Power animals and other helping spirits can be of great help to you and your pet, both while your pet is alive and after your pet has died (see “Power animals – a little known source of healing after pet loss“).
You may have an idea of what kind of helpers you and your pet might get, but you can never tell. There are basically no limitations to who those spirit guides can be: All kinds of animals, from a tiny mouse to a big elephant, mythological creatures, religious figures and teachers in human form.
And if we take a cat, for instance, you might expect him to have a lion or tiger as a helper. In fact, my cat Pittiput has a big male lion, but that is definitely not the case with all cats. Some of my other cats have spirit helpers you might not expect, such as a wolf or an angel. A cat I once knew had a whale shark. Very different power animals or totems, but each one perfectly matching the temperament of the cat.
So, at first you might be surprised or skeptical, but usually when you connect with or think more closely about the qualities of the helper you or your pet has gotten, you will find that it fits perfectly. The spirit helper displays characteristics you recognize in yourself or in your pet, and they also bring lessons you or your pet need to learn.
For example, if you get a tiger helper it will also be a good idea to study deer which is the typical prey of tiger. A hippopotamus may indicate a need for a vegetarian diet. Remember, while often you may need to develop and strengthen the dominant qualities of your totem or spirit helper, it may be that just the opposite is true and you need to tone down those qualities.
If you get or retrieve a power animal or another spirit guide, the best thing is if you can follow your own intuition as to what your helper can teach you and what special characteristics he or she has, but there are a few books you might want to check out to get some inspiration. Ted Andrews wrote some good books, and one I highly recommend is: Animal-Speak: The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great & Small
In this book are insightful descriptions of many animals and a number of interesting exercises and techniques you can use. Even if you do not feel ready to have a shamanic journey done for you at this point, why not try out some of the exercises in Ted Andrews’ book? It is a wonderful way to become more deeply in touch with yourself and tune in to nature and the animal world.
photo credit: “Cat with wolf shadow”, Copyright 2010 Spectacular Optical Illusions and Images
