Have you ever wondered what it means when a specific type of bird flies directly in front of you and it happens more than once over a short period of time? Or have you ever wondered what it means when you have a reoccurring dream of something such as a snake or a spider? I definitely have and I’ve come to learn through my studies of Native American culture, that there are messages for my spiritual self in all of them.
Native Americans believe each person is connected with nine different animals that will accompany them through life, acting as guides. It is said in their culture that different animal guides will come in and out of one’s life, depending on the direction the person is headed and the tasks that are needed to be competed along their journey. Another belief that Native Americans have is that there is one totem animal that’s with a person for life, both in the physical and spiritual world. So while there may be many animal guides that accompany a person throughout their life, there’s only one totem animal that acts as the main guardian spirit.
Animal guides and totems can appear in many different forms including those of birds, insects, arachnids, mammals, reptiles, sea creatures, and more. It’s also important to note that an animal guide does not necessarily mean that it’s someone’s pet or something they will spend time with. Rather, it’s more about when the presence of that animal shows up and how it’s there for the person to become open to learning its lessons.
The main reason why I became so interested in pursuing this subject is that sometimes the signs we ask our Higher Power to send us, come in ways that aren’t so prevalent like the burning bush we often hope to see. Instead, they sometimes come in things as simple as an animal reappearing again and again in our lives.
I’m sure by now you may be thinking what I once did too, when I started learning about all of this. How does one identify the presence of an animal guide or totem to learn those lessons and receive those signs it may trying to provide? Here are some of the questions you can ask yourself to finding that answer:
1. Have you ever felt drawn to one animal or another without being able to explain why?
2. Does a certain kind of animal keep appearing in your daily life? (such as in the movies you see, the television shows you watch, or in correspondence sent to you)
3. When you go to a zoo, a park, a wildlife area, or walk into a forest, what are you most interested in seeing?
4. Are there any animals that you find to be extremely frightening or intriguing?
5. Is there a particular animal you frequently are seeing when you’re out and about?
6. Have you ever been attacked by an animal that was unprovoked by you?
7. Have you ever had a reoccurring dream about a certain animal, or a dream from years ago about one that you haven’t forgotten?
8. Are you being drawn to figurines or paintings of a specific animal?
It’s probably best that I provide an example now from my own life to show how I have used these questions to identify one of my own animal guides. I once was spending time with this guy who was quite devious in life. He gossiped greatly and spread lies about many people. He also liked to talk behind people’s backs more than not. I knew on some level he was unhealthy for me, but I was extremely attracted to him physically and stayed closely to his life because of it. My life began to experience a tremendous amount of ups and downs and often, this man brought me great pain. I started asking God for help and one night I had a dream of a spider crawling on me and it startled me awake. Over the course of a few weeks, I kept having variations of spider dreams until I finally decided to do a Google search on the Internet using “Animal Guide – Spider” as the keywords. And here’s what I found from doing that search.
“Spiders are a prime symbol for manipulation. It is telling you that you’re worried treachery is afoot somewhere in you’re life. Just think how spiders lure flies into the web, or how the black widow spider kills her mate right after mating with him. Someone is being manipulative on a grand scale, and you’re sensing it. You feel ‘caught’ in somebody’s web of lies and deceit. Perhaps like that helpless fly, you feel trapped and entangled…”
I was amazed when I first read this and it it provided confirmation to me of several things. One, God was trying to answer my prayer for help with dealing with that man, but in a way I didn’t expect. Two, I began to see how there really was great symbolism in animals through things such as dreams. And three, my spirit was trying to tell me to get away from that man, which eventually I did.
So if by some chance you are having your own repeated encounters in life with any type of animal, I encourage you to take a moment, breathe, and realize it may be a message coming to you from the spiritual realm. Humor yourself, even if you don’t believe it, by going on the Internet and doing a search on the words “Animal Guide” or “Animal Totem” with your specific animal following them. You might just be surprised on what you find, as it may be exactly what you need for something you’re currently facing in life.
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson