Symbolic Cheetah Characteristics: Running Wild With Cheetah Meaning

Last Updated on February 27, 2023 by Avia

Symbolic Cheetah Characteristics: Fast, Faster, FASTEST! That pretty much sums up the main symbolic insight concerning cheetah characteristics. These magnificent beasts are the ultimate rocket ships in the animal kingdom. They can clock in speeds up to 60+ miles per hour. What’s more, is the cheetah can go from zero to 40+ in mere seconds! Whoa! That’s better than some sporty cars can do!

Symbolic Cheetah Characteristics

So what’s speed got to do with symbolic meaning of cheetah? Plenty. 

We can symbolically translate this asset on a personal level. If the cheetah is running through your consciousness, it’s a good time to make your move. No more mansy pansy, wishy washy. Nope. If cheetah is your sign, then you’ve got to blaze a trail, act, respond, and do it quickly.

Too often we lose out on incredible opportunities because of doubt or fear of risk. Cheetah tells us that life is too short to hem and haw. Cheetah bolts into action when it sees an opportunity. And that’s a big message the cheetah imparts to us humans.

Cheetah characteristics are hugely unique, and that means their symbolism is unique. For example, part of the reason cheetahs are so good at being fast is because they are divinely designed as such. They have enlarged hearts and lungs that allow them to take in more oxygen. This makes them ultra charged up when they go super-sonic in a dead run.

They also have elongated, smooth spines. This helps cheetah stretch out its body, hence spanning more distance in a run. This is all highly symbolic. When the cheetah zips through our lives, it’s a message that we are all divinely designed. Maybe we’re not necessarily designed to go a billion miles per hour like the cheetah, but to be sure – we’re built for special purposes. Cheetah asks us to take a look at our design. What makes us unique? How does that uniqueness give us an advantage? What are we built for? How can we benefit ourselves and others with our specialized gifts?

“There is a sacredness in tears.
They are not the mark of weakness.
They are a mark of power.”

~ Washington Irving

Physical Characteristics and Cheetah Symbolism

The enlarged heart and lungs of the cheetah is symbolic of big capacity for expansion. When cheetah roams your terrain, consider what you have a capacity for. Take a deep breath. Get in touch with your heartbeat. As you do this, contemplate areas of your life you can expand. Enhance your efficiency so you can really expound upon the passions of your heart. Cheetah reminds us we’ve got to expand in order to express. We cannot move on our goals or desires if we are not willing to widen our hearts.

The spine is another symbolic point in cheetah characteristics. The spine is symbolic of our core – that which is our foundation. Consider: We’d all be big, jiggly noodle-people without a spine to hold us erect. In cheetah’s case, its unique spine composition allows it to move with smoothly, with grace and speed. What’s your spine like? I’m not asking in the literal sense. I’m asking metaphorically. Are your core beliefs flexible enough to allow you free movement in this life? That’s a big message the cheetah offers. Sometimes we have to shift our core foundations to give ourselves the freedom to move forward.

Symbolic Cheetah Characteristics – Keywords

• Speed
• Survival
• Passion
• Progress
• Assertion
• Evolution
• Flexibility
• Protection
• Perception
• Expression
• Opportunity
• Adaptability

Other neat cheetah characteristics are found in her markings. Cheetah is replete with spots amidst a sea of amber fur. This is key for camouflage, keeping the cheetah hidden from would-be predators (who are commonly lions). Camouflage is huge in personalized symbolism. This feature begs questions about how we feel in our surroundings. Are we compelled to blend in? If so, what threats do we perceive if we ever make waves and stand out from the landscape? Sometimes camouflage is necessary for our survival. Cheetah reminds us of this. It’s okay to blend in order to survive or get by. But when cheetah makes her move – there isn’t any cover – she’s wide open. We need to realize this. Sometimes we must do as the cheetah does…hunker down in our protective space…but eventually we must break patterns and become exposed. It’s the only way to survive. We must move out of our hiding sometimes so we can rocket forth towards our goals and passions.

Cheetah Symbolism – It’s All in the Eyes

Additional physical cheetah characteristics deal with her eyes. Ever noticed the markings around a cheetah’s eyes? The Divine Creator gave her eyeliner! Heck, I can’t even master basic makeup tips, much less come close to mimicking those exquisite outlines around cheetah’s eyes! In reality, these black markings protect cheetah’s eyes from the blinding brightness in the sun. As cheetah is a day-hunter, this is essential. These black markings move down from the corner of cheetah’s eyes. The effect looks a lot like black tears running down the cheetah’s face.

Cheetah Eyes and Egyptian Legends

We get symbolism of those black tears from the ancient Egyptians. These people adored cheetahs. They loved them for their beauty and speed. In fact, Egyptians and cheetah have formed an animal-human bond. To explain, ancient Egyptians trained cheetahs to hunt. If you’ve ever spent any time loving, respecting and training an animal – you know an intimacy evolves from that connection. That connection wasn’t missed on the Egyptians. Nope. They got to know cheetahs on a personal level. As a result, a legend was formed around the cheetah’s black tears. Egyptians observed cheetahs had tons of babies…much more than most mammals. But they also observed cheetah offspring rarely survived to see adulthood. Regardless of all vicious and fierce efforts to protect her brood, cheetah-mamma’s faced the inevitable in a hard, survivalist world.

The reality is that most of cheetah’s progeny will not survive. From this, the Egyptians reasoned the cheetah cried dark tears of grief and sorrow in losing their children. Forever marked by their loss, the cheetah moves through life living with the stark truth of losing something precious. Have you had a similar experience? Maybe the cheetah can help. Cheetah is a reminder to grieve. Cry. Express. Release your sorrow. But know you will carry on. Cheetah moves on. She grieves, but she must survive to keep herself alive. If she’s lucky to have a surviving young one, she must plow forward to insure their safety. Her black tears are an expression of her process of grieving, but her instinct for survival demands she never give up on moving forward in life.

Closing Thoughts on Symbolic Cheetah Characteristics

Whoa! That last note was intense. In truth, everything about the cheetah is intense. From her agility, to her speed, to her black tears…cheetah energy is not for the faint of heart. That’s why when cheetah pays us a visit we must take heed. Cheetah is powerful mojo. With her comes big messages. Profound messages. What’s also interesting, is that I’ve noticed cheetah only visits those in extreme need. It’s almost as if cheetah-spirit knows exactly whom to visit, and when, and why. That means the odds are, if you’ve been visited by cheetah, you know precisely the message it has for you. To be sure, cheetah visitations are never willy-nilly or random. Nope. If cheetah comes to you – that’s epic, and it’s time to move, listen, act, engage.

In closing, I hope you’ve enjoyed these insights about symbolic cheetah meanings as much as I have writing them. If you liked this page, please be sure to check out the links below where I talk about other feline allies like puma, panther and more!

Thanks so much for reading.

May all your cheetah encounters be high-voltage and enlightening,

Mighty brightly,

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