Moths Are Known to Hold Spiritual Meaning to Many — Here Are Our Favorites

It isn't just encounters with vibrant, beautiful birds that spiritual humans assign meaning. Winged members of the animal kingdom are attractive to us; from dragonflies and butterflies fluttering about to bumblebees buzzing, we are a species obsessed with fateful encounters with animals that take flight.

Take, for example, the moth, the less heralded pollinator in the same classification as the butterfly. Some cultures and religions hold deep spiritual significance for the humble moth.

If you are lucky enough to meet a moth, know that this richly spiritual experience portends important and meaningful changes to your life. Your journey in life may be redirected towards many great things after a chance encounter with a moth, so keep reading to learn the different interpretations of when a moth crosses your path.

According to Chamunda Swami Ji of the New York-based Chamunda Swami Healing Center, moths are attracted to the light of the morning time. Per the spiritual healer, when a moth enters your home, this occurrence signifies both faith and light. Positive energy will soon fill your home, inspiring you to be your best self.

Furthermore, per the Chamunda Swami Healing Center, visitations from the following moths may represent different things, including:

• Brown moth: Positive and warm energy that provides security within the home.
• White moth: A spiritually significant moth that represents the Crown Chakra.
• Yellow moth: Positive energy, self-expression, and prosperity.
• Black moth: Representative of the shadow world, a black moth is said to signify the need to ditch one's ego and face one's fears.

According to the World Birds website, which explains the symbolism of encounters with different animals of flight, moths are thought to be representative of transformation because of the life cycle of a moth. Moths start their life cycles in eggs. Then, they become larvae, and they continue growing and maturing until they enter cocoons. Finally, they hatch into moths.

Similarly, humans may witness this remarkable transformation as a sign to grow and transform within their own lives. Inspired by moths, humans may interpret their encounter with a moth as a sign to make changes within their lives and forge a new path.

According to the website Sabiduri, which shares insight into spiritual meanings behind animals and other resources, many cultures assign deep spiritual meaning to encounters with white moths.

In Chinese, Celtic, and Greek cultures, for example, the white moth is thought to be a messenger sent from beyond, which may include lost loved ones and ancestors from the past. Norse mythology similarly holds white moths to bring messages from the Gods.

Elsewhere, Christian beliefs include white moths symbolizing purity, innocence, and one's soul pulling them towards wisdom and guidance in a religious sense. Native American culture holds that white moths not only portend a period of transformation but that spirits from beyond are preparing to provide protection and guidance to those in need.

Additionally, Celtic culture features stories wherein white moths guide lost souls to not just the afterlife, but a connectedness to their heritage.

According to Light Workers World, various folklore tales depict moths as symbolic of death. Be it lost souls going to heaven as moths or the moth itself being a harbinger of death, some myths do not always depict moths in a positive, fortuitous sense.

Per Light Workers World, moths came about from dew dripping from graves at nightfall. Moths would then consume the dew then fly out in search of blood or flesh to gain power.