Power Animals
Other Hay House Titles by Steven D. Farmer Animal Spirit Guides Earth Magic Earth Magic Oracle Cards (available November 2010)
Power Animal Oracle Cards Sacred Ceremony
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Power Animals How to Connect with Your Animal Spirit Guide Steven D. Farmer, Ph.D.
HAY HOUSE, INC. Carlsbad, California • New York City London • Sydney • Johannesburg Vancouver • Hong Kong • New Delhi
Copyright © 2004 by Steven D. Farmer Published and distributed in the United States by: Hay House, Inc.: www.hayhouse .com • Published and distributed in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www .hayhouse.com.au • Published and distributed in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.uk • Published and distributed in the Republic of South Africa by: Hay House SA (Pty), Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.za • Distributed in Canada by: Raincoast: www.raincoast.com • Published in India by: Hay House Publishers India: www.hayhouse.co.in Design: Amy Rose Grigoriou Front cover art and animal illustrations: Eric Nesmith: www.nez-art.com All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private use— other than for “fair use” as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews without prior written permission of the publisher. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Farmer, Steven. Power animals : how to connect with your animal spirit guide / Steven D. Farmer. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 1-4019-0332-0 (hardcover) ISBN 978-1-4019-2553-6 (tradepaper) 1. Guides (Spiritualism) 2. Animals—Miscellanea. I. Title. BF1275.G85F37 2004 133’.259—dc22 2004000183 ISBN 978-1-4019-2553-6 12 11 10 09 9 8 7 6 1st printing, August 2004 6th printing, September 2009 Printed in the United States of America
For the animals
Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
PART I: DISCOVERING YOUR POWER ANIMAL 1. What Are Power Animals? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2. Spirit Guides and Power Animals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 3. Your Power Animal and You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 4. Connecting with the Spirit World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 5. Four Channels of Spiritual Perception . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 6. Power Animals and Shamanism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 7. The Realms of Non-ordinary Reality . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 8. Finding and Retrieving Your Power Animal . . . . . . . . 20 9. Honoring Your Power Animal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 10. Divinations and Omens from Animal Spirit Guides . . 28 11. The Power Animal Summaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 12. Other Uses for the Power Animal Summaries . . . . . . . 33
PART II: THE POWER ANIMALS • • •
Bear: Introspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Beaver: Productiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Buffalo: Provisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
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Butterfly: Transformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Cougar (Mountain Lion/Puma): Leadership . . . . . . . . 61 Coyote: Paradox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Deer: Gentleness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Dolphin: Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Dove: Serenity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Dragonfly: Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Eagle: Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Elephant: Resolve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Fox: Shape-Shifting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 Frog: Purification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Giraffe: Foresight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 Hawk: Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Horse: Freedom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Hummingbird: Joy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Kangaroo: Abundance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Lion: Nobility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Lizard: Dreamtime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Lynx (Bobcat): Secrets and Confidentiality . . . . . . . . 163 Opossum: Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 Otter: Inner Feminine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Owl: Wisdom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 Panther (Leopard/Jaguar): Passion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 Rabbit: Fertility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193 Raccoon: Resourcefulness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
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Raven (and Crow): Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 Seal (and Sea Lion): Imagination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211 Snake: Resurrection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217 Squirrel: Preparedness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223 Swan: Grace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229 Turtle: Mother Earth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235 Whale: Inner Depths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241 Wolf: Guardian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Afterword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
APPENDIX Power Animal Key Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . How to Use the CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Recommended Readings and Organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
255 257 261 264 267
n Author’s Note: Although animal spirit guides can be of either gender, in the text I’ve used the singular pronouns “she” and “her” (determined by the flip of a coin) in order to avoid the awkward “him/her, he/she” constructions.
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“Ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you.” — Job 12:7–8
“Millennia before Charles Darwin, people in shamanic cultures were convinced that humans and animals were related. In their myths, for example, the animal characters were commonly portrayed as essentially human in physical form but individually distinguished by the particular personality characteristics possessed by the various types of animals as they exist in the wild today. . . . Then, according to various creation myths, the animals became physically differentiated into the forms in which they are found today.” — from The Way of the Shaman by Michael Harner
Introduction You’re about to embark on a journey that could profoundly change your life. You may have a spirit guide already, or it may be a completely new concept to you. Either way, when you get to know your animal spirit guide and develop a close relationship with her, you’ll open the door to a spiritual power that will serve to protect, guide, and heal you. A power animal is just that: an animal spirit guide that will empower you and help you deal with both the spiritual and the earthly realm. Before we get started, please note that while you may discover only one power animal after reading this book, throughout I’ve sometimes referred to them in the plural. This is not only to avoid awkward sentence construction and make it easier for you to understand, but also because over time and with more experience, you may develop relationships with more than one power animal. The idea of power animals reaches back to ancient times, when we humans had a more intimate and mutual relationship with the animals we shared the earth with. Although the concept is associated
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with shamanism, you needn’t be a shaman or even be particularly interested in shamanism to benefit from having a relationship with a power animal. Also, the idea of animal spirit guides is not exclusive to any one culture, but is found in some form in nearly all cultures. Meeting your power animals and working with them requires only your openness and willingness to explore this territory. By using this book and enclosed CD, I’ll give you very specific instructions on how to meet, retrieve, and work with them. Part I of the book explains what power animals are, how you can meet and retrieve your particular animal, and ways to develop the relationship once you do. Part II summarizes 36 different power animals. Here you’ll find a communication from that animal spirit guide, characteristics you have in common if this is your power animal, challenges you may face where she can help, and things you can do to call on her. This is obviously not an exhaustive list, and whether or not your power animal appears in these pages, it’s important that you learn how to communicate directly with her. This is where the enclosed CD comes in handy. On the CD you’ll find a guided meditation journey with specific instructions on how you can retrieve your power animal. On another track, there’s a guided meditation journey that will be useful when you seek your animal spirit guide’s counsel on
questions and concerns you have. Additional tracks will support self-directed explorations with your power animal. The best way to get started is to first read Part I in its entirety, and then peruse Part II, perhaps reading about some of your favorite animals. Then when you’re ready, follow the instructions for the CD, starting with Track 1, as a way to find out who your specific power animal is. As you gain experience and feel more comfortable with journeying, you can use the additional tracks for further exploration. Take your time with this material. After all, you’re getting ready to set out on an adventure that will help you navigate through life with greater ease and confidence. May you be blessed along this path. Author’s note: You can also use this book as an oracle to find out which animal spirit guide is working with you or to get an answer to any questions you might have about your career, relationships, finances, and so on. Hold the book in your hands, take a couple of breaths, think of your question (such as “Which power animal is working with me?” or “What do I need to know right now?”), then flip through the last80 percent of the pages. When you get the sense to do so, stop and open the book to the page where you landed. Go to the opening page for that animal and read the message that responds to your question.
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PART I
Discovering Your Power Animal
1 What Are Power Animals? Power animals are spirit guides in animal form, valuable allies who can help you navigate through life’s challenges and transitions. You can turn to these perceptive and trustworthy oracles for advice and counsel on any questions or concerns. They’re exceptional teachers who will help you learn about both the spirit world and the natural world. Working with them on a regular basis will enhance your personal life and expand your spiritual capacities immensely. Power animals can appear in meditations, visions, dreams, shamanic journeys, or on the earth in their physical forms. They can be mammals, birds, or reptiles. Even so-called mythical creatures such as unicorns or dragons can be power animals, although they have no physical representations in the material world. However, since spirit animals’ power is drawn from their instinctual
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and wild nature, it’s uncommon for purely domesticated animals such as pets to be part of this group. The source of power for your animal spirit guide isn’t just a single animal, but the entire species. For instance, if your power animal is Bear, it’s not just any particular bear, but an animal spirit guide that’s representative of the entire species of bears. Another positive effect of working with your power animal is that you’ll develop a greater appreciation not only for that species, but also extend that care and respect to the animal kingdom as a whole. If Dolphin is your power animal, your love and appreciation will likely go out to all creatures of the sea and naturally expand to include those of the land and the air. Your animal spirit guide will also teach you to use this power compassionately, to heal and empower yourself and others.
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2 Spirit Guides and Power Animals The term spirit guides (also known as guardian spirits or helping spirits) describes any spiritual beings that help us in a positive way. They protect us, guide us, and provide us with encouragement and inspiration. We may have any number of spirit guides throughout our life, whether or not we’re consciously aware of them. Some have been with us since childhood, while others have appeared at various periods in our life, perhaps to help us through a difficult transition. Spirit guides can be religious figures, angels, ascended masters, ancestors, fairies, or, for our purposes, animal spirits. Animal spirit guides, familiar to indigenous and shamanic cultures, are called either power animals or totem animals. Typically these terms are used interchangeably, although there are some subtle differences in meaning. Totem animal is the more widely used term, and this concept is universal to virtually all cultures.
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Indigenous cultures typically have a tribal totem, another one for the “clan,” and another for the family one is born into. Contemporary cultures also have totem animals, such as those for clubs or societies like the Lions Club or the Loyal Order of Moose, or for sports teams such as the Chicago Bears or the Philadelphia Eagles. Even Christianity has the totems of the lamb and the fish. Parents will often give their child a special totem animal, such as a teddy bear, for protection. Through the child’s belief in the animal she holds in her hands, she’s unwittingly calling in the spirit of that animal and its associated powers. The bear becomes a personal totem, or power animal, for the child, and this animal spirit guide may remain with her well into her adult life. Power animals, rather than being associated with a family or a group, are specific and personal for each individual. Like totem animals, they are guardian spirits that empower us in our everyday lives. They also protect and guide us as we explore non-ordinary reality—the realm where spirits reside—just across the veil of our usual perceptions.
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3 Your Power Animal and You Power ANIMALS and totem animals, as well as other spirit guides, are inhabitants of non-ordinary reality, and as mentioned, we can contact them through meditations, shamanic journeys, dreams, or visions to request their guidance, healing, and protection. Although the terms power animals and totem animals are often used interchangeably, the focus here will be on power animals because of the unique and highly personal relationship they develop with each of us. Unlike other spirit guides, power animals (with the exception of mythical animals) can also appear in physical form in ordinary reality. When your power animal does make an appearance in ordinary reality, it may be an omen or sign from her, depending on the context, the frequency of the sightings, and the behavior of the animal (which I’ll elaborate on later).
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You may or may not be aware of who your power animal is. If not, you can use this book and the enclosed CD as a guide for finding out who she is. One of the tracks on the CD is a guided meditation journey to help you discover and retrieve your power animal; however, if you’re already aware of who she is, the other tracks can help you further explore your relationship with this magnificent spiritual being. You can also use these other tracks to acquire additional power animals, although to start, I’d advise working with just one so that you get to know her more intimately. You don’t actually choose your power animal—you choose each other. Throughout your life you may have even had a number of favorite animals (including totem animals) as spirit guides, but it’s entirely possible that none of them was your power animal. And once an animal spirit shows up in your life as a power animal, it’s your choice to accept her in that role. In a sense, you make a conscious “soul agreement” with your power animal, one that’s mutually beneficial. Your animal spirit guide finds great joy in working with you and experiencing ordinary reality through your physical senses, and you get an animal spirit guide that counsels, heals, and empowers you. Throughout my life I’ve had relationships with a few different animal spirit guides. Some of them I’ve known about, while others have accompanied me at various times on my life’s journey without my being aware of them. In the past several years since
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I’ve followed a shamanic path, I’ve developed conscious relationships with various animal spirit guides, and presently I have four power animals. My first power animal came to me over 15 years ago in a dance, while others have gradually come on board since. I’m not at liberty to divulge who they are, as I strongly believe that these sacred relationships are highly personal and private and should be shared with discretion, if at all (besides, I checked in with them, and they agree!). It’s important to treat these relationships with the utmost respect rather than casually or superficially, otherwise you risk diminishing the power you receive from them. The alliance you form with your power animal isn’t random or accidental—you choose each other in part because the personality characteristics possessed by this animal match up well with yours. In other words, you’re a lot like your power animal. You may be aware of these attributes you have in common, or they might be hidden or obscured from your conscious self, remaining as shadow aspects of your personality. If these traits have been suppressed, you’ll find that they will increasingly become a part of your self-expression as you develop the relationship with your power animal. It’s also important to take good care of this relationship, just as you would any significant friendship. Your power animal’s assignment is to watch out for you and help you in a number of ways—in exchange, she gets to experience life as a human being through you. As long as you honor her and treat her right, she’ll
stick with you. In a subsequent chapter, I suggest some things you can do that will honor your power animal, and in doing so will help you cultivate your relationship with her. Your animal spirit guide gives you power, while you show her gratitude and affection. It’s a fair and reasonable exchange.
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