By Ina Woolcott
Swan’s Wisdom Includes awakening the power of self, balance, grace, inner beauty, innocence, self-esteem, understanding dream symbols, seeing into the future, understanding spiritual, evolution, developing intuitive abilities, divination, grace in dealing with others and commitment.
Swan represents grace and beauty on many levels. It is associated with love, poetry and music. The swan was sacred to Venus, the love goddess in Roman mythology. The swan was often pictured singing to a lyre in Greek tradition. In Celtic tradition the Swan represents the Soul, our eternal essence.
The Swan is one of the most ancient and powerful power animals. The Irish bards were both poets and musicians, and wore cloaks made with swan feathers. Also in the Irish tale about the Children of Lir, who were turned into swans and sang so sweetly that all who heard them were put at ease and slept peacefully. These 2 examples along with other Celtic legends of the humans shape shifting into swans highlights the deepest meaning of Swan medicine.
The Ugly Duckling is a widely known children story, about an apparently ugly little duckling, who doesn’t look like the others and is rejected and labelled a misfit, different. In the end all are surprised when he grows into being the most elegant of birds, the swan. This highlights the deceptive nature of first appearances and also reminds us that true beauty grows from within. The Swan teaches us that we all have inner grace and beauty, and this teaches us self-esteem. As we begin to realise our own true beauty, we reveal the ability to bridge new realms and new powers.
Swan will show one how to firmly rely on the beauty of ones being as it works in the physical and spiritual planes. One will be impelled to happy and grateful of and for the physical body and our intuitive mind.
Grace doesn’t mean only the ability to live a balanced life, it is also being able to be at home in many planes of reality, to see that we are more than we appear to be – we are both physical and spiritual beings. We are souls having a human experience.
Not only does the swan reveal to you your own inner beauty, but also that of others. A Swans graceful entering into your life signals a time of altered states of awareness and the development of intuitive abilities, for those with this medicine have the inherent ability to see the future, and to accept the healing and change that is starting in their lives. Accept this and it will help you go with the flow. Listen to your inner knowledge and intuitions and Swan will work through you. The Swan’s voice teaches the mysteries of song and poetry, for these touch our inner child and also our inner beauty.
Swan gracefully glide through the water leaving hardly a ripple behind. Their natural, effortless beauty reminds us to move gently through the currents of life and not fight against them. Swans do not dive into the water like other birds when feeding. Rather, they skim the water dipping their long necks and heads in and out. Water is linked with the feminine intuition and emotion. By following swans example we learn how to view our emotions without getting trapped by them. Our intuition helps us comprehend our feelings and the swan helps us process them.
Swans mate for life. When choosing a mate mutual bill dipping or head-to-head posturing are involved. They are dedicated partners. Us humans often make commitments we can’t keep. By following swans lead we will begin to respect what we have chosen and to follow things through. Honouring our commitments increase personal integrity.
Swans are VERY fast fliers, they fly in V formations at great heights during migration. Their wings beat slowly but steadily, lending them the endurance required reach their destination without tiring. If this is your power animal you have the same ability and should apply the swans movements when pursuing something. The large wings of the swan in the sky gather and store knowledge from Great Spirit. Their white plumage reminds us of the dazzling beauty and innocence found in the purity of Great Spirit, and their long graceful necks act as a bridge between the ordinary and the extra-ordinary. This bridge holds the wisdom for spiritual realisation.
This is beautiful! Swan appeared in a recent vision and I did not find any ‘satisfying’ description of Swan as a power animal or what message they may bring. Thank you for this perfectly timed post.
♡
Thank-you, i have just had a magical weekend with lots of animals, insects presenting themselves, and on the last day I saw three swans in a lake of water, and on the bank there was in a line three white feathers, and it felt truly potent and meaningful, with a message or confirmation from spirit, that is why i am looking up swans and meaning, this is such a well rounded passage of writing, that deeply speaks to me. many blessing xx
I was on a train journey and saw a field of swans early morning yesterday…never seen so many in one place…magical! Great to understand more about them…thank you!
Please help me understand.. I just saw two white swans fighting. One was on top of the other, biting the neck of the one on the bottom. They crossed the streets this way and two men had to separate them. What could that mean? Because usually when I see those wonderful animals, they seem so very peaceful en represent such beauty..
the swans fighting on. the street could represent the fight between your spiritual and physical grace/ beauty desires over beauty is more important in the eyes of soicety. the men pulling the animals apart are the men you are trying to please. the fact that they are trying to calm the swans shows a equal desire to find a women with inner and outer beauty. let the spirit of the swan be an example and try to open up your heart and let love and happiness pour in. because in the words of marilyn monroe “the happiest girls are the prettiest girls.”
I had an insight on this! I get a sense that the swans represent your masculine and feminine, and so them fighting with each other, especially the biting on the neck, is symbolic of feeling suffocated in your expression in a relationship, since neck is throat chakra, and voice related. I got a sense you may feel as though you are not free to express yourself in your relationship(s). Two swans together with bended necks formed into a heart, symbolise connection, unity in love, fighting swans would represent a lack of harmony in your love life. I feel the men in your dream are symbolic of your own masculine energy which may be sending you a message to take action and honour your voice and your emotions.. as they are leading you to your true reflection of Self. xx
This for this its beautiful
in the last five days three occasions swans as symbols have popped up in my physical space, so I decided to see what this synchronisation may mean
I was crying in my car looked up and seen a swan on the roundabout, the name of the school I was sitting outside of began with swan, last night I lit a white candel and the top of the wick look a swans head bent inwards and the white wax looked like the body
I only realised the three synchronisations last night while meditating my mind went back to the roundabout and the school wow! Spirit shows up sending us signs and symbols all the time
Deep gratitude x
This is really beautiful. When we are present we see messages in our daily life that we would otherwise miss. My father is dying, and I was driving home and close to my car, two beautiful swans were flying together low, and I knew in that moment, that his spirit would always be with us, and he was only leaving the physical plane. Thank you for sharing your lovely story. It is these simple, beautiful moments that stay with us for the rest of our lives, this is their preciousness. These simple synchronicities form to guide us along our ultimate path to realisation of the inter connectedness of everything. Kindest regards, Suze Wilderstien.
Thank you for this information. I have been searching for Native American folklore, myth, and legends on the swan. I am a new healer and I have been told twice now by a master healer that I am a swan and to do some more research on the swan. She told me that I have all the tools I need now all I have to do is dance. Happy make the connection with my spirit animal.
My mother had dreams of a Swan speaking to her something about “I call you mother,I will teach you much. But I tell the truth, you are the child & I the adult. For I am the ancient swan.” she had this dream many times in the months before her death. Does anyone know if those words come from something.~Any help is appreciated, as I am stuck in grief from losing her.
Hello Penny. My Condolences on your Mothers passing. I don’t know where those words come from historically, but to understand the meaning of the dream you have to know what the swan meant to your Mother. Dreams are a subconscious reaction to how we truly feel about what is happening in our lives. I did some checking into the Swan and this may be appropriate for your Mother. From the website – http://www.signology.org/bird-symbol/swan-symbol.htm “The bird is generally thought to be a symbol of freedom. They can walk on the earth and swim in the sea as humans do but they also have the ability to soar into the sky. Birds are free to roam to earth and the sky. Many cultures believe that they are a symbol of eternal life; the link between heaven and earth.” I hope this helps.
In regards to your grief and since we are talking about swan there is a homeopathic remedy made from swan used for very deep states of grief and sorrow when the pain doesn’t seem to subside with passing time as if no time had elapsed and it is a very powerful remedy. Other main homeopathic remedies used to help with grief are ignatia and natrum muriaticum among others. best wishes.
Hello Vera, I recently discovered the remedy, Cignus Cignus.
After taking many doses of Nat Mur and Ignatia, to no avail, I came to the decision I am a watery weepy woman.
After a kinesiology session, the archetype of the ugly duckling emerged, and it lead me to see myself as a swan, and then I found the remedy.
I find it to be a gentle remedy, and it feels to be helping me shed old grief and a lot of throat symptoms.
I’m interested if anyone else has had an experience of the homeopathic swan remedy.
?
Jeanie
Hello Penny, I am sorry for your loss. The only thing I can say is during my awakening, I have felt like a child or novice many times, and the feeling has been good as I have felt protected and supported as by a parent. I am happy to accept that protection is always there. Have a look at Lorna Byrnes books, you may find her work helpful.
I wish you healing.
This is beautiful many pieces have now fallen into place. I felt compelled to leave a comment. This page has brought me much peace. My brother is suffering with depression. He lives all the way in the USA. (I live in the UK). So I performed a long distance healing/absentee healing (I am a Reiki Master) on him. One of the visions that came out of this healing was me presenting my brother with a tiny adult swan inside a bubble of air (his element). I said: “Look after it. Nurture it and it will guide you and stand by your side. It has long been a part of you, awaiting you. Let it become to you what my wolf is to me. A part of my very being.”
The wolf is my main spirit animal (I have others but he is the main one). I only hope that this has made a tiny, tiny difference to his being. Thank you.
… and your comments have made a difference for me, thank you
I just saw an old white swan limping up the hill to the farm barn I live in. It’s a transitional time where I’m living. Me and my farm partner have seperated and are living in different areas of the barn house and today this transition has completed. It was a been a heart breaking week , I am 30 years old and have decided to seperate myself from who could have been my life partner. I made this choice for a few of what I thought were good reasons but to have awakened to a reality of seperation and to the idea of him with another , has completely affected me in ways I’d never seen coming. Perhaps it’s because he’s met someone else already and I pretty much instigated this to happen. The old white swan limping up the hill symbolizes, to me, the stubborn part of my being that still holds on and can’t let go of him as my partner , and to make matters worse as he met someone else, my life was unfolding the realization of my unavailability to other men.. The swan was upset actually , it quacked at jack as he tried to throw it bread, I really saw that as the swans way of saying , leave me alone, this is all the aged and beat up side to my heart, I’ve put myself through quite a bit already when it comes to relationships and here what I thought was a goose, comes to almost poke once more, silly little goose , you’re in quite the predicament now aren’t you
Darcy, such a sad post, I’m sorry you had that challenging time. I’m reading it in 2021, and sincerely hope that time has helped you get through that (old) pain. X
Hi there, Yesterday I was swimming in a river and there was a nearby swan. I was hoping it would just swim by but my friend told me to be careful. As it got closer, it started coming near me and felt like a predator a little. I had to rush out of the water and my friend thinks the swam would have attacked me. What could this mean, as its a symbol for inner beauty but I felt a primal and attacking spirit…
Thanks, Meg
this is a most beautiful description of swan and I am very grateful to have been guided here…I recently had a shamanic reiki session and swan came to me and asked to be my spirit guide and I said YES…my practitioner knew nothing of Swan Medicine and she simply facilitated the session and gifted me the knowing that Swan wanted to be my guide…SO MUCH resonated and it continues to flow wisdom and understanding…. SO very grateful for this well written comprehensive description
Thank you
Thank you
Sending Appreciation your way,
Blessings
Kristine
I had a distressing experience this weekend when a black swan flew into the path of my car and was killed. It was night and I couldn’t avoid the event despite braking hard. What are your thoughts on this.? We buried the it overlooking farmland on a hill Michele
Thank you to whomever wrote this. Was feeling extremely low today and a beautiful white swan flew directly in front of my car whilst drving home
Reading this has made me feel so much better- and it also makes a real sense for where I am in my life right now
One other point: as a job I’m trained as a Chemist
I had a dream that i was in a small boat, I was hugging a swan under a tarpaulin. I spoke to someone and showed them the swan and her signets, it was a big swan, almost as big as me and i looked into her orange eyes and felt so much love for this bird. Can anyone help me understand what this means plz?
Could someone help…I dreamt I was on a train with my boyfriend and daughter a black swan appeared on the seat in front of them and started nibbling their ears, it was friendly but I was anxious it would hurt them
I had a dream I was walking along a path on top of a cliff with my mum and sisters. Out at sea an explosion happened. I said it is a re-enactment of a battle, as it looked like there was aeroplanes flying above the explosion. The planes looked like they were getting closer, only they were 12 white swans flying towards us in a panic. Someone said “they are jean’s swans”. We weren’t scared by them, as we knew they must have been scared by the explosion, but we quickly moved out of their way. I have been have many strange dreams lately, but would really like to know the meaning of this one.
Please can someone help?
It was Early in the morning I would say 2 or 3 am.. I was outside.. I happened to look in the sky an I seen 2 big white birds floating in da sky.. It was weird but breath taking.. I can’t put my fingers on what type of birds those was.. I don’t think we have swans in denver Co
I dreamt of two white swans perched in a tree off the highway. There was a white mist outlining their bodies. People passing in cars were pointing up to them. They were using their beaks to point up to the sky. Another on flew over me. I wish I knew what this meant. Please tell me what your thoughts are about this dream. In my dream a friend told me someone was contacting me.
Can someone please explain to me, I big white swan flew completely over me while i was crossing a bridge. it was somewhat significant..
What I got from that.. was that you have recently reached a new bridge in your life.. a kind of.. elevation of awareness, which means you are leaving your old connections behind.. I feel the swan was a message about going with the flow as you rise to new heights of consciousness..
that love awaits you.. <3
For those who the swan comes to after someone has died or is close to dying look up the meaning of Swan Song
This site was awesome to read . Wish everyone the BEST THAT LIFE HAS TO OFFER .
Recently I faced very difficult situations to tackle in my academic life in terms of financial inability. I have been very stressed for a month looking for solutions, but deep down inside I was also preparing myself to give up and go back to my home town country. Good news is I did manage to face my problems and solve it to some extent. During my stressful times I refused to speak to my parents through phone calls, as I am studying abroad.I didn’t want to speak to them about my problems and make them worry about me. Prior to facing this financial issue I met a lovely boy with whom I was very happy and felt my life is balanced and in control. During the month of my stress I started avoiding him as I didn’t want to share which I felt would expose my weakness. I knew I will slowly start losing him from my life as I predicted he would have no other choice but to move on. I also had strong suicidal thoughts and felt like I cannot move on with life and I must die to be released from this world and find freedom. In between all these events I saw a dream where I remember to seeing my parents..we were in a car and probably going for a road trip or a short visit somewhere..I remember being seated on the passenger seat infront..while my parents where sseated behind. Next thing I remember seeing a swan inside the car calmly being seated on the floor mat of the car where I was seated. It turned its neck around and I remember patting it or just feeling very surprised with a pleasant feeling. I have NEVER seen a swan in my dreams which till today is making me wonder about the significance of the swan’s appearance in my dreams. Would love to hear from someone which would bring peace to my heart.
My father passed recently and the day after we went to our favourite family park. A lone swan came out of the lake and sat down right beside us, staring at us for what seemed like ages. When it finally stood up it opened its wings out – looking exactly like an angel and then waddled back to the lake.
I’ve just been back to the park and two swans approached me simultaneously , standing either side of me and very close to me with their 7 goslings directly in front of me. Again the adult swans stared at me for quite a while before moving away. Such a privilege and so amazing. The comments and knowledge on this site have helped me greatly – thank you.
I just came in from a nigth walk with my dog. When we was in the park all of the sudden I see a big white swan flying over us ? it was beutyfull. And I was a bit scared I don’t like nigth walks but my dog needs too go. But woow it was so beutyfull I had too take a deep breath I was almost calm and filled with happiness after that
I came to this page because the number of swans appearing around me is staggering. I just divorced my wife of 16 years and since there must be 60 swans in the fields and waters around my house, where usually there are just a few. Theye come into my garden and some almost eat from my hand… they come very close and I’m sure come springtime they will know and trust me.
Your explanation completely fits the bill. It is exactly what I’m going through. Thanks.
I saw the most beautiful Swan in the clouds glorious and was wondering of another explanation other than the totem lovers symbol even though I understand the totem reading and except I feel it meant a little more
Swans have been in my life since I was a child. I grew up in a town that keeps families of swans (sort of as a mascot) on the river that runs through town. Since I’ve re-membered and returned to my spiritual path, they have come back into my heart through paintings (one surprisingly by me) and just an over-all love, admiration and respect for them. There’s a feeling that I’m being embraced by their soft, downy, broad wings.
Thank you for this post. I love it!
I haven’t seen live Swans here in Louisiana, but in a dream after purchasing a wooden Swan sleigh decoration that was faded in color and golden accents on and around some feathers. I feel in love with her as soon as I seen her and my immediate thought was “I can and will return you to your glorious beauty , you will not fade again. You lift my heart and soul as you are.” After that , they have been EVERY WHERE. For instance, my 5yr old granddaughter picked out nail polish for my birthday, there was a Swan insignia on the top, a friend gave me a beautiful crystal Swan as home warming gift, said she seen it and thought of me and knew it had to be mine, a page in my 8yr old granddaughter s coloring book had a Swan’s on a lake, she said they reminded her of me. (That one made me cry from the heart) Are these the same as seeing real Swans in nature ???
What does it mean when a swan is injured or dying? I saw and communed with a swan today, who was injured and flies were all over its tailfeather. It sat for a few minutes in front of me, then, struggled to stand and hobbled on a worn path that led to water (location around a small swampy body of water). I wish I could have done something, but all I could go was watch over it and assure it that I meant no harm.
This is such a lovely thread🦢