Possum or Opossum – Spirit Animal, Symbolism and Meaning

Possums or opossums are small mammals that inhabit major areas of our planet. We can find them in mostly in the Western hemisphere and people are very familiar with possums since they often visit our gardens and lawns.

Possum’s symbolism is not very positive and they are mostly seen as pests in real life.

People transferred the way they saw possums right into his symbolism so we now have a pretty negative idea about these small creatures.

Possum or opossum traits and characteristics

Mischief – Possums or opossums often cause more damage than good. They enjoy going into our gardens and destroying our plants and vegetables. They do it to survive but there is nothing more annoying than seeing fruits of your labor destroyed by a pest.

Resourceful – Possums get by easily and they can find food even in the toughest environments. When they can’t find food in the nature they won’t be afraid to step into the human area to get some food.

Cunning – Possums are well-known for one of their tricks. These small animals roll over and play dead when predators are near. This ways they trick other, larger animals, that they are dead and then attack them or avoid them after they give up on the hunt. This trick helps opossums to survive in often dangerous habitats.

Now that we know a bit more about possums let us dig into the symbolism of this small mammal.

Possum or opossum as a totem

Possums or opossums as totems carry a very negative symbolism. They are symbols of fear, death, hiding, lies and secrets. But, negative symbols are not everything that represents opossums. These people are also very determined and strong-willed and they born to be great leaders.

People born under this totem or protected by it carry a strong dark aura with them. They enjoy everything that is mystical and forbidden. These people are always afraid of something or someone and trusting other people is not their thing.

They are in love with mysticism and everything this entails. Because of this, it is hard for them to find people with mutual interests to share ideas with. They love spending time alone with their thoughts and plans. They are dreamers and introverts who are at their best when they are alone.

Possum people love working on jobs that require high concentration and solitude. Jobs like accountants and office workers won’t be hard or boring for them, since they love being alone with their work. They also enjoy exploring human psychology and understanding the way our minds work. Big number of these people are psychologists or psychiatrists, but others are also magicians and spiritualists.

In general, possum symbolism brings a bit of a dark aura around anyone who is protected by this animal. Death is something that follows this totem as well as lies and secrets. People born under this totem tend to hide their lives from other people and it takes a lot of time to get to know them.

They are very sensitive people who don’t like intruders and people who are overtly sociable. When they come in contact with such a person, possum people can become very cold and to others they look arrogant.

You can take this kind of behavior the way you want to, but they are straight forward about the way they are. They only lie to protect themselves from other people’s nosey behavior. They love keeping everything for themselves because this way they feel the most comfortable. You can’t expect from them to hang out at parties and enjoy small talk when this is something they don’t enjoy at all.

Possum people are great leaders and their ability to make decisions is responsible for that. They take their time and plan everything in solitude and then execute it. This helps them make rational decisions for themselves and for others.

Possum people best get along with their own kind. With people who enjoy intellectual talk and exchange of ideas. The darker your mind is the more appealing you will be to the possum person. If they see your whole personality all at once, then they will probably get bored with you very fast.

Overall, possum totem brings a dark and to some even negative energy but if this is your spirit animal then you are a very unique person. You have your own way of seeing the world that might be different from other people, but it doesn’t mean it is wrong.

Possum or opossum as a symbol in a dream

Our dreams can sometimes show us something we haven’t been aware of. They are channels that lead us to distant areas of our mind that we might have forgotten about. Dreams about possums, like any other dreams, can have different meanings. These meanings depend on the other symbols inside our dream and the overall situation we have dreamed about.

If you saw a possum in your dream, then this dream is a symbol of a friend who is not loyal to you. This person could be hiding something from you or planning something to hurt you. Be careful with your secrets and stay away from suspicious people.

If possum in your dream was digging a hole, then this dream is a bad sign. Someone from your family could get really ill or even die. This dream can also be interpreted as a warning sign that warns you about your own health.

Dream about a dead possum is a positive sign that represents a fruitful period that is ahead of you. Everything you start at this period is going to be successful. This means financial stability will finally be reached and you won’t have to worry about it anymore.

If possum in your dream was attacking you, then you should be on the lookout because someone on your work place is envious of you. This person will try everything to make you fail. Your recent success probably agitated certain people and now they are out to get you.

If possum in your dream was with its young, then this dream warns you about your family. Maybe one of your family members or children has gotten into some trouble recently and you don’t know how to help them. Be there for them and keep an eye on them until they find a solution for their problems.

Possum or opossum as a symbol in different cultures

Like I mentioned earlier, possums or opossums are mostly seen by people as pests. Their symbolism mostly depended on the way people saw them through history. Since they were never the “helping” kind of animal, people categorized them as negative symbols.

In Native American culture, possums were seen as tricksters who play dead in order to escape predator attacks. This clever technique caught ancient people’s eye and they immediately associated this animal with trickster characteristic. This trick was used by Native American hunters as well, and they looked up to possums as their teachers and masters.

In Mexico, pregnant women used to wear possum tails with them. This supposedly helped them with childbirth and protected the baby after it was born.

In Australian Astrology, January is the Opossum month. People born under the opossum sign are very strong-willed and determined to succeed. They always have a back-up plan for everything in life and nothing can surprise them. It is hard for them to find a matching partner because they have a very high standard.

Their partners and friends need to be on the same intellectual level as them in order to caught possum people’s attention and keep it.

Possums or opossums in general are seen as mischievous animals that carry a strong symbolism with them. They were often symbols for negativity but there are instances in which people considered them to be very intelligent and cunning.

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