How To Find Your Spirit Animal – a Shamanic Journey in Understanding Your Totem, Animal Guides, and Their Messages

What is a Spirit Animal?

A Spirit Animal is a teacher, guardian, messenger and a servant to your higher path. They are your consciousness, your Higher Self and your Spirit Guides or Source Energy channeled into animal form. All living beings are connected to the earth, all forming together as one living organism, and so Spirit Animal messengers and guides are easiest to connect with because source can channel messages in this physical realm through nature.

Our first acknowledgement of Spirit was through nature and the animal kingdom, and so that primal instinct to receive insights and feel spirits presence is through the connection we share with all living beings. The sacred relationship we share with spirit, or source energy is truly magical with how it can manifest through us, the tools and messages the World needs.

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How Many Spirit Animals Do You Have?

You have nine ( 9 ) Animal Spirits within your Totem. They all play a key part in your life, and some do not show themselves until their time has come to teach you. As you evolve through different cycles in your life, different guides will step in to help assist you. Some phases, or cycles are longer than others, and so you will have an affinity for that same animal for the duration of that mission, or lesson.

Many Native American cultures believed in Shape Shifters, which are animals or even people having the ability to morph into a different animal species. And so I believe there are times you may have more than one animal assigned to a spot on your totem, as the animal's spirit serves you during a transitional period, or it may evolve into an animal with a higher intellect or more powerful as you evolve from learning the lessons it had needed to teach.

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Your Totem of Nine spirit Animals

Two Power Animals
These animals walk with you throughout your entire life. They stand at your right, and your left side. They influence your core personality and soul’s expression, just as the right and left sides of the brain govern creative expression and logical thinking.

North - Earth
Your spirit animal of the North is also connected to the element of Earth, which governs primal instincts, habits, fears, and impulse. This is the animal who surfaces when we react and must protect ourselves from danger, create more stability in our life, and to live within the abundance we desire.

East – Air
Your spiritual animal of the East rules the Air element and rules perspective, intellectual abilities and thought process. This is the animal of communication, truth, and thought. These are the spirit animals we should call upon when we need help with focus, choosing our words, and ensuring our voice is heard.

South – Fire
The spirit animal who resides in the south also rules the element of fire. They represent our creative and vital force, as well as the cycles, changes and transformations we make in life. This animal rules the ego and our gift of free will. This animal serves us when we must transmute the energy within our environment and seek empowerment within our choices and creative projects.

West – Water
This spirit animal of the West also rules the water element which represents our emotional body. This is our heart, soul and relationships with others. Call upon your animal of the west when you need help in balancing your emotions, need to set boundaries and for emotional healing.

Above – Spirit
The Animal that rules above you, is your connection to spirit and the higher realms. This animal is your guide when doing spiritual work and understanding your soul's gifts and your connection to source energy, or God.

Below – Shadow
The animal that resides below you is your shadow; the darker aspects that we often try to ignore or avoid. This animal rules over karmic cycles that keep you bound in toxicity and aids in cleansing your spirit as well as your physical form and environment.

Within - Higher Self
This spirit animal is your conscious, or your higher self. This one works hand and hand with the animal that resides Above you, and rules the spirit realm. As you journey within yourself, this is your guide to call upon for self-awareness and for discovering your truth. Your gifts, talents and spiritual abilities which are embedded within your soul from previous lifetimes are empowered as well as taught by this animal.

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What is the Spiritual Meaning of Each Animal?

The representation of the animal really depends on its message or lesson it is to guide you in your life, as well as the element or totem place they sit upon. I will be updating the website very soon with spirit animal message meanings. In the meantime, you can find good books or even resources online to help you understand their interpretation.

Another way that you can translate it's message is understanding the animal's nature and the environment it lives in. Just as we learn through experience, animal teaches through their experience and natural responses as well. Observe the animal when possible and read up about how it reacts in the situation you feel it is drawn upon. For example, if you feel this animal is connected to the North, your Earth element, then consider how it behaves in response to defending itself and providing for it's family.

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Connect To Your Animal Guides

There are numerous ways you can connect with your guides, and of course, meditation is always the key ingredient and best way. Many people have a hard time silencing the mind, but that is needed if you wish to hold the space for spirit to channel messages to you. As you learn to master meditation and dive within yourself, you will find that it is easier for you to be consciously aware of spirit having influence in your life every day, and will be in tune to receiving messages whenever you call upon your guides.

Spending time alone with nature is a great way to resonate with your animals guides. Feel the earth's vibration beneath you and the sun's energy above you. Allow the space within you to feel the energy around you. You may not get some sign from the heaven's that is clear as day, but you will hold open the door and hand out the invitation for spirit to work magic in your life.

You have to be ready as well. Many animal guides will introduce themselves with harsh lessons in dropping the ego and letting go of toxicity that weakens your link to spirit and yourself. Understanding and uniting with your spirit animal guides is a journey, that is made up of both light and darkness as they guide you towards your higher path and calling.

Here is a list of different ways you could have already met your spirit animal, or clues on how you can point them out.

• What animal do you feel a strong connection towards?
• What animal frightens you?
• Have you experienced repetitive dreams or numerous but different dreams with the same animal?
• Have you had any meaningful or traumatic experiences with a specific kind of animal?
• Do you see the same animal repeatedly when you are with nature, or within your environment?
  

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Get a Reading

I recently created a reading which will discover which animal guides are presently working with you, their messages, lessons, and gifts they have for you, as well as how to apply their teachings into your life.