In the Bible, in the story of Noah’s Ark, the giraffes are an important addition. Paintings by popular Renaissance artists also depict the Biblical story with the pair of giraffes. This has led to the giraffe being considered as an important animal of the Bible. Check out the Spiritual meaning of a giraffe, giraffe symbolism in african culture and giraffe in the room meaning.
Churchgists will give you all you want to know on Spiritual meaning of a giraffe, giraffe symbolism in African culture, Giraffe African Symbolism, and so much more.
As a beautiful, wild, and exotic animal, the giraffe connotes sexuality, uniqueness, and pride. Giraffe symbolism is also used in art to represent the natural world. A giraffe can also symbolize a long distance between the head and heart. Since they stand tall, they represent looking into the future. Let us decipher the giraffe’s symbolic meaning in dreams and across different cultures.
Spiritual Meaning Of A Giraffe
Giraffe symbolism is linked to the balance between the head and the heart. It is also a symbolic representation of spiritual and worldly matters. Giraffes are thus considered spiritual or divine messengers. Giraffe in dreams are generally good omens of good luck and fortune.
Giraffes can also symbolize a new perspective. If you are frequently encountering a giraffe, either in your dreams or real life, then it may mean that you are at a pause but will soon get an epiphany.
Universally and historically, giraffes have always fascinated man. They are unique in appearance and everything about them is big and unusual.
Many artists have used giraffes symbolically too. In Piero de Cosimo’s Vulcan and Aeolus, the giraffe represents the dawn of civilization and domestication of animals.
Giraffe Symbolism In African Culture
Giraffe symbolism and meaning is prominent in African culture. Yet Giraffe has also extended their influence around the globe.
Do you seem to know things based on your intuition alone? Do you want to wade in the world of knowledge only accessible beyond the veil? Giraffe, as a Spirit, Totem, and Power Animal, can help! Giraffe teaches you how to heighten your psychic awareness so you can take on those tall tasks while holding your head high. Delve deeply in Giraffe symbolism and meaning to find out how this Animal Spirit Guide can support, illuminate, and uplift you.
giraffe symbolism in african culture
Giraffe symbolism and meaning evokes images of humanity striving to join with the Divine.
Gentle Giraffe, with its long neck reaching into the heavens, symbolizes the ability to see the future and obtain things that seem out of reach. When your life is chaotic, Giraffe reminds you to keep your head up and avoid getting entangled in needless arguments; as an Animal Ally, Giraffe encourages you to “take the high road.” The creature signifies things that inspire and raise your energies or Spirit.
There’s little that proves a threat to this giant creature since it reaches a towering height of up to eighteen feet; Giraffe’s only vulnerability is the need to put its head to the water to drink. It’s a good thing the Animal can withstand the lack of water for upwards of a month. Here, Giraffe’s height symbolizes the wise use of resources, remaining grounded when reaching for new heights, and attuning to the Divine’s guidance while maintaining a higher perspective.
A Giraffe does not attack without reason, but when this creature senses danger, it is swift and powerful when it reacts. While a Giraffe may not look threatening, one swift kick can from the beast can cripple or kill. Kicking is the means Giraffe uses for protecting its calves. The creature’s method for protecting its young gives Giraffe the symbolism of safety and strength in times of need.
The prevalence of Giraffes in Africa means that they have appeared in various stories, myths, and artistic renditions. In African cultures, the creature represents distinctiveness and individuality because no two Giraffe spotted-fur patterns are alike. Giraffe signifies standing out from among all the rest and expressing your identity with pride.
Indigenous people have tremendous respect for Giraffes. One example of this reverence occurs in the Giraffe Dance. The practice is curative and based on a vision of Giraffes running through the rain.
Giraffe Spirit Animal
When Giraffe appears in your life, it may be a sign you’ll stick out your neck for someone. Your Animal Ally encourages you to use your heightened awareness, intuition, and intellect to help others who lack your insight or wisdom. Note, however, sometimes Giraffe’s meaning is a warning that you should avoid putting your neck on the line for others who might take advantage or those who might not appreciate the gesture.
When Giraffe appears as a Spirit Guide, often, it’s when you need to be more future-oriented. Your Animal Ally lifts its head high to reach for vegetation from the trees and gets a full, near-aerial view of the landscape. You, too, may need to adjust your perspective or open your mind to discover new opportunities beyond your present vantage point.
Giraffe Spirit arrives in your life when it’s time for you to acknowledge your innate future-telling abilities. You may find that you know things others don’t; This “knowing” is something Giraffe urges you to use with caution. Psychic insights and visions often frighten people unless you use tact and diplomacy when delivering the message. Giraffe Spirit also reminds you not to get caught up in illusions. You won’t benefit from clinging to the past or spending all your time predicting the future instead of living it.
When Giraffe comes to you, you often feel disconnected from the Universe, or you are questioning life’s meaning. Folklore suggests Giraffe kneels to sleep, and when it does, the creature is meditating or praying. Your Animal Spirit Guide urges you to question if you’ve been staying connected to your Higher Self, Guides, Angels, and the Divine. If not, Giraffe appears to help you uplift your soul by showing you how to connect with the realm of Spirit.
Giraffe’s other message has to do with the power of silence. While they have a tongue that spans over twenty inches, this creature makes noise rarely; at least no sounds humans can hear. More often, the Giraffe communicates with body language, specifically its tail. In humans, the tail corresponds to the Root Chakra, a place where consciousness, courage, and intention reside. Quiet meditation is one means by which you can activate that Chakra. It is also a tranquil time during which God communicates on a profound level.
Giraffe Totem Animal
What does a Giraffe symbolize as a totem animal?
If you have a Giraffe as your Birth Totem, you are graceful, quiet, and prefer a content life full of simple pleasures. You are happiest when you experience complete tranquility. Walking your talk matters to you, and you don’t use words without thoughtfulness behind them. As a Giraffe Person, you have no problem standing out in the crowd and are comfortable center stage.
Throughout your life, you’ll be better able to sense what’s coming–particularly when it pertains to you and those in your inner circle. You tap into your innate psychic gifts to guide you through troubling conditions or complicated relationships. You don’t like conflict, but when you have no other choice, you’ll use every ounce of your strength to defend what you hold precious and those you love.
An enormous challenge for Giraffe People is that sometimes they put the needs of others before their own. In doing so, sometimes you find helping others out is to your detriment. Often, sticking one’s neck out for others may stem from the isolation that people with a Giraffe Totem feel. See, Giraffe People see the bigger picture; their lofty awareness and intellect can cause difficulties with emotional bonding and communication. As the saying goes, it’s lonely at the top, and loneliness leaves you longing for genuine connections. Going the extra mile when being helpful is merely a way to initiate bonding with others.
If a Giraffe is your Totem Animal, don’t hold yourself down because of others’ jealousy. Reach toward your goals and continue to pursue your dreams. Giraffe is there to support you on the journey, ensuring you’ll reach the loftiest of heights!
Giraffe Power Animal
What do Giraffes symbolize as a Power Animal?
Invoke Giraffe as your Power Animal when you need help with matters where you want to win the honor, respect, or gratitude of others. With the Giraffe, many Animals have to look up to the creature because it’s so tall. Working with Giraffe Energy helps you keep your head held high, and others will not only look up to you but will also respect you, finding you dignified and honorable.
Call on Giraffe when you have important decisions to make, and you are seeking guidance. Giraffe Spirit gives you the confidence to know that you are just in your action or making appropriate decisions. The creature also supports you when you’re looking to connect with your Higher Self or seek Divine assistance. Here, Giraffe also reminds you to appreciate what you have while expecting nothing in return. Like the tall Giraffe, your elevated perspective, bright outlook, and heightened awareness lift your soul closer to the heavens.
Giraffe Dreams
What does a Giraffe symbolize when they gracefully appear in a dream?
Dreams about Giraffes often call into question your current perspectives about a person or situation. If your views are too narrow, you’ll miss something important. Otherwise, you may take unwarranted risks requiring greater scrutiny.
When there is focus on the Giraffe’s neck, your dream may point to a situation in your waking life where you feel up to your neck in difficulties. The dream imagery may also symbolize the need to forego all else to save your neck when facing trying conditions.
If the Giraffe is kicking at something, your dream foretells a time when you must defend yourself or others around you. Make sure you consider the amount of forcefulness you use when asserting yourself. Remember, a Giraffe’s kick has a powerful and lasting impact.
If you see a baby Giraffe in the dream, you are progressing on an emotional or spiritual level, but there’s still room for growth. A baby Giraffe also symbolizes a lengthy endeavor or journey, where you will have good luck in facing challenges or obstacles.
Giraffe African Symbolism
Giraffes are native to Africa and are prominent figures in African lore and spirituality. Considered gentle giants, Giraffe challenges the concept that the largest and strongest must be violent or aggressive to show power.
In fact, Giraffe can easily be seen as emblematic of peace and pacifism. They don’t even hunt other animals for food.
Speaking of size, two of the world’s largest rock carvings are of Giraffes. This pair is known as the Dabous Giraffes, and were found in the Sahara. This prehistoric art is now being preserved so that more can be understood about the people who created it.
The carvings are in a remote region and can’t be seen from the ground. There is some speculation that of all the animals, such attention was given to Giraffe in prehistoric art because of this animal’s extremely unique appearance. Others speculate that shamans and religious leaders felt a strong connection to the Giraffe. Examples exist of Giraffe with a line drawn connecting the animal to the tops of the heads of human-like figures, suggesting a spiritual or intellectual connection, shapeshifting or the belief that Giraffe embodied the blend of human and Divine consciousness, with their heads closer to the Heavens and hoofs on the Earth.
Of course, the elongated neck of the Giraffe lends itself to this animal being the subject of many myths about it’s evolution from a short necked creature to the long necked animal we know of today. Some tales were told of Giraffe evolving to reach food higher off the ground where there was less competition. Others told of Giraffe’s long neck being the result of Divine intervention.
By some accounts, Giraffe was the last animal created and was formed from the leftover parts of other animals, thus explaining the Giraffe’s resemblance to both Leopard, Camel and other creatures.
Some tell the story of Giraffe’s long neck as a parable explaining the importance of having a sense of purpose. According to this story, Giraffe was once the only animal who was not given a purpose, and this was a cause of strife for Giraffe. Until one day when their long neck and unusual build meant Giraffe was able to reach food needed to help the other animals survive.
Thus if Giraffe is working with you, it may be time to explore how your unique talents and skills can benefit the community. If you’ve ever felt alienated for being different, Giraffe reminds you your unique gifts are actually your strengths.
To some, the rarity of Okapi and Giraffe, especially in South Africa, create a link between these animals. Thus, Giraffe is said to represent rain, fertility and also exclusivity or something rare or unique.
Similar tales from Africa paint the Giraffe as a peaceful and noble hero who saves others through the use of his unique long neck. In a story about a family of birds who had built their nest in a tree that was threatened by a growing brushfire, the birds cried out for help. But none of the other animals were suited to save their nest, with their chicks inside, from the advancing fire.
Except, you guessed it, Giraffe.
Are you the one who is always getting 3 a.m. phone calls from friends in need? If you have a compassionate, peaceful nature and are always responding to the crises of others, then Giraffe may be working with you to show compassion and healing by using your unique gifts.
In this regard, Giraffe is associated with mercy and compassion.
Giraffe Christianity Symbolism
What do Giraffes symbolize in Christianity?
Christian symbolism is not ripe with Giraffe lore, but these amazing creatures do make an appearance or two. Artist Piero de Cosimo, known for his naturalist elements, made sure to include noble Giraffe in his painting Vulcan and Aeolus. In some accounts, Giraffe is described as being linked to Chamois, a specific type of Antelope.
Giraffe is also noted as one of the many animals on Noah’s Ark. Some stories recount that Giraffe didn’t initially have a mate and had to go off in search of a partner before boarding the Ark. By this account, Giraffe can represent the lengths to which you may go to find the perfect partner.
Early Christian artwork and art of the Renaissance tends to depict Giraffe as free romancing rather than being held in captivity. Giraffe has come to embody the symbolism of all that is wild and exotic, not yet tamed. A much later discovery of the constellation Camelo Pardalis, is also named for Giraffe.
The term “Zemer” found in Deuteronomy is said to be a translation from Greek and Latin terms for both Leopard and Camel. Perhaps people in this era saw Giraffe as a hybrid or somehow connected to these two very different animals.
Others see Giraffe as a testimony to God’s creativity and Divine plan, as Giraffe has such an unusual appearance yet is perfectly suited to their surroundings.
Some associate the wording in Proverbs, warning against one becoming “stubbornly necked” as synonymous with being ignorant or closed off to God’s wisdom, with a reference to the appearance of Giraffe as embodying flexibility. In this regard, Giraffe symbolism can relate to not being too stubborn.
Giraffe Celtic Symbolism
Giraffe is not a significant animal in Celtic symbolism for obvious reasons. We can imagine what early Celtic people would have thought if they had stumbled upon a Giraffe, a being no doubt bizarre and far from home.
Yet we can make connections between the Giraffe’s symbolism and other elements of Celtic lore. If you feel compelled to work with the energy and symbolism of Giraffe, consider the animal’s gentle, large, efficient, resourceful and protective nature.
Perhaps, then, Giraffe will put you in the mindset of creatures more commonly found in Celtic lore such as Unicorn or even trickster animals such as Rabbit.
Why trickster?
Because in spite of their large size, Giraffe would be unlikely to bring harm. Unless you’re a tasty plant. The association between Giraffe’s long neck and the ability to see into different realms can also connect to the great diviners or shapeshifters of Celtic lore, even as this animal specifically was not found in Celtic lands.
Giraffe Far Eastern Symbolism
What do Giraffes symbolize in eastern cultures?
A Giraffe’s symbolism in China is influenced by the history of how they came to be brought to this region. In the 17th century, Giraffes were transported to China as gifts to nobility. They were seen as harbingers of good luck and as associated with a prosperous and successful period. As such, rulers used Giraffe symbolism to connote good fortune and status as well as peace and prosperity.
Giraffe is also associated with Zheng He, the Chinese admiral who first introduced Giraffe to China. In this culture, the connection between Giraffe and the Divine, illustrated by the long neck, was also considered to be an omen that rulers had either a Divine blessing to reign or would be brought down in defeat.
Whether a ruler would preside over a peaceful era was also considered to be linked to the power of Giraffe Spirit Animal.
The original introduction of Giraffe to India is linked to an image of Giraffe that appears on a wall of the Sun Temple in Konak, India in the 13th century.
Giraffe meaning is also influenced by the fact that they were also associated with Unicorns, and some even thought them to be Kilin or Kirin. These are hoofed beasts similar to Unicorns. Kilin are considered important in Chinese culture as they represent the Divinity of a ruler or Emperor. They are also said to only appear during times of peace.
They are associated with especially wise and philosophical leaders. Thus the presence of a Divinely appointed Philosopher, King, or Queen was considered to be linked to the Kirin or Kilin and also therefore associated with Giraffe.
As in Celtic culture, some associate Giraffe with Unicorn when it comes to the cultural attributions of Unicorn in Japan. Namely, Unicorn is considered a Divinely inspired judge who can both bestow blessings upon the righteous and punish those who are malicious.
Are you being guided to embrace a period of stability or to step into the role of leadership as the wise mentor or guide who oversees a harmonious project? If you are working with Giraffe energy, you may be called upon to be a peacemaker or peacekeeper.
Giraffe can also remind us that all that is Divinely granted can also be suddenly taken away if we are not acting in accordance with our higher ideals and aspirations.
Giraffe Tattoo Meaning
What does a Giraffe symbolize as a tattoo?
The spiritual meaning of Giraffe may not have occurred to someone who decided to ink their body with an image of this unique animal. But the relevant spiritual symbolism still stands and the power of Giraffe is still inherent in that person’s subconscious.
Giraffe tattoos can signify good luck or prosperity, peace or harmony. A Giraffe tattoo may remind the wearer to keep their feet on the ground as they explore the divine realms above. The union of ethereal and material worlds can be conveyed through the symbol of a Giraffe tattoo.
Giraffe tattoos can show an Ancestral link to lands where Giraffe is prominent such as the African continent. A person who is nurturing, compassionate and gentle may also choose a Giraffe tattoo to embody their unique personality.
If you have a talent for rising above conflicts and keeping your head above water… far above water, actually, you may consider adorning your body with a reminder of Giraffe’s spiritual meaning by getting a Giraffe tattoo. If your devotion to love and family means you would search high and low for the ideal love you desire, Giraffe may also appeal to you.
A Giraffe tattoo will definitely set you apart from the crowd. It can be a reminder to look above and beyond the immediate moment and to tap into your psychic senses and not become limited in your perception.
As a symbolic ambassador for the exotic and for wildlife, a Giraffe tattoo can be a reminder of the need for attention to conservation and protection of wildlife. This may be immediately clear to those who reside in lands on the African continent where Giraffe is found, but can also be a more abstract reminder of the need for greater conservation efforts worldwide.
Giraffe Spiritual Meaning
Giraffe’s spiritual meaning transcends all cultures. Giraffe is the intermediary between the Heaven and Earth planes and also between the Earth and Air or Sky element.
Giraffe’s long neck also resembles the human spinal column, which is where the chakras are found. Thus, when we think of Giraffe’s spiritual meaning, we can just as easily be reminded of the importance of balancing and aligning the Chakras along the spinal cord.
Giraffe’s large stature and tendency to be gentle and peace loving makes Giraffe an ideal symbol of peace and harmony. Everyone can live together as one big happy family when we use our gifts and talents to work around obstacles rather than competing or creating scarcity. Giraffe and tales about this animal are reminders of the importance of collaborating and sharing.
Just as the Giraffe is said to have reached food from higher branches, leaving lower hanging fruit for those who need it, Giraffe can also be a symbolic reminder of the Pagan tenet “Fairly take and fairly give.”
Giraffe’s spiritual symbolism reminds us to live in harmony with other beings and to not intentionally bring harm through our actions. When we work with Giraffe, we are reminded of the need to be conscious of the impact our actions have on others, from our “carbon footprint” to whether or not we are walking through the world with grace or carelessness.
Giraffe is associated with perception, long range vision and therefore clairvoyance as well.
giraffe in the room meaning
- Prayer
- Flexibility
- Intuition
- Personal Growth
- Divine Connections
- Big Possibilities
- Vision & Foresight
- Gentleness
- Kindness
- Heightened Perspective & Awareness
The giraffe is a symbol of the heart and its ability to reach out and connect with people, animals, and the world around us. While the giraffe may seem like a tall order, it’s actually quite approachable—it just takes a little bit of courage to get up close and personal with it.
The giraffe represents the expansive nature of our love, which can spread far beyond our immediate surroundings and influence those around us in ways that are both subtle and profound.