spiritual Meaning, Dream Meaning, Symbolism & More
Hawk Power Animal
Power animals resemble who you are but in the form of an animal. Therefore, if your power animal is a hawk then you share similar characteristics such as being independent and intelligent.
Power animals are also there to guide you through difficult times. If you have a hawk power animal it usually means that you already have a strong spiritual awareness. So, calling upon your power animal will come more naturally to you.
When you have discovered your power animal, be aware that it won’t just be the one hawk. Instead, it is the whole species. So, when you call upon your hawk, it will likely change each time. But, it will still hold the same power within it and you will feel the same connection.
If you are spiritually open like most of those who have hawk power animals, do not be afraid to open yourself up to seeing your power animal in your meditations, visions, and dreams.
Do not be sad if your power animal leaves you. This is a sign that it has served its purpose and has nothing left to teach you. There is also a possibility that it will be replaced with a different kind of animal. Different kind with different elements to learn from.
Hawk Dreams
Dreaming of hawks can have multiple different meanings that depend on what the hawk is doing in your dream.
The message could either be coming from your subconscious or from your spirit or power animal. But, it is important to pay attention all the same. This way you can decipher what action you must take to have a more fulfilling life.
Dreaming of hawk flying or circling above you means that you will come across a threat in your life. You should be cautious of people or events in the coming days.
Seeing a hawk that is carrying prey in its talons means that you will soon go on an endeavor. Such endeavor will be successful financially. Further, there’ll be victories that will be experienced such as new positive opportunities because of it.
Dreaming of killing a hawk represents a journey you are about to embark on that will likely be very challenging, but you will triumph. It can also mean that you are ridding of a negative person in your life that is cutting you down emotionally and preventing you from being the person you deserve to be.
Coming across a hawk that is wounded in your dream can mean two things.
The first possibility is that you need to confront the negative emotions that have been dominating your thoughts recently before you move on, but it can also mean that you are suffering from low self-esteem which can go hand in hand with the negative emotions you must get to the bottom of.
Dreaming of a hawk that is attacking you can represent those that have authority and power over you in your waking life that make you feel threatened.
If you have a dream such as this, make sure to pay attention to the surroundings because sometimes there may be specific people or buildings that can give you important clues.
If you dream of a hawk that is dead, it can mean a variety of things. It can mean you need to start trusting your intuition to overcome an obstacle, but it can also mean that your plans or goals have been ruined unexpectantly.
Perhaps you are ready to make a big career change, or someone has told you a deep secret that involves you.
It may be a bit confusing having to pick apart what these could mean in regard to you, but give it a bit of time and you will soon be able to understand exactly what message the hawk is trying to get across to you.
RELATED: Vulture: Spiritual Meaning, Dream Meaning, Symbolism & More
Hawk Tattoo Meaning
Hawks are beautiful animals. So it’s not surprising that many people tattooed them on their bodies simply because they are nice to look at.
However, there can be deeper meanings to having a hawk tattoo which consists of characteristics that hawks have that the person resonates with or admires.
All of the world recognized hawks as being fast, powerful, and intelligent among many other things. It’s inspiring that many different cultures recognizes this symbolism.
Having this divine animal tattooed on your body means that it will be with you all through your life and there is almost no better animal to have as a companion.
There is a variation of styles that the hawk can be tattooed in such as American traditional, geometric, and tribal.
Having the tattoo of a hawk in a tribal style is favored by islanders and those who like Polynesian tattoos, with the combination of eye-catching shapes and the strong body of a hawk, it makes for a very powerful piece of artwork.
Some people prefer to get a specific type of hawk tattooed on them such as the red tail hawk, one of the most popular hawks in the species.
They symbolize strength because they are the second-largest hawks in North America and make for tremendous hunters.
Redtail hawks also symbolize adaptability as they have thrived in a range of different environments all over the world but in order to reach these places it had to travel thousands of miles which is why it also stands for freedom.
Having just the eyes of a hawk is another tattoo that has proven quite popular over the years and that is not only because they are very striking but also represent the focus and clarity of their vision, almost like they are staring right into your soul.
RELATED: Pigeon: Spiritual Meaning, Dream Meaning, Symbolism & More
Hawk Spiritual Meaning
Eagles are not considered as a type of hawk, but they share the representation as being messengers from the spirit realm as they can fly much higher than other birds, and they have sharp eyesight that can observe the world below them.
When a hawk flies above your head, take this as a sign that you need to focus on the way that you think and any thought patterns that may be popping up regularly.
This way you can decipher what thoughts are the negative ones that can break you down bit by bit without you really noticing. As the hawk soars above you, it is telling you to soar above your negative thoughts and look at the big picture.
By doing this, you also leave yourself more open to spirit guides that are trying to guide you and send you messages.
In ancient Egypt, there was a belief that there was a spirit that resembled a hawk that would reincarnate those that had passed into hawks or swallows.
The hawk was part of the soul that had not passed on and could exist with the living as a bird which the god ‘Horus’ had chosen as he was the god of the sky and was represented as a hawk in hieroglyphics.
Egyptians also believed that hawks had powers that could protect the world with their wings and are often shown in illustrations hovering over the heads of royalty.
Hawk in Astrology & Zodiac Signs
Celtic Tree astrology dates all the way back to 1000 BCE and was invented by the druids who believed that the combination of the time that we were born and the trees could define what our personality would be.
This was the result of Druids having knowledge about the cycle of the earth and a connection with the trees which they considered to be vessels for infinite wisdom.
The hawk is a Celtic zodiac sign and is given to those born between November 25th to December 23rd. If you are born under the hawk zodiac, it is likely that you have a stubborn personality and when you have your mind set on something it is hard for you to change your mind.
Security is something that they value having in their life as anything that is unbalanced makes them feel in danger of getting hurt much like how a hawk would feel in regards to the wind.
However, they have plenty of positive traits as well such as being caring for those close to them and being curious about the world around them.
They also have good instincts and are good at listening to them when making important decisions, this makes people feel much safer with you as their leader.
Having strong observation skills lets you see the path ahead and the possible consequences before you have even taken it and having this sight also gives you the ability to be more open to spiritual visions.
RELATED: Falcon: Spiritual Meaning, Dream Meaning, Symbolism & More
Hawk Symbolic Meanings
Hawks symbolize many different things which is one of the reasons as to why we look up to them so much both figuratively and literally. Some of these symbolic meanings are:
- Intelligence
- Intuition
- Spirituality
- Adaptability
- Independence
- Power
- Speed
- Strength
- Observant
- Headstrong
Final Thoughts
Hawks come in many different shapes and sizes but they are all beautiful and wise beyond our understanding. They may be seen by many as predators in the sky that swoop down to kill innocent mice, and this is true but how are we much different?
However, hawks have traits that many of us are lacking such as patience and trusting our instincts and if we became more like them, it would only lead to better decision making and therefore put us on the right path that we had strayed from.
If a hawk comes to you to guide you or gives you messages, you should be grateful that an animal with such a broad perspective on the world has chosen you. This means that you already have all of the tools inside of you that will give you the ability to see what others can only dream of.
RELATED: Barn Owl: Spiritual Meaning, Dream Meaning, Symbolism & More
- 125 Powerful Manifesting Affirmations To Achieve Your Dreams - September 21, 2023
- 335 Thoughtful Blessed Quotes For A Life Of Joy And Gratitude - September 21, 2023
- 125 Journal Prompts For Motherhood: A Guide To Survive - September 20, 2023
Related posts:
Flamingo: Spiritual Meaning, Dream Meaning, Symbolism & More
Starfish: Spiritual Meaning, Dream Meaning, Symbolism & More
Pegasus: Spiritual Meaning, Dream Meaning, Symbolism & More
Beaver: Spiritual Meaning, Dream Meaning, Symbolism & More
Skunk: Spiritual Meaning, Dream Meaning, Symbolism & More
Hare: Spiritual Meaning, Dream Meaning, Symbolism & More
Bobcat: Spiritual Meaning, Dream Meaning, Symbolism & More
Panther: Spiritual Meaning, Dream Meaning, Symbolism & More
