Cheetah
Meaning, Messages & Magic

Cheetah symbolizes speed, intervals, and groundedness.
Cheetahs are the most grounded of all cats. They are poor climbers and only need water every few days. They thrive on the ground without seeking other realms in air, water, or dreams. They are excellent teachers for your work here on Earth.
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By studying and connecting with Cheetah’s energy, you will learn the importance of intervals. There are times when it’s best to act fast and explosively. Equally vital are the moments when it’s best to rest, wait, and nurture yourself. Practicing intervals ensures that you’ll have enough power to act and sustain yourself when the next bursting idea calls.
Cheetah’s fuel burns from its heart, radiating out like a passionate supernova at times. This amount of passion makes you susceptible to burnout! Although Cheetahs can reach places and goals very quickly, they also tire extremely quickly. One cannot burn at that pace for long periods of time. Practice burning in short bursts with ample times of rest between.
The tear-shaped stripes that stretch down from Cheetah’s eyes are an invitation to let your emotions flow. Don’t bottle up your feelings or they could combust in a dangerous way. Let them naturally flow down your cheeks like warrior paint. Wear them proudly.
Due to their slender build and blunt claws, Cheetahs would rather consent to stronger will powers than fight. Recognize this tendency in yourself and navigate carefully between balancing when you know it’s a waste of energy to fight and when it’s imperative to you hold your ground. How much power and control are you giving to others? Where is the boundary line for you? Do you trust in your own tenacity to protect what’s yours when it matters most?
Cheetahs are the only big cats that cannot roar. This asks you to focus more on your purr. Use your passionate, loving purr to communicate with others instead of competing with others’ roars.
Cheetahs have poor night vision and are more active during the day. They prefer to hunt while the other big cats are sleeping, giving them the best chance to succeed. Think about this tactic in your own work situation. Is there a way you could sprint and pounce on opportunities while your competitors are “asleep” or distracted? Take your pick while the others are focused somewhere else. You don’t have to be in the thick of competition to get yours. Searching and building your business and tribe where others are not is clever and efficient.
Cheetahs don’t randomly sprint towards anything. They are strategic and wait until the timing is right. Be calculated with where you choose to burn your fuel.
While hunting, only half of Cheetah’s attempts are successful, and the hunt only lasts 20-60 seconds. We don’t get what we want every time. Through acceptance, persistence, and reflection we can try again knowing that we will eventually succeed. Success doesn’t always last long, but don’t fret because you’re skilled at creating similar wins time after time.
-Tanya Casteel
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I want to hear about your Cheetah experiences. What stories or dreams have you had? Please share and join in the conversation below!
I am definitely an empath. Boundaries and impulaicemess are areas I still work on.
Boundaries are especially important for empaths! It takes practice. Know that you’re worthy and sovereign. I too tend to want to be impulsive at times. I’ve been practicing intervals of intensity with things that excite me so I don’t burn out – Cheetah is really helpful with that.
I had a waking dream of a cheetah at our front gate recently.
I recently went to the San Diego zoo. It felt as if so many animals were stopped and focused as I walked by their enclosures. None more than the South African cheetah. It had a dog as a companion who noticed me not at all. But the cheetah stared calmly back at me from the center of the enclosure where it reclined. If I moved down the railing, it slowly but clearly found me again, not as prey but as connection, as message. Odd and yet magical.
mmmmmm yes, Cheetah sees you 🙂
I dreamt of a cheatah. I was at my parents house. We were in the kitchen and I could see it out the kitchen window.
And I was pointing and showing it to everyone and then somehow it snuck in through the window. And I was trying to help get it to go back outside so I could protect my family from it. So I had to hold this chair in front of me and kind of gently shove it with the chair and I was asking it to go outside. It seemed pretty friendly but it was a cheetah and I was scared of it but I was able to coax it out the door and close the door behind.
Just started chakra dance, both the eagle and cheetah cane through relating to grounding with the base chakra. All of the aspects relate to where I am at, speed and intervals, letting emotions flow, and purr more to communicate Instead of roaring!
I think cheetah is my core totem animal. I remember as a child vividly imagining a cheetah running next to our vehicle on every car ride, until we reached our destination. Since then, the cheetah has come to me in many dreams and during meditation. I even had one meditation where I merged with the cheetah and she told me her name. Sennika. And this post resonates very deeply with me as well.