How to Discover Your Guide:

One way of starting to discover your animal guides by examining the animals you
have been most interested in and the times of your life that interest was
piqued. Also examine the animals that have appeared in your dreams or in your
everyday life, especially the ones that have appeared over and over and at odd
times. The following questions can help you determine which animals might be
guides in your life. Has a specific creature or specific creatures, be it
animal, bird, reptile, Amphibian, insect or mythological beast, always
fascinated you? We are drawn to that which most resonates with us. Those
animals, which fascinate us or the ones that we fear the most, have something to
teach us. Animal guides are not always those that we have the most similarities
with. Often they are in our lives to help us learn what we are lacking. When you
visit the zoo, which animal do you wish to visit first? This is especially true
with children and this question is easy for them to answer since they are often
more receptive than teens or adults. What animal or animals do you see most
frequently when you are out in nature? The animals we encounter in their city or
wild environments have significance for us. We can learn from them about
survival within their environment and often much more. Of all the creatures,
which are you most interested in now? Our interests in animals change. Yes, we
usually have one or two that are lifetime power animals, but others become
prominent in our lives when there is something of importance to learn from them.
Do any animals frighten you? That which we fear is often something we must learn
to come to terms with. When we do that, the fears then become power. Some
Shamans believe that fears will take the shape of animals, and only when we
confront them without fear do their powers/medicine work for us instead of
against us. Such an animal then becomes a shadow totem. Have you ever been
attacked or badly wounded by an animal? Historically, if a Shaman survived
an attack, it was believed that the animal was the Shaman’s spirit totem and the
attack was the totem’s way of testing the Shaman’s ability to understand and
handle its power. Do you have dreams with animals in them or are there animal
dreams you have never forgotten? This is especially important if the dreams are
recurring or if a specific animal image keeps popping up in your dreams.
Children often dream of animals and attention should be given to these animals.
They will often reflect specific animal guides of the child or areas of weakness
where the parents can help in their child’s growth.