“Is it true that we each have a spirit animal? If so, how do I determine what my spirit animal is? Can it change over time?” – Charles
According to Dictionary.com, a spirit animal “refers to a spirit which helps guide or protect a person on a journey and whose characteristics that person shares or embodies. It is also metaphor, often humorous, for someone or something a person relates to or admires.”
So for example, if your spirit animal is an owl, it means you are wise.
If your spirit animal is a panther, it means you are courageous, bold, and powerful.
If your spirit animal is a dolphin, you are intelligent and playful.
If your spirit animal is a cat, you like to knock things off tables. 🙂
And so forth.
Spirit animals are often encountered during a shamanic ritual or during a dream walk. They can be symbolic of something happening in your life, or they can represent spirit guides, or protector spirits.
I don’t believe we are assigned a spirit animal. I believe that we create our own attachment to a spirit animal to represent who we are, or who we feel we are becoming.
There is great power in assigning a spirit animal to walk beside us. Spirit animals give us strength, purpose, hope, and even energetic companionship.
Often during my meditations with my higher self I will encounter a spirit animal. My higher self has an owl perched on her shoulder like Athena does, and I have definitely connected with the Owl as a spirit animal for myself. But for me, spirit animals are representations and not actual spirits attached to us.
How can you determine your spirit animal? I highly recommend doing a meditation where you are introduced to your spirit animal. Let your spirit guides take you mentally to where you can see your spirit animal, whether that is in water, land, or in the air.
Ask your spirit guides what the animal represents and why it is being assigned to you at this time.
If you’re not comfortable with meditation then look around for signs, signals, and synchronicities regarding animals. If there is a certain animal you keep seeing, that could be your spirit animal.
It’s also really fun to get a stuffed animal, statue, or piece of jewelry that represents your spirit animal, so you can feel the essence of that energy around you.
Spirit animals can change over time. That’s totally fine. As you change or as your needs change, you may resonate with a different animal. Let the shift happen.
It’s also okay to have more than one spirit animal, so don’t restrict yourself to just one.
Some people ask me if their deceased pet is one of their spirit animals. No, those are different paradigms. A deceased pet was an actual soulful creature that incarnated physically. A spirit animal is an energetic symbol, and not physical.
Enjoy your spirit animals. They will lend you wisdom, insight, strength, courage and playfulness.
