
Moth's gifts include the power of the whirlwind, ease of movement in darkness/shadow, transformation/metamorphosis, ability to find light in darkness, hearing spoken and unspoken messages. They are different from butterflies, in that they are nocturnal rather than diurnal. Nocturnal creatures gather their life-sustaining activities in complete darkness, which is why they are also symbolic of dreams, intuition, and secret knowledge.
If we translate this into the human experience,
moth’s message is to use our dreams, our awareness and our deep, inner knowing to navigate through the darkest hours of our lives. To do so, we need the FAITH of moth: moth never questions that each night, her needs will be met. In the same way, we can harness our faith to help us move through shadowy times of uncertainty and darkness.
As a creature of the night, and by her navigational devices, we see the moth is highly influenced by the power of the moon. Although it is s still unproven as to why the moth is driven to light, it is hypothesized that the moth navigates by lunar light. In the absence of moonlight, the moth moves to the next best thing: man-made light. So vigilant is her path to light, she even risks losing her life.
Here we see a fragile vulnerability in the moth. The moon is her mother and she will follow her course at all cost. This makes her open to distraction, vulnerable to harm. Moth shows us that we must learn to adjust our course as our path indicates rather than drive forward without heeding important signs along the way. An interesting trait of the moth is how they use their wings. A resting moth either wraps its wings around itself, holds them extended to the side, or folds the wings up. This implies a basic nurturing property. As we faithfully navigate and feel our way into divine light and our spiritual purpose, we must ground and nurture ourselves. For sometimes, as we fly high with the moth, our higher perception can feel overwhelming and confusing. It can feel downright dark and scary!
The moth is an optimist and opportunist with countless transformative properties. From them we learn how to expand and perfect our inherent psychic abilities, and how to let go of negative energies and unwelcome influences, helping us move into our personal power and happiness.