I have been keenly fascinated with dragonflies ever since 2010 when a swarm of them flew into my office through an open door on a summer evening. I was working on the computer when they began to land on my keyboard, my hands and a nearby plant on my desk. I froze in awe, sat still as they zipped all about the room, and then as quickly as the dragonflies had appeared, they flew out the door. In that moment, I typed dragonfly symbolism into the search engine and began a deep dive into the meaning and mystery messages of the dragonfly. Within the hour, I had secured the domain dragonflysymbolism.org , and over the following week, built a new website that became a delightful success.

While many people might view dragonflies as just another winged insect, I knew after my visitation that something far more mysterious and special belonged to the dragonfly. I could feel an elevated energy in their presence that evening, an attempt at communication with me that had an air of mystery and magic, which I have never forgotten. It returns every time I encounter a dragonfly. As I researched and posted my discoveries on the new site, I was amazed at the stories people posted in the comments about their own dragonfly messages and encounters. Their stories were touching, so moving and provided me with the confirmation and inspiration to keep researching and writing. And the stories just kept coming about their encounters with and messages of the dragonfly.

It is the life cycle of the dragonfly that carries a potent mystery message for us humans. Dragonflies are born in the water, like us, and live the first stages of their life as nymphs in this water world. They undergo a series of molting and transformations in their growth and development within the water, much like we do in the watery womb. Then one day, the nymph is compelled to climb out of the water onto a stalk, where it sits as the water drains from its body to free the wings it has grown as a water nymph. A dragonfly is born, as it takes to the sky for its new life as a winged insect. Like the dragonfly, we are each compelled to one day leave our water world in the womb, and begin a new life in the air. We cannot underestimate this transformational power that we share with the dragonfly.

Perhaps it is why I sense, as do many others, that the presence of a dragonfly comes with mystery messages that seem to transcend the material and spiritual realms. Like people, every dragonfly is unique and different, and comes in many colors. They zip by flashing their iridescent wings amidst shades of brilliant blue, red, pink, green, silver, gold, white and more. Many cultures have dragonfly tales for the symbolism of a dragonfly’s color when it visits you. The stories on my site were filled with those whom had lost a loved one, followed by numerous visitations by a red dragonfly, one they had never seen before. Its presence sparked their curiosity for the unknown, brought comfort to their aching hearts, elevated their spirits, restored their faith in living and many began to dream more deeply and frequently. And all reported a sense of the dragonfly bringing them a message from beyond this realm.

Dragonflies have inhabited this planet for about 300 million years. They are one of the most ancient insects that predate the dinosaurs and the first mammals. Their winged life in the air is relatively short at only 6 months compared to their nymph life in water for a range of 1-5 years. Their long presence on the Earth, and their short transformative life as a dragonfly, suggest a wise and potent messenger. The mystery messages of the dragonfly tell us to embrace change, to see beyond illusions, to believe in infinite possibilities and to live joyfully in the eternal now. These may seem like simple messages, but if most humans were to actually embody and live these transmissions, the world would begin to change for the better.

A beautiful, rose-colored dragonfly appeared in my garden recently when I was grumpily weeding. It perched upon a Bay leaf bush, and just rested there as I weeded around it, never flinching. I could feel it tell me to dump my grumpy mood and embrace my weeding task with more joy. I could feel some self-doubt, that I had been entertaining for some days, begin to fall away in favor of renewed self-respect. I stopped and gazed at this lovely dragonfly for some time. I saw strength, beauty, wisdom, magic, power, vulnerability and grace. It flew away, and left me in awe of the restorative messages this pink dragonfly transmitted to me in the garden. The messages of the dragonfly are indeed a mystery.