I have always found it interesting that as we enter certain phases of learning, we also start getting a specific animal that we are drawn to. Of course this might not be everyone, but it seems to be true for most of the people I interact with.
Throughout the years I have had connections to several different animals, and each one was aligned with the lessons of that time. They held reflections of those lessons for me. Being more animistic by nature, I feel this is the reflection of “as above, so below” and “as within, so without.” We get these types of animal guides because by their nature they hold keys and understandings for us that we may not have seen, or understood the depths of otherwise.
The Turkey Vulture
This is one of the first animals that I truly started to see and understand that connection with. It happened about the same time I was connecting with The Morrigan and doing all my deep deconstruction work to build new foundations for myself. I would also say it was my first true, conscious transformation of my spiritual path.
It started like most of these things – a unique interaction. This was at a time where the cabin was still just a place we came on weekends and holidays. Turkey Vultures have always been a part of this place. Soaring above the trees and lake. That year it was different though…
It was the fall, a time where they came home to our valley to nest during the non-breeding season. We were sitting outside and kept seeing dozens of them flocking in toward the ravine behind the pole barn. As we watched, they all started flying to one particular tree – a very old and large sycamore tree. All the leaves had already fallen away for the coming winter, and what remained were all the stark white branches.
One by one the Turkey Vultures gathered there, and we started counting… A dozen, 32, 55, and then we started losing the ability to count when it got above 70. I couldn’t believe so many could even fit in the tree. They were huddling together and it was harder to see the white branches beneath all the darkened bodies. It was an amazing sight, and the first time I started feeling this deep connection and draw towards them.
The Turkey Vulture is an amazing creature. They are a wondrous example of transformation, of the death/ rebirth pattern. They not only clean the land of the dead, preventing disease from taking root from stagnant death, but they also disinfect the land when they expel the excrement – their excrement is a powerful sanitizer. They take death within themselves, churn and transform it, and then return a cleaning agent to the world.
This is just one example of the powers and lessons the Turkey Vulture holds, and that I discovered with them. In the end though, they taught me a lot about transformation and the healing aspects of death. Death workers do heal – we just do it in different ways and for different purposes.
The Deer
When we came to live at the cabin permanently, the deer became a prevalent animal for me. Our Valley usually holds a couple of herds, although we gained a new one this year. I had so many assumptions about deer based on nature shows and what others said. I saw them as these timid, gentle creatures – I was so very wrong.
There is a lot of “strength” I associate with the deer now. Seeing and observing them everyday has given me some unique perspectives on them. When people think about the fight and aggressive aspects of deer (especially white tailed deer which is what we have here), they think the males with their horns. In my experience though, the females are the more dominant and aggressive of the two. They even dominate and move the males around.
After awhile of connection to the deer here and the spirit of the deer – understanding the strength aspect and herd hierarchies that they displayed, I had a dream. It was one of those lucid dreams and it was a test. I won’t go into all the details, but in short I was faced with a huge grizzly bear. I was transformed into a deer and had to battle the bear to get out of the area I was in. It was tough and I could feel the blows, but in the end, bruised and bloody, I emerged. This was when my Goddess gave me my first name – the black foot deer. Later I would come to understand that She was talking about the old Irish Deer that is now extinct – and there are reasons for that too.
The Ravens
Not long after the deer, our ravens showed up. A group of 3. They were hard at first to identify for me, because they did not fit into the “typical” portrayal of them. We took hundreds of pictures, got a trail cam to get really close, listened to all their vocalizations, and so forth. Their sounds, the way they walked, their size, their mannerisms, all pointed to Raven. Their feathers though were what kept getting me stuck. They had the shape of ravens but the smoothness of a crow. One night in a trance I was following one of the birds, giving it bread and olives (yeah that whole part was weird) and all of a sudden it got in my face and screamed “ravens not crows.”
By studying the behaviors of our little raven family, and how they interacted with all the other creatures in our valley, I started to understand the Warrior of Heart lessons deeper. The Guardianship aspects of my journey. How to determine what to protect, how to protect it – when to fight and when to walk away – not just for me but also every other energy we shared this land with, seen and unseen. They brought me to a place of perspective through ecosystem.
Our Ravens spend every morning, walking and patrolling the perimeter of our property. When a predator enters the valley, usually our fox, hawks, or coyotes, the little birds start sounding off. In no time, over ravens fly in from somewhere nearby, swoop down upon it, making all their crazy defense noises and escorts it out of the valley. It is an interesting sight to watch. We even saw them do it once to one of the younger bald eagles which was concerning as I felt that would have ended badly, but the protectors of the valley prevailed.
The Elephant
There have been other animals with other lessons, but they are all ones here, that I have personal interaction with and observe within nature. Lately the elephant has taken a firm seat directly on my path. This is an animal that I have no physical interaction with at all, yet has deep connections to my family, especially the male line of my mother’s side. It has been the center aspect of their family crest, that according to historic sources, was given to them around 46BC.
I think there are lessons there within my Ancestral Soul, but it is also connected to where I am along my path as well. Where all the work of the past has been leading me to, and the role I am taking within my communities now. The elephant is still fairly new and I am still building my connections and bond with the spirit of the elephant. Right now I feel I am still at a surface level and I have a lot of work in front of me to go deeper into all the aspects it is showing me. That is ok – it is part of the fun – exploration.
For me it is tightly linked to leadership, community, and family. Not the type of leadership I often see in society, where many people take it – but my kind of leadership, holding the responsibilities that come with building and growing community, family. A life of service to them, not dominating or controlling them.
Follow the Animals
I feel the animals that truly catch our attention, the ones that stir deep emotions within us, are there because there are lesson there for us. It is the spirit aspect of that animal reaching out to us, and calling us to discover the wonders that they hold.
It is not just looking up what others state as their spiritual meaning – it is learning about them as an animal. How do they interact with each other? How do they interact with their environment? How do they fit into the ecosystem they are a part of – what they contribute and role they take within it? What are their strengths and the weaknesses? It is easier when they live in your environment and you can see first hand how they react in your energetic spaces – but it isn’t the only way.
These animals are Guides for us, just as our Deities are Guides. They hold lessons, understandings, knowledge, and wisdom for us – specific for our path. They are not just symbols on our altars and artwork – they become a part of us.
What animals have come to you?
How have you approached that relationship?
What lessons have you personally learned from them?
How deep did you go?
Why do you think they are showing up now, at this point in your path?
These are generally the first questions I ask others when the conversation comes up, and questions I recommend others ask themselves.
If there is an animal standing out to you, or even one you have worked with for awhile – What are the lessons in that relationship? What are they teaching you? Nature holds so many keys for us to unlock knowledge hidden deep within us, because we are a reflection of that nature. What we see in nature, also resides within our bodies and our souls. The deeper we go, the more is illuminated.
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