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What Is the Meaning of a Spirit Animal?

spirit-animal-meaning

Have you ever heard of spirit animals? How do these two words spirit, and animal come together?

Animals have always been important for human beings.

In human collective history, in stories and mythologies, we always find the emphasis on the different characteristics of different animals. 

It is like we always knew that there were a deep connection and subtle communication between animal and human kingdom. 

Jung also emphasized this connection between animal and human by mentioning that the word animal is coming from Latin- “anima”, which means the spirit or the breath of life.

This connection made him call the concepts of masculine and feminine – animus and anima and he mentioned that these concepts are the passage doors between our real identities and collective consciousness. *

So, what is a spirit animal?

What are its origins?

What are the synonyms of spirit animals?

Spirit Animal meaning?

Spirit animals are our guides to support humans in this life journey.

They are animal energies to guide us and be our teachers in the process of empowering our intuitions.

Spirit animals are helping us to be in alignment with the universe and with our true selves.

In the Shamanic belief system, it is believed that each of us is born with our main spirit animal to support us in our life journey.

We can get any guidance by clarifying our intentions to our spirit animals and they are here to support us.

Spirit animal synonym

Besides spirit animals, maybe you have also heard about power animals, animal guides, or Nagual.

They are all talking about the same concept.

Spirit animal origin

It is hard to know the origins of the spirit animals.

In the sacred geometry books of Drunvalo Melchizedek, I have read about those civilizations where human beings were able to know all the knowledge of ever.

Knowledge of the collective conscious was available to everybody.

That is why they did not need any writing, as it was not necessary.

Everybody knew everything when they needed it.

I mean this blow away my mind.

Can you imagine the possibility of this?

This idea-even true or not- opened my mind and make it possible for me to think about different ideas.

Why I am telling is that animals exist in mythologies and stories which are as old as human history.

I believe in those old times, when human beings were more in contact with nature, they were open to communication with animals.

Think about children, the animal kingdom is the first kingdom that children begin to create deep connections and interests.

I could say that the spirit animal’s origin is as old as human history.

Moreover, when Mircea Eliade go around the world for his anthropologic studies, he found out that all around the world, people had common rituals, ceremonies, and symbols even though they have never connected physically.

Spirit animal rituals were one of these rituals as well.

What is a spirit animal in Native American culture?

In Native American culture, every being is the creation of the Creator and has the same importance and is part of the same life web.

So, humans do not underestimate other creations or judge them.

They respect.

They believe that each living being has a source of wisdom and that it is in the world to provide this wisdom and that animals are here to present their wisdom to human beings and animals have been created to be an example and give some lessons to humans.

Spirit animals are believed that they have healing powers and light the way of the person with their inspiring wisdom.

It is also believed that not only everyone has their spirit animal but also the villages or families do have a collective one and they serve for the common intentions.

This Nagual is called for common ceremonies and people wear their costumes and participate in special dances and put their masks on them. **

In Mayan culture, there are 4 types of spirit animals

#1. The spirit animals that will guide you all your life

We are all born with the spirit animal that will guide us in all our life journeys.

It is up to us to ask for guidance and be aware of the signals that this spirit animal is showing to us.

We can ask any question that we want to this spirit animal of ours. It is recommended to ask at most 2 questions per week.

We can ask questions more related to our physical world or deeper ones about our spiritual journeys.

Their guidance is there to support us.

#2. The spirit animals that come to you for a period

In our life journey, an additional spirit animal can come to you to support you with some specific areas of your life when they feel like you need guidance.

They will be separate from your lifetime spirit animal.

They will give their support to you for the time that you need and then once you receive that lecture from them, they will leave.

#3. The spirit animals that is the messenger of your shadow

Sometimes you can have the guidance of a spirit animal which could be from an animal that you have prejudice-maybe you cannot look at, or it gives you the feeling of disgust.

When this power animal comes to your shamanic journeys, you need to be ready to face your shadows-meaning, not the parts of you in the mirror that triggers, no.

Those parts of you that are totally in shadow that you are not aware of at all.

#4. The spirit animals in the physical world

Animals in the physical world can come to you with messages.

Especially if you are not doing shamanic journeys for a long time and if your spirit animal wants to give a message to you, an animal’s attention-grabbing reaction in the physical world can be a reminder and invitation for you to do a shamanic journey.

How one can get guidance from a spirit animal? 

There can be different ways of getting help from your spirit animal.

For me, the place where I meet with my spirit animal is via shamanic journeys.

Whenever I feel like I want to meet and get the guidance of my spirit animal, I do a shamanic journey with a clear intention and there in the journey, I meet with my spirit animal, ask my questions, and receive my answer many of the times quite symbolically.

On the other hand, I would like to emphasize that once you find your spirit animal and begin to get the guidance, you begin to understand that your spirit animal is not just a character there for you that you continuously ask for things.

Yes, they are indeed ready to support you whenever you need it.

What I try to say is that you create a relationship with them.

They become one of those characters in your life that you know you can count for always.

The relationship is not anymore receiving but somehow the balance of giving and receiving.

The more you meet with them, the more you begin to love them.

You begin to feel gratitude for all the support and meanwhile, you feel surprised with how much they can know about you.

In the beginning, it was hard for me to believe full-heartedly in all those things that my spirit animal told me or showed me.

I was writing all those experiences to my shamanic journey notebook and then realizing that all those images that I have been shown, incredibly powerful, way beyond my simple imaginations.

Conclusion

So, this is a journey.

Even you met with your spirit animal or not, they are there to support you and they are supporting you anyway.

The difference between creating a relationship with your spirit animal is that once you talk to them and ask questions and help then they can guide you better and you can interpret and understand their metaphoric and symbolic signs much better and reach your desires easily.

Always remember.

Universe has our back. It is supporting us with all those guides. It is up to us to be aware and receive that guidance.

Below is a Pinterest friendly photo…. so you can pin it to your Spirit Animal Board!

*, ** Resources: Ayşe Nilgün Arıt, Sacred Guides in Shamanism, Nagual Symbolism (Şamanizmde Kutsal Rehberler, Nagual Sembolizmi)

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