How to Find Your Power Animals
Power animals are personal helping spirits that can offer guidance and protection. If you are unfamiliar with the concept of power animals, you may wish to think of them as four-footed, avian or swimming versions of guardian angels. Just as many Christians believe every person has a guardian angel, regardless of whether that person goes to church, many tribal cultures and modern pagans believe everyone has a power animal. You do not need to be a witch or a shaman to connect with your power animal.
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Things You'll Need
- Shamanic drumming or rattling music in digital or CD form (optional)
- Pillows and blankets (optional)
- Blindfold or eye pillow (optional)
Instructions
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Take some time to become familiar with the concept of shamanic journeying. A shamanic journey occurs when someone shifts their consciousness to access information in an extraordinary state of reality. Music with a repetitive percussion pattern, such as drumming or rattling, permits people to go into a shamanic trance state without using drugs. You can buy or download shamanic music or attend a shamanic class where the teacher drums for the students.
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Begin your shamanic journey by finding a comfortable position for your body to relax. Make sure you have pillows or blankets if you need these to feel comfortable. Some people prefer to sit up, others to rest on their backs. Experiment to see which you prefer. Close your eyes. People can go deeper into a trance state when no light hits their optic nerves, so you may also want to use a blindfold or an eye pillow. Breathe deeply and listen to the drumming or rattling music.
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Mentally go to a place in nature that you know well. Move through this area, looking for an opening that could lead to the shamanic lower world. (In the shamanic worldview, "lower" does not carry any connotations of a hell or an evil underworld). Since you are not in your physical body, this hole or opening does not have to be large enough to accommodate you in a literal sense. Step into your chosen portal or tunnel to the shamanic lower realm.
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Emerge from the portal and look around. You will be in some natural area which may be entirely new to you or may resemble a place you know. Walk (or swim, fly or paddle, whatever feels appropriate) through the environment in which you find yourself. Observe the creatures that you see. If a creature shows itself to you three times in three different places or positions, that indicates it is your personal guiding spirit, your power animal. Ask the animal if it wants to help you and what it wants to do with you.
Interact with your animal in whatever way seems natural. Since you are not in the mundane world, your behavior with the animal will not be subject to the usual rules. For example, you may romp playfully with a bear, fly with an owl or delve deep underwater with a whale. The animal may show you something or tell you something meant to aid you, but the information will usually be in symbolic form.
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Listen for the auditory signal that the drumming or rattling is about to end. Most shamanic music CD's have a signature such as three quick beats that signals the drumming is about to end. (If you are taking a class, the teacher will tell you before journey time begins what the auditory signal will be). When you hear this, say goodbye to your power animal, and return to your portal to travel back to the everyday world. Take as much time as you need after the music ends to open your eyes and shift your position. Take the time to write down what happened while the journey is still fresh in your mind.
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Tips & Warnings
Journey on a regular basis to develop a relationship with your power animal. As you become adept at journeying and comfortable shifting into alternate reality, you may meet other power animals. You can have several animals, each of which assists you in different ways or works with you on different issues. Just like relationships in everyday reality, you will have some power animals be very active in your life for a while and then move on after you have learned a certain lesson. Not all power animals have counterparts in everyday life -- you may encounter a dragon or unicorn as a power animal.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
