Spirit Animals

When I decided to write this, it seemed simple. Take a few minutes to tell what a spirit animal is and what it does. Now that I'm doing it, it doesn't seem so simple. What follows is my feeling and impression from working with spirit animals. Your experiences and impressions can be very different.

The Native American often found a spirit animal guide through the vision quest. The vision quest usually required isolation, usually with fasting in a prescribed manner, for a number of days until an altered state of consciousness was attained. In this altered state of consciousness, one became more open to other worlds and other world energies and would receive a message or sign from one's animal.

There are several differing criteria as to what constitutes a valid method of contacting and recognizing a spirit animal. Besides the traditional Native American vision quest, dreams, visions, meditation, spirit animal retrieval by a shaman, retrieving your personal spirit animal in a journey, consulting medicine tarot cards or a special interest in a particular animal are all methods used by various people to locate and define their spirit animals. The method that works for you is the valid method for you.

Spirit animals can be actual animals such as Bear or Deer; they can be extinct animals such as Mammoth or T-rex; they can be legendary animals such as Dragon. Spirit animals can be animals that swim, fly, crawl, or walk; there is no limitation. You may have noticed I refer to the spirit animals as Mouse and not as a mouse. The spirit animal repersents the energy of all the animals of that species.

No spirit animal is better than another; Dragon isn't better than Mouse, just different. Different spirit animals have different methods of doing things and bring different wisdom. Some say domestic animals have less energy and power than wild animals but my most exciting and adventurous journeys were in the accompaniment of a domestic animal. They are guides and teachers if you're willing to learn from them. I retrieved several different spirit animals for people including Buffalo, Camel, Antelope, Mammoth, and Black Panther. Everyone who received one of these animals felt they were the right animal for the time and were very excited and happy to get them.

I visit my spirit animals in the lower worlds, the worlds I enter by going through a tunnel to enter NOR. I meet at least one of my spirit animals when I exit the tunnel. It can be any of several animals working with me or, in special instances, more than one. We go on trips, talk and do things. While I personally consider the upperworld entities I met to be teachers, I consider the lowerworld spirit animals to be companions, friends, fellow adventurers. They are the action guides

There are several ways to discover the lessons or messages of your spirit animals. One method is to study the characteristics of the animals by personal observation, in factual books, in legends, and in books giving interpretations of the animals. All of these sources of information, I've found, may round out understanding but are no substitute for actually working with the animal. Another method is to journey or meditate and ask the animal directly. When I bring back an animal for someone, I always ask what the message of the animal is for the person I am retrieving the animal for. I find the messages often differ from the interpretations of others.

Interacting with Spirit Animals

One way I interact with my spirit animals is to take them on walks. When I go for a walk, I just throw out the invitation, "Anyone who wants to go for a walk, come on." Usually I sense one or more animals walking with me.

I sometimes dance my spirit animal. It works for me. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes. Intent is the main thing. Feel free to use, modify or ignore this ceremony as you see fit. I think it is best to make your own ceremony or make this ceremony yours by changing it as you feel fit.

Shamanic Spirit Animal Ceremony

(A Ritual for Calling in Spirit Animals and Helping Energies)

1. Light candles for each of the four directions, welcoming each of the plant spirits the candle represents. I use Cedar for East, Sage for South, Juniper for West, and Sweetgrass for North. There is nothing special about this, but it's the convention that works for me.
2. Purify self in candles. I do this by standing in the center of the arrangement of candles and turning slowly, in the direction that I feel right. I stop and continue to turn as I feel as necessary. Sometimes I hold my hands palm down and sometimes palms up. This is all done as feels right.
3. Do invocation. My invocation: “Healing Guides, My Spirit Guides and Teachers, My Spirit Animal Helpers, Powers of the Six Directions, Energies of the Earth, Wind, Sky, and Water, Spirits of the Plant Helpers, All Who Wish to attend, guide, and protect this journey to the spirit realm, help me become whole and well, help me find the love, peace, and strength I need.
4. Shake Rattle to the Six directions, singing power song while doing so. Shake Rattle at a beat about the same as the heart beat, starting in the East. Chant the full power song while doing each direction. Repeat for the South, West, and North, Below or Earth, Above or Sky. Think of the spirits, plant, animal, and teachers while doing this.
   If you have a power song or chant, use it. The power chant I used while looking for my power chant is an adaptation of the song Michael Harner presents in his book, "The Way of the Shaman" so feel free to use it:
   
   I have spirits, Spirits have I.
   Winged and swimming Spirits have I.
   Hoofed and clawed Spirits have I.
   I -- have -- spirits -- Spirits -- have -- I.
   I --- I --- I --- I
5. Do dance. This is a simple dance, just moving your feet to the rhythm of the rattle. This is a spirit animal dance that should put you in an altered state of mind. If you feel your animal coming to you, OK. If not, that's OK too.
6. PERFORM YOUR CEREMONY
7. Thank spirits for attending
8. Rattle briefly in each of the 6 directions. This is a repetition of the opening power chant and rattling.
9. Put out candles