Elephant Symbolism and Elephant Spiritual Meaning

I think you'll agree with me when I say that Elephant is probably one of the biggest and strongest animals on our planet. 

The elephant is not always the most graceful creature, though it still gives majesty a good name, and therefore it is known as a Royal Animal.

A stone tablet discovered in Greece once read...

"Plato told me that everything I needed to know about life can be seen in elephants."

Tender, strong, silly, and smart, elephants tug at our emotions and, perhaps, we at theirs. 

Watch any elephant closely, and you'll quickly notice intelligence in their eyes, as well as the sense of playfulness.

Elephants have a positive symbolic meaning all over the world, and they are considered to be a symbol of good luck, power, success, wisdom, and experience.

Because elephants are highly social animals, they are also regarded as a symbol of loyalty, companionship, and unity.

You might be wondering:

What would be the best way to bring all of these powerful elephant attributes into my life?

In this article, I am going to tell you everything you need to know about the true power and spiritual meaning of these beautiful animals and introduce you to some of the best ideas to bring this energy into your life.

Lucky Elephant

In many cultures, elephants are regarded as Gods and believed to be symbols of luck and good fortune. 

Why Are Elephants Lucky?

The lucky elephant origins can be discovered in Southeast Asia and India, where they are worshipped and embraced in many spiritual depictions.

The Hindu God Ganesha, who is pictured with an elephant head, is considered as a God of luck, success, and wisdom.

The God Indra is mostly seen with a strong, white elephant by his side.

In the early 20th century, in place of the Lord Ganesha, the elephant itself was taken as a symbol of fortune by American society. 

Many people now believe that if the elephant trunk is up, then the elephant will shower blessings and good fortune, and that is the main reason we normally place statues of elephants at our doorstep or various elephant decorations, such as elephant tapestry, around the house.

The proverb goes, place a lucky elephant at the entry to your home to stay away from ill-fortune. 

Elephant Meaning for Humans

Elephants are recognized for their compassionate and altruistic treatment of each other.

Perhaps some of our interest in these creatures is based on the fact that elephants and humans have a great deal in common:

• Humans and elephants have evolved the largest and most complex brain of any land mammal, and we become aware of the world around us through our brains. Our brains make us resourceful, dynamic, and adaptable.
• We both live long lives and cherish our relationships and families.
• Our offspring can benefit from a long childhood where they are taught all of the practical life skills.
• We both dwell in communities and tribes.
• These animals do remember things and have feelings, just like us. They are defensive of their kind, and they show great affection and love towards each other. Therefore, elephants signify parent care, companionship, loyalty, and community.

Today elephants need us to stop cutting down their forests.

They also need us to stop killing them for ivory.

Elephants have a simple job to do in the forest: they maintain the entire ecosystem in good balance.

Despite many efforts to halt the ivory trade, an African elephant population estimated at 1.3 million in 1979 has fallen to 400,000 today.

Elephant Spiritual Meaning

Elephants are powerful and amazing animals, and individuals must care about their survival on Earth. 

There are several exciting facts about these animals, amongst those are numerous reasons why individuals have been thinking of them as sacred, special, and god-like beings, with great spiritual and symbolical importance. 

They appear in many old and famous legends.

One of the most famous legends is based on the belief that when Lord Buddha’s mother was pregnant with him, she had a dream of a pure white elephant presenting her a white lotus from his trunk and then going around three times before entering her womb.

In Hindu tradition, elephants are highly positioned. Elephants are considered sacred animals and are a national treasure for the public in India.

Elephant Symbolism in Buddhism

Buddhists have numerous legends and beliefs about these animals, and they also pray to elephant gods.

One of the most benevolent and fortunate Hindu Gods is Ganesha, the God Elephant of wealth and prosperity, who is often portrayed as an obese man with a head of an elephant. 

In Buddhism, the elephant symbol is an image of mental strength and awakening. At the start of one's path toward enlightenment, the uncontrolled mind is depicted as a wild, grey elephant, unpredictably tearing down everything in its path. 

When we start to acknowledge the power of our mind and begin the awakening process, our mental image changes to a white elephant, which is directed with a true life purpose.

By taming the mind, we tend to strengthen it, channeling its thoughts into resolution and choosing our own reality. 

Elephant Dreams

When Elephant appears in your Dreams, it is a symbol of faithfulness, intellect, strength, and power.

Depending on the actual color of the elephant, which appears within your dream, they may have several meanings.

Dreaming about elephants might be a sign that you must recall something or is retelling you not to forget something crucial.

It might signify somebody powerful and big or something big you deal with in your waking life.

Dream about a baby elephant might represent a problem that seems to be insignificant or small now but has the possibility of getting worse in the future.

Elephant Facts

There are two species of elephants existing today: 

• Asian Elephant
• African Elephant

Asian elephant can be found in the forests of India and Southeast Asia, and it is slightly smaller than the African elephant, with smaller, rounded ears.

Asian elephants are considered to be endangered species, and there are probably around 40,000 Asian elephants left (many of them are domesticated).

A large number of Asian male elephants are tuskless, which can be a symptom of intense ivory hunting in the past.

The African elephant is the world's largest land animal, and it can be found in savannas, forests, and woodlands in many parts of the African continent. 

The African elephant is divided into two sub-species:

• Larger bush elephant (Loxodonta africana)
• Smaller forest elephant (Loxodonta africana cyclotis)

There are around 400,000 African elephants alive today, but their numbers are decreasing rapidly due to poaching for the ivory trade.

African elephant lives up to 60-70 years in the wild and weights from 2.5 to 7 tons.

Do you want to know the best part?

African elephant's ear has almost the same shape as the outline of the African continent, and the Asian elephant's ear is almost the same shape as the outline of the Indian subcontinent.