The symbolism of the appearance of a mourning dove depends on your emotional state. It means something different if you are in mourning than if you are in love.
Like its cousin, the white dove, the symbolism of the mourning dove is deep with different meanings. It is a symbol of peace, love, luck and hope but also sorrow and mourning.
The dove’s appearance to someone in mourning is often viewed as a visitation from the deceased loved one.
The truth is that the beliefs had remained pretty true to the original thoughts about the symbolism of the mourning dove.
Key words like love, hope and peace are still very much conveyed when a mourning dove appears.
Depending on the specificity of your own spiritual and/or religious beliefs, a visit from a mourning dove can mean anything from a message from beyond the grave from a lost loved one to a direct message of love from God himself.
If a person experiences the presence of a mourning dove during a particular time of crisis in their life, then they might take it as a sign of comfort and faith that everything is going to be alright and that there is indeed some light at the end of the tunnel.
Those with particular religious convictions believe that if a mourning dove visits you when you are suffering a particular and acute period of grief, then it is a sign that you are coming to the end of these extreme feelings and that you are ready to emerge from the grief.
In this sense, the dove is acting almost as a form of baptism, blessing you with the grace of God. This too is a biblical reference. When John the Baptist baptized Jesus, a dove appeared and it was likened to a visit from the Holy Spirit.
So…
A visit from a mourning dove is open to interpretation.
Your personal circumstances and your spiritual belief system will define your view on its meaning at the time the visitation occurs.