Question: So, what does it mean to work with 'power' animals? Are we working with an individual animal, say the 'possum down the street or the wolf at the zoo?
Answer: Well, sorry to say, no.
When you work with a 'power' animal (I've got to find a better way to say that ~ the term "power' animals' makes me think of a bunch of buffed up critters doing sit ups and weight lifting at the local gym), you are either connecting with the A.) symbolic essence or B.) the spiritual power of the entire species. Take your pick of whichever description works best for you.
Question: What are you doing ~ playing Indian? Or are you one of those new age weirdos?
Answer: No. Working with 'power' animals is not 'new age' or limited to the North American Indians. Many people all over the planet use animal symbology in one way or another, including us. It's everywhere ~ even in our speech: 'Busy as a bee'; 'snake in the grass', 'he/she is a workhorse', 'hawk eyed', 'eagle eyed'.
Question: How do you know when animal energy trying to make itself known?
Answer: There are several ways. Sometimes, you just know. Other times, an animal can present itself to you four times (as in four deer, four tracks in the mud, etc.) If an animal appears during a dream, meditation or shamanic journey, it can do an 'act of power' which is something that the animal could not ordinarily do.
Question: Can mythic animals be power animals?
Answer: There is some debate about this. Some think that to be a power animal, it has to have a physical representative in the living world. Others say that the very fact that nearly every culture in the world have stories about 'mythic' animals (dragons and unicorns are good examples), then they must have either 1.)existed in the physical at one point, or 2.) exist now in realms that we can only access while on a journey, dreaming or in deep meditation. I tend to say that whatever ever animal has shown itself to you to be one of your power animals, then who are we to question whether it's valid or not? It's very appearance proves its validity.
Question: Is this for real?
Answer: As a teacher of mine said once, "If you're getting something good out of it, does it matter?"
