Every animal, running, crawling, swimming, or flying, has a purpose. Every being is a thought that arose in the mind of the Great Spirit; in a sense, this is an expression of Wakan-Tank himself.
On a shamanic journey, one can meet power animals, which also have their own purpose and purpose. Although the power animal has the appearance of a real or mythical animal, it does not exist in the physical world, but its influence can be felt in everyday life. Therefore, the imaginary animal of power is nevertheless a real source of beneficial power for the shaman.
Let's find out what animal powers are and what their role is in the shamanic experience. In general, there are four types of strength:
- Energizing force.
- Force, which is power, governing everything to which it is applied.
- The power that gives the ability or ability to do work.
- The power of empowerment.
In dictionaries, an animal is defined as a living creature that has consciousness and is able to move. The animal of power can be described as a source of energizing power in the form of an animal, driven by the mind.
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An animal of strength is an energy scheme that endows the shaman with the properties and attributes that it possesses.
These properties and attributes do not belong to an individual animal, but rather to the ideal "group soul" of this or that animal species, whose "echo" is contained in the human energy system, since it is an aspect of his own animal nature. It is Life Force in the form of an archetype that can find expression in terms of human consciousness. Therefore, although the animal of power has all the qualities of its earthly counterpart, it provides physical, emotional, mental and spiritual energy that can be assimilated by humans. By connecting with this source of strength, a person can use its special properties.
We all have animals of power, whether we know of their existence or not. We may even lose or lose an animal's strength due to illness, emotional trauma, mental strain, or other reasons. It can be taken from us unconsciously by another person who is drawing out our energy. The return of the lost animal power is one of the main shamanic methods and a type of healing that returns a person to his integrity.
An animal of strength provides physical and emotional energy, sharpens mental abilities and spiritual perception. With its help, the energy field, or the cocoon of our aura, becomes more mobile, begins to function more freely and harmoniously.
In addition, the power animal helps to withstand any hostile influences on the mental, emotional and spiritual levels, protects against physical infections and ailments. It should be quite clear that the power animal is not an "external" entity. It is an energetic circuit that is firmly connected to your spiritual source. It would be wrong to say that you are obsessed with her - rather, she is at your disposal!
The meaning of the word "spirit" has become confused and distorted by religious terminology, superstition and prejudice. Simply put, spirit is an individual life force. Spirit is the source of self-expression in physical form. Spirit is present in all people, animals, plants, rocks and minerals, because the life force is in everything, although it is ordered in different ways. Spirit is present even in the Earth, in the Sun, Moon and stars. Therefore, when a shaman speaks of spirit, he means an inexhaustible source of life that fills and permeates all manifest forms.
The force animal serves as a vehicle for communicating with some aspects of your mortal nature, as opposed to the immortal nature of the higher self. It represents potential, talent, ability, or characteristic inherent in your personality. The purpose of getting to know an animal of strength is to understand its attributes that need to be developed or developed in oneself. The presence of animal power does not mean that its attributes are used; they are only present, waiting for their expression and development. When you define your power animal, its qualities begin to have a positive effect on your energy system. Power animals are the givers and protectors of energy. They share their "medicine" to strengthen and enrich your personal strength, or protect your energy from outside intrusion.
The basic quality of animal strength corresponds to the characteristics of the animal whose appearance it has. For example, the main attribute of a lion is strength, an eagle is vigilance, a fox is cunning, a beaver is constructive, turtles are persistence, snakes are transformation, and so on. However, while such generalizations can be helpful, the power animal usually indicates to the shaman its main quality.
In myths, legends and folklore stories, animals, and sometimes trees and plants, are often humanized and endowed with personality traits. All forms of life form a single community in nature; this is also the case in the extraordinary reality of the shaman.
These stories come from the shamanic roots of our cultural past. They contain a rich heritage of truths about the holistic nature of creation, which was subsequently distorted by material views.
Any creature you meet on your shamanic journey can be designated as a power animal if it appears on four separate occasions. Another defining sign: The power animal is always friendly and does not threaten you in any way. After the fourth meeting, you should ask: "Are you my power animal?" Then it will somehow answer you.
When a person meets a power animal on a shamanic journey, he greets him as a friend and communicates with him as easily as with another person. But how can animal powers communicate with you?
- They can use verbal communication.
“They can speak to you telepathically.
- They can project images into your mind.
“They can lead you to symbols that need to be deciphered.
How exactly can animal powers help you?
- Sharing energy, strength, endurance and enthusiasm with you so that you can get out of a difficult situation with honor - for example, in such cases as a job interview, an important business meeting, a key decision, a sporting event, and so on.
- Share ideas with you about the projects you are working on, point out a way out of a difficult situation that causes your anxiety.
- Protect your body from unwanted influences and increase resistance to physical illness, especially during an epidemic.
- Accelerate recovery from an already existing malaise.
- Help in the search for vital information or valuable item that you have lost.
- Strengthen and enrich your relationships with others.
- Develop optimism and a sense of self-confidence by increasing personal strength.
Since the power animal has certain characteristics, you need to learn to recognize them during the shamanic journey for practical use in the future. A tribal shaman who lives close to nature and is well acquainted with the habits of wild animals can easily understand for himself what the main quality of animal strength is. Those of us who have spent most of our lives in urban settings and know about wild animals by hearsay - from books, films and from other people - cannot interpret their messages with the same clarity.
The information that follows in this chapter will help you overcome some: difficulties. They will allow you to more confidently identify a power animal and understand its meaning in your personal life. The animals listed below are most commonly found on shamanic travels. The comments on each of these are not interpretations, but rather indications of possible meanings.
In any shamanic work, only you or your inner teachers can give the correct interpretation. Revealing the hidden meaning often occurs in real life experience - through "coincidences", sudden flashes of insight, or during shamanic travels to the Upper World for instructions from the main teacher: your higher self.
The imagery perceived in the shamanic journey is full of information. Consciousness can transfer it from one level of being to another and find ways to use it. The figurative language of the hidden and higher aspects of your whole being must be translated into the understandable language of your human "I".
DANCE OF POWER
After becoming acquainted with a power animal on a shamanic journey, the shaman sometimes uses a technique called "power dance" to bring energy to the surface. Performing the dance of power, the shaman not only invokes the energy of animal power, which he met in an unusual reality, but also strives to become one with him in ordinary reality. The movement, inspired by the animal of power, forms a dance. By identifying with friendly energy and imitating the movements of a living being, whose attributes this energy takes, sometimes even copying animal sounds, the shaman finds inner harmony.
The dance of power, performed in a state of ordinary awareness, gives the shaman the opportunity to touch the source of power contained in an altered state of awareness. In other words, the dancer is in a “twilight” state where both dimensions meet. For this reason, it is best to squint your eyes while dancing. to acquire "twilight" vision, allowing you to see what is hidden from physical eyes.
Relax your body muscles to move easily in any direction. If you work with other people, move to the rhythm of the drums; if you work alone, use a rattle. Shift your body weight from one leg to the other with your soles firmly on the floor or ground. Free yourself from inner limitations and surrender to the will of energy flows, feeling them more with your body than your mind.
You may feel the urge to imitate the movement of an animal: prancing like a horse, sneaking like a lion, hovering like a hawk, jumping like a monkey, and so on. Do not hesitate and move as the animal dictates. It is the animalic aspect of your nature that seeks expression in a natural and healthy way. The dance of power is more than a primitive demonstration of animal movements; it is an uninhibited manifestation of energy, coming from the depths of the subconscious and unconscious, for recognition and further use.
The purpose of meeting a power animal on a shamanic journey and acquaintance with its main characteristics is not only to satisfy the thirst for knowledge. This is the way to use the energy potential. The dance of power serves as a means of allowing one to feel this potential in oneself and to identify with it.
Excerpt from the book: K. Meadows "Shamanic Experience"