Power Animals

[WynnJera]

Hi guys ~ I thought I would ask ~ if you have a power animal / Spirit guide ~ What is it and how did you find it ?????

For me my Ex MIL did a guided mediation on me and since I am so drawn to water I thought it would be a whale or something Aquatic ~ NOPE ~ I came to be connected thru a Peacock ...

Peacock's Wisdom Includes

All aspects of beauty
Immortality
Ability to see into the past, present, and future
Dignity
Self-confidence
Rising out of ashes
Respect
Growth

Anyone Else ????

[mato]

Private, but I got mine on a standered vision quest.

[slovene_gds]

cats are mine......i've always been drawn to cats and everything about them. i came to my conclusion when I found Bast.

BB~
Bast

[Silver Venus]

Peacocks are beautiful animals! We have some in our local gardens here, they make a lot of noise but they are so magnificant and proud animals.

I do personally sense and communicate with three of my guides for divination and reiki healing work, a woman and two older men but I havent found my power animal yet.
I am also very drawn to all cats although not the goddess Bast so much, more freyja.

A friend once told me that in trance I turned into a hawk but Im not sure as I never felt or saw anything that backed it up.

Do you have any good meditations or excercises where you can get intouch with your power animal? id be really interested in them :)

[clef0628]

Since as far back as I can remenber, I have always liked snakes. Since I saw my first picture of one. They have also been in my dreams for a long time. And now that I have a snake of my own, I feel real close to it.

[WynnJera]

Peacocks are beautiful animals! We have some in our local gardens here, they make a lot of noise but they are so magnificant and proud animals.

Ummm ~ Thats me ~ sometimes I make alot of noise & sometimes I am magnificant and proud ~ lol ~ see why I have him as a Power animal ~ lol ~ BB ~ WynnJera ~

[Silver Venus]

Your bos must be massive! ;)
Thank you sooo much again!! I will try one of these tonight as I plan to meditate soon!! :)

To all of your questions ~ Id say Cats! I have always been drawn to them and love my two little kitties ~ Wolf and Tilly dearly, they are my babies.
Im not a big fan of zoo's at all but I love watching cat nature programmes and hope to one day see them in the wild on safari, I cant think of anything more spectacular than to see a lioness with her cubs, and dream about cats very frequently especially my girl cat Tilly.
Ive never been attacked by any animals, touch wood, and I know this sounds crazy but if I could choose any it would be a loin.


"9) Cougar: Leadership, courage, power, swiftness and balance. "

I can identify with that quote, i wonder what they would say about a panther or lion or even domestic cat.. of to search.. Thank you for rasing my curiousity again :sunny:

[Silver Venus]

http://www.rainbowcrystal.com/power/powerdef.html

& got ~
Cat - Wholeness.The cat, a creature which combines a high degree of sensuality with a deeply psychic and spiritual nature, teaches us that the physical and spiritual worlds are not separate, but one.

Cheetah - Speed and Focus. Unlike other felines, who stalk, then pounce on their prey for the kill, cheetahs, the fastest four-footed animals alive, run down their prey. Their lesson to us is that of accomplishing our goals with speed and focus. When we feel stuck, cheetah medicine can launch us into motion. If we are moving with great speed but little direction, cheetah energy helps us to keep our eyes on our goals and to find the most direct way of achieving them.

Lion - Courage. The Lion symbolizes the astrological sign of Leo, which rules the heart (coeur in French). Courage comes from the heart and from one's deep sense of personal authority, which creates the power to act in a way that accords with one's spirit. One who acts truly from the heart is capable of leadership, achievement, and the kind of success that encourages the accomplishments of others.

Mountain Lion - Leadership. To be true to oneself, allowing neither fear of responsibility nor the jealousy and insecurities of others to divert one from one's path, is the mark of a genuine leader.

*********
I can really indentify with all of those!! Which one to choose, Im going to do the meditation and hopefully one will appear to me, or even another animal altogether! this is fun!! :D

Here your one WynnJera :)
Peacock - Wholeness. This bird, honored around the world for the beauty of its feathers, has also an association with resurrection. For us it can help in sheedding the old and drab feathers of the past and to claim our the true beauty of our individual natures. As such, it helps to enhance confidence and self-esteem.

[WynnJera]

Ths Silver for that info on the Peacock ~ and as for my Bos Id not have one yet ....

I have a DOS ( Disk Of Shadows ) lol

and I am just starting to start SOS ( Scrapbook of Shadows )
From all the old witch daytimes and calenders and such that I have kept...

One that is done I will start to transfer my DOS to a BOS

Hope that info can help you in some way ~ Keep me posted ...

BB ~ WynnJera ~

[Flar's Freyja]

Hey - I don't need to buy any more books - WynnJera's here! ;)

I have several. When I finally became aware of power animals, I realized that I already had one - the Monarch butterfly. Monarchs always seemed to be around when a change was coming. One incident in particular involved one landing on my breast and staying for about five minutes when I was fishing with my ex-husband. The next day, I found out I was pregnant with my first child. Three huge Monarchs floated around me in my driveway on the morning of the day I made a conscious decision to choose this path. It was not the typical time of year for them.

And so on. Then came my wolves, the cats, the crow and coyote. The crow was very interesting. Huge crows were appearing and screaming at me only around my office building and work-related places. I decided to quit a very stressful although secure job and begin freelancing. It's a struggle right now, but I am so much happier. I still see them now and then, but there's no more hollering!

[MistOfTheSea86]

My Spirit Guide is a dragon. He is very smart and Brave... Although I have not heard from him in a while, I feel his prescence he uses my body to communicate with me vocally:)

[Rick]

A Cherokee shaman told me that we have four different animal guides that are ever with us; others kinda 'pass through', time to time, but the four are constant... the ones he saw for me were Power Animal (relates to your strength)-Owl; Medicine Animal (relates to your inspiration, or inner drive)-Badger; Spirit Animal (relates to your spirituality)-White Buffalo; Totem Animal (relates to your intellect,and in a way, your family line)-Eagle...

[Empress Kerigan]

Mine is the dolphin. A friend and i were doing meditation exercises and my brother (dead for 21 years) came and took me hand. He led me through a crowded beach and under the water until i reach the dolphins. He left me there with these words "Now you are at peace". Never completely understood why though.

[Sequoia]

mine's a Puma (cougar/mountain lion). She's been here for all my life, watching me as best she can ^^; Puma's a sweetheart. And she's protective. . . and lends wisdom at times.

[Ganga]

Gray wolf and Snowy owl. I met them during a self-guided meditation/journey. It was such a surprise, especially since I've often felt shy around dog-animals. I expected something like a peacock or a cow because they are both very dear to my Deity. Well, one never knows until one gets there. I've received gifts and knowledge from them, so I'm very grateful.

[nehelia]

i used a journey to my inner self to find my totems initially, but things went way out of whack along with my subconscious. . . when i got myself together again, i basically called totems from each of the directions, as they represent elements, different aspects of self, and many many other correspondences. asked each of the directions to let the totem come and then called to the totem to reveal itself. cat has always been around for me. i have a totem now that i have wanted all my life but had to "earn" sort of, and its the only totem that has bitten me many times in dreams and visions.

i agree very strongly with rick--there's a difference between totems and allies. each person has animals, mostly power animals (i.e. animal with vetrebrae backbone skeleton, shark included) and sometimes not, that are with them for life. sometimes they may fade into the backround a bit, to let one work through issues not relating to its nature, or to tell the person they need more attention. then there are allies--animals that come to you for a specific reason, for a relatively short period of time, to help you in your path or work through an issue. Raven is kind of an in-and-out helper for me, and he always shows up when a soulmate of mine is lookin for me

wynnjera, that was definitely a crapload of information!! even though i personally dont "need" it as i have a method that works, thanks for posting it all--gives others different options and methods.

going out into nature is a great way to connect with your animal, even if its a terrain area that the animal does not habitate--shapeshifting practice!

that, and ive found that Animal Planet has soo many awesome shows about animals that really help you to see what they're like in real life. an animal gets its more spiritual transcendent qualities from what it does in real life. watching a lioness drag down a water buffalo by jumping on its behind and hanging off of it helped quite a few things *click* for me.

[WynnJera]

Silver Venus asked if I had any info on it so I thought rather than PM I would post it as I felt others could use the info ~ BB ~ WynnJera ~

[Silver Venus]

Well I think all this info is great and has helped me allot Wynn :)

I see a lioness as a proud, protective mother and huntress.. but I guess we all have our different ways...

I also have been noticing allot of butterflies around at the moment :) although theres none around as its cold and just (slowly) turning into spring here, the last few days every day i have noticed an image of a butterfly somewhere or other, and I even dreamt about painting a butterfly on Saturday night. It was a brillaint blue one and wouldnt stay still long enough for me to paint, I got really fustrated and told it to stay still ...but then ended up laughing in the dream and my bf said I was talking and woke me as he though I was crying but I was really laughing. It was a very strong dream and I immediatley knew that it represented the transformation i am going under at the moment, becoming a mother :)

[Nina]

.... I always come back to birds, when it comes to power animals. I guess it's something about flight - taking my energy to where it needs to go. Owls are my main choice, but I've been very drawn to little birds - sparrows, robins etc, recently. I've meditated on it quite a lot, and I always come back to the same phrase - 'start small, and work your way up' - which really fits my life right now.

[nehelia]

birds are always fun. you might want to try collecting a few feathers, wearing them in your hair or meditating with them, to connect you to bird. i had a neat experience with Owl a little while ago

i do view lioness as great hunters and mothers, but i dont tie into the mother aspect of things that much. Lioness would be very helpful in you teaching your child necessary things as well as protecting and nurturing him/her. i get more into the death aspects, but that's also because i connect with male lions as strongly as female lions, and they're almost inactive when it comes to being a parent figure with cubs.

the butterfly image sounds very potent too. perhaps you could put a few butterfly decorations above the crib er something?

[Sequoia]

hehehe that sounds wonderful, SV!! hehe congradulations!!!

[Myst]

Originally posted by Silver Venus
I see a lioness as a proud, protective mother and huntress.. but I guess we all have our different ways...

I agree totally. They also represent courage, leadership, patience, and massive strength.

[Twilight Garden]

I have three that I am very drawn to. I have always been very drawn to dragon's and have attributed it to me being a dragon in eastern astrology. I have also always been associated with bats and dragonflies. Both since I was little. Not sure if one is a totem or not.

[Myst]

Cougar:

Massive strength, wisdom, driven by goals, independence, self sufficience, can be tender but most often watchful and devastatingly dangerous. A mixture of black panther's mysterious shadow walking and lion's devastatingly confident and courageous killer instincts.

[Silver Venus]

Thats a great idea Nehelia, I was planning to make a mobile representing all the elements somehow also with the sun, moon, stars and fae, and a bright blue butterfly would look great too :)

Thanks Puma ~ your a sweetie :smooch:

Myst ~ I love all cats, domestic and wild and now more than ever before can totally see why! ;)

[Rick]

Cougar is a symbol of being a good provider, of being able to 'hunt down your needs'...

Ever watch a cat stalking something? They are also symbols of infinite patience, & they don't give up...

[Myst]

Originally posted by Rick
Cougar is a symbol of being a good provider, of being able to 'hunt down your needs'...

Ever watch a cat stalking something? They are also symbols of infinite patience, & they don't give up...

My man is cougar ;)

[Kaylara]

Owls. Esp. Snowy Owls.

Kayalra

[Myst]

hehe Kaylara you spelled your nick wrong there. a little juxtaposition :)

[Dancin Girl]

Hmmmmmm I haven't had too much experience with animals... I do feel a connection to certain ones and feel them near and around me in dreams and meditations. I've always felt a connection and been drawn to butterflies and winged things... and I have a wolf spirit with me most of the time. But, the most powerful connection comes from a woman guiding me. I can hear her voice a lot of the time, I can at times vaguely see an image of her and I have heard her name.

[Azure]

I have a fox and a magpie :)

[LadyAutumnCat]

My power animal is feline, I have always thought a combination of domestic and wild cats. I have spent time with cougars, rescued domestic cats, 2 of my cats are hybrids, and I dream of cats frequently. My familiar was a cat who has since passed on, but he taught me things no one else has been able to teach me! I'm even pursuing a career in working with conservation of the big cats, specifically cheetahs in Africa.

For anyone interested in felines, this is a great book to look into:
Your Magickal Cat: Feline Magick, Lore, and Worship
by Gerina Dunwich

BB

[Silver Venus]

Originally posted by LadyAutumnCat

For anyone interested in felines, this is a great book to look into:
Your Magickal Cat: Feline Magick, Lore, and Worship
by Gerina Dunwich

BB

Ooo that sounds lovely :D ~ going off to hunt for it in amazon...

Glad to see you back Autumn :)

[Silver Venus]

Its out of stock at the moment and so I think ill try and have a look for it in my local shops.. incedentally ~ what does it cover as there was no review at amazon? Looks pretty cute though :)

[Myst]

I bought it once and took it back. Didn't enjoy it myself but that's just mho :)

[LadyAutumnCat]

Silver,

Thanks for welcoming me back!! The book covers feline lore, tales about felines and witches etc, it even has a feline horoscope. I figured you would be into it especially since you posted about doing tarot readings for your fur babies. I got mine at Barnes and Noble, so maybe visit the Barnes and Noble website, they may have it.

BB

[Topazz]

I have at least two that I know about. My owl guide comes to me when I need wisdom or insight, like the night that one appeared right in the middle of the hiway as my daughter and I were driving back to her house. I looked at her and said, did you see him, that was a warning to watch out for something ~ one week later to the minute the town where she lived was hit by a big tornado. She was watching tv and checking the radio, of course.

And my butterfly appears to me when it's time for me to make changes or come out of my coccoon.

During the last month of my daughter's second pregnancy a snake came to me, and when I checked the Chinese Zodiac a week after my granddaughter was born, she was born in the sign of the snake!

[Silver Venus]

Thanks Autumn & Myst, Ill try and find it in a book shop and see what i think of it, it does sounds really interesting though..

Topaz ~ I too am a snake with chinesse zodian and believe that during my late teenage years this was my Power animal as I was very attracted to them and even kept one as a pet (before giving it to my sister in the end). Now I dont feel very conected with the snake at all, I have changed so much the last few years..

and just looking this animal up it so figures!
"Snake - Transmutation. As Snake sheds its skin so we can shed our illusions and limitations in order to fully use our vitality and desires to achieve wholeness."

:sunny:

[Topazz]

Hmmmm, yes, I've felt a connection to owl and butterfly for as long as I can remember, but I think other 'guides' come along as we need them and leave when we've gotten the message.

My older granddaughter is a tiger like me in the Chinese Zodiac. The scary thing is, that the younger one is a snake like her grandpa ~ my ex. I sure hope they get along with each other better than he and I did. :eek:

[Sisqi]

Someone did a power animal retrieval for me and I had a golden eagle for a long time. Lately, though, when I journey it has been different. Ever since I self-dedicated about a year ago I've had a stag show up when I journey. He always calls me 'witch' where the eagle and I were more sybiotic, more understanding each other but not really speaking, but the stag is very vocal and doesn't seem a part of me like the eagle was. The stag told me his name once, but I am never able to recall it when I am out of trance. He always teaches me practical things like how to protect myself, how to shield, etc. whereas when the eagle was present, I got more information/clarity on relationships in my life. It has been an interesting shift.

[Silver Venus]

Sisqi ~ Merry Meet :) its interesting about what Topazz said about guides teaching us for a period then moving on when we have learnt from them , this would apply to both you and me :)
Thanks Topazz ~ & about the chinesse zodiac ~ Ive read that there are several snakes ~ fire, water (youll have to check in a book)... and a few tigers also so maybe you and your ex clashed where your grandaughter and daughter will be great matches! :)

[Sisqi]

Silver,
Thanks for the warm welcome :) I'm greatful for my new teacher/guide and hope you are as well. I saw a ways back on this thread you asked about getting in touch with/meeting a power animal. One of the best exercises I ever did is a simple but powerful exercise that one of my professors did with us. We began standing in a circle (after smudging and some other energy raising drumming and rattling we did as a group) while he drummed and walked slowly around the room. During this we were getting into trance. We set the intention for our power animal to come to us. Slowly, as the animal came to us each individually, we began moving as the animal moves and we did this for a long while feeling more and more one with the animal.

Our particular group outcome was real interesting, and it was good to see everyone get involved. I suspect my professor is a pagan, but other than him (possibly) I was the only pagan in the bunch. We even have a minister in our group! It was good to see everyone open to the possibility... Anyway, everyone really got into it and found their separate animal for the time. There were birds, crawling things, four footed animals, etc.

An interesting side note - I had a vision that I was a wolf chasing a rabbit. I chased and chased and was just about to make the kill so to speak when the drum called us back to the room. It was interesting when we did the group process because I found that there was a lady in the group who had a vision of herself as a rabbit. She ran and ran and even hid herself under some of the furniture that was in the room. Right before we got called back, she got this distict impression she was about to be caught by a wolf.

While this was a rather simple ritual, it was very powerful and effective for even the less believing participants.

:)

[Silver Venus]

Wow Sisqi your vision and the ladies sounds really amazing! That must be so great when you connect with an excercise and someone like that! Did you try and talk to her to see if there were any other links between the two of you? I always believe that things like that are meant to make us really take note of something else between us.
Id love to try that excercise in a group, and I have been going to an open circle every week at a spiritualist church and we have done a few group excerices for healing and meditation but nothing like that, this week is my last as Im moving this weekend so I doubt we will be able to do this on such short notice but Ill try and certianly suggest it for everyone else to do as I think they will really like it.

blessings to you :sunny:

[Sisqi]

we talked a little about the similarities...we both new the season and could generally describe the area to each other and all that. The drummer was watching us all and said we both went into the chase at the same time...it was real interesting. Needless to say, we picked each other for partners for the rest of the weekend!

[Magestya]

I personally believe that some animal spirit guides come and go with each change in ones life. As your energy changes as well as the way you may look at things, this may also indicate a new spirit guide. I also believe there are some that stay.

I also believe in more than one 'kind' of totem. Shadow totems for example are animals that you have been afraid of all your life, or even if its just a new fear - maybe a dog chased you, or a squirrel screeched at you... these animals spirits are telling us we need their strengths to get through something presently in our lives. For a dog, lets say loyalty, and for a squirrel lets say protection.

There are other different kinds of totems as well (in my own personal beliefs), like 'life totems'. These totems stay with you throughout your life, always there as a reminder. Everytime you see a picture or hear the name you feel stronger, or get a sense of familiarity, part of you becomes that animal because you are reminded of what its strengths are, and its weaknesses. These guides help in everyday situations and even in the hardest/easiest situations, but they are a constant reminder of your animal self.

This is a bit of how I personally view animal spirit guides. I enjoy working closely with my guides, great idea for a post!

Blessings,
Magestya

[Magestya]

Forgot to add, The Lioness is one of my 'life totems', and also am presently being guided by The Tortiose as well.

Blessings,
Magestya

[Silver Venus]

Just found this wonderful page aboput totem animals corresponding with your birth date :D It fits with mine and those close to me :) Has also opened my eyes about a few things!
http://www.paganspath.com/magik/brthtote.htm

[Rinor]

Dear all...
My power animal is the Wolf...
During a guided meditation, I saw it as a vision, not only once...more than that, it came to me as a cosmic message during a dream and even as a possession where I was sure I was a wolf and was perolized to the bed...which I thank the gods now for that because I wouldn't want to know what could have happened.

Love and light to all...always...

[Topazz]

It seems like every other person says they have a wolf for a totem animal / spirit guide. I wonder if this is because it's like a natural line of work for wolves? Or if maybe at this time in history there is a greater need for wolf guides? hmmmmmm

[Flar's Freyja]

Originally posted by Topazz
It seems like every other person says they have a wolf for a totem animal / spirit guide. I wonder if this is because it's like a natural line of work for wolves? Or if maybe at this time in history there is a greater need for wolf guides? hmmmmmm

Wolf is leader, team-player, hunter, teacher - qualities critical to survival in our society. So it would seem that there is definitely a need for his guidance.

[Azure]

Here's a link to what may be a very good, scientific explanation for that:

http://www.amonline.net.au/display.cfm?id=720

[Élistariel]

I'm not entirely sure of mine yet, I'm near positive about a few. Uh, this isn't mine, but if anyone has a deer for a spirit guide...

[Flar's Freyja]

Thanks for bumping this!

Always promoting my sweetie's writing. Here's one for my fellow pack members:

http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18017

[Morgandria]

I think Wolf has been very busy as a Totem, simply because Wolf is, by its own nature, a teacher. So not only does it come with a lesson in mind, Wolf Above is a teacher no matter how you encounter the spirit.

Part of my spirituality includes a belief that each person has nine totems: One above, one below, one for each cardinal direction, two on either side of you to balance, and one heart totem.
Each will reveal itself to you in its' own time, and has a lesson to teach.

My totems are Wolf, Raven, Owl, Dragon, Bear, Wolverine, Red-Tailed Hawk, Horse, and Lynx.

Other totems may appear in your life, with wisdom to impart, but the nine that are "yours" are with you for life. Lately I've also been visited by Dragonfly.

I did a Totem Project not too long ago:
http://www.witchscauldron.net/blackbriar/project.htm

Mebbe someone will find it interesting.
-M.

[Flar's Freyja]

Originally posted by Morgandria
I did a Totem Project not too long ago:
http://www.witchscauldron.net/blackbriar/project.htm

Mebbe someone will find it interesting.
-M.

:thumbsup: I did. Excellent work. Thanks for sharing it!

[Haedis]

Hmm I always seem to miss these the first time around. I dont really have a power animal that i work with but I've always been very drawn to snakes, cougars, and barn owls.

[Chibi-Fallon]

Coyote has always been mine. I guess their kids like wolves... only cooler. :cool:

[Mocari]

Still looking:woah:
Felines seem to have strange influence on me, but I feel attracted to so many animals. At the moment I'd say cat :cutie:

[Flar's Freyja]

Bumping for Tranquility

[Silver Venus]

Ive always loved them, especially since I visited a nature turtle farm in April this year in Cancun. & recently Ive been very close to a turtle in my meditations :)

Turtle- Mother Earth. By following the example of Turtle we can learn to ground ourselves in the nurturing and protective energy of the earth and to flow with its energies at a pace which assures completion of our tasks.

Figure's with me totally right now! ;)

[Tsuki]

why isnt there any mythical creatures as a spirit guide?

[Pippin]

I`ve had a tiger spirit with me since I was a child. I love tigers and big cats. Also, Snowy Owl,rabbit and crow.

[Rick]

Originally posted by Tsuki
why isnt there any mythical creatures as a spirit guide?
Hehehe... well, I believe there are... they just weren't listed in this source...

[Mnemosyne]

Hey, Tranquility and others, this thread is really good if you want to learn more about power animals. :)

[Gently Gazing Eyes]

I like this thread. :)

[Tranquility]

I think a problem is that, people WANT certain animals to be their animal guides, and so they will manifest that want in their meditation or dreams, but they won't really be coming or calling to you.... The tiger, Eagle, Bear, And Wolf have always amazed me. I did and still do want to open a huge wildlife preserver so some of these can can re-habilitate. If i have enough money i want to own tons of property to make my own reserve for these species, i love them all dearly.. Anyhow, the animal guide i know of now is the bear. When i was in alaska last summer i got this spirit guide dream catcher kind of thing for the bear. Anyhow i didn't really make much of it, but i started looking at it for a while and realized its importance. I think that this was an early message from that guide. I also am in the process of trying to find out if the Eagle is my animal guide too. I had a dream about an eagle, but i am not sure if that is my guide quite yet..

[Tranquility]

I think a problem is that, people WANT certain animals to be their animal guides, and so they will manifest that want in their meditation or dreams, but they won't really be coming or calling to you.... The tiger, Eagle, Bear, And Wolf have always amazed me. I did and still do want to open a huge wildlife preserver so some of these can can re-habilitate. If i have enough money i want to own tons of property to make my own reserve for these species, i love them all dearly.. Anyhow, the animal guide i know of now is the bear. When i was in alaska last summer i got this spirit guide dream catcher kind of thing for the bear. Anyhow i didn't really make much of it, but i started looking at it for a while and realized its importance. I think that this was an early message from that guide. I also am in the process of trying to find out if the Eagle is my animal guide too. I had a dream about an eagle, but i am not sure if that is my guide quite yet..

[~ Monk ~]

Originally posted by Tranquility
I think a problem is that, people WANT certain animals to be their animal guides, and so they will manifest that want in their meditation or dreams, but they won't really be coming or calling to you....

This is true. At the same time you have to be careful not to block out certain animals just because you do have an affinity for them.

Some things I've learned about Power/Totem Animals:

The important thing when doing a journey to discover your Power Animal is your intent. Have a reason for it - don't just go in to see what animal will appear. Also, journey with an open mind - you never know who your PA will be. Unlike a Totem Animal, your PA is the one whom you need at the time of your journey - so they may be with you only for a day, a month, etc. whereas a TA is for life. It's also said that you should feel, hear or see an animal at least four times to be sure they are a part of your totem.

If anyone has done a Power Animal journey and can share, I'd love to read about it. :D

[cydira]

I'm not sure if I'd say totem.

I've had various animals become prominant in my dreams and in events in my life. I've had ravens about me for years. I've been strongly attuened with cats. I've spoken with dragons.

A totem is something that I won't claim to have. I'm not sure if it is wise to say that you have a totem animal if you do not clearly understand the concept of a totem. I for one do not understand the concept of a totem. While animals may be strongly present, I find it is more in connection with something else or because I have a connection with that specific animal.

Ravens are avatars of the Morrigu, in some respects. They are also closely attached to Odin. They've come to me at times bearing messages and warnings from them. I've had dreams and walked spiritually wearing the "skin" of various animals. It's an interesting experience, but I don't believe it means that those animals are totems of mine. <shrugs> But that is just me.

One suggestion, if you're walking about spiritually in an animal guise, be certian that you do have the ability to protect yourself in that guise and that you do not block the instincts that are attached with it. I've heard of several souls getting "lost" due to something of that and of conflicts involving rather ... fractious practitioners who will choose to attack each other in those forms.

On a different topic, it troubles me that we speak of these things and will often let slip by some of the more ... challenging aspects of these topics. At times, it is confusing and some times a little hard to work with these concepts and with any form of magical/spiritual working, there are dangers. Shapeshifting, or as I've described it spirit walking with a different "skin", is not easy and some have had problems with it. Like being trapped into a "skin".

But, now I"m starting to sound like Cassandra, so I'll hush before I start really doing some doom-saying. <sighs> I hate being on my menses. :p

[holly Noelle]

Thank you so much for this information on the Peacock. I have been looking for over two months for information on him. I have found some interesting information on some totem animals.
:woot:

Holly Noelle