Power Animals

Judith Ashley is the author of The Sacred Women's Circle series, romantic fiction that honors spiritual traditions that nurture the soul.

Last week I talked about the snowy owl mask my circle sister, Heather, made for me. This week I’d like to talk a bit more about power animals or personal totems.

There are formal ways to ascertain what your power animal is and also informal ways. Today I’m talking about the informal process. In some ways it’s as simple as asking the question: Are you a dog person or a cat person?”

In other words what animals are you drawn to?

I see red tail hawks no one else sees. They are an anomaly in a tree’s structure. While the red tail hawk is not my primary power animal, it is one of my animal totems.

I can also spot whales spouting when other folks miss them. I have a physical or visceral reaction to seeing the sleek black back break water. My breathing fractures if I’m so lucky to see one breach.

But what brings me the most comfort is the snowy owl.

My horse drum

This owl has many of the same characteristics as all other owls but it is more diurnal than nocturnal. In the arctic tundra there aren’t a lot of trees so some actually build nests on the ground (or on ledges on cliffs). I’ve only seen snowy owls in person a couple of times. Once was in a raptor rescue center and the other was when I flew into Logan airport decades ago and all these white birds were on the grassy areas between the runways. At that time in my life, I didn’t even know what they were—only that I was smitten by them.

If you want to find someone who can help you formally figure out your power animal, here are a couple of ideas:

Check with metaphysical stores near you. They may know someone who holds classes or helps people identify their totems.

Look for shamans. Again your metaphysical store may be the best place to look.

A process called “journeying” is involved. Journeying is facilitated by drumming so check out stores that sell drums (not the drum sets musicians).

You can learn more about The Sacred Women’s Circle series on my website.

Check out my Windtree Press author page.

Follow me on Twitter: @JudithAshley19

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© 2016 Judith Ashley