Spirit animals explained

By Jordan MacLire

Sometimes we all love to jump on a new trend! How many times have you done a ‘quick quiz’ to find out who or what is your Spirit Animal/Guide? Here’s a little bit of insight into what this means in terms of Animism, Shamanism and how important this was to our ancestors for survival and for our healthy living today.

Recipositiy is at the very heart of Shamanism. Nothing is for free otherwise there is an imbalance. The following information I have learned through many years of experience and from undertaking very intense Shamanic training with highly experienced mentors. Please comment through our socials or get in touch with us if you find any of this useful, would like to learn more about Shamanism or experience a healing with us. My ancestors are tutting at me for giving this information so freely! But… I believe we need to be transparent and giving in the current climate on ‘the little blue dot’, our home, Mother Earth.

On my shamanic journey of remembering my souls purpose in this life I have had many journeys into non physical realms. The metaphysical universe is as real to me as the three dimensional one. I had visited these realms in my dreams as a child, not fully realising their significance at the time. Only when learning to navigate them as an adult did I feel and sense the similarites with my childhood dreams. I am forever fascinated by and full of gratitiude that I have awakened to these realms, to being a spiritual being in a human incarnation. It turns out that this is not my first rodeo as a human. Past life regressions have taken me back at least 2000 years to a life as a chief prison guard for the Roman Empire (as a European Celt not as a Roman). Needless to say I have had to work on some karmic lessons from that particular incarnation!

When I do ‘journey work’ or healing for others I will always call upon my guides for support and guidance. It can be very daunting to try and navigate the realms on your own. Thankfully we are never truly alone…

We all have spirit guides, whether they are ancestral, celestial, angelic or reprsented by an animal. Even if you do not see them or have not 'met' them in your spitual journey as of yet, they have been with you since before your birth, guiding you. Your benevolant spirits will heed your call and give you guidance if you know how to ask for it. They actively help you even if you are unaware of them. They are a part of your personality in this life and a part of your higher self, your overwatching soul that transcends your ego as a human.

There are (in most shamanic tradtions) three realms to the metaphysical. The Upper , Middle and Lower. Each realm represents an aspect of a souls journey and is home to a specific part of us personified by an animal and its particular characteristics.

On my life’s journey I have been fortunate enough (through mentorship) to find an animal guide to help me navigate each of these. When people meet their guides (or are made aware what and who they are by a shamanic practitioner) there may be a rush to google what the spiritual meaning is behind the animal. I have been taught to study the actual behaviour of said animal in the wild (not in a zoo). If you cannot physically see the animal (for example if it is not native to you or not visible or known to exist in our three-dimensional realm such as a Dragon or a Unicorn), then watch a documentary on them. Try and see their characteristics, how they hunt, what they eat, how they look after their young or pack. Are they social? Do they migrate with changing weather patterns?

Once you have a good idea about the characteristics of the animal now look inside yourself and see which of these are already emebedded in your own personality and which of these you feel you would benefit from mastering. Be honest with yourself, this is absolutely crucial. Do not let your ego tell you that you do not have a shadow side. We are all equally light and dark. If I was truly honest, I would rather be grey than brilliant white or consumed by darkness. We live in duality so embrace it.

It is wonderful that humanity is becoming open to non-dogmatic spiritual practice again but please understand that your ego is what keeps you alive and gives you motivation to breathe. Do not try and become the 'white fluffy' spiritual angelic being. You are a human, life is hard and so it should be. You cannot live in light unless you experience the dark and life throws so many curveballs you will never dodge them all. With this in mind, you must also know that your animal guides hold a dark aspect as well, this is usually the opposite of their more positive characteristics, very similar to flipping a tarot card around to read its reverse meaning.

I will take you through the different realms and my own personal animal spirit companions for this to make better sense. When we refer to an animal guide we refer to the whole species not the individual. For example it is never ‘my wolf’ or ‘the wolf’, it is just ‘Wolf’.

The Upper realm - Kingfisher

The Upper realm or the Angelic realm is a place of wisdom, love, healing and compassion. It is a place where we may meet 'ascended masters'; beings who have transcended their egos, and have spiritual insight, wisdom, and compassion. We may also meet our ancestors who quite often act as guides to the living if that is the path they have chosen.

The Kingfisher can be found around most of our planet. They are widespread throught the United Kingdom in the form of the Eurasian/Common Kingfisher; Alcedo atthis. They are a small bird, electric blue and amber with an oversized dagger shaped bill. They are generally shy but may be viewed on an exposed perch over water where they will be hunting for small fish. They are territorial and will defend their territory with vigour. They will form nests in cavities on river banks, these are very well concealed so it is rare to see Kingsfishers when they are caring for their young.

They have featured heavily in different cultures throughout the world. Sometimes they are seen as a good omen and sometimes bad. They are also a part of Greek Mythology which is a good portayal of monogamous characteristics; The gods Alcyone and Ceryx who likened themselves to Zeus and Hera, bred the first pair of the mythical birds Halcyon (kingfishers). They died for comparing themselves to the great Olympanians but the other gods compassionately made them into birds and restored them to their seaside habitat that they enjoyed as gods. The term 'Halcyon days' refers to the seven days on either side of the winter solstice where they were promised calm sees by the gods. 'Halcyon days' now refers loosely to calm days at sea or as a general term for peaceful winter weather. I will not go into details about my personality, these aspects of ourselves are deeply personal and in some cultures are never shared unless with the local Shaman. Needles to say this makes a lot of sense to me as one of my animal guides.

The Middle realm - Wolf

The Middle Realm is the realm of the ego that is conciousness. Your personality and the physical world in which life co-exists with spirit or is a spirit in a physical form. The purpose of this realm (and perhaps life itself) is to transcend the ego whilst experiencing all that conciousness has to offer. To remember that we are all spirit incarnate, that we all come from source, are still a part of source and will fully return to sourcre when ready to become 'one' again. It can be quite a daunting concept to imagine leaving your ego behind and not existing as the idvidual that is you. The deeper my spiritual journey goes the more I realise that this life I am living is just a tiny fragment of what I truly am.

The concept of infinte experience resonates with my journey. I have come to believe that we can live multiple (if not infinite) lifetimes. In some of these we will remember that time is a construct of the ego and that only the now exists but over an infinite different versions. There is a you that decided to walk a different path to work this morning, a version of you that split from your timeline and is coexisting on its own.

The Wolf is a social animal that lives in a hierarchical pact. They form strong emotional bonds with each other and care for each others needs.

They communicate over long distances by howling. They will howl to assemble their pack, find lost members and defend their territory. It is one of their tricks to move in the darkness whilst howling to mask their numbers.

They are natures endurance hunter. The will stalk their prey for hours, often at night, hunting mostly large mammals like deer and moose.

They are well known for their keen sense of smell and their excellent hearing and vision.

This does not mean that I spend my evenings hunting deer and howling in the woods although that would suit me just fine!

The Lower realm - Raven

The Lower Realm or World represents our subconscious mind and the home of various spirits who can become our helpers and protectors, our guides. It is usually where a Shaman may first look when a client has had some ‘Power Loss’ to try and retrieve that Animal Spirit and guide it back home.

This realm is where many people begin their journey into Shamanism. It is though ‘journeying’ here you may meet your current Spirit guide and it is not recommended that you stay in this realm for too long without them to guard and guide you.

For me this is misty forest and jungle dream-world full of wonder, shape-shifting spirits, animals and is generally at dusk.

Raven emobodies ancient wisdom and intuitive guidance. My experience of Raven is it is equally dark and light. A messenger from the spirit realm urging people to embrace their power and transform.

They are shape-shifters as spirit and can be tricksters but as a guide I often feel it is when I need to learn a tough lesson!

In the wild Ravens are super-smart and playful. Often flipping upside down with closed wings and diving in a sort of dance.

Mostly seen in pairs but in the Winter young birds may come together to roost in big groups.

They are excellent hunters and scavengers and mostly eat carrion, insects and small live prey.

They can mimic human voices, make gestures and remember your face so beware how you treat them!

Throughout the world different cultures will have different practices. Some Native American Shamans believe you have 9 Spirit Guides other cultures believe you have only 1. I was taught by the Shamans Jay & Kestrel Oakwood (‘The Call Of The Shaman’ training in Glastonbury) that you have 3 and although I was already practicing Shamanism before their mentorship, their method resonates with me as it incorporates the 3 realms I work within. My three guides have become integral to my practice.

We believe that you require different guides at different life stages. They do not disappear but rather they integrate into you fully and create space for new guides with new lessons and new qualities to strive for.

The initial journeys to find these guides are best undertaken with a trained Shamanic practitioner, that is not to say that you cannot try on your own but please use your intuition to guide you!

If you would like to learn more about Shamanism please reach out to myself (Jordan) or Kate through this website or our socials. We will always find time to help other wisdom seekers.