Discovering Your Spirit Animal: The Wisdom of the Shamans - Lucy Harmer 2009
What Is a Spirit Animal?
According to the ways of our ancestors and many shamanic traditions, we are all born with certain talents, qualities, and strengths that are attached to a spirit animal. Built into the human soul are gifts from certain animals, but one in particular becomes our main totem animal. Other animals are also standing nearby waiting to share their wisdom and gifts for what we need to do in order to prosper on our life path. At birth, or along our path, we might be given the vision of Eagle, the fierceness of Panther, the industry of Ant, the grace of Swan, or the gentleness of Deer. The animals we have a soul relationship with are known as our personal spirit animals, our totem animals. Those who appear in our lives just at certain specific times to bring us a message or impart some of their wisdom are known as our allies or messengers.
Your personal spirit animal is a kind of guardian and protector in the invisible worlds just as in the physical world. A spirit animal is like an invisible friend who takes on the appearance of a mammal, a bird, a reptile, a fish, etc.
Many children have imaginary friends when they are little, although when they grow up the memory fades. As children we are constantly aware of other realities and the unseen worlds around us. Unfortunately in the West, we are not taught to value these invisible worlds and so as we get older, we completely lose the memory of our innate talents. As we get older, we completely lose any memory of our innate talents, our capabilities, and our natural strengths; in other words, we lose touch with our own “medicine” and, with it, our spirit animal guide. Shamans are trained to keep the memory of their spirit animal intact so that they can discover the many ways in which they can use its medicine.
Spirit animals are referred to by various names: spirit animal, spirit animal guide, friend or ally, totem animal, guardian spirit, spirit helper, and animal medicine. However, in every culture there are common characteristics, even if the names given differ. In fact, every animal has a powerful spirit; it has qualities, gifts, strengths, and a way of behaving that is unique to it and that we call its “medicine.” If we are able to communicate and develop a relationship with it, we can benefit from this power and regain our original strengths and innate qualities in our everyday life.
Spirit animals generally play five different roles. In most cases they follow us from our birth, but a time in our lives may come when another animal takes a parallel role or even replaces our main spirit animal. Here are the five different roles that a spirit animal can take on:
✵ Counselor and Messenger. In this role, our spirit animal helps us to understand situations, and offers answers and guidance as to which direction to take when decisions or choices have to be made. It gives us signs as to which path we should follow, and indicates which behavior to adopt in relationship problems.
✵ Protector. In this role, our spirit animal gives us the strength, courage, and energy to face up to conflicts and threats. It warns us when we are in danger and often appears in dreams. Each animal has different characteristics and strategies in case of danger and reacts in a very different way. It is very important to listen carefully to what they are telling us. The Bear or the Lion will face danger head-on with courage, but the Opossum will rapidly escape and his message is to “play dead.”
✵ Teacher. Here our spirit animal shows us how to use our energy and maximize our potential in order to succeed in life. Those totem animals that appear regularly carry an important message for us, and they will continue to appear in our lives until we have understood this lesson.
✵ Healer. Our spirit animal as healer will show us how to heal ourselves and other people. It brings us the necessary energy for healing. When someone has a serious illness, it can speed the healing process and accelerate the recovery time. It will also teach us which healing technique is most suitable for which kind of illness.
✵ Guide. This is an amalgamation of the four preceding roles, with our spirit animal serving as counselor and messenger, protector, teacher, and healer in order to guide us throughout our lives. Our spirit animal is our main totem animal, and its spiritual task is to bring us close to the divine. When you meet your main totem animal for the first time and develop a close relationship with it, your life will be transformed for the better. I met my Wolf for the first time during a shamanic journey, and he greatly helped me to develop my spiritual side and my gifts of clairvoyance. He’s still with me now, helping me to follow my sacred path.
Most totem animals are wild animals, although there are several exceptions; most domestic animals usually represent a link with the power of a real spirit animal. In the West, many people keep cats and dogs as pets and, although these are not always spirit animals themselves, they can provide a link with other animals of the same family. For example, the dog may be a link with the Coyote or any other canine. The cat can be a link with another feline, whether it’s a Panther, a Jaguar, a Leopard, a Lion, or a Tiger. For those who live with domestic animals, this domestic representation of their spirit animal may be giving them a way to develop a relationship with their real totem animal. If, later on, they discover their true spirit animal, they will be able to access greater power in their day-to-day affairs.
We do not choose our spirit animal. On the contrary, it chooses us. We can’t decide on our totem animal simply by communicating with it because we think it is the most handsome or the strongest, as we run the risk of attracting an animal that is not in tune with us. It is better to be strong and successful in Squirrel or Mouse medicine than to choose an animal that we might consider to be more imposing—such as the Eagle or the Deer—but whose medicine we are unable to use.
