Working with Spirit of Animals Understanding the difference : Totem Animal, Spirit Guide, and Power Animal

Understanding the subtle nuances and distinctions between a totem animal, a spirit guide animal, and a power animal can greatly enhance your connection with the lunar energies in our magical articles and conversations. These animal spirits are essentially spirit guides, which appear to humans—often in dreams or visions—in the form of animals to offer wisdom and guidance.

1. Totem Animals Totem animals represent our spiritual identity, The Totem Animal is who you ‘are’. The concept of a totem animal stems primarily from Native American culture. A totem animal is traditionally associated with a group of people, such as a clan or a tribe. They're viewed as an emblem representing the group’s ancestry or mythology, with each animal symbolizing certain qualities and characteristics. Your totem animal is inherent and often identifies who you are, acting as a form of spiritual anchor. While this doesn't typically change, multiple totem animals could represent different facets of a person or group, just like the waxing and waning phases of the moon. For example, if your totem animal is an owl, it suggests that you value wisdom, knowledge, and are perhaps nocturnal in nature, like the moon itself.

2. Spirit Guide Animals Spirit guide animals are our teachers, Spirit Animals are animal spirit guides who appear when we need love, strength, support, inspiration, and guidance. A spirit guide animal, also known as an animal guide or spirit animal, comes into your life to teach you lessons that you need to learn, assist with specific circumstances, or guide you towards a particular direction. Unlike totem animals, your spirit guide animal may change throughout your life depending on your life path and personal growth. These animals present themselves when we require their strengths and abilities. To draw a lunar connection, imagine you are venturing into a challenging phase—like the dark side of the moon. A bear spirit guide might emerge to lend you its strength and courage to navigate through these hard times.

3. Power Animals Power animals infuse us with their particular traits when needed. The Power Animal is a spiritual energy that you call on from within or invoke for assistance in a specific situation. Power animals, similar to totem animals, are traditionally rooted in shamanic practice, but here, the spirit of the animal is believed to lend its energy to the individual. Unlike the community-shared energy of a totem, a power animal's strength, attributes, and protection are personally available for the individual to draw upon. Power animals often empower you, increase your strength, courage, and intuition—just as the moonlight illuminates the dark. A person might invoke the spirit of a lion as a power animal to bolster their courage and command during challenging moments.

While we may identify with many animals throughout our life, their presence in each of these forms enables us to align with different layers of our identity, offer us wisdom, and enhance our ability to practice lunar magic. You an ask this energy to stay ignited in you for your whole life or only in certain circumstances. We are all connected. We share so many DNA pairings with plants and animals that you really ‘are’ a Mammal, Insect, Bird, Fish, Reptile, Amphibian, Fish, and Crustacean! So, when you invoke or call on from within - it means a literal re-awakening of a part of your ‘self’ that has been lying dormant or has been injured and needs healing. Working with spirit can manifest In any number of ways including:

• Dreams

• Encounters, particularly in odd places

• Images during meditation

• Pictures on advertisements, products etc.

• Sense cues (hearing, smell, taste, touch, psychic impression)

T.D.C.