How to Recognize Your Spirit Animal and the Message They Have For You
The divine is communicating with you through animals
We talk a lot about spirit guides, but what about spirit animals?
A spirit animal is an animal your spirit guide shows up as. It is not to be confused with a totem animal which originated from Native American culture and means an animal that embodies you and your traits.
Native Americans believe that totem animals stick with you throughout your life, whereas your spirit animals change thought your lifetime depending on your current circumstance.
Spirit animals show up when you need them the most because they give you strength and help you understand the current challenge you’re facing.
These animals can represent what you are going through currently and where you’re going next.
How To Recognize Your Spirit Animal
A spirit animal shows up because you called for it, whether that be consciously or subconsciously. When you are in distress your soul will naturally call upon other souls to help you overcome whatever you’re going through.
It can be as simple as thinking, “Why does everything feel so overwhelming right now?” And then next thing you know, you have an animal around you that you can’t seem to escape.
You’ll know it’s a sign for you when you constantly run into this animal.
The animal could be physically around you, but you could also just keep “accidentally” seeing pictures, reading articles about this animal, or even seeing this animal on TV.
They will make their presence known!
For example, I was doing a tarot reading a couple of months ago and a card with butterflies came up.
When the card popped out I was immediately drawn to the butterflies, and at the time, I didn’t know why. Later that day I saw an actual butterfly that flew right past me. Right before bed, I was on Twitter aimlessly scrolling and saw a picture of multiple butterflies flying.
Those are three separate instances of me running into butterflies all within the same day! Some would call it a coincidence but when these signs are meant for you, you will feel a deep inner knowing.
Butterflies represent transformation. You’re breaking out of your cocoon and blossoming into a beautiful butterfly — your true form.
At the time I was at a place in my life where everything felt stagnant. I felt like no matter what I did I wasn’t progressing or achieving the things I wanted. My spirit animal for that time of my life was a butterfly because it shows that you are on the brink of a massive rebirth.
Most of the time you won’t need to be on the lookout for your spirit animal because you will naturally be drawn to them. You will literally feel a connection to this animal without necessarily knowing why.
If you feel like your spirit animal isn’t making itself obvious enough, you can ask them to show themself more clearly.
Why Did Your Guide Choose This Animal?
It is very important to note that you do not have a say in what your guide shows up as. Remember, your guides know a lot more about your life than you do because they are the ones that understand the type of orchestration that goes on behind the scenes.
Your guide will pick the animal that embodies you at this current moment or you in the near future and will show up as this animal as a way to send you a message.
For example, if you’ve been feeling like you lack the power to control your own life, you might see spiders a lot. Spiders are your guides reminding you that you have everything you already need within you to weave your own destiny just as spiders weave their webs.
Spiders are also a sign to practice patience and creativity. Spiders patiently wait for their prey to get caught in their web, and you should patiently wait for your manifestations to get caught in your web. Spiders encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and discover new opportunities to attract the life you want.
Spirit animals will tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear.
How Do I Know What The Message Is?
After you figure out the animal that represents your life at the current moment you could do research on what it means for you.
But in my opinion, before you do research, it’s best to ask yourself why you think that animal is hovering around you. Even if you don’t know all of the characteristics of this animal, asking yourself a question like that will help you get a more personalized answer.
By sending a spirit animal your way, the divine is making it clear they have something they want to share with you. The answer you seek is already within you because your guide placed it there. All you have to do is turn inward and figure out what exactly the message is.
Think about how you feel at the moment regarding your situation, and then think about the animal you keep seeing. What is the connection?
If you’ve been feeling insecure lately and you keep seeing lions, it could be a sign for you to step into your power and be more courageous. Lions are known to be fierce and even represent the sign of Leo in astrology which is a fire sign.
Seeing lions is your reminder that you have an intense burning passion within you that you need to unlock.
Meditation directed towards connecting and communicating with your spirit animal will also help you discover why that particular animal represents you at the moment.
In your mediation, you’ll probably see the same animal that has been lingering around you. Talk to them. Ask them whatever questions you have on your mind and if you’re meant to know the answer, they will tell you.
Because this is your guide taking on the form of an animal, the responses will be the same as if you were just channeling your spirit guide. This means all of the responses from them will be reassuring unless it’s for your own protection.
You should feel calm around this animal. They’re there to protect you and motivate you to keep pushing through your hardships.
Thank your spirit animal for opening your eyes and instilling a new sense of determination within you.
Sending love, light, and healing energy your way. Good luck on your journey! ❤