Posted: 18 March 2020

An Introduction to Spirit Animals or Totems

If you find that you are deeply or obsessively attracted to a specific animal or having reoccurring dreams or happenstances with a specific animal - it is very possible that a spirit animal is presenting itself to you.

Spirit animals are different animals that make up the animal kingdom of which each has a spiritual meaning and purpose to help, guide and protect individual beings here on earth.  

When you find that you are always gravitating to a specific animal, or it presents itself towards you, look up the animal totem or spiritual meaning to help guide you in developing your personality and awareness and help protect and guide you towards spiritual enlightenment in self-discovery.

Think of your spirit animal as a ‘guardian spirit’ or ‘spirit guide’ or ‘spirit protector’ and that you can have one or several different spirit animals throughout your lifetime.

As you can imagine, there are many animals and meanings, so we will give you an introductory guide to animal totems here:

Dog - Unconditional love, loyalty and protection

Hawk – Perceptive and sceptical. See the whole picture.

Horse – Be susceptible, peaceful and sociable to jump the hurdles of life with ease.

Snake – Creation, fertility and ultimate transformation. Focus on your goals.

Sheep – Appreciate the small things in life, find your way back to the right path.

Firefly – Freely wonder, set a shining example, pulse with desire and hunger.

Tiger– Fiery strength of willpower. Live up to your greatest potential.

Raven – You require a spiritual rebirth. Look out for angelic signs.

Bear – Time to be courageous, invoke the bear inside to protect you from

Cow – Mother instincts, nurture your soul.

Wolf – Pay close attention to new ideas and new teachings, maintain your self-esteem and integrity.

Monkey – Seek and find the things that are hidden

Deer – Trust your gut, be gentle with yourself, entice adventure

Owl – Work solo, seek truth and find wisdom in silence.

Lion – Hold your head up high, confront your fears, follow your heart.

Whale – Devote to seek the deepest truth

Giraffe – Remain grounded but keep walking, see the bigger picture.

Eagle – You are a sacred messenger and a healer, or you are the one in need.

Elephant – Harness the power to remove all obstacles.

Butterfly – Bringer of joy and peace. Tune into the ancient wisdom of your ancestors. Navigate gracefully in your transition.

Bees – Reminder of the importance of hard work and evaluate decisions.

Seahorse – Swim through emotional waters and see all sides of a situation.

Otter – Stop swimming against time, unite with friends and family.

Belief in spirit animals and animal totems has been around for centuries, most commonly inherited from Native American tribes. It is believed that becoming aware of animal spirit guides and focusing on the meanings of our individual totem, we begin to initialise these traits and begin to externalise with pure visualisation and thought to materialise and simplify our lives. 

In fact, some Native American Tribes believe that every individual is connected to nine different animal totems in a lifetime of personal spiritual journeys. You may also be interested in Native American Zodiac & Astrology where you can learn more about your birth animal totem assigned to you from birth.

Animal totems are very real characteristics or personality traits from animals, therefore when you listen to your animal spirit guide you will be listening to your animal instinct that is waiting to come out of you.

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