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Animals as Spirit Guides
Those spirits that are in animal form that teach, guide, empower, and help us heal are called animal spirit guides or spirit animals.
One of the great advantages of working with such guides is that they can appear physically and symbolically in many ways throughout every society and culture on Earth.
Because of their abundant representations in third-dimensional reality, they’re continually in our consciousness. Depending on how and in what way they show up in the material world, whether in the flesh or as a symbol, their appearance can take the form of a representation of the spirit of that animal.
When an animal shows up in an uncommon way or repetitively, it’s presenting itself to you as a spirit guide. The hummingbird that flits about and then hovers for several seconds directly in front of you isn’t just a hummingbird. It may be telling you to lighten up. If you see a hawk circling overhead, it could be a reminder to you to stay focused on that project. If you wake up remembering a big dream you had about a cougar, it could be the case that the message in your dream was to go forward with courage.
Messages from Animal Spirit Guides
When an animal or a symbol of that animal shows up for you repeatedly or in an unusual way, they’re most definitely trying to convey a message from the spirit world. The crickets that chirped just outside my office were a reminder that I needed to get back to singing and playing guitar. The butterfly that landed on my hand foretold big changes in my life.
Spirit animals can convey messages from deceased loved ones too, as happened to a friend of mine, Melody. She described how after her father’s death she went to a spot on the beach located in front of her father’s favorite restaurant and saw a single dolphin frolicking in the water unusually close to the shore. As she walked on the beach, the dolphin followed her for several meters, then swam further out to sea and joined his pod. This was a very reassuring message from Dolphin spirit to Melody that her father was just fine in the afterlife.
There are other ways spirit animals share messages. A few years ago, another friend of mine, Tim and his wife Beth were preparing for a major move to a new city. Tim was feeling extremely anxious about it all, to the point he was losing sleep and dropping weight. One night, a raccoon showed up in his back yard. After the encounter, Tim took a little time to research what the possible message Raccoon spirit could be trying to share with him, and discovered that one message that spoke to him was about resourcefulness. At that point he realized that he did in fact have all the necessary resources, both internally and externally, to handle this move. It relaxed him a great deal and he and his wife are now living very successfully in their new home in a new city.
Repetitive Symbolic Representation
Having a vivid dream about a bear, then going to the market the next day and overhearing two strangers talking about bears, and then turning on the television that evening to see a program about grizzly bears is an example of repetitive symbolic representation.
An experience like this works in the same way as three physical sightings. Since most of us who live in urban areas will never actually encounter live bears or regularly come close to different wild animals, the spirit of that animal has to reach us some other way to get a message across in this amazing collaboration of Consciousness.
Interpreting and Understanding the Messages From Animal Spirit Guides
As I’ve mentioned, animals showing up in ordinary reality in an uncommon way or at unusual times is definitely a sign from that animal spirit guide.
You might see a dove landing on your balcony two feet away from you, or a raccoon walking into your house through your back door, or a fox darting across your path as you’re walking in the woods. The dove may be reminding you to stay calm, the raccoon letting you know you’ve got what it takes, and the fox suggesting you need to be more discerning about who to trust.
If you spot a crow in that tree outside your window three mornings in a row when crows don’t usually perch in those branches, it could mean that you’re going to be seeing more magic in your life.
Animal spirit guides teach us in both cryptic and dream-like ways. Sometimes the message they’re trying to convey won’t be immediately obvious. At other times they will offer their counsel by hitting us right between the eyes with a message that’s obvious.
If you have an encounter with an animal spirit but aren’t sure what they’re trying to tell you, here are a couple of ways you can discern the message:
Do some book research: There are plenty of books that will help you decipher messages, including my book, Animal Spirit Guides.
Do an internet search under categories like “spirit animals,” “animal spirit guides,” etc.
Look into the outstanding characteristics of the animal you’ve encountered. Often, these are metaphors for their spiritual message.
Communicating With Spirit Animals
One of the most direct ways to discover an animal spirit’s message is to communicate with the spirit of that animal that you’ve sighted and ask them.
When you know that you’re receiving a communication from an animal spirit guide, the first thing to do is close your eyes, imagine that animal’s spirit in front of you, and in your mind ask the question, “What do you want me to know?”
Take a deep breath, relax your body, and see what sort of impressions and information you get, whether visual, auditory, physical, or cognitive.
Often, you’ll get a “hit” on what the meaning of the visitation is and by contemplating the sighting over the next few hours and letting it work you, you’ll discover further messages and insights are revealed by the spirit animal. The more you practice deciphering the messages, the easier it becomes.
I encourage you to practice any of these methods in addition to looking at other resources for the meaning of the spirit animal’s communication to you. These remarkable beings want to help us and teach us and will do so in myriad ways.
And these days, we need all the spiritual guidance we can get!
For additional information on Spirit Animals, please see the following books and oracle cards available in my online shop:
Books
Animal Spirit Guides
Power Animal
Pocket Guide to Spirit Animals
Earth Magic
Oracle Cards
Power Animals
Messages from Your Spirit Animals
Children’s Spirit Animal
Messages from the Spirits of Nature
