Editorial note: This is Part Two of an article about power animals. Part One, about discovering your power animal(s) was published in the May 2006 issue of Rainbow Reflections and can be found here.
Keep in mind that your interactions with animal energies are not limited to those which have specifically called to you. Any animal may be called on when you are in need.
If you're feeling depressed, think of Hummingbird for joy. When details are slipping through your fingers, call on meticulous Mouse. If you're having a communication difficulty, ask for Dolphin's help. Butterfly helps all those who are going through important life changes.
Also, when you read about an attribute of a power animal, consider that it's valuable to go below the surface of the meaning of a particular characteristic assigned to an animal. Squirrel, for example, is given the quality of Gathering, meaning gathering only that which is needed. For humans, this refers not only to material possessions but also to the ability to shed old sorrows, fixations, and beliefs.
If you study Squirrel you will also discover that it is an incredibly inventive and creative animal, one that does not know the meaning of defeat. The squirrel-proof bird feeder has not yet been invented.
If you are drawn to Squirrel, it may be for another reason. Consider how gracefully this animal leaps from branch to branch. Maybe you're feeling uncomfortable about your own physical abilities. Squirrel may be calling you to more fully develop them.
It's very helpful to study an animal that seems to be calling you. Explore the legends and folklore related to your animal(s). There may be lessons for you in them. (References are listed in Part One of this article.)
As you can ask to find your power animal(s) through dreams and meditation, so you can ask your power animal to meet you in a dream or meditation.
Imagine yourself as a particular animal. If, for example, you choose Turtle, feel how it feels to be close to the ground, protected by a shell; feel the slowness and sureness of your movement.
Once, in meditation, I asked for a meeting with my troublesome Bear power animal. It began as a frightening encounter. I was walking in the woods behind my house and a black bear appeared. I curled up in a ball and whimpered as if I were a bear cub. Then I became one, and experienced what I knew intellectually, that a cub is one of the most vulnerable of animal babies. I felt my helplessness and the protectiveness of my very large mother. As I came out of meditation, I realized that when I, as a human, feel helpless and unprotected, I can call on my dear cat-Mother, Binx (protection being one of the qualities of Cat) or the Earth Mother Herself.
As you become more focused on the subject of power animals, you are bound to have dreams about animals. My dreams turned into a virtual Noah's Ark when I was first immersing myself in the subject.
While I know of no foolproof method for dream interpretation, the following questions may help you decipher your animal dreams:
When I was first learning Bach Flower Remedies, I took each of the RemediesÑnot all at once. I took a single remedy for a few days, setting time aside to meditate on the energies I experienced and also keeping a journal to record what I noticed in the course of the time I was taking the essence.
You can apply this method to working with power animals by using Wild Earth Animal Essences. Say you are strongly attracted to Wild Horse, for example, but you don't know what it has to teach you. Through meditation and observation, the nature of your attraction may become clearer, and you may develop a close relationship with the essence of this animal.
An image of your power animal may belong on your altar (or somewhere in your house), either in picture or statue form, and it's also a nice idea to have pictures on your wall. Animal calendars, for example, are easy to find, and the photographs are often lovely and easily framed.
Since one of the purposes of our power animals is to remind us of who we really are, wearing or carrying images of them can be a particularly effective form of reminder.
When we open our hearts and our lives to the companionship - whether actual or symbolic - of animals our world becomes so much larger and richer. Our senses deepen, and as we become aware of how naturally animals enjoy their bodies we become more comfortable with our own.
We find ourselves with access to unsuspected wisdom; we begin to let go of the terrible burden of being "human," i.e., separate from nature. We are no longer the intruders in the world in which we live; we come to care ever more deeply for its other inhabitants.
And as we increasingly rejoice in our physicality we find that like Eagle, we bridge heaven and earth, creatures of flesh, creatures of spirit.
My focus here is on crystals for expansion of consciousness. These are principally third-eye chakra stones (this chakra is located between and slightly above the eyebrows).
Amethyst, a stone the color of twilight, helps us to bridge the gap between ordinary and expanded consciousness, and thus can help us make the transition between our familiar and other realities, such as those of the world of nature.
Hawk's Eye helps us to see our reality as if from an aerial perspective, thus enabling us to recognize that our view of life isn't the only one.
Labradorite/spectrolite is a stone for the wise use of psychic powers. It can help us reach out to other forms of consciousness and attune to power animals.
Lapis, a stone the color of the night sky, helps us to explore inner dimensions of consciousness.
Cosmos (FES), which in general helps us to express our thoughts and feelings, is also helpful for deepened communication with animals.
Forget-Me-Not (FES) helps us to connect with animals as spiritual guides.
St. John's Wort (FES) has a psychic protective influence while in a deep state of meditation or dreaming. It is recommended for all stages of spiritual opening.
Queen Anne's Lace: Helps us to integrate our psychic activity with our emotional growth.
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