Messages from 5 Sacred White Animals
White animals are rare in the wild. Without protective coloration, unless they’re in an arctic environment, even predators are more vulnerable to attack. But those who survive to adulthood can pass their “leucism,” or genetic lack of pigmentation and blue eyes, to the next generation. Scientists theorize that the white, recessive, non-albino genetics in animals are a throwback to the last ice age.
Sacred White Animals Across Traditions
In multiple cultures, anomalous white animals have been designated as sacred and the basis of legends and myth. While the animals differ, in many cultures the birth or appearance of a white animal is an indication of a new era of peace and restored balance; these animals also represent purity, spiritual fulfillment, and attainment. Below are a few legends of sacred white animals.
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The Lakota White Buffalo Calf Woman Legend
A long time ago during a famine, the Lakota people were starving, so their chief sent two scouts to search for buffalo in the Black Hills of South Dakota. After travelling a while, the scouts found a woman alone on the prairie — dressed in white buckskin, she was young and beautiful.
One of the scouts tried to embrace the woman, intending to take her as a wife. As the story goes, she and the scout quickly disappeared into a misty white fog. When it cleared, only the woman remained, and next to her on the ground was a pile of bones.
The remaining scout was terrified and began to draw his bow in self-defense, but the woman saw into his heart and knew his motives were pure. Speaking Lakota, she told him not to be afraid, that she would not harm him.
She explained she was a holy woman carrying a message for the Lakota people; if they followed her instructions, the Lakota nation would recover. She told the scout to go back to camp, tell the council her words, and prepare a feast, as she would soon come to the camp.
Indeed she did, and shared sacred ceremonies with the people, giving them a sacred pipe. Before she left, she told the people she would return one day in the future. Then she lay on the ground and rolled four times; each time, she changed color until the fourth turning when she turned into a white buffalo calf. Then she disappeared. When the people looked around, they saw they were surrounded by great herds of buffalo. Since then, the Lakota people have waited for the birth of a white buffalo calf to signal the return of the holy woman.
“Miracle”
In 1994, a pure white buffalo calf was born on a ranch in Janesville, WI. This little calf was the fulfillment of the prophecy of the White Buffalo Calf Woman from Lakota prophecy. According to legend, the birth of a white buffalo calf marked the beginning of a time of purification and renewal for the earth and her children. The little calf was named “Miracle,” and since then, another 16 white calves have been born, and to the Lakota people, they all symbolize a coming time of renewal. “The arrival of the white buffalo is like the second coming of Christ. It will bring about purity of mind, body, and spirit and unify all nations; black, red, yellow, and white,” said Floyd Hand Looks For Buffalo, an Oglala Lakota Medicine Man from Pine Ridge, SD.
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White Star Lions of South Africa
400 years ago in Africa, there lived a queen named Numbi. She ruled an empire, but she had grown ill and weak. Her people prayed for her return to health, but she continued to decline.
One night, a great light appeared in the sky and descended to a nearby valley. The queen and her people went to the valley to see what there was to see. As they approached, they saw an object that was the source of the light. It was making a humming sound, and people were frightened.
But Numbi had no fear; in fact, she felt drawn to the object. With her two oldest servants, she approached the light, telling them that as a queen, she must honor and welcome this high being. She entered the light and the servants fled.
When the servants returned alone to the village, the object rose back into the sky, then shot off into space. After the queen left, for many years the people saw white impala, leopards, and lions at the place they called “Timbavaati.” And eventually Numbi returned to her people restored to magical young version of herself.
Timbavaati, in South Africa, is the only place in the world where white, blue-eyed lions, called “star lions,” are born. For the people of Africa, the star lions are gifts from the Sun God. Linda Tucker, author of Mystery of the White Lions, learned the story from one of the last of African lion shamans, Credo Mutwa. In 2002, Tucker founded the Global White Lion Protection Trust to protect white lions in the wild, as they are highly prized by game hunters. “The White Lions‘ message to us is not to succumb to our fear. They are here as the symbol we might draw upon to overcome this fear—and change the consciousness that is heading us into devastation,” said Tucker.
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Kermode White Spirit Bear, a.k.a. Moksgm’ol, or Ghost Bear
The coastal rainforests of British Columbia are considered some of the most pristine rainforest habitats remaining in the world. And the heart of the region is the Great Bear Rainforest, home to the Kitasoo First Nation people. These forests are comprised of fir, spruce, red cedar, alder, and hemlock. The region is a huge watershed, and each stream and pool system hosts generations of chum, sockeye, and coho salmon.
This forest primeval is home to the rare, white Moksgm’ol, the spirit or ghost bear in the Kitasoo language. In English, it is the Kermode bear, a distinct subspecies of black bear, the carrier of the Kermode gene. According to Alex Shoumatoff of Smithsonian.com, The Kermode bear, beloved by all Canadians, is the most sacred animal in the forest.Kitasoo stories about animals, including the spirit bear, abound. They say that raven made one in every ten bears moksgm’ol (white) as a reminder of the time when glaciers covered their lush forests. Moksgm’ol also has supernatural powers, such as leading people to deep, underwater places of magic. The spirit bear is also a symbol of peace and harmony, and is the official animal of British Columbia.
White Elephant and lotus flowers from a ceiling panel in the Ajanta Caves, India, 5th century AD.
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The White Elephants of India, Thailand, and Myanmar
Pale-skinned and yellow-eyed, Asian and Indian white elephants are considered auspicious symbols of purity. In Thailand, a king’s status depends on the number of white elephants he owns. In neighboring Myanmar, white elephants bring status, power, and good fortune. When a white elephant is portrayed with a lifted trunk, it transmits message of overcoming obstacles. In India, white elephants are sacred to the goddess Lakshmi, giver of wealth, beauty and luxury.
Once long ago, there was a king, Suddhodana, of the Sakya clan, a warrior tribe from the verdant foothills of the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush. Suddhodana chose the beautiful Princess Mahamaya, daughter of King Anjana of the neighboring Koliyas clan, For his queen.
One night Queen Mahamaya lay dreaming under the full moon. In her dream, she was taken to Lake Anotatta in the high mountains by four devas; benevolent, angel-like beings. The devas bathed the queen in the lake, then dressed her in silk spun by gandharvas, and anointed her with sacred oils.
When these things were accomplished, a magnificent white elephant approached carrying a flawless white lotus in its trunk. The elephant circled the queen three times, then magically entered her right side.
When the queen woke up, she understood the dream was important. The next morning she told the dream to her husband Suddhodana; he sent for sages and priests to explain it to them. The wise men said that the dream was supremely auspicious — that the devas had chosen the queen to be the mother of a great being.
Ten months after her dream, Mahamaya knew it was time to leave for her father’s house — it was traditional for women to have their babies in their parents’ homes. King Suddhodana made the arrangements, and the queen departed for her father’s Koliya lands.
On the way, the queen’s procession came to a beautiful garden called Lumbini Park. The queen was enchanted by the beauty of there and called for her retinue to stop for rest. She lay under a sala tree, and almost immediately, gave birth to a boy — this day was a full moon in spring of the year 623 BCE.
This strange newborn prince immediately stood up took seven steps. At each step, a lotus appeared on the ground. At the seventh, he declared, “Eldest I am in the world, foremost am I in the world. This is the last birth. There is now no more coming to be.”
This child, named Prince Siddhartha, grew up to be the Gautama Buddha.
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The Alchemist’s White Peacock
Male peacocks and female peahens are referred to a peafowl — and there are subspecies of the jewel-like green and blue birds from India and the Congo in Africa. White peafowl are genetic variants of the ornamental Indian peafowl, but they are not albino; they carry the leucism gene which brings an absence of pigmentation with blue eyes. Evoking purity and grace, white peacocks, when they display their feathers, take a viewer’s breath away. While they are not common, especially in the wild, two white peafowl will produce white chicks, and the white birds are popular with domestic peafowl keepers.
The first known alchemists were the Egyptians, who developed complex embalming techniques using rudimentary chemistry. Early alchemical knowledge travelled from Egypt to Greece with Alexander the Great in 322 BCE, and the Greeks combined the discipline with their observations of the elements of nature; water, fire, earth, and air. Called “khemia,” the word also became the Greek name for Egypt (and is the root word for “chemistry”).
Egyptian alchemists accumulated a wealth of knowledge that was preserved in the great library of Alexandria, but Christian invaders burned the library in 391 AD. The remaining alchemical knowledge was then carried to Spain by Arab alchemists in the eighth century. Along the same timelines, Taoist monks in China developed Asian alchemy systems.
Described as “the great work,” alchemy was superficially the search for a method to transmute lead to gold. But this was a mask for the deeper, esoteric goal of turning the leaden dross of the human soul to gold; a metaphor for achieving realization and enlightenment. The methods were closely held to avoid the attention of Christian authorities — we know what they did to the library in Alexandria, and alchemists could be tried and burned at the stake. Written texts and treatises were filled with “blinds;” false leads and riddles that could only be explained by a master who learned the answers from his master. This was the “ear-whispered” tradition of esoteric alchemy.
Alchemical texts of the time were filled with coded bird and animal symbols. One part of the process was explained with birds representing stages in a work; the raven, the swan, the peacock, the pelican, and the phoenix.
The alchemists knew that all colors of light, when combined, produces white. The peacock’s tail represented this optical principle. A white peacock then symbolized the distillation of all aspects of light to its pure, essential state; white.
In Prague, in the Czech Republic, the Royal Way is an ancient route through the city that was used for coronations for the kings of Bohemia. In the 17th century, Prague was the European center of alchemy. As a result, the Royal Way was laden with secret symbols that were allegories for the alchemist’s goal of attaining the philosopher’s stone.
Along the route is the hard-to-find house of the black madonna, a reference to the dark, or nigredo stage of the purification process, also represented by the raven. Next is a white peacock on a building facade, symbolizing the next stage, albedo, or the “clean, purified” state the alchemist had to attain to continue on the path to the “philosopher’s stone,” or “pearl of great price,” the ultimate esoteric goal of enlightenment.
About the Author
Who are our spiritual guides and how do they manifest?
Spiritual guides are beings that accompany us and offer guidance on our life path. They can manifest in different ways and through various signs that help us make decisions and find our purpose. In this article, we explore who these guides are and how we can recognize their presence in our lives.
Table of Contents
- What are spiritual guides?
- Types of spiritual guides
- How many spiritual guides do we have?
- Are our spiritual guides always with us?
- How do our spiritual guides manifest?
- Can we communicate directly with our spiritual guides?
What are spiritual guides?
All human beings have spiritual guides who accompany us throughout our lives. These guides can be permanent, continuously supporting us, or they may appear at specific moments to offer particular assistance. Their main objective is to help us grow spiritually and overcome the challenges we encounter on our path.
Spiritual guides are entities that exist in the spiritual plane and are dedicated to our evolution and well-being. They can be ancestors, angels, or nature spirits who have attained a high level of wisdom and compassion. Each guide has its own way of communicating and a specific mission in our lives.
In addition to offering guidance, spiritual guides help us stay connected to our spiritual essence and life purpose. They accompany us in moments of doubt, protect us from dangers, and inspire us to move forward when facing difficulties. Their presence reminds us that we are never alone on our journey.
Types of spiritual guides
Spiritual guides can vary widely in their nature and purpose, offering support in different areas of our lives. They can be ancestors, guardian angels, nature spirits, or other types of light beings. Each of them provides a unique and valuable perspective on our spiritual path.
Master Guide or Primary Spiritual Guide
The Master Guide or Primary Spiritual Guide is the main spiritual being that accompanies us throughout our entire life. They have deep knowledge of our mission and purpose and offer constant guidance, helping us stay on the right path. Their wisdom and insight are essential for our spiritual growth and decision-making.
Ancestral Guides
Ancestral guides are spirits of our ancestors who belong to our family, even if we have not met them in this life. They offer their wisdom and protection based on their connection with our family and cultural roots, helping us understand and heal generational patterns and find strength in our heritage.
Guardian Angels
Guardian angels are celestial beings assigned to protect and guide us. They are always near, ensuring that we are safe and directed toward our highest good. Their presence is a constant reminder of divine love and protection, offering us comfort and support at every step of our journey.
Nature Elementals
Nature elementals are spiritual beings that inhabit the natural realm, such as fairies, gnomes, and tree spirits. They help us connect with the energy of the Earth and harmonize with the natural environment, teaching us to respect and care for our planet while providing a deep sense of peace and connection with nature.
Animal Totems
Animal totems, also known as “power animals,” are spiritual guides that appear in the form of animals, symbolizing specific qualities we need in our lives. Each animal carries a unique message and lesson, connecting us to ancestral wisdom and the natural cycles of life.
How many spiritual guides do we have?
The number of spiritual guides we have varies significantly throughout our lives and depends on many factors, including our spiritual and personal needs. Generally, we have one primary spiritual guide who accompanies us throughout our incarnation, offering constant guidance and support. Additionally, it is common to have one or more guardian angels.
There are also other spiritual guides who may enter and exit our lives at specific times, providing their assistance in particular circumstances or during periods of transition and growth.
Are our spiritual guides always with us?
Yes, our personal spiritual guides are always with us. These guides accompany us constantly, offering us support, protection, and wisdom at every stage of our lives. However, there are other light beings, such as angels, archangels, and ascended masters, who may appear at specific moments to provide their assistance according to our particular needs.
These entities come to offer their help in special situations and, once their mission is fulfilled, they may withdraw, leaving space again for our permanent guides.
How do our spiritual guides manifest?
Recognizing the signs from our spiritual guides requires being attentive to the various ways in which they try to communicate with us. These signs can manifest through synchronicities, repeated numerical sequences, messages in dreams, and the use of divination tools.
Being receptive and aware of these signals can help us better interpret their messages and feel their presence in our daily lives.
Signs through synchronicities
Synchronicities are meaningful coincidences that seem too perfect to be mere chance. These situations indicate that our spiritual guides are trying to communicate with us and guide us on our path.
For example, thinking of someone and receiving a call from them shortly after, or repeatedly seeing a specific symbol in different contexts.
Repetition of numerical sequences
The repetition of numerical sequences is a common way in which spiritual guides send us messages. When we frequently observe numbers like 111, 222, 333, and other similar sequences, it is a sign that our guides are communicating with us.
Each numerical sequence has a specific meaning, offering guidance and particular messages about our decisions and actions.
Messages through dreams
Dreams are a powerful channel for communication with our spiritual guides. During sleep, our conscious mind relaxes, allowing guides to send symbolic and direct messages. These messages can provide clarity on difficult situations, offer answers to important questions, or simply bring comfort and support. Keeping a dream journal can help us remember and analyze these messages.
Divination tools
Divination tools such as tarot, oracle cards, angel cards, and pendulums are useful methods for receiving messages from our spiritual guides. These practices allow us to establish a more direct and structured connection with our guides, making it easier to interpret their advice and warnings.
Using these effective tools to communicate directly with our spiritual guides with an open mind and receptive heart can deepen our understanding and relationship with them.
Can we communicate directly with our spiritual guides?
There are practices that allow us to develop the ability to receive and transmit clear messages from spiritual guides. We can try these connections ourselves through techniques such as meditation and visualization, or seek an experienced channeler who has cultivated this skill.
Meditation and visualization
Meditation and visualization are effective tools for communicating directly with our spiritual guides. Deep meditation allows us to quiet the mind and open ourselves to subtle energies. By entering a state of calm and receptivity, we can mentally ask our guides to manifest and send us clear messages.
Guided visualization complements meditation by allowing us to imagine an encounter with our guides in a safe and sacred environment. We can visualize a peaceful place, such as a garden or a temple, and invite our guides to appear. This practice can be enriched with automatic writing, where we allow our hand to write freely without conscious intervention, thus channeling the messages from our guides.
Channeling and direct messages
Another way to receive direct messages from our spiritual guides is to seek an experienced channeler who has developed the ability to receive and transmit clear messages from spiritual guides. By consulting a channeler, we can obtain more direct and specific guidance that may be difficult to access on our own.
A common practice in this context is the reading of Akashic Records, where the reader connects with our spiritual guides, who, in addition to sending us their own messages, also transmit messages from the Akasha.
