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Crickets are considered positive omens in many countries.
By Samantha Maffucci — Written on Apr 21, 2022
Crickets are insects that have existed for roughly 200 million years! Distant relatives of the grasshopper, crickets belong to the family Gryllidae, and there are over 900 species around the world. Crickets live in all kinds of climates, including bushes, forests, beaches, caves, and more.
Although many people may not be so keen on learning about these insects due to their own fears, and the fact that it doubles as the name of a bat-and-ball game that involves teams of eleven players, crickets are pretty incredible.
Not only do they communicate to find a mate, but they "sing" by rubbing their wings together. They are also used as a food source in many countries. In fact, cricket symbolism holds these creatures in high esteem around the world!
Cricket Symbolism & Spiritual Meanings Of Crickets
Crickets symbolize focus, self-expression, intuition and sensitivity. Crickets are also signs of good luck, good fortune, wealth and abundance, and communication.
As it relates to good fortune, many believe that killing crickets brings bad luck. Additionally, the cricket's long antennas symbolize a connection to spirituality and spiritual enlightenment.
Cricket Encounters and Omens
Not only is encountering a cricket considered to be good luck, but it's a sign to take a leap of faith. When you encounter a cricket, pay attention — this can indicate that you will soon come into good news, particularly if you see crickets in the house.
Along with taking a leap of faith to be brave in your endeavors, crickets are a good omen that symbolize fertility, meaning you or someone around you may soon grow pregnant.
Encountering crickets is also a symbol of connecting to a higher spiritual consciousness, staying true to who you are, and being creative in how you reach your accomplishments.
What Different Color Crickets Symbolize
Crickets are usually brown, black, or light yellow-brown, though they do come in a variety of colors depending on the locations where they are found.
White Cricket Meaning
Known as an albino cricket, a white cricket symbolizes someone you love coming back into your life. Whether it's a family member or an ex, consider it a good sign.
Black Cricket Meaning
The color black symbolizes the unconscious mind and what is normally hidden from us. Knowing this, a black cricket is related to secret wisdom and knowledge, and trusting your intuition.
Green Cricket Meaning
A green cricket, which might closely resemble a grasshopper, is a sign of new opportunities and beginnings. A green cricket can indicate that you're now setting out on your own spiritual path.
Yellow Cricket Meaning
The symbolism of yellow crickets deals primarily with their meaning when you dream of them. To dream of a yellow cricket indicates that you have trust issues in the waking world, specifically as they relate to your relationship. It can also be a sign that you can find success in your endeavors.
Red Cricket Meaning
Another meaning related to dreaming, red crickets represent your tendency to overindulge in the waking world, and your inability to be consistent. Take this as a warning sign that you may be off-track in keeping a healthy lifestyle.
Cricket Symbolism in Dreams
Dream interpretations depend on both how you feel during your dream, and what the dream is about. If you have a cricket dream, pay close attention to what emotions the dream makes you feel.
Dreaming of hearing crickets
If you hear crickets chirping in your dream, it's a good sign that something you have done in your waking life is coming to fruition. It marks a new chapter in your life.
Dreaming of catching a cricket
A dream about catching a cricket relates directly to your intuition and inner wisdom. This dream means that you may soon be able to predict events that will happen, or have a strong intuition of what lies ahead.
Dreaming of crickets attacking you
If you dream of crickets attacking you, your current determination and motivation is seriously lacking. Consider this a sign that it's time to complete your tasks and goals.
Dreaming of a cricket crawling on you
Dreaming about a cricket crawling on your body means you've grown nervous or uneasy in the waking world. It could be a particular situation that's making you feel this way, but it's a nudge to address the issues that are making you anxious.
Dreaming of a cricket landing on you
When a cricket lands on you in your dream, it means you have anxieties about certain situations. Consider a dream of a cricket landing on you as a sign that you need to take a much-needed rest to de-stress.
Dreaming of a cricket jumping
A cricket jumping in your dream relates to your own indecision about something, and any fears you may have. However, this dream is positive, as it indicates that you will be able to overcome any challenges coming your way.
Dreaming of a big cricket
To dream of a large cricket pertains to issues you may be having in the workplace, and that you will resolve those problems. A large cricket can also be a sign that you will soon take a risk as it relates to your job.
Dreaming of a dead cricket
A dead cricket in your dream isn't a bad thing; in fact, it means you are headed in a new direction in life, all while acknowledging specific abilities and talents you have. This dream is a sign that you need to give yourself more credit and work to your full potential.
Cricket Spirit or Totem Animal
A spirit animal is a spirit guide meant to ensure that you stay on the right life path, all while teaching you lessons along the way. Similarly, a totem animal is a spirit guide as well, but is a guide you invoke when you need assistance.
Though you cannot choose your spirit animal, you'll know if a cricket is your spirit animal if you resonate with them in some way or have had a profound experience of some sort with one.
Those with a cricket spirit animal are known to welcome wealth and good fortune into their lives, and attract many positive things or events. These individuals are patient, calm, and work hard to achieve their goals; they are also creative problem-solvers, and are in-tune with their intuition.
But a cricket spirit animal is also a reminder to remain grounded in reality, especially as it relates to mental and spiritual well-being. Trust that you have the ability to accomplish your tasks, focusing on your connection to the spiritual realm to guide you.
A cricket totem is called upon when you are in need of support to help your dreams become a reality, and when you need clarity. Having a cricket totem means being creative, relying on your intuition to grow, and keeping you tuned into your mental and physical mind.
With a cricket totem, you are peaceful, creative and instinctual, but may act before thinking things through, resulting in regret. Remember to stay grounded and to not let your search for success harm others along the way.
Image: Evgeny Parushin / Shutterstock & Unsplash
Spiritual Meaning of Crickets in Christianity and the Bible
In Christianity, crickets are considered a sign of good luck and of connecting to a higher power. When a cricket appears in your dream, it's said that this is God communicating with you, telling you to seek out higher wisdom.
Though locusts are frequently mentioned in the Bible — over 20 times — locusts belong to the same order of insects as crickets.
Matthew 3:4 in the New Testament describes John the Baptist: "And the same John had his raiment / of camel's hair, and a leathern / girdle about his loins; and his / meat was locusts and wild honey." This was for the purpose of describing how unusual both his clothing and diet are.
Leviticus 11:22 also states that locusts and certain insects are allowed to be eaten: "Of them you may eat: the locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, and the grasshopper of any kind."
Meaning of Crickets in Literature
Crickets have appeared in literature to explain morals to children, as well as characters in timeless classics:
"The Very Quiet Cricket" by Eric Carle tells the story about a cricket who finds it difficult to speak up, eventually finding his voice.
Aesop's fable called "The Ant and the Cricket," where the cricket is sometimes replaced by a grasshopper, is a tale about a lazy cricket who ate, sang and slept all summer long while the ant gathered food. In the wintertime, as the cricket begged the ant for food, the ant told the cricket to dance the winter away, teaching a lesson that hard work is important, as is having a plan for the future.
The Talking Cricket is a character that appears in the 1883 book "The Adventures of Pinocchio." The Talking Cricket shows up to tell Pinocchio to stop causing mischief and says, "You are a puppet and what's worse is that you have a head of wood," to which Pinocchio throws a mallet at the cricket and kills him. He later shows up as a ghost. In the 1940 Disney film "Pinocchio," the character is renamed Jiminy Cricket and is portrayed as a voice of reason.
In Charles Dickens's "The Cricket on the Hearth," a cricket chirps on the hearth and ends up acting as a guardian angel for the family.
George Selden's "The Cricket in Times Square" tells of a mouse and cat who meet a hitchhiking cricket who hopped into a picnic basket and now finds himself in New York City, leading to friendship and many adventures.
Cricket Symbolism in Mythology and Folklore
Native American Cricket Symbolism
In Native American culture, crickets are seen as good fortune and luck, predictors of certain events, courage, and even bad luck. The cricket being able to jump is said to represent the power to "leap" over hardships.
While the Cheyenne People thought the crickets could predict the movement of buffalo herds, and the Cherokee portrayed crickets as being able to overcome any obstacle, some Western tribes associated this insect with bad luck if one is seen inside the home.
There are also folklore tales and legends that involve crickets.
"The Cricket and the Cougar"
One day, Cougar was walking in the forest, jumped on a log, and heard a tiny voice from the log.
Out popped Cricket, telling Cougar to step off the roof of his lodge, or the roof will break and the lodge will fall. Cougar replied, "Who are you to tell me what to do?" but stepped off the log, leaning into Cricket and saying, "In this forest, I am the chief of the animals!"
Cricket replied that he had a cousin who is braver than Cougar and would avenge him. Cougar didn't believe Cricket, and challenged him, saying.
"Let your cousin come to this place tomorrow, when the sun is high, and we will see who is the mightier. If your cousin does not prove himself to me, I will crush you and your entire lodge with my paw!"
The next day, Cougar came back to the log and called on Cricket to bring out his cousin. Out came Cricket's cousin, Mosquito, who buzzed in Cougar's ear. Mosquito bit Cougar's ear and drank his blood, causing Cougar to run around pawing at his ear, while Mosquito continued to bite him.
"Are you ready to leave my lodge alone?" Cricket asked Cougar, to which Cougar said he would, running off and never returning.
"Why the Opossum's Tail is Bare"
Opossum once had a gorgeous fluffy tale, and bragged about it to the other animals, who were sick of hearing about his tale. Rabbit, after losing his tail after Bear pulled it off, decided to teach Opossum a lesson.
Rabbit schemed that, because there was a forest dance coming up, he would send Cricket to Opossum's house to groom his tail, wrap a cloth around it, and shave it so it would be bald and ugly. Rabbit tricked Opossum, telling him everyone wanted his tail to look beautiful for the dance.
At the dance, the animals removed the cloth from Opossum's tail, but Opossum did not see what Cricket had done. As Opossum began to dance, the animals laughed, until the laughter grew so loud that Opossum turned to see his tail. Opossum fainted at the sight of his tail, and to this day, this is why their tails are pink and bare.
African Cricket Symbolism
In African folklore, crickets are bad luck if seen in a home, but are also considered symbols of wealth, power and strength. They are also a symbol of fertility, as male crickets choose "virgin" females and go to great lengths to mate.
Crickets were also thought to predict rain coming, as well as a new lover or relationship entering your life.
Brazilian Cricket Symbolism
In Brazil, crickets were associated with rain; when a cricket chirped, it was said that either rain was coming, or that you would soon find wealth. But depending on the location in Brazil, there are different meanings associated with crickets.
In the east in Alagoas, crickets were said to be indicators of death, and seeing one in your home would require killing it to prevent death.
Further down in the southeast, in Caraguatatuba, the color of crickets indicates certain events. For example, green crickets were seen as a symbol of hope, while black predicts illness, and gray means money.
Celtic Cricket Symbolism
In Celtic folklore and mythology, crickets were believed to be enchanted creatures, representing mystery and luck. The Celts never killed crickets because of this belief, and were thought to be very old creatures with ancient wisdom.
The Celts also believed that a cricket's chirps and singing would keep fairies away at night, leaving space on the hearth to drink milk. Crickets were also said to predict that summer was coming, due to the change in their chirps.
Far Eastern Cricket Symbolism
In Japanese culture, crickets were popular pets, and a mole cricket, specifically, was a symbol of fall. But crickets are much more prevalent in Chinese culture.
In China, when a cricket chirps, it's considered good luck. These insects are considered symbols of royalty, good omens for crop harvesting, good luck and fertility. Their chirps were compared to beautiful music, and even songs have been written using the chirping sounds.
In Chinese culture during the Tang Dynasty, crickets were kept in cages inside the home to hear them sing. They were also often given as gifts to represent success and familial happiness. Because crickets lay hundreds of eggs, they are equated with success and having a large family.
Crickets are also associated with farming, where farmers would determine when to plant their crops and harvest them depending on the cricket's appearance; when crickets would appear, it would be time to plant crops, and then they left, it would be time to harvest.
Additionally, the Chinese take part in cricket fighting, which dates back over 1,000 years!
European Cricket Symbolism
In some parts of Europe, crickets in the home were considered good luck, and to kill one would bring bad luck.
Other beliefs, particularly in Germany, said that because crickets tell of death, killing one would prevent death. Yet another belief said that if a cricket heard you wanted to kill it, other crickets would come to your home and eat your clothing.
Cricket Tattoo Meaning
Though crickets are small insects, they hold deep meaning for some people. Individuals may get this tattoo if they want to express a symbol of good luck (as a good luck charm of some sort), are insect-lovers, are enthralled by the sounds this creature makes, or are sensitive people.
Some may also get a cricket tattoo if they wish to associate it with Chinese culture, where crickets are symbols of strength, fertility, and good luck.
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Samantha Maffucci is an editor for YourTango who has written hundreds of articles about relationships, trending news and entertainment, numerology and astrology. Follow her on Twitter for more.