Spirit animals and other signs from your guides

My guides explain spirit animals and other messages from Spirit: what they are; how they work; and how to start receiving them yourself.

Several years ago I started meditating for a few minutes every day, and I asked my guides to give me feathers to let me know they were with me. Nothing. Disappointed but not entirely surprised, I continued the daily meditations with no expectations.

Months later, I found an enormous gray goose feather right in front of my car. Two days after that, a large turkey feather lay in the center of the path my dog, Tucker, and I were walking. Then the floodgates opened. Feather after feather after feather—hundreds of feathers—appeared during our 20-minute walks over just a few months. Something had changed.

It all culminated one day in December. As Tucker and I started our walk, I was surprised to see a hawk sitting on top of the light pole we were passing under. We continued the loop of our walk and turned for home. Imagine my shock when I saw the same hawk had flown half a block to perch on the light pole we had to pass under to get back to our house. I paused, said hello, and thanked it for letting me see it again. As we crossed the street, the hawk went airborne and flew in a circle around my head.

I was dumbstruck. Tucker and I had walked those paths twice a day, five days a week, for 10 years and never experienced anything even remotely similar.

I later researched hawk spirit animals. Did you know that, when you see a hawk in an unusual or surprising way, it can be a sign you’re about to experience a big change? Not long after our encounter with the hawk, I took my first class in crystals. And shortly after that I learned…they’re alive!

This is an example of the impact a spirit animal can have on your life. In this post, my guides explain spirit animals and other messages from your guides: what they are; how they work; and how to start receiving them yourself.

Hello there. What can you tell me about spirit animals?

From time to time, when you are in meditation or not focused on anything in particular and your mind is wandering free, you may see, or have the knowing, or in some other way experience an animal.

This is generally called a spirit animal, but you can understand it as simply a sign from your guides.

Can a spirit animal be any being in Gaia's creation?

Oh yes. It may be an insect, a fish, a crustacean, a reptile, a mammal, really any being. It could be a gnome or a fairy. Alison has even seen a Sasquatch spirit animal. It's all a sign from Spirit.

What should we know about spirit animals?

As with all signs from your guides, a spirit animal’s meaning is tied to what is happening in your life and what that animal means for you. However, we first want to talk a little bit about the archetypal realm. You may not be familiar with this word.

Archetypes are concepts or patterns of behavior that have a universal meaning. We all understand them in approximately the same way. Indeed, archetypes provide a template that helps to guide how we operate in the world.

One common archetype is the Sage. We think of spirit guides as being wise sages. We all understand that a sage is a learned person who has wisdom to share.

Other examples include the unicorn, the winged horse, the princess, the hero, and the villain. Even the triangle and the square are archetypes.

You say that spirit animals also belong to the archetypal realm?

Yes. Archetypes are ideas that hold a common meaning for us. Think of a dog, for example. The dog as an archetype is a symbol of loyalty, unconditional love, and protection.

Rabbits as an archetype are a symbol of creativity, abundance, and community. If you see a rabbit spirit animal, you may be getting the message to indulge your curiosity and explore creative pursuits. Or perhaps it is a message to pay attention to your community because there may be something there that you need. You see how archetypes work?

I'm beginning to, yes. How can we understand spirit animals when we see them?

That can be the study of a lifetime. A sign or symbol often is a message to pay attention in that moment. It could be confirmation of something that you want to do or something that you are thinking or experiencing. It could be a warning or a caution. In most cases, these signs and symbols are positive and simply draw your focus to some part of your experience that you need to pay more attention to.

Here are a few places to start:

• Consider looking up the meaning of that particular spirit animal or archetype, and then think about how it might relate to you. For example, yesterday as Alison entered meditation, she saw lemurs in her third eye. In the wild, lemurs are playful, active, and curious. This could have been a message to Alison to be more playful, to try new things and to enjoy herself more. That is one way to understand a spirit animal.

• Another idea is to consider your environment or what you are doing at the time. When Alison saw the lemurs, she was meditating with Lemurian seed quartz. Notice the similarity between the words Lemurian and lemur. Were the lemurs drawing attention to her work with the Lemurian seed quartz?

• Yet another way is to notice what the spirit animal is doing. A hawk catching a mouse is a very different message than a lemur playing with its friends.

What other signs might we receive from our guides?

Coins, feathers, and other items from the natural world are common messages from spirit guides. One of Alison's friends receives balls from Spirit, another sees spirals, and yet another finds hearts. The variety is almost infinite.

How can we can start receiving messages through spirit animals?

We suggest you pay attention to what you see in your third eye or in your physical environment. Be open. When you begin meditation, or when you simply close your eyes and relax, notice whether an image, thought, sound, or smell flashes by. It's likely a message for you. Your job is to figure out what it means.

Reach out to your guides. Ask them to send you signs that mean something to you. In this way, you can begin to trust your communication with your guides. And be patient. It may take time for you to get in resonance with what your guides can send.

What else should we know about spirit animals?

When you have repeated or unexpected experiences with an animal or other symbol, pay attention. Know that there is information for you there. Research the meaning of that spirit animal or symbol. And remember to delve into your own experience to understand how you view that animal or symbol. It will have a meaning that is unique to you. The message will almost always be a function of your situation, temperament, and understanding.