Spirit Animals

I don't know if this is the right place to post this or not, but here goes.
Ever since I was a little kid I've felt like certain animals (species wise) were more important to me than to other people. My primary spirit animal is the horse, apparently its been that since I first learned to speak.

I used to really identify with the kola, though I have never know why. I have also grown out of this and primarily remember it as being like a feeling of security.

Ever since high school I’ve added Wolves and Red-tailed Hawks to my spirit animal list. Seeing either of them always gives me a sense of hope and freedom.

Horses have always been sort of my mystic center, when I’m with them I feel the most myself, the most grounded.

What I’m wondering is if things like this are common to most people?

I'm not sure its the same thing but I love to have animals around me. I loved horses also from an early age, as far back as I can remember but never had one of my own and now I don't have the time.

I always smile when I see a magpie, love them - such lively birds.

But I suppose cats are closest to my heart, I'd look after them all and become a typical old cat woman if I could but that doesn't help them really so I just stick to 2. An old lady of 21 and a young whipper-snapper of 3.

I firmly believe in animal guides. For ages people have believed in totem animals who guide us through life when needed. I have been fortunate to have seen some of mine in visions. I have ALWAYS been drawn to felines, specifically tigers and panthers. I just love them, and when I see a picture of one I get lost in their eyes. I feel complete and at ease. I used to just think it was because I ama Leo... I have also recently been drawn to elephants tho.
The 3 animal spirits that I have seen were a white tiger, a bengal tiger, and an elephant. The white tiger was first, and adorned in a golden crescent moon crown and a deep purple cloak so to speak. He was standing on a mountain ledge during the full moon. The elephant was also adorned in gold, much like the Hindu adorn theirs during ceremonies. He was in a temple too...The third and last was a bengal tiger in the wild, just staring at me trying to communicate with me.
I would see these visions at sporadic moments when I would close my eyes, and they'd last for an instant and freak me out, and when I opened my eyes I could still vividly remember the visions. Thru automatic writing I was able to communicate with my totem guides. Totally amazing experience!

Kimahri83 how do you do your automatic writing?
I write a lot but it comes more from my imagination and my dreams (which are very vivid).
I've never had visions of my spirit animals, I just sort of know when I'm going to actually see one before I do.
Of late, I've been dreaming a lot about snakes and catching them and trying to keep from being bitten by them. In one I was bit and it hurt so bad I woke up expecting to see the bite mark and the black circle that was spreading out from it. My leg hurt the rest of the day. I really hope snakes are not becoming one of my spirit animals, I don't want to relive that dream, it hurt.

I know many Native American cultures hold animal spirit guides in high esteem. Learning about the Raven trickster myths has gotten me to stop disliking crows and ravens. I love the story of how Raven stole the sun. Does any one know of other cultures that have animal spirit guides?

lasdar said:

I know many Native American cultures hold animal spirit guides in high esteem. Learning about the Raven trickster myths has gotten me to stop disliking crows and ravens. I love the story of how Raven stole the sun. Does any one know of other cultures that have animal spirit guides?

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I had a chance to spend a week with a Native American tribe in North Carolina for a week a couple years ago. They were telling us (I was with a group) about spirit animals, and one woman told us her story about crows. The story was very touching, and I wish I coud recount it word or word, but the short of it is that a group of crows appeared around her house when her brother died- they seemed to hold her brother's spirit. She said that it was as if her brother was making sure she was ok before he "flew away". Ever since then crows have been her spirit animal.

Automatic writing is letting your subconscious &/or spirit guides speak to you thru writing. This is what I usually do:
Go to a calm, quiet place and softly play some meditation music.
I light a few candles, white ofr purity, blue for a open mind, purple for psychic intuition, and place a few stones that I am drawn to around them. The stones always vary, but I mostly use tiger's eye (Like I said, I love felines). Then you place a pen and paper near you as you sit on the floor. I stare into the candle flames & relax, then I envision the #1 going across my mind 3x's, then the #2, then the #3. Once I am totally relaxed and in an almost otherworldly state I focus on what I am asking, or what I need to hear. Then I pick the paper & pen up and place the paper in my lap and hold the pen. Without thinking the answers are written on the paper. It's like you know what you are writing, but you don't at the same time. Like someone else is writing it. It's important not to look at what you are writing, nor think about it, just let it happen. Once I get all that I need, or when I feel that I am finished I take a deep breath, thank my guides and put the paper away. Then I blow out the candles, again thanking my guides, and turn on the lights. I wait 24 hours before reading what I wrote during my session, that way it gives you time to clear your head when you read it. It's amazing what comes out, and sometimes nothing much comes out....it depends on what is needed I guess. Just set a good hour or so aside for your writing session. Sometimes it takes longer, sometimes less....Hope that's clear enough for you. If not, I'll try and translate it!

~Kevyn

Oh, about your dreams of snakes....sounds to me like that's not a spirit guide. Spirit guides come to you in peace, they may let you know they aren't pleased with something you are doing, but I've never had one attack or bite. I'd seriously suspect that either someone has taken a dislike to you, or you are fighting/supressing yourself....That would be a good question to ask during automatic writing! I may be wrong, but it doesn't add up to me~

I have always had a strong affinity with horses and dogs. I have never had a dog attack me even the ones that bark and carryon at everyone. My first word was "puppy" when I was little. I also used to make my dad pull over the car when we were driving so I could pat horses in paddocks when I was 1 1/2-3 I don't remember it but apparently I threw major tantys unless he pulled over.

Kimahri83 That's really interesting about snakes and dreaming about them. I often have dreams where I am getting bitten by snakes and I have a huge fear of them to the point where I can't even go into the amnimal house in the zoo without having a panic attack.

I don’t know if this will be very coherent, I tend to type faster than my conscious mind can think:

I read some where that dreaming about snakes meant that I was repressing knowledge or some how denying it. If that's what I'm doing I'm doing it really well cause I have no idea what it might be. I have recently decided to peruse a career in what I feel I was always meant to do, but at the same time I'm not willing to give up entirely what I've been trained to do. Mostly because getting trained to be an Anthropologist/ Archaeologist has helped me be more of who I was born to be, than who my family wanted me to be, and its made me a lot less judgmental of others than my family is.

Oh I keep forgetting to mention another spirit animal I acquired while in college was the Bobcat. Friends kept saying that I reminded them of one, and were concerned that I might take offense at it. Ever since I’ve felt like some part of my personality is Bobcat related. Every time I think about it I smile.

Oh and Kevyn thanks for the explination, though I'm not sure if I would be capable of reading something I wrote with out looking at it, I'm bairly capable of reading what I write when I do look. I'm disgraphic, and dislexic, unless something else is writing through me it may take a translator to figure it out for me.

Dovanna that story of the crows is really cool.

Lasdar,

When I tried automatic writing the first time my hand writing was horrid! It looked like a bunch of toddle doodles, but somehow I knew what it said. It's kinda like whatever force is writing the information also stores it in your subconscious, so that when you read it, it's familiar and the information comes to you like you are reading a favorite book, or viewing a favorite tarot card as the case may be. While you are writing it, it seems to come out in a way that you will be able to understand it whether anyone else can or not. At least that's been my experience with it.

Some people believe that dreaming of snakes means that the Devil is after you, but that goes back to the Bible where Lucifer became a serpent and coaxed Eve to taste the forbidden fruit. I personally HATE snakes and am petrified of the sight of one! The 2 oracle decks I have are the Druid Animal Oracle & Madame Endora's Deck. They both have a serpent card. Each time I draw/see those cards I get freaked and have to turn it face down. But my 21 years of being afraid of snakes I have never had a dream about them....that I can remember anyway.

You said that you are thinking about changing occupations right? If you don't mind me asking, when did these dreams start, and what was going on when they started? Not being nosey, but just offering a helping hand at trying to solve the riddle of the dreams should you want it. :0)

~Kevyn

Kimahri83 said:

Oh, about your dreams of snakes....sounds to me like that's not a spirit guide. Spirit guides come to you in peace, they may let you know they aren't pleased with something you are doing, but I've never had one attack or bite. I'd seriously suspect that either someone has taken a dislike to you, or you are fighting/supressing yourself....That would be a good question to ask during automatic writing! I may be wrong, but it doesn't add up to me~

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I have to disagree w/this. I have experienced very contentious dynamics from some of my guides. Besides, it's good to have destructive, ruthless ones you can depend on when the going gets ugly. Snakes are a very deep, complex symbol able to contain many dualities and contradictions (e.g. both life and death). If you are consistently dreaming about them, they may not be guides per se, but this is an energy you are being called to work with, at least for the time being.

I love snakes deeply, they're definitely a "totem animal" for myself and I've been aware of this for almost a decade. Even still, there is an element of danger in the relationship. I imagine there always will be.