Power Animals - Calling in Akashic Support for Difficult Times

Exploring how Power animals are different than Totems, providing us strength where we are weak, support so we don't over extend, and guide us through the darkness so we can return to the light. 

Transcript

Power Animals - Calling in Akashic Support for Difficult Times

There are several terms which get bandied about in spiritual community and are often used interchangeably: totem, spirit animal, and power animal. Most people simply mean "totem" when using these terms and this isn't entirely incorrect. All three of these phrases are referring to beings who manifest in a "flora" or "fauna" form rather than human, interact via spiritual means, but can also interact physically or have physical avatars, and take on a wise elder/support role for humans. However, each of these phrases is describing a unique role or type of relationship these beings undertake.

Before we dig into what the role of Power Animal is, which beings undertake it, and how it can be part of your spiritual journey, it can help to clarify what it is not.

Totems

Like many words, "totem" has developed layers of meaning over time which proves it's still relevant and part of a living spirituality, but which makes using it problematic. We've all experienced this at one time or another, having a conversation about something and realizing somewhere in the middle that you're meaning one thing and the other person means something else entirely, so you've been misunderstanding each other all along.

Totems, to some people, are simply a cool thing to have. They hold about the same relevance as knowing a birth sign in Astrology. You can go your whole life and do nothing more with a totem than mention it in casual conversation or use it as part of flirting. A totem can be a handy excuse why you do something or don't, do something a certain way or don't, or get along with this type of person or don't.

Other people see totems as a part of their spirituality. They incorporate their totem(s) into their spiritual knowledge of self to varying degrees of interest and comfort. Working with a totem this way is the spiritual version of "you get out of it what you put in." People can start with learning they have a specific totem, then choose if they want to learn about this totem, how much, and beyond that look at how much of the accumulated wisdom they want to incorporate into their lives. Along the way they will come to realize that, like all mirrors, the totem reflects them and thereby allows them to learn more about themselves.

To understand what a totem truly is, the first thing to recognize is in saying you have a totem you're referring to a relationship in the same way you would say you have a spouse, a significant other, or children. It's not a statement of ownership, but of connection. To have a totem is to have a relationship with another being who can be a best friend, mentor, therapist, playmate, companion, mirror, and much more. Totems are beings who can work with us in a variety of ways: in the Akashics, as guides to us like other spiritual support, and also in the physical, manifesting as visions or connecting with representatives of themselves here. For example: someone with deer totem might see deer in their dreams as a means of confirming a decision they have made, may have them show up during Akashic work to lead them in an unexpected but advantageous direction, or may find they are never lost in the wild because they can always find deer/elk/moose paths which lead them to their destination. A deer might cause traffic snarls which prevent them from getting into negative situations or may appear in their yard to tell them their fears about a something is unfounded or greatly founded, depending.

On another level, totems are keys to the nature we are expressing in this particular embodiment. A person who has skunk totem will have a very sweet, loving, and even gregarious personality. They will enjoy the company of others, but not appreciate even well-meaning advice. They will have boundaries which are very clearly defined, but these will more than likely be non-verbal, expressing in gestures, in facial expressions, in body postures, and in the type of clothes/accessories they wear. This type of person will be flexible to a point, but once a boundary has been crossed their reaction will be swift and "nuclear" as it were. This can seem like over kill to those on the receiving end and they will constantly be told by others they overreact, but, in reality, they are being true to themselves and the situation. The lesson is to believe a skunk person the first time they warn you and have a healthy respect for their boundaries. Even bears and wolves know to keep their distance from their skunk cousins and play with them respectfully.

Every living person has not just one totem, but seven: four legged, winged, swimmer, creepy crawler, tree, herb, and mineral. Together these can be considered the 7 aspects of our being or associated with the 7 chakras or as residing in the 7 directions of the medicine wheel (East/South/West/North/Mother Earth/Father Sky/Indwelling Spirit) just to point out a few ways we can form a relationship with them.

There are a variety of means for discovering which totems connect to you in this life, but often they have worked to make themselves known to you all along. If you want to make sure, then I would recommend inviting your totem(s) to your Akashic Room where you can be formally introduced.

Spirit Animals

The role of Spirit Animal is somewhat like the Yin to totem's Yang.  The focus of this being is our spiritual path in this life which means they extrapolate the meaning, lessons, challenges, and opportunities from our embodied experience and help us incorporate them into our divine universal self.  So, if totems are helping us manifest ourselves here, supporting us in bringing Akasha or life force through us and into the world, then Spirit Animals work to keep us connected with the Great Mystery which is our home.

Beings in this role rarely give practical advice about day to day matters or have any interest in problem solving. Instead they work to foster clear and conscious connection between ourselves and our higher self.  They can act as messengers for divine inspiration, show us the path forward through a spiritual journey, and even act as a light which guides us out of our dark night of the soul.

Like Totems, Spirit Animals can appear in physical form, but they rarely choose to do so.  If they do, it is often as a white version of the animal or a rare color relevant to the particular culture of their human such as metallic gold or iridescent blue.  For the most part Spirit animals appear during dreams, journeys, meditations and energy work. 

Not everyone has or needs a Spirit Animal, but you can invite one into your life if you choose.  It's important to note this doesn't mean one will accept the invitation as all beings have free will. Like working with totems, there are innumerable ways to send out this invitation including asking them to meet you in your Akashic Room.

Power Animals

If the primary purpose of both Totems and Spirit Animals is to aid in the learning and becoming of embodied souls, then Power Animals see their role as focused on service. Put another way, Totems and Spirit Animals are concerned with our personal wellbeing while Power Animals work with us to provide service to others or keep ourselves whole and healthy in difficult times.

The key to understanding this role is to think of it like firemen working in teams to fight a housefire or soldiers going into a warzone in pairs.  The work is difficult, safety is a major concern, therefore two heads are better than one and multiple perspectives can head off any unwanted outcomes.

For example, it is common for indigenous medicine people to have a Power Animal who works with them when they are doing healing work, performing ceremonies, or interconnecting with elemental beings for the good of their people.  Their Power Animal can offer wisdom and insights before and during the process, lend their strength and particular abilities to their person for a certain amount of time, as well as increase the amount of work which can be done exponentially without this causing any harm to their person.

Power Animals are most commonly experienced as protector spirits.  No matter your field or the methods you use, if you're working in service or living through chaotic/dramatic/traumatic times, you open yourself up to the free will choices of others.  Being in service means we suspend, to a certain extent, our own needs for self-preservation, and extend ourselves beyond them to support the needs of others.  This can be as simple as holding space for someone to feel their feelings, being a witness to their truth as they discover and embody it, or as complex as providing emergency medical or mental health services.  It can be teaching something and guiding people through learning something new or setting boundaries to prevent them from hurting themselves or others.

No matter what the service, in extending ourselves to others, choosing to be fully embodied in difficult times, in turning our energies, intention, skills and gifts towards others we become vulnerable.  Power animals offer us protection so we can go where angels fear to tread and come back home again safe and sound.

Power Animals come in all shapes and sizes, not just the apex predators we have been taught to think of as mighty or powerful. Due to industrialization and our move into towns and cities, our understanding of animals and their abilities have become rather limited. For example, most people think of deer solely as shy, gentle runners when they are also fierce fighters with both hooves and antlers. They can stomp a wolf to death using their hooves as spear points or gore them like a Bull. Swans are fierce protectors who bludgeon with powerful wings. Spiders weave power in words. Even the Rooster has spurs on his legs which he uses liberally when his boundaries have been violated.

In various indigenous cultures medicine people are formally introduced to their Power Animal. Sometimes it is chosen for them as a part of the service and other times the Power Animal choses them. This can be dramatic such as being mauled by a Mountain Lion and surviving or being bitten by a Shark. For those who aren't part of an indigenous culture or spiritual practice, Power Animals often make themselves known directly through dreams or persistent thoughts, synchronicities, chance encounters, gifts given to us by others, and so on.

However, most of the time it is through journey work and ceremony. If you have sacred space or a meditation spot you use regularly, you can set this to be a temporary ceremony space by placing a blanket or cloth on the floor, setting any items you wish to work with, like a journal or sketch book along with the appropriate writing/drawing tools, on the blanket, then defining the working sacred space area. This can be done with crystals or stones, one at each edge of the blanket or cloth, or with candles. Four tapirs, votives or pillar candles can be set around the four sides, but please keep in mind fire safety. Anything which might make the candle holder hot on the bottom as it burns should be set on a trivet. And candles should either be set up on furniture or be far enough away from where you're working, you won't bump into them.

Once you've set ceremony space and activated it, sit or stand in the center and invite your power animal to join you. You can do this out loud or in your mind. The key is to not second guess when you get a response. If you suddenly get this nagging thought about an animal, don't dismiss it. If you start thinking to yourself, it couldn't be that, could it? More than likely it is. If you hear a sound, an animal makes an appearance in your yard out of the blue, or someone walks in to tell you about some animal siting/behavior/event they just came across, that's an introduction as well. Or nothing may happen in the moment other than feeling something is happening. Like turning the key to your car and starting the engine, but not going anywhere. More than likely your power animal wants to make the introduction later in a way which can't be facilitated at that moment via the ceremony environment.

With Akashic or journey work you can invite your Power animal to show themselves to you in your Akashic room or favorite Akashic spot. If you don't have a regular journey practice, you can use a guided mediation like the free Meet Your Guides meditation on my website. Just adjust your expectations by intending Power Animal rather than Guide as the meditation progresses. 

However we come to know our Power Animal, once we have made the connection the next step is to formalize the relationship. Think of this like making a commitment. It can be as deep as the exchanging of rings and vows in a marriage ceremony or as organic and in the moment as going "Facebook official". Each relationship is unique, but whatever it is or will become, it moves from intention into action when you create a symbol for it. This is sometimes called a Power Piece which refers to an amulet, talisman, bracelet or other object. It is a means for the Power Animal to be physically present with you and for you to access their protection physically.

Think of it a bit like connecting your computer or device to a printer. Your device still fully operates as it did before, but now it has additional capabilities. Wearing something which represents your Power Animal brings their energy into your energy field. Making this object yourself is a bit like writing your own marriage vows. It enhances the connection and is a way for you to learn more about each other and how the relationship will work practically.

While Totems and Spirit Animals work to show us who we are and are becoming, holding up mirrors so we can see and explore ourselves, Power Animals provide us strength where we are weak, support us so we don't over extend, watch our backs, and guide us through the darkness so we can return to the light.