3 Spirit Animal Meditations
Whether you’re seeking your power animal or you’ve already found these spirits, meditation is a powerful tool to contacting with your animal guides. These three in particular are great ways either to establish that connection or strengthen it, thus adding valuable guidance to your life and direction.
Regardless of which meditation you need, it’s a good idea to have pen and paper ready to go to record these encounters; a journal is preferable. Write down the images, feelings and sounds as much as you remember while it’s still fresh. This will help establish the connection similar to lucid dreaming. The more often you meet with your animal guide, the more you will feel their presence in your conscious state, thus eventually lessening the need for meditations.
Want to read more about your spirit animal? Here are a few characteristics of the top five most common animals, each with their own personalities, strengths and weaknesses.
Lastly before you get started, remember a few things. You may not see your spirit animal right away, even in the first few times that you try. This is a process, and like any other process, it may take a little time and patience to get underway. Plus, we must respect the animal spirit world and their timing, even while knowing that our animal spirits are just as eager to communicate with us are we are. Lastly, don’t feel the need to stick TOO closely to these steps. The journey is obviously very personal, so no one will know better how it works for you other than you.
Meditation for Initial Connection with Your Spirit Animal
(This meditation is adapted from whatsyoursign.com)
- Meditate around the same time of day or night in order to train your subconscious into allowing easier relaxation and smoother connection with the spirit world.
- Create a relaxing, calming environment free of distractions and disorder. In order to help your subconscious’s love of order, it is a good investment to have your ducks in a row without cluttered space.
- Begin your meditation session by setting your intention. It’s important to set forth a firm directive to both your subconscious mind and your spirit, as well as the animal spirit realm that you wish to contact your animal totem. Silently to yourself, repeat your affirmation to meet your animal spirit in your dreams. You can use the following phrase, or create your own:
“This moment, I receive the gift of animal sight.
This moment, my animal spirit takes flight.
Reveal to me what I must see.
This moment, my animal totem connects with me.”
Repeat this until you are in alpha state of meditation. Relax to aid your subconscious and the connection with your spirit anima. Wait and be patient, listening for contact.
- Upon stopping your meditation, write down your experience in your animal totem journal. This is critical. We record our experiences so that our minds can further digest the events surrounding our animal symbol. Writing these events also gives us a point of reference when determining the characteristics of our animal symbol, and helps us interpret the messages our animal is conveying to us.
- Be sure to write each detail. For example:
- What was your animal doing when you saw it? Flying? Swimming?
- What exactly did it look like? Healthy? Sick?
- What color was it? Natural color? Unusual?
- What were the surroundings? Rain forest? Desert? Murky water?
- Take a break. After awhile, a few hours, or even a day – come back to your animal totem journal and read what you wrote for that session. Begin to do research on the animal that revealed itself to you. Begin to piece these characteristics together, along with the other details surrounding your animal’s appearance during sleep/meditation. Eventually, you will begin to piece together a beautiful tapestry of deeper understanding of yourself, your life and your reality.
- Repeat this process for continuous messages, and deeper understanding.
By continually following this guideline, you will become stronger in your interpretive abilities, and trust your intuition more in working with you animal totems. Furthermore, as you grow in this process, the animal spirits will show themselves more frequently, as they will sense your confidence as well as your respect for their presence.
Meditation for Communicating with Your Spirit Animal
- Relax your mind and body in a calm environment.
- Close your eyes and take two long deep breaths, breathing slowly in through your nose and holding the breath as long as is comfortable for you. Breathe out slowly through your mouth. Still your thoughts.
- Set your intention similarly to the process above.
- As you are still, open your receptiveness to any and all images of shapes, colors and so on. As things become more clear, silently or aloud ask your spirit animal to show him or herself to you at this time. Watch what comes into view. Be patient; you are engaging your Third Eye, which, if you are not regularly maintaining, may be a little rusty or slow.
- Wait until your spirit animal shows up, and again, be receptive and free of preconceptions. It may or may not be the animal you were anticipating, or it may be more than one animal. It may even be a mythological animal. Once you see the animal, watch it carefully to see what it does. Open your spiritual ears to any and all messages, whether they are feelings or words.
- Note the details of the scene; the colors have significance.
- Wait until the image fades or until you are ready to stop. Write or draw what you have seen.
Meditation for Journeying with Your Spirit Animal
- Relax your mind and body.
- Close your eyes and take two long deep breaths, breathing slowly in through your nose and holding the breath as long as is comfortable for you. Breathe out slowly through your mouth.
- Connect with your power animal through images as you open your third eye. If you can see the animal in movement – follow the animal to see where it takes you and what messages it wishes you to learn. If you are having trouble following the animal, first visualize the animal, then see it moving away. Be open to where it goes; it might be through an ordinary Earth scene, or even though time and space!
- Once you have connected with the animal, mentally tell the animal that you wish it to take you on a spirit journey so you can learn more about your soul journey at this time.
- Keep your mind open and willing to go on the journey. We can’t tell you specifically what will happen, as each animal is very different, but be prepared to go someplace that the spirit animal wishes to show you. Pay close attention to everything that happens.
- Make notes about your journey when you return.
About the Author
How Do You Know What Your Spirit Animal Is?
Power animals, also known as totem animals or spirit animals, are spiritual guides that accompany people along their journey of self-discovery. Each specific animal represents symbolic qualities that help to awaken intuition, protect personal energy, and help us navigate our life path. In this article, we explore spirit animal symbolism, their spiritual meaning, and how to find your spirit animal.
Table of Contents
- What Is a Spirit Animal or Totem Animal?
- Shamanism and Spirit Animals
- The Spiritual Meaning Behind Each Spirit Animal
- How to Find Your Spirit Animal
- How to Work with Your Spirit Animal
What Is a Spirit Animal or Totem Animal?
A spirit animal is a Spiritual Guide that acts as a protective figure and messenger. It reflects aspects of your personality, life experiences, or inner voice. It represents qualities that you are meant to recognize, embody, or learn from. Some people discover it naturally, through dreams, meaningful experiences, or deep sensations when connecting with a particular animal. It can also come through practices such as meditation or guided visualization. In Native American culture, a spirit animal is not just a symbolic archetype, but a meaningful presence that offers protection, insight, and a deeper connection to the natural world.
This concept is often confused with a totem animal. While both play important roles in spiritual practices, there is a key difference between a totem animal vs spirit animal: totem animals typically represent a group identity, ancestry, or tribal lineage, while spirit animals are more personal and reflect your individual soul journey.
Whether you call it a power animal, totem, or spiritual guide, its presence invites you to explore deeper levels of self-awareness, healing, and growth.
Shamanism and Spirit Animal Guides
In shamanic traditions, especially within Indigenous and Native American cultures, power animals occupy a central place as allies of the soul in the spiritual journey. The shaman recognizes that everything in nature has a spirit, and animals represent specific energies that can be invoked, whether in rituals, healing, or other processes of personal transformation. These totemic animals accompany the shaman from the time of initiation, and each brings distinct abilities to work with the spiritual planes.
Shamans often meet their spirit animal guide through visions, dreams, or deep spiritual journeys. These guides may shift over time, changing with the needs of the individual’s life path. Some animals guide for a specific period, while others accompany throughout life as guardians of the spirit.
The practice of shamanism with spirit animals not only strengthens the connection with the invisible world but also allows the development of intuition, perception, and inner harmony. Today, many people who do not belong to traditional cultures also work with spirit animals as part of their spiritual path, seeking guidance, protection, and a deep understanding of their inner energy.
The Spiritual Meaning Behind Each Spirit Animal
Each power animal has a unique spiritual meaning that conveys a specific message for one’s personal path. Knowing the symbolism of the different animals and their symbolism helps to better understand the qualities that can be activated or the learnings you are going through. Below, we present the spiritual message represented by each of these power animals:
- Eagle: Clarity and elevated vision. Invites to look at challenges from a broader perspective and trust in the wisdom of the spirit.
- Wolf: Instinct and teamwork. Teaches to balance independence with connection to the group and following the inner voice.
- Owl: Intuition and occult perception. It symbolizes the ability to see beyond the obvious and detect deep truths.
- Jaguar: Inner power and transformation. It represents the courage to go through emotional darkness and come out stronger.
- Butterfly: Change and rebirth. It announces processes of personal transformation and spiritual evolution.
- Deer: Gentleness and sensitivity. It invites one to cultivate empathy and act from the heart, without losing firmness.
- Tortoise: Patience and ancient wisdom. Teaches to move forward calmly and to trust the natural rhythms of life.
- Fox: Cunning and adaptability. It represents intuitive intelligence and the ability to move with strategy and speed.
- Horse: Freedom and vital energy. Connects with the impulse of the soul to move forward with strength and determination.
- Dolphin: Joy and harmonious communication. Conveys the power of emotional connection and play as a way of healing.
- Bear: Strength and protection. Teaches to set healthy boundaries and to enter into silence to regenerate.
- Snake: Renewal and deep healing. Symbolizes the ability to let go of the old and activate vital energy.
- Lion: Leadership and confidence. Inspires courageous decision-making and recognition of personal power.
- Hummingbird: Joy and lightness of soul. Remember the importance of living the present with gratitude and beauty.
- Elephant: Memory and spiritual wisdom. Represents stability, connection with ancestors, and calm strength.
Exploring these archetypes helps reveal which spirit animal aligns with your inner journey.
How to Find Your Spirit Animal
Many people wonder: how to find your spirit animal? It is not a matter of choosing an animal for the sake of it, but of recognizing which one manifests as a guide on your spiritual path. This is a process of reflection, observation, and trust in your inner voice. Your spirit animal may reveal itself through:
- Repeated encounters with a particular animal in waking life or media
- Vivid dreams featuring a specific animal
- Strong emotional or energetic reactions to a certain creature
- Meditation or guided visualizations
It’s not about choosing your favorite animal. Instead, it’s about noticing which animal chooses you—and what message it might bring.
Signs and Dreams as Messages from Animal Spirit Guides
One of the most common ways to discover what your spirit animal is through signs and dreams. Pay attention to synchronicities—recurring animals in real life, conversations, or even books and images. These can point toward a deeper message from your spirit animal guide.
Dreams are also a powerful channel for receiving such spiritual messages. If a particular animal appears clearly on the dream plane, paying attention to its behavior and the symbolic message it conveys, you may be receiving guidance. These dreams are not casual: they often reveal which energy wants to accompany you on your path of growth.
Meditation and Guided Visualization to Connect with Your Personal Spirit Animal
Meditation is an effective tool to open your perception and connect with your spirit animal. By entering a state of stillness, it becomes easier to listen to subtle signals and receive images, sensations, or words associated with the animal totem that accompanies you.
To do this, you can begin your practice with a deep breath and a clear intention: to ask for your animal guide to reveal itself . As you go deeper into meditation, simply allow forms, faces or energies to emerge without forcing any images. The animal that appears is usually the one your soul needs to recognize at that moment.
Here are some steps to follow to connect:
- Sit quietly and breathe deeply.
- Set the intention to meet your spirit animal.
- Imagine entering a natural space—forest, mountain, ocean—and let a specific animal appear.
- Observe its behavior, energy, and any messages it offers.
- Journal about the experience to reflect on its meaning.
This simple practice can strengthen your relationship with your spiritual ally.
How to Work with Your Spirit Animal
Once you have identified your spirit animal, it is possible to establish a deeper and more conscious link with its energy. Working with your totem animal allows you to integrate its qualities into your daily life, receive guidance in times of change, and strengthen your spiritual connection. These practices may be simple, but they have a powerful effect on the inner path.
- Daily invocation: You can connect with your power animal at the beginning of the day, asking it for guidance and protection. Naming it out loud or visualizing it helps you keep its energy present.
- Focused meditation: Meditating on their qualities strengthens the spiritual bond. You can imagine their presence or repeat affirmations related to their message.
- Symbolic rituals: Incorporating objects or symbols of the animal into your altar or sacred space enhances its energy. This can include images, feathers, figures, or natural elements that represent it.
- Inner dialogue: Write messages as if your animal were talking to you. This intuitive technique allows you to receive guidance when you need clarity or emotional support.
- Conscious observation: Reflect on how your animal’s qualities manifest in your daily life. This practice strengthens the learning and spiritual integration of your energy.
Working with a spirit animal can help guide you through difficult moments, align you with your purpose, and connect you to the greater wisdom of the natural world.
Your Journey With Spirit Animals Begins Here
Whether you’re new to the concept or deepening your existing practice, connecting with a spirit animal invites you into a rich journey of self-discovery and spiritual meaning. These guides—rooted in both Native American tradition and modern spiritual practice—serve as reminders of the strength, insight, and beauty available to us when we listen to nature and our own inner wisdom.
