Working with Animal Spirits is a fun and powerful way to expand your world.

Animal Spirits are present in every culture worldwide. Mayans, Egyptians, Greeks, Hindus, and many ancient cultures believed animals had souls and spirits. In the Middle Ages, animal spirits were used in medicine, theology, and philosophy. Native nations on various continents have kept this beautiful connection and wisdom alive so humanity can reconnect more globally with it one day. Thanks to their work and dedication, the animal kingdom is now ready to reawaken more globally.

Much of humankind has forgotten how to communicate with the animal kingdom's consciousness. However, deep in your cellular memory, something is calling you to reconnect or deepen your connection and start working with the Animal Spirits. 

Maybe you keep bumping into an animal (real or figuratively), which sparked your curiosity. Maybe there is one animal that you have liked since childhood, without knowing why.

Today, an Animal Spirit is calling you, and I invite you to dance with that curiosity and connect with the animal in your mind or by your side. 

A story about Animal Spirit.

My first contact with the animal spirit was quite unnoticeable. I was about 2-3 years old and learned one word in German that I kept repeating over and over: Schmetterling (butterfly). My mother tongue is French, so there was no reason for this word to be so important to me, except to seed something so that one day I would notice this beautiful Animal Spirit and Teacher.

The seed started to sprout in my thirties when someone made me realise I was constantly buying clothes, bags, and prints with butterfly imprints. I hadn't noticed; it was natural, yet not a real passion for butterflies. I was surprised and swiftly remembered that it was the first German word I ever learned, which triggered my curiosity. 

Soon after, I started to connect with spirituality and metaphysics, and the butterfly reappeared alongside other animals during my meditations. The more I felt at ease with the invisible, the more I could sense their shape and presence around me. Yet, nothing prepared me to be and feel familiar with them. My family did not speak about such things, nor my friends or colleagues. So, I kept quiet about it for a while, sometimes wondering if I was becoming slightly cuckoo, sometimes embracing fully the love I was receiving.

Gently, an entire zoo came to me. With all the support and teaching I was receiving, I made a decision, whether they were real or my imagination, they were helping me big time, so I welcomed them into my life.

The Elk's presence was making me feel more grounded. The Wolf made me feel protected; the cat, playful and courageous. The Sow...I was not enchanted to see her as one imagines their animal as cute or spectacular. But I quickly learned she was a great shadow hunter and helped me spot when my ego was leading the way. She also opened the ways to less sexy animals, and I was honoured by the support of the Leech to get out of co-dependencies, the weaving talent of the Spider to cleanse and connect. 

My first reaction was to look up the term on the web to find a definition and see their message, but I do not recommend that you do that.

How to work with your Animal Spirit(s)?

Again, it is the Sow who taught me the best how to connect with the animal spirit. One day, she appeared on the side of my bed when I was exhausted. I had no energy to get up, grab my phone, and put on glasses to browse the web, so I asked her what she was doing here. And she answered.

Nowadays, I have developed clairaudience, clairvoyance, and clairsentience, so I can easily engage in a dialogue with spirits and receive words in thought form, images, or feelings. I had to learn to differentiate my inner voice from spirits, but communication is easy today. Yet, it was not always the case, so you are mistaken if you believe you can't connect with your animal spirit(s) by yourself. You might not have yet developed your intuition and capacities, but it does not mean you shouldn't try to engage in dialogue with your animal spirit. 

1. Play with questions such as "What are you here for?" and "What can I grow or learn with your support?" Then, pay attention to what comes in your field. Maybe it is an ad in the street with the word "confidence" blasting in your face as soon as you complete your question. If you are unsure of the answer and believe you are making it up, ask them for three (3) confirmations.
   
   
2. Journal and write down "What the XXX spirit animal wants to share with me today?" Then, let the words come up, without judging them. The first sentences might sound wishy, washy, or too kind if you are not used to kindness, but by giving some holiday to your inner judge, you could be surprised to see words you wouldn't have expected to show on the paper.
   
   
3. Invite the Animal Spirit into your meditation. After you have grounded yourself, sit or lie down for your meditation and invite the presence of your Spirit Animal. You can imagine its presence at first or verbally invite them to guide you. Then, let the vision, sensation, and thought form take you on a journey. Walk around with your Spirit Animal in your mind's eye and ask them to show you the way or take you to scenes that can help you understand their message.
   
   
4. Invite them into your dreams if you are prone to remembering them. Dreamland can be a great source of information. It might take a few tries, but your Spirit Animal can show you images and scenes to help insight come through while you dream. Focus on your senses and the emotions of the dream to understand what you are working on, rather than on the storytelling.

Exploring the above practices before reading any message or description you can find on the web or in books is always interesting. You will be surprised by how much it says about you and how much insight it may give for your personal growth.

I hope this article inspired you to explore Spirit Animals through your lenses. If you seek Spirit Animal representation to enhance your inner work, the shop provides many options. All you need is to type the name of the animal in the search option in the menu.