Finding Your Spirit Animal

Spirit Animals, or Power Animals, are a form of Tutelary Spirit. They serve a similar function to Guardian Spirits, Guardian Angels, or Spirit Guides. Seeking out your Spirit Animal is a proud tradition of many Native American and Shamanic Cultures, and if you choose to seek one, you must do so with the utmost respect, especially if you are not from or immersed in that culture. A Spirit Animal is not necessarily your favorite animal, or an animal from your Eastern or Western Zodiac Sign. For instance, you may be a Tiger and a Taurus, but don't expect a Tiger or a Bull to be your Spirit Animal. Often, a Spirit Animal is a representation of who we are not based on the Stars under which we were born. Remember: You do not choose your Spirit Animal; Your Spirit Animal chooses you.

Spirit Animals will usually visit you when you are out of your normal state of mind. Their visits are rarely conventional, as they will most likely appear in dreams, daydreams, or other altered states of consciousness. They may also come to you in physical form, so pay attention to multiple unusual encounters with an Animal, or unusual behavior in an everyday circumstance.

If an Animal is repeatedly appearing in your dreams, take note! Your Spirit Animal could be visiting you in dreams as an aspect of yourself. They will often appear in the shape of an Animal, though it is your own intuitive guide showing you the way.

Using Concentrated Meditation, focus your thoughts on meeting your Spirit Animal. Begin an inner journey, and allow yourself to perceive your inner world as you would the outer world. When the time is right, your Spirit Animal will appear.

If you meet an Animal with whom you feel a deep connection, do not brush aside that feeling as inconsequential or random. There is a reason that your spirit is resonating with the Animal. With that feeling and that intent in mind, enter your inner world and focus your thoughts on that animal; they just might be your Spirit Guide.

The world is full of patterns, so it would do you well to pay attention to the patterns that form in your life. If there are repeated encounters with a particular species that seem out of place in your everyday life, or if your dreams continually have you encounter an animal, or even a combination of both, you may have found your Spirit Animal. Meditate upon it, and perhaps you will find your answer. Even if you don't, there are still valuable lessons to be learned from the experience.

If you encounter an animal whose behavior seems uncharacteristic of that species, then perhaps it could be your Spirit Animal reaching out to you on the physical plane. Do not disregard any experiences with animals as happenstance; they could very well have purpose, and you will miss the connection entirely should you simply brush it off. Do not leave an unusual encounter up to chance! Take the moment and seek out your Spirit Guide.

Once you find your Spirit Animal, take the time to get to know them as intimately as possible. Observe it in the physical realm. Interact with it in the Dream Realm. Learn about the animal to the best of your ability through research and other media. Then reflect upon how those animal traits relate to you, either in your current behavior or in something you wish to emulate. How does the Spirit Animal connect you to your experiences in life? What does the life of the Animal do to warn you about potential events in your future? What parts of this Animal's traits inspire the parts of your personality that you've perhaps left dormant? Remember, the Spirit Animal is a guide and a reflection of the innermost you.