How to Identify and Work With Your Power Animal

After a divine intervention and simultaneous spiritual awakening, I was able to end a very toxic long-term relationship with the help of some special spiritual guides—power animals—who entered in to support me at my lowest point. I truly do not know where I would be or who I would be without my core power animal, the black jaguar, and three supporter power animals: the bear, the deer, and the frog.

How My Power Animals Came to Me

It was during a shamanic soul retrieval journey that the black jaguar revealed itself as my core power animal. The black jaguar shares teachings of clairaudience, spiritual remembrance, reclamation of power, and working healthily in the void and is a potent guide in doing shadow work (a vital component on the spiritual path no matter who you are).

The black jaguar has supported me in countless ways over the years. Specifically, she’s helped me reconnect to the shaman within me and learn how to walk the shamanic path with integrity and embodiment.

In addition to the black jaguar, my three initial supporter animal allies came in to support me in the following ways:

• Bear – to teach me how to truly let go into the support and love of the unseen realms and strengthen my ability to live from a place of true surrender. Bear provided grounding, stabilizing support, and courage that were very much needed at that massive turning point in my life.
• Deer – the path of the heart. Deer guided me in not letting my heart close off (which it wanted to do at times due to my awakening coming thru heartbreak and betrayal). She taught me about compassion and true unconditional love, and she has been a long-term ally who played a significant role in aligning the sacred union I now have with my husband, Luke Storey.
• Frog – helped me clear toxicity from my life, feel and heal tons of previously suppressed emotions, and taught me to take a leap of faith. Specifically, frog taught me it was time to only leap forward, as frogs never leap backward (showing me not to go back to the cycle of abuse and dysfunction in the previous long-term relationship).

Do You Want to Know Your Power Animals?

If working with power animals is new to you, I’m sure you can now sense the infinite power and healing possibilities they can bring into your life. While each animal holds within it very powerful energetic medicine, wisdom, and teachings, our core power animal is with us every day for our entire lifetime.

[Read: “How to Work with Your Totem Animal.”]

So, if you’ve never connected with your core or supporter power animal allies, how do you? The best way, of course, is to go on a shamanic journey with a trusted, embodied shaman who sets the honoring intention to call forward your power animal during the journey.

3 Ways to Connect With Your Core Power Animal

If you do not currently know of a shaman you can go to, here are some ways to connect with your current core power animal:

1. Meditation: The most powerful way you can unite with your power animals is by developing a daily meditation practice. Ask the power animal to come forward and join you. You can ask the animal questions like “which animal wishes to help me today with my conversation with my husband?” or “which power animal wants to support me while I create this new piece of art?” Or simply speak your prayers to the animal. Perhaps you want them to really help you on this day, or you ask them to be with you in all moments, guiding, blessing, and protecting you.
2. Shamanic Journeying: You can embark on your own shamanic journey, which often involves the use of a shamanic drum or rattle. You can either have the power animal reveal who will most be of service to you at this time or call upon a specific animal to join you so you can deepen your connection with it. (You can find a guided shamanic journey recording at alysoncharles.com.)
3. Sacred space: I highly recommend having an altar space in your home. Altars can be simple and small if you prefer. What’s important is that you have a space completely dedicated to connecting in prayer to the guides and animals you work with and with yourself. At your altar you can place a few items that evoke your power and truth, such as the feather of a sacred animal, sacred objects from a special location you spent time at, or ceremonial tools. I currently have healing instruments, flowers, and a candle at my altar.

Deepening the Connection

Once you’ve connected with your current or core power animal, you will want to work on strengthening your connection so that you can call upon your power animal when you need its healing energy. Here are some tips for deepening your connection to your power animal:

• Invite Your Power Animal In. You can invite your current power animal in during your meditations or sleep. Before you close your eyes, connect with your breath and heart—simply speak the invitation for your current benevolent power animal guide to show up for you. Let it be known that you are open and ready for a stronger connection with your friends in the power-animal realm. When you go into meditation or sleep time, be aware of any animal who presents via visions, smells, sounds, and so on.
• Ask Your Power Animal Questions. Feel free to ask your animal guide questions. Provide it gratitude and love, and also ask if it has any medicine it wishes to provide to you. Trust what comes through and allow yourself to receive.
• Keep a Journal as Your Awareness Increases. I recommend keeping a journal nearby so you can write down any details from your time with your power animal. Keep a log of any animal that presents itself to you via visions, smells, or sounds. As your connection increases, you will likely have an unexpected awareness of other animals. When this happens, it’s important to take an honoring moment to acknowledge the power animal that is revealing itself for your benefit. Thank it for showing up, feel into what it wishes to provide you, or ask why it has come forward and what it wants you to know.

[Read: “Journaling Animalia: A Sacred Writing Practice.”]

As you begin to familiarize yourself with the energetic and healing properties that each animal represents, you will learn to call upon different animals depending upon what you are currently experiencing in life. For example, if you can tell your spiritual gifts are wanting to come more alive and you’re ready to trust yourself in allowing them to expand, you can call upon the owl, bat, raven, giraffe, or moose to help guide you and to come into support. Or, if you’re ready to let greater love and abundance into your life, you can call upon the koi, pig, ladybug, or grasshopper to support you.

Once you communicate your readiness to the animals and open yourself up to these various ways of connection, you will be astounded by the passion and excitement with which your new animal friends show up. Be sure to thank them regularly for their love and support. I can’t wait for your new journey with them.

Reclaim the strength of your so-called monsters: read "Is Godzilla Your Power Animal?"