Animals as Spirit Guides and Totems

All animals, and the ways in which they have adapted and evolved to deal with their situations and surroundings, are different. Some have taken to the sky,whilst some have buried themselves deep underground away from the light of the sun and the prying eyes of others. People have, since the beginning of time, watched these animals and have noticed different strengths and weaknesses amongst the species and the people came to understand that these creatures had lessons for us all. They knew that no one species was superior over another, they respected Nature and realised that they themselves were only a very small part of the whole.

Over centuries man began to forget this and elevated himself above the animals and in doing so has lost the natural ability to communicate and speak with the animals. It is true that using the tests of intelligence in human terms animals do very badly, equally (and very often overlooked) man would do very badly if the tests were done in animal terms. We have even lost the ability to survive as we are, unfettered and free, making use of nothing more than the gifts from Nature.

Bizarrely, since inflicting this state on ourselves man has worked very hard at trying to talk with the animals, teaching sign language to apes and spoken words to birds. Yet, how many times have you been down and your dog has come and just sat with you or your cat has appeared? They know through their own communication with you that you are no longer balanced. Being created by and containing Spirit, the same as us, they still are able to read the messages and signals we send out. We are still after all part of the whole and when we are disrupted the whole is disrupted, just like a drip of water into a pool, such a tiny thing and yet the ripples and surface disturbance flows outwards long after the drip has been reabsorbed back into the pool.

Listening to your spirit guides is not as difficult as trying to talk to your dog at home. It is widely accepted that there are four dictinct types of guides and the way that it manifests itself to you is important for you to assertain which type of guide it is. Its meaning and lessons will differ depending on the guide type.

A Life Animal Guide is also called a Spirit Guide as it comes to you when you are born and will be with you through this entire lifetime whether you ever acknowledge or call on him or not. Some people will have more than one life guide and a life guide may call up other spirit guides occassionally if they have a message for you which your guide feels is important.

A Journey Animal Guide will appear when your life is about to change direction or when there is a vital decision to be made. Your Life Guide is always with you, whereas your Journey Guide is there until that Journey is made, he is there to steer you and to help you through the changes.

The Messenger Guide appears until you have learnt and understood the message he is bringing. Sometimes he makes himself known very forcefully, other times he plants the seed of an idea and waits to see if it will take root. Messenger Guides are neither positive or negative, they are totally impartial, they have a message, that is it. There is no tie to a Messenger Guide.

Finally there are the Shadow Guides, these come to teach you an important lesson about something which is having a negative affect on your life . They will perservere on and on until their lesson is learnt. A Shadow Guide appears as an animal which you are afriad of at first but who possesses qualities you need within your own life, by overcoming your fears you bring this Guide into the light as a Spirit Animal Guide and it can become one of your most powerful Totems.

Every animal ever created by Spirit has its own powers,strengths and messages. An animal Totem or Guide will chose you and come to you because it possesses something you need. You can not decide which Guides you would like to have, your Guide will come to you offering power and wisdom and asking only that you learn to communicate with it with respect, trust and understanding.

Using your Spirit Guides will help you know the Earth better, to know yourself better and to be able to communicate and understand the teachings of Spirit better.