Power Animals are Spirit Teachers that take an animal form. Your Power Animal already knows you intimately, knows your circumstances and the symbols you use to understand your inner world. Your Power Animal is a source of profound wisdom, healing guidance, support and power. By power, I mean stepping into the true power than emanates from within and engenders a feeling that all is right with your world, and if there are things that are not right, knowing that you have the energy, the skills and the motivation to change what you can, and live with what you cannot. By connecting to this power and listening to your Inner Voice you can enhance your personal life and light up your life with your Spirit.

We all have connections to animals, perhaps a favourite animal that we have particularly liked since childhood, often without any "logical" reason for liking that animal. Animal imagery is ingrained in our subconscious mind and there are often particular symbolic meanings that are personal to us when we think of a particular type of animal. According to Carl Jung, we are all connected to eachother through the medium of the Collective Unconscious, and this means that everything a human being has ever thought of, or experienced, is available to all other humans as we are connected to eachother merely because we are human. He went further to say that there is also a genetic memory in that there are stronger images in our unconscious mind that are particularly relevant to our genetic race or family experience. As our ancestors lived with their envioronment in an intimate way, they were inextricably linked with the animals around them and many had myths and legends built around our ancestors' experiences.

You can link into your own personal source of Spirit Wisdom by building stronger connections to your Power Animal. Most cultures believe that we already have Power Animals working with us all through our lives, and it is often just a case of remembering this in a conscious way. The most traditional way of finding out about your Power Animal is to go on a Shamanic Journey: to send your dream body into the Spirit World to meet with your Power Animal. However, this is not by far the only way. Often you will come across an animal time and time again in various ways, for example, you may start to see a particular animal in the wild and have closer and closer encounters with it. Or if you live in an urban environment, you may see the image of a particular animal again and again, on hoardings, on posters, on TV, in books, people may even send you postcards with that animal's picture on it, or you may even see the animal's name on car number plates and so on. Another common way to meet your Power Animal is when it visits you in a very vivid dream. Often this type of dream has a different quality from usual dreams in that it is extremely vivid and often you can use all of your senses, smell, taste, touch etc. When you awake a part of you will know that this dream was important and you will remember it.

Once you have met with your Power Animal, it is vital that you build a relationship with it. Treat your Power Animal as you would a friend: meet up, chat together, find out about your animal: what does s/he like or dislike? What are his/her skills? How can you call your Power Animal into your life in a more conscious way to help you both with your day to day concerns as well as your spiritual and healing path? Getting to know your Power Animal takes time, and trust and commitment - treat your Power Animal as you would like a new and close friend to treat you. Cherish and respect your Power Animal and you will have a profoundly wise teacher and companion.

One last point: it makes no difference if your Power Animal is a Mouse or a Lion: each are as powerful as each other and in the Spirit Worlds they are formidable!

There are many ways to honour your Power Animal, but perhaps the most effective way is to ask your Power Animal if there is anything you can do for him/her. Your Power Animal will be able to tell you clearly what would make him/her feel honoured and respected and a part of your day to day life. It will always be something that requires some effort, but it is never something that you cannot do. For example, Your Power Animal won't ask you to meditate on Mount Everest for two weeks because it is impossible for you to do that. S/he may instead ask you to light a candle for him/her once a week. Meditate, or journey to your Power Animal regularly and spend some time with him/her.

Other ways of honouring your Power Animal: wear a piece of jewellery that represents your animal, light some insence on a daily basis, pray for your Power Animal, offer food to the wildlife around you (e.g. put out some bread for the birds) in the name of your Power Animal. One thing Power Animals enjoy is when you are doing something very physical, call your animal and invite him/her to join you so s/he can experience and enjoy the physical nature of what you are doing. You will find that you have more energy and exercise or whatever with more joy. Best of all, study and be with your animal in this reality for example in the wild, or in a reserve, and get to know how that animal expresses its personality, needs and joys. Join an organisation that protects your animal or other wildlife and their environments. Get involved!

Path to Power