How to Connect with Your Power Animals: A Guide to Spirit Animal Journeys

Meeting your animal guides is a sacred and profound experience. In my Introduction to Shamanism class, one of the first lessons I teach is how to connect with your power animals. It’s a favorite part of the course for my students, and while I can only offer a high-level overview in this blog, I’ll share the foundational steps to help you begin this spiritual journey.

Creating Sacred Space for Spiritual Connection

Before diving into any healing work or meditative journey, it’s essential to create sacred space. This is where you leave behind the distractions of everyday life and prepare to meet the divine. Sacred space allows us to enter a calm, quiet inner world where we can receive healing and spiritual messages.

The first step is to honor the four directions—North, South, East, and West—each holding its own spiritual significance. Then, give thanks to the elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, as well as the Sun, Moon, Stars, ancestors, and spirit guides. This act of honoring opens the door for deeper spiritual experiences.

Journeying to Meet Your Power Animal

Once the sacred space is created, the next step is to enter a meditative state. To assist this transition, monotonous drumming or rattling is used, helping to quiet the mind and prepare us for the journey.

In shamanic practice, the Lower World is where we encounter our power animals. This realm exists beyond time and space, making it the perfect place to connect with your spirit helpers. As a shamanic practitioner, I guide my students to journey there, altering their spirit bodies to access the Lower World and communicate with their power animals.

Power Animals vs. Spirit Animals: What’s the Difference?

It’s important to understand the distinction between power animals and spirit animals. A power animal is typically assigned to you by your teacher to help you fulfill your life contract and spiritual path. Spirit animals, however, are messengers from the spirit world, offering guidance and insights as you progress in your spiritual journey.

As you deepen your connection to the spirit realm, you may begin receiving messages from spirit animals even outside of a trance state. The more you stay mindful, the more likely you are to notice these messages in your everyday life.

Embracing the Messages from Spirit Animals

Spirit animals often communicate in subtle ways. I highly recommend reading Dr. Steven Farmer’s books on spirit animals to better interpret these messages. For example, you might encounter an animal looking you in the eye or circling overhead, both of which carry special significance. I have two owls near my home, and I often hear them hooting to each other in the early evening. Sometimes, their calls contain messages meant just for me.

As you move forward in your spiritual path, be open to the many ways the spirit world communicates with you. Your power animals and spirit animals are always there, ready to help guide you as you fulfill your life contract.