The spiritual meaning of Heron

Herons are elegant and distinctive birds. They also carry their own special symbolism and meaning. If you’ve seen a heron and it felt significant, it might have a spiritual message. But what could that be?

We’re here to find out. We will look at the importance of herons in the folklore of ancient cultures. And we learn what the heron symbolism has to tell us about our own spiritual journey.

So if you’re ready to learn more, let’s get started!

Heron symbolism in antiquity

The ancient Egyptians associated birds with a number of different deities. The heron was associated with the god Bennu. He was associated with creation, the sun and rebirth. And he appeared frequently in New Kingdom art.

The heron also appears in two hieroglyphs. In one, a single heron stands on the ground. It is used in the name of Bennu. And it also functions as a determinative – a symbol used to clarify meaning – in the word for phoenix, which in turn connects it to rebirth.

The second heron hieroglyph shows the bird standing on a perch. It is used in the Egyptian word for “to flood”.

The Romans also believed that herons were important birds. They were believed to be able to predict the future and their call should herald an important event.

Heron Symbolism in Celtic Tradition

The Celts associated herons with Rhiannon, a goddess who ruled over lakes and enchanted waters. Herons were believed to be reincarnations of Rhiannon and referred to as the “Lady of the Lake”.

This connection also links herons to protection. Rhiannon was considered a guardian for travelers. And the heron emblem was found on Celtic shields, believed to help defend warriors.

Other Celtic legends associate herons with peace and tranquility. The emblem of two entwined herons was used to represent calm and harmony.

Herons were also sometimes depicted with two heads. This depiction was associated with wealth and prosperity. Perhaps that was because the two-headed bird had twice as many beaks with which to catch its prey.

Heron symbolism in Native American traditions

The heron also appears in the folklore of many Native American tribes. It is commonly associated with patience and luck, reflecting the heron’s habit of peacefully waiting to capture its prey.

Tribes living along the coast of the Northwestern United States believed that the sight of herons would bode well for a good catch of fish. Wherever there were many fish, the clever bird was sure to be found.

Fishing was the main source of income for many of these communities. As a result, herons also became symbols of prosperity.

Something else Native Americans observed in herons: their fondness for their own company. During the breeding season, they can be seen performing elegant courtship displays. But for the rest of the year they are mostly solitary.

Some tribes therefore saw them as a sign of loneliness. And this, in turn, was associated with the qualities of self-reliance and the ability to direct one’s own destiny.

Her slender legs show that it is possible to stand firmly without great physical strength. And they are also associated with wisdom and strength.

Biblical references to the symbolism of the heron

Herons receive only the most cursory references in the Bible. They appear twice, in the books of Deuteronomy and Leviticus. In either case, they are included in a list of “unclean” birds that should not be eaten.

However, it seems that this biblical edict has not always been observed in Christian societies over the centuries. In 15th-century England, heron meat was considered a great delicacy.

George Neville became Archbishop of York in 1465. What was the best meal to celebrate the occasion? Why Heron of course! The grand banquet included no fewer than 400 of the birds.

Heron and Buddhism

There is a much more flattering depiction of the heron in Buddhist texts. Here the white heron is associated with the practice of meditation and spiritual growth. His grace, patience, and concentration are frequently mentioned with admiration in Buddhist poetry.

Eihei Dogen, a Japanese Zen master who lived in the thirteenth century, repeatedly mentioned white herons in his writings.

In a poem he compared the heron to enlightened individuals. Birds come and go on the water, he said, but “never forget their path.”

Heron as spiritual messengers

All of this symbolism can influence the message behind an encounter with a heron. But if you’ve experienced your own encounter with a heron, how do you determine its specific meaning?

The most important starting point is your own reactions to the experience. Spend some time thinking about what happened and examine your thoughts and feelings.

What made you feel that the encounter might have conveyed a spiritual message? Was it the nature of the meeting, maybe in an unexpected place? Or maybe it was the timing that made the heron appear just as you were contemplating a problem?

Perhaps you felt an affinity for the heron, a connection that is difficult to put into words. Or maybe you felt a different type of emotion, maybe one that surprised you.

Focus on those thoughts and feelings. You are the best guide to what the heron is trying to tell you.

It can also be helpful to reflect on your own associations with herons.

In some cases, these are similar to the ones we’ve already talked about. You may see them as patient and focused. Or maybe they are significant in your own cultural setting as symbols of protection or good luck.

But in other cases, you may have personal associations that might be more important to what the heron represents. Are herons connected in any way to important events in your life? Or is there perhaps a connection to a loved one or a place where you felt safe or happy?

Thinking about the personal meaning you attribute to the heron opens the door to the most accurate interpretation.

Interpretation of dreams about herons

It’s a similar story if you have dreamed about a heron.

Dreams are often messages from our subconscious. So it’s not surprising that they use symbols that have a very special resonance for us as individuals.

If you had a dream with a heron, the key to an accurate interpretation is to identify that personal meaning.

One approach that can be helpful is to use word associations. Get a pen and a piece of paper and go somewhere where you won’t be disturbed.

Now write down every word that comes to mind when you think of a heron. Short sentences are fine too.

Don’t think about it too long – the idea is to capture the connections your brain easily makes. These are the ones most likely to flow into your dream symbolism.

If you run out of connections, reread what you wrote. Could the same words or phrases describe something else? It can be a person or a thing. Or it could be a situation that’s bothering you right now.

Whatever it is, it’s what your brain chose to represent the heron. Now think back to the other details of your dream. Now that you know what the heron symbolizes, it might be easier to spot a message.

If it’s still not clear, focus on other elements that caught your eye in your dream. Try repeating the word association process with each of them. Hopefully soon you will start figuring out what your dream is about.

However, if you’re really pulling a blank, it may help to look into the dreamer’s dictionaries. These refer to the common symbolism of different objects or animals. They open up what the psychoanalyst Carl Jung called the “collective unconscious”.

Let’s take a look at some common interpretations of different dream scenarios involving herons.

dream scenarios

We’ve already seen that herons are associated with patience and focus. Their appearance in dreams can often draw attention to the value of these qualities in our daily lives.

Perhaps you are facing a problem that you don’t know how to solve. Or maybe you need to make a decision but don’t know the best thing to do.

The heron can be a message to slow down and focus on what is happening around you. Wait and see before you act. Armed with this information, you can effectively respond to whatever comes your way.

In addition to perceiving external factors, the heron can also be a sign to look inward. It can encourage you to think more deeply about your own thoughts and feelings. These could be the key that will guide you in your next step.

A blue heron

Colors have their own spiritual symbolism. If the heron in your dream was an unusual color, it can add another dimension to its meaning.

Like herons themselves, blue is often associated with calm and serenity. But it can also mean sadness, for example when we talk about someone “feeling bad”.

A dream about a blue heron could reflect your own feelings of calm and spiritual harmony. Or it could indicate that your peacefulness is in danger of slipping into melancholy. If that’s the case, maybe it’s time to share your feelings more openly with those around you.

A black heron

Black is often associated with death. However, death in the spiritual sense refers to transformation rather than physical death. It means the end of one chapter of life and the beginning of a new one.

This combines with the heron as a symbol of rebirth. Therefore, dreams about a black heron can mean that changes are coming. Change isn’t always easy, but the heron reminds us that it’s often necessary for renewal.

An alternative interpretation is that the black heron refers to your “shadow self”. This is a collection of thoughts and feelings that you…