Service Animal Spirit Guidance For The Changing World

I put together a list of 13 Animal Spirit Guides and how they can help us through this time of the pandemic as the world turns topsy-turvy. It is not a complete list by any means of the spiritual guidance, animal and otherwise, out there to help us thrive in these changing times, but these are a few of the ones I've personally worked with that have helped me, and who had specific attributes to face things that people are experiencing at this time. They can help steady our shaky steps and smooth the bumpy ride into a new reality.  

Call upon them as you would a friend or a loved one. Find a place and time when you can sit in silence. Imagine yourself surrounded by white light. Call in one, or more, of the appropriate guides and ask them for their strength and their wisdom. You can ask specific questions such as, "What is my next step to get through this?" or "Can you show me this situation from your perspective?" You may receive words, or images, or feelings. You may also notice nothing, but trust that you have been heard and help is on the way. Perhaps they will answer your questions in a dream or a in sudden flash of inspiration when the timing is right. Thank your Animal Spirit Guides for their help, imagine the white light dispersing, then return fully to your body and continue with your day, knowing that what you need will unfold in the coming days.

You can also simply call on them as you feel the need through out your day when you start to feel wobbly or in doubt. They are here to serve and guide us, and their method is always Love.

SNAKE: Shedding the Old. You are literally outgrowing your old reality. As snake sheds his skin, we are shedding the ways of life that no longer fit or support us. The old world is ripping to shreds, leaving us uncomfortably itchy and unsupported, and the new world has not solidified, like the soft and tender new skin. You are more sensitive right now, so nurture yourself. Know that the old skin would not be falling apart if the new skin were not pushing through to replace it even bigger and better than before. Also, while shedding Snake is blind, his eyes being part of the old skin. This is a time of retreating, nurturing, and building faith, knowing there are no accidents and that there is purpose to all of this. 

VULTURE: Sterilization. Clean up your space and your mind. Let Vulture consume what is dead and decaying in your life, the clutter of things and thoughts that support dis-ease in your life and prevent you from moving into your power and best life. Vulture sterilizes the environment to make it safe for other life to thrive. Raise your wings to the Sun and let what is toxic in your life be burned away by the light of Truth of who you truly are. All is well in your world.

BAT: Rebirth/Initiation. When the world turns upside down, it's time to shift perspectives. Cling to the ceiling of the cave rather than the floor in order see things differently, and in ways you never imagined. Know that no matter how scary, there is purpose in every change. Use this time in darkness and stillness to see with more than your eyes. Reach out with your feelings and intuition and trust what you receive from your non-physical senses. The cave is the womb of the Cosmic Mother. You are about to be reborn.

BUTTERFLY: Transformation. We are crossing a threshold where life will never be the same. Scary, right? But if you as Caterpillar knew you were destined to become more than you are now, to be given wings to fly rather than being stuck to a single branch, to become Butterfly, would you be afraid? Right now you are in the cocoon. As Caterpillar you are being broken down into genetic soup and your very DNA rearranged. There is nothing solid to hold onto, including your very identity and essence. Surrender to the process. There is purpose and you are meant for greater things. Don't be afraid. You were born for this.

DUCK: Calm. When the currents get too rough, fly to calmer waters. Float above the waters, the emotions, by finding those activities, or inactivities, that help you feel calm and centered. Take a break from the world, from the news, from the things that hold you down and unable to breathe, and nurture yourself. When you know you can swim, and naturally float on the water, none of the emotional turbulence can hold you down or overwhelm you. You can let it all roll off your back. 

TASMANIAN DEVIL: Appropriate Aggression. There is nothing in this world that can stand in the way of your purpose here on earth. Nothing. Even if you are sick, Tasmanian Devil can help you find the will to live, the will to heal, the will to break down any obstacles that stand between you and your purpose. It is various unrecognized and unfelt emotions such as anger and fear that can stand in the way of your health and well-being, and Tasmanian Devil can help swirl those into a tornado, utilizing their power constructively to burst through anything holding you back from living your best life.

FROG: Cleanse. Take a salt bath. Nurture yourself and release anything from your life that is toxic. Take a shower and as the waters rush over you, allow them to not only wash away the physical grime, but the emotional and mental grime that keeps you feeling small and worthless. Consciously introduce those things into your life and environment that feed you, nourish you, and make you feel whole and centered. Any thoughts and fears that make you feel small or worthless are intrinsically untrue. Practice through affirmations replacing those toxic, belittling thoughts with thoughts and words that validate and reinforce the Divine Being you truly are. By thus becoming your purer self you clear your channel to Spirit, and open your voice to be added to the chorus of the world.

BLUE HERON: Self Reflection. This time of stillness is a gift. Rise like Heron over the waters of emotion, and look at yourself. It is the coolness of his shadow that draws the fish to him, so it is by looking at his reflection that Heron is able to feed himself. If you are flopping around in the water you are stirring up the mud and scaring the fish. Let Heron lift you on his long legs above the waters, your stillness allowing the waters to still and clear, and give you the perspective to observe yourself without judgement or attachment, giving yourself the power to move on and change, and to find those tidbits that only make you stronger.  Be still and observe. Sit with your feelings and allow them to abate. You are a Divine Being, part of the same source energy as everyone and everything else. There is nothing in your shadow to fear.

DOLPHIN: Breathe. Like Dolphin you are a creature of two worlds -- Think of Air as Spirit and Water as the World. It is the air/spirit inside of you that allows you to swim the the water/world, so use this time where things are shut down on the outside and venture into your inside. Explore meditation. Find your rhythm of surfacing into Spirit, taking a deep breath, then diving again, allowing that spirit to infuse you as you navigate the depths of this world. You might find yourself smiling more, and you may approach things more playfully. Breathe. Trust the ebb and flow.

COYOTE: Laugh/Play.  In times such as these, humor is especially vital. Constant fear and anxiety take their toll on your system and laughter reverses all those effects. It brings fresh, restorative energy to you, body and soul, and a place of renewed mental clarity with which to better access your circumstances and move forward effectively. Look at things through the eyes of your inner child. Find ways to play. Turn even your challenges into a game and you might find new and creative ways to remedy them. Find things to laugh about. If you don't, Coyote will bound after you, nipping at your ankles, possibly even tripping you up, to make you pause and laugh at yourself.

PELICAN: Resilience. Joy is your natural state of being. Love is who you are. You are intrinsically a high frequency being. Your spirit is buoyant and, like Pelican, no matter how deep you dive into the world, you will always rise back to the surface. Your soul is like a beach ball. It actually takes energy and effort to hold it down because it's natural inclination is to ascend. It is when we relinquish control and let go of the things that hold us down - our thoughts and worries and fears - that we naturally rise above it all. Surrender to who you truly are. Know that you are already whole. You are an eternal being in an impermanent world. This too shall pass..

BLACK PANTHER: Embrace the Unknown. The dark is but the womb of the Cosmic Mother. In the dark all possible realities exist and the Universe is waiting for you to make a decision on what future you desire. With hear dark, shimmering coat Black Panther is the reflection of the night sky - the microcosm of the macrocosm. As above, so below. Set your intention of the reality you wish to create then move confidently in that direction knowing that the Universe has your back and reflects your desires. It is a great hologram where every piece contains the whole, so within you exists the entire universe. The answers are literally within you. There is nothing in the dark to fear.

OWL: Seeing with the Heart. There is a reason Athena, the Goddess of Justice, has Owl as her totem. Owl's eyesight is as good as Eagle's, but she sees in the dark. Owl brings the ability to see with the heart and cut through the smoke and mirror illusions of this world. She can help navigate through the unknown and the uncertainties of the world, aiding in connecting with your own heart to see the rampant fears and anxieties for the illusions they are. Even when everything is dark around you, she will guide you from love rather than fear. And she is fierce, a winged-tiger. Be bold. Trust your heart. 

Bearing It Well

It was in a Vision Quest about 10 years ago that I met Sitting Bull. I had just been having a nice sit down conversation with Jeshua (Jesus) when suddenly this great chief appeared with out warning. He told me who he was and I, just a little star-struck, stammered, “THE Sitting Bull?!” Taking it in stride he simply went on to thank me for honoring his traditions and for adapting them to my needs and my path (I lost count of the number of times my Lakota mentor facilitating this Vision Quest said, "If my teachers saw this they would kill me."), telling me traditions had to evolve in order to become accessible and applicable to more people. Then he said something that has stuck with me ever since -- "We may not be your Ancestors of Blood, but we are your Ancestors of Spirit." That was the only time I'd heard that phrase until it was validated a few years later in a class with Tom Cowan, the Celtic Shaman, when he told us of the three kinds of Ancestors -- Blood, Story, and Spirit

For several years afterwards Sitting Bull accompanied me on my path, popping up at different times, particularly during the Sacred Pipe Circle I attended every week. Most of the time he said very little, if anything, but just feeling his presence was comforting. When I saw him in my mind's eye or felt him sitting with me, I knew everything was right with the world. Even if I were going through some heavy emotional trials or something, with him nearby I knew I was still on the right path no matter what inner turmoil I was experiencing.

One day at Pipe Circle things changed. As I passed the chanupa to the person next to me and settled in to receive any messages or visions, there before me I saw Sitting Bull, but it was different. Normally he appears to me extremely close up and looking eye to eye. Instead I saw his entire buffalo blanketed form sitting a small distance in front of me, and he was turned to the right. "Huh..."I thought, "Wonder what that's about." Then I realized there was another figure standing behind him, another Native man with arms folded against his bare chest as he stared into my eyes, his face seemingly etched in stone with no hint of emotion. I think I gulped. "What is happening?" Silently sitting bull faded away leaving the tall, stoic stranger looming in front of me. From somewhere the name Standing Bear floated through my mind. That's when I realized this was basically a changing of the guards. Sitting Bull had fulfilled his purpose with me and now it was Standing Bear who would take over guiding me. Then I almost laughed out loud, struck again by the subtle humor of the spirits. Of course Sitting Bull would be sitting and Standing Bear standing. Okay, I could work with this.

I knew nothing about my new guide, and in his stoic demeanor, Standing Bear was not forthcoming on who he was or why he was there, so answers would have to come through research. I had never heard of him, that I remembered, so I started with his name to see if he were actually an historical figure. I did find a few Standing Bears through history, but before I could even question how I would know which one he was, I saw a photo and instantly knew, "That's him!" The same quiet strength and composure with an intense determination in his eyes.

He was a famous chief of the Ponca people, originally from Nebraska. Long story short, his tribe was forced into their own Trail of Tears on foot from Nebraska to Oklahoma, during which many, including Standing Bear's eldest son, died. Because his son was afraid the Ancestors wouldn't be able to find him and lead him into the afterlife so far from home, Standing Bear promised to return him and bury him in the land of his birth. This he did with a small group of tribal members, only to be captured and arrested in Nebraska for venturing off their reservation.

This led to a trial in 1879 where Standing Bear sued the United States Government --And won! What he sued for was habeas corpus - recognition as a "person" under the law and entitled to all its rights and protections. He was the one who so famously said...

"That hand is not the color of yours, but if I prick it, the blood will flow, and I shall feel pain. The blood is of the same color as yours. God made me, and I am a Man."

And that is where it suddenly made sense to me. One thing I have always struggled with is self-worth, self confidence, and just standing up for myself. Then along comes an individual standing up in front of an entire government and nation who denigrate him and his race to little more than dirt, to declare unflinchingly "I am a man!" Words can not do justice to how much this resonates with me and what strength it awakens in me.

Since then he has stood sentinel over me - an ever-present stoic guardian, huge on presence and small on words. I have to admit being at least slightly intimidated by him, and at the same time so grateful he had decided to come and stick around. For a long time that was enough for me. But just recently, after years of his silent and protective companionship, I finally asked what he'd actually come to help me with in the first place.

"Fortitude," was his single word answer. It instantly rang true and I understood, but at the same time I found myself asking, "What exactly does that mean?..."

      fortitude

               /ˈfôrdəˌt(y)o͞od/

                  NOUN

                           courage in pain or adversity.

                           "she endured her illness with great fortitude"

                           synonyms: courage · bravery · strength of mind 

Holy Crap! How appropriate is that? In a word that is exactly what Standing Bear embodies, and what he is awakening in me. Indeed, this past year has been exceptionally trying, especially these last few months as I am continuously, and seemingly increasingly, challenged to rise to higher heights and release all the things I mistakenly took on as my identity. Not that I am not also in the best place I've ever been in my life. My lucid moments of connection with the Heart of Goddess are beyond words. I have a firmer faith and conviction in my true identity and purpose than I could ever previously have dreamed of. Perhaps that is what makes these times in my growth such a challenge. The distance in the fluctuations between ecstatic Divine connection and lying broken on the floor incapacitated by fear and anxiety are unimaginably vast. To quote Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: "Space is big. Really big. You just won’t believe how vastly hugely mindbogglingly big it is. I mean you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist’s, but that’s just peanuts to space." 
And traversing that mindbogglingly big space through the mental debris field of old beliefs and identities takes courage.

Just the other day as I was driving to my day job after struggling to get out of bed and muster the gumption to stagger through another day at a job that, though I am grateful for everything it provides me, does nothing, nothing, to feed or even support my Spirit, I heard Standing Bear say, "This. This is the birthing ground of Fortitude." His loquaciousness made me pause and realize this was important.

A past version of me might have interpreted this to mean that life is a struggle and I must foster the fortitude to continue to fight my way upstream because that's the way it'll be until the day I die, fighting a hopeless battle but denying the hopelessness of the situation because that is the noble thing to do.

However, spending a great proportion of my time in non-dual reality gives me a different perspective. Yes. The battle is hopeless. Every battle is hopeless. That's because life is not a battle, and the value of fortitude is the ability it gives to walk through the mental and emotional structures based in the duality of the old world and step into the reality of non-duality -- the Oneness that lies behind everything. Fortitude is not banging your head endlessly against a brick wall. It is recognizing that the wall doesn't even exist and it is walking through the wall despite what you're senses may be telling you. It is the courage to recognize yourself as Divine Energy no matter what the world may be telling you you are. It is the grace to live as a butterfly in a world of caterpillars.

And so I am blessed beyond measure to have this Brother of Spirit standing sentinel for me, an unwavering beacon to light and guide my way. Thank you Standing Bear. Aho.

*

Epilogue -- 

Tonight, after finishing my blog post, I did a chanupa ceremony and as soon as I finished the initial blowing of smoke blessings to all the directions, Standing Bear was there, and for the first time in the years we’ve worked together, I saw him smiling. At first you might think it was because he was happy that I wrote about him, but what I felt was more of a “you finally got it!” feeling. It was pride, but not in himself. It was the approving smile of a teacher seeing his student succeed.

"You've been on your own Trail of Tears you know."

Thinking back over the past year and the recent months, I nodded. 

"No, not now. It was coming into a world you didn't understand and that didn't understand you. Now you are on your way back to your origins, as I was with my son. The journey is challenging, yes, but the return trip is laced with the joy of coming home."

Oh how I love this man.