Symbolism of Icicle Meanings
For me, everything casts a glimmer of symbolic meaning, and icicles are no different. When I see them hanging off my house, in my dreams or visions I get very distinct and symbolic impressions. These impressions reveal deeper meaning and allow me to form a symbolic narrative – a story that expresses meaning through metaphor.
Some of these impressions are quite personal. For example, years ago, I served as a ‘big sister’ to Margaret, a little sprite of a girl who had trouble pronouncing the word ‘icicle.’ Every time she said the word it came out sounding like ‘ice-giggle.’ How endearing! To this day, I call them ice-giggles because icicles convey a kind of crystal-joy for me, and remind me of Margaret and her cheerful nature.
In esoteric symbolism, icicles share common symbolic threads with water. Water is esoterically symbolic of emotion, intuition, fluidity and moving in sync with the currents of life.
In a frozen state, water takes on a stoic or suspended personality. This prompts me to consider icicles as a message of stepping back from potentially torrential emotions. In other words, icicles are a reminder to be still, and channel our emotional floodgates into a more manageable flow.
Consider your own emotional status. Instead of stewing in a pool of emotional chaos, icicles convey a need to slow down, cool off, hang out, and reduce emotional flooding down to a more manageable drip-drop pace.
Speaking of pace, my predominant symbolic assessment of icicles deals with time. When I see them lumbering along frosty ledges and sills, I’m struck by the evolutionary progress of time, the seasons, and the revolutions of our world.
In fact, icicles (for me) conjure a visual likeness to hourglasses. And just like an hourglass gradually passes time with every grain of sand, so too do icicles count the passage time with every melty drop they emit from their bodies. Interestingly, the hourglass is a sacred symbol for Temperantia, the Roman goddess of moderation and balance. This round-a-bout way of symbolic connection prompts us to employ temperance when dealing with our emotions.
From a time-focused (hourglass) perspective, icicles count down the transition from winter to spring. This is an important metaphor. We all get ‘stuck’ sometimes, frozen in our own fears or indecision. This kind of stuck-ness is akin to the winter of our discontent, and incorporating the idea of icicles melting through our frozen stupor can reassure us that ‘this too shall pass.’
So, the next time you feel seized or frozen in life, consider the nature of the icicle: Wise in the way of transition, and a reminder that the tide of life always turns, and a message of balance. Contemplate each soft drop falling from the tip of the icicle as another step in the direction towards the spring-time of our lives.
May all your ice-giggles melt into warm smiles and bright laughter. 🙂
If you enjoyed this post on symbolic icicle meanings, check out a few of my other symbolic insights:
Undine Meanings (elementals of water)
Great!!! I really appreciate your take on the symbolism of this!!!