SPIRIT ANIMALS: IS THE RABBIT YOUR ANIMAL GUIDE?

Jump To: Rabbits as a Guide | In Folklore | In Our Dreams | Symbolism 

It is extremely important to approach the concept of spirit animals, spirit guides, totem animals, and animal guides with respect for the culture from which they originate. Many indigenous cultures around the world have traditions rooted in the belief of spirit animals. They believe that a person is shown their spirit animal as a guide to aid them on their spiritual journey. And that their spirit animal reveals itself when it's most needed. These animal guides may show up in dreams, meditations, through art, or even sometimes in the form of a pet. The important thing to remember is to approach this concept with high reverence and to allow your animal guide to freely come into your life however they want to show up. 

We’ve all heard the saying, “F%$# like rabbits.” And there’s a reason for that. Rabbits are known for their breeding habits. In fact, wanna hear a mind blowing fact? A momma rabbit and her female descendants can produce 184,597,433,860 rabbits in seven years. Let me repeat that while you pick up your jaw off the floor. A momma rabbit and her female descendants can produce  184,597,433,860 rabbits in seven years.

That’s because rabbits are induced ovulators, mother rabbits can be impregnated again within minutes of giving birth. And their gestation lasts 28-31 days. So basically as soon as they give birth, they can get pregnant again within minutes. And most of them do. A rabbit can start giving birth at six months. They live for about seven years, and they have 5-8 kits (baby rabbits) multiply that number by 12 months for seven years. And don’t forget to do the math for all the kits that the first mamma rabbit has! Warning! Public service announcement! Don’t forget to spay and neuter your pet bunnies. We don’t want all the baby bunnies not having homes! 

So it’s no wonder that the rabbit spiritually represents abundance and fertility. If you find yourself being surrounded by rabbits, or they’re showing up in your dreams, perhaps they are trying to show you the potential for growth and expansion in your career and relationships. And the opportunity to be creative and productive in your personal development. Fertility doesn’t just pertain to birthing babies, it also means birthing ideas, projects, and a new self. So pay attention to all the areas in your life where you find yourself prepared for growth. Perhaps the rabbit spirit animal is gently nudging you?

Rabbits are also known for their ability to outsmart their predators with their incredible speed and agility. When being chased, they will run in zig zags and often change direction in attempts to confuse their pursuer. If the rabbit spirit animal appears as your spirit guide, it could be telling you to be quick on your feet and adapt to change, helping you navigate through challenges with agility and grace. 

Call in the rabbit if you’re feeling unsure and fearful. Rabbits have a keen sense of awareness and are always on high alert for potential dangers in their environment. They have large ears that are always searching for sounds and threats headed their way. Their hind legs allow them to quickly jump away from dangerous situations and their eyes located on the side of their head, gives them a wide panoramic view of anything surrounding them. 

Rabbits remind us to pay attention to our surroundings, listen for anything that may not sound or feel right and then trust our intuitions to quickly remove ourselves from any potential threats or obstacles. Be like the rabbit and rely on your instincts and gut feelings and stay sensitive to the energies and emotions around you. Stay quick on your feet and in your thinking to help keep you flexible in navigating difficult situations. The rabbit spirit animal is there to remind you.

Rabbits are often seen as timid creatures because of their vulnerability, but when necessary, they will display extreme fearlessness in moments like defending their territory or offspring. If you relate to the rabbit, they could be encouraging you to confront your fears and be courageous enough to assert yourself. Embrace your vulnerabilities and find strength in them. The rabbit spirit animal will help you learn from your weaknesses and grow stronger and more resilient. 

The rabbit’s playful nature is a gentle nudge to find the joys in life’s simplicities and to remember to make time for play. They are often depicted in stories as tricksters, outwitting their opponent. Lean into the light hearted aspects of rabbit when you feel like challenging conventions and questioning authority. Rabbit energy will help you think outside the box and go against the norm. 

Rabbits are one of the Earth’s most abundant creatures and are highly adaptable, living on every continent except for Antarctica. Their extreme resourcefulness and ability to navigate various environments and situations reminds us to be flexible and resilient and embrace change with grace, knowing that on the other side is an opportunity for growth and personal transformation. 

Rabbits are also often associated with the moon. The lunar waxing and waning symbolizes the ebbs and flows of our lives and reminds us that the only thing that is constant is change. 

Hold on to your SpiritHood faux fur bunny key chain to call in the power of the rabbit spirit animal.

The symbolism of the rabbit as your totem animal guide may vary based on your own individual beliefs, culture and experiences. If you feel a strong connection to them or they are often showing up in your waking life, meditations, or dreams, it may be a sign that the rabbit spirit animal is serving as your guide on your spiritual journey. It is important to let your intuition guide you into understanding how rabbits may fit in your life and help you. 

If the rabbit is your totem animal, you are most likely gentle, nurturing and have a deep connection to creativity and fertility. Rabbits are extremely gentle creatures and if you connect with them, you are most likely gentle in nature, caring, and supportive. 

You may also feel a deep connection to the earth and all of life’s cycles and do well in fields where you are taking care of the planet or helping others grow and flourish. You may be sociable and enjoy people, but have a strong desire for your own space and privacy, just like the rabbit retreats to its own burrow in solitude where it can recharge and feel safe. 

In European folklore, rabbits were associated with witches, and were widely known as their familiars. Witches were believed to shape shift into a rabbit or hare to escape situations, steal from gardens at night, or help with magical endeavors. Rabbits also have close lunar connections as witches were believed to gather or conduct rituals beneath a full moon, sometimes using rabbit parts or imagery in their spells and potions associated with protection, luck and fertility.

The people of Hermopolis in Ancient Egypt, worshiped Unut, the goddess of fertility and a symbol for rebirth and renewal. Unut had the body of a woman and the head of a hare. 

Chinese mythology tells stories of a rabbit who lived on the moon (known as the Jade or Moon Rabbit). This rabbit was a close companion of Chang'e, the Chinese moon goddess. According to old legend, Chang’e ascended to the moon after consuming an elixir of immortality. She became a symbol for longing, sadness, and beauty. And to this day, people still say they can see Jade the rabbit during a full moon making her potions of immortality with her pestle and mortar. 

In Ancient Greek mythology, Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, wilderness, childbirth, and virginity is often depicted with hares (which are closely related to rabbits) due to their association with fertility and abundance. The ancient Greeks believed that rabbits could reproduce as virgins. This belief carried through to Medieval times, when the rabbit became associated with the Virgin Mary. 

Images of Rabbits were carved on the tombs of Ancient Greeks and Romans, symbolizing the transformative cycle of life, death, and rebirth.  

During the Medieval Period, painters would depict rabbits in paintings with the Virgin Mary as a way to illustrate her virginity. And soon stories of rabbits and Virgin Mary were being told, making the rabbit synonymous with virginity, purity, and fertility. 

In Paganism, rabbits are also associated with the moon and are believed to possess magical powers. The rabbit's ability to burrow into the earth symbolizes its connection to the spiritual world. Their burrows are seen as the gateways into the underworld with stories of rabbits being mediators between life and death and helping to guide souls through darkness and into light.

In Germanic and Anglo-Saxon Mythology, Ostara (also known as Eostre) was the goddess of dawn, spring, and renewal. She is often depicted with hares and is a symbol of fertility and new beginnings. Easter has its roots in the celebration of the festival of Ostara/Eostre which takes place at the vernal equinox, which marks the start of Spring. 

Christianity began associating the rabbit with Easter because rabbits climb out of their burrows in Spring, just like Jesus resurrected from his tomb.

In Native American legends, the Cherokee tribe tell stories of Jistu the rabbit, a trickster who would often find themselves in mischief but was able to deceive and escape danger by using his quick wit and charm. The Menominee tribe tells a tale of a rabbit shaping the Earth, by using its great force when jumping. 

In both Indigenous cultures and Buddhism, there are tales of a rabbit sacrificing itself for food to a hungry traveler. The hungry traveler was the Old Man in the Moon who decided to visit Earth and disguised himself as a beggar. He came across a fox, a monkey, and a rabbit. He asked them all for food. The monkey jumped up on a tree and brought the beggar some fruit, the fox went into a stream and caught the beggar some fish, but the rabbit only had grass to offer. The rabbit asked the beggar to build a fire. Once the fire was started, the rabbit jumped into it, sacrificing himself for the poor hungry beggar to eat. The beggar quickly turned back into the Old Man in the Moon and pulled the rabbit from the fire. He declared that the rabbit was the kindest of them all and took him back to the moon to live with him. Today many people who hear of these tales say that they can see the rabbit in the full moon. 

In later folklore and more modern day storytelling, rabbits are often portrayed as tricksters and fun loving joyful characters, such as  The Easter Bunny,  Bugs Bunny,  Thumper,  Peter Rabbit,  White Rabbit,  Roger Rabbit, and the Velveteen Rabbit. 

Today, the rabbit is often seen as a  sex symbol. Hugh Hefner developed the concept of the Playboy Bunny as a marketing strategy to promote Playboy magazine and his brand with women wearing strapless corsets, bunny ears, a fluffy tail and a bow tie. And every Halloween, millions of girls rush to put together their “bunny” costumes. And who can forget  Lola Bunny from Space Jam? She was the original sexy, cool, athletic girlfriend of Bugs Bunny, and further cemented the idea of rabbits being associated with sex, fertility, and cuteness. 

It goes without saying that dreams are extremely personal. So your interpretation of something in your dream may be very different from how someone else would interpret it. How did the dream make you feel? Were you excited? Afraid? Anxious? Our emotions will always guide us into understanding the messages that were trying to reveal themselves in our subconscious.

Once you understand the emotions that you are feeling from your dream, you can apply the different meanings that rabbits have so that you can understand how they apply to your life and situation. And how the rabbit spirit animal may be trying to show you something. And not everyone may feel exactly the same way about rabbits, so remember to really reflect on your personal feelings about rabbits. That's all that matters. 

Dreaming about rabbits may suggest the desire for play or the need to connect with your childlike innocence. In some cultures, rabbits are seen as an omen for good luck. Dreaming of them may signify that good fortune is heading your way. Rabbits are quick and nimble and able to outsmart their predators, dreaming of rabbits could be a nudge for you to stay agile and think outside the box to find solutions to whatever problem you may be experiencing. Rabbits also symbolize abundance and fertility, dreaming of them may be a sign that you are heading into a fruitful period of personal growth. 

• Good luck
• Abundance 
• Hope
• Fertility
• New beginnings
• Change
• Gentleness
• Sensitivity
• Playfulness
• Curiosity

1. Latin Name:  Oryctolagus cuniculus
2. Size:  The average size measures around 8 to 20 inches in length.  
3. Weight: The average weight is  2 to 10 pounds. 
4. Ave Life Span:  On average, wild rabbits typically live between 1 to 3 years. And domesticated rabbits live between 8-12 years.
5. Special Ability: They are capable of sprinting at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour in short bursts, which helps them evade predators in the wild.
6. Estimated Population:  Rabbits are one of the most successful and adaptable mammal species, with thriving populations in diverse habitats worldwide.
7. Endangered Status: Least concern.

(SCALE: Least Concern→ Near Threatened→ Vulnerable→ Endangered→ Critically Endangered→ Extinct in the Wild→ Extinct)

• Rabbits will run in zigzag formations when being chased to confuse, rather than outrun their predators.
• They produce two types of droppings. One is a hard pellet made of feces, and the other is undigested material. Rabbits will re-ingest these droppings for the nutrients and to further digest the material.
• They have a keen sense of hearing. Their large, highly sensitive ears can rotate independently to detect sounds from all directions, helping them detect potential predators approaching from a distance. 
• Additionally, rabbits use their ears to communicate with each other through a variety of vocalizations and body language, such as thumping their hind legs to warn others of potential threats.
• They aren't indigenous to Australia, but were introduced there in the 18th Century. 
• There are at least 305 breeds of domestic rabbits and 29 wild rabbit species in 70 countries around the world.

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