Make power animal work profitable in the long term

Tips & case story

Power animals

Power animals are animal spirits that protect and guide us. Due to our historical and biological close connection with animals, they are very close to us. They can enter our lives as living animals, or we can call upon their spirits, on a shamanic journey into the otherworld, for example. In this way, an animal spirit will appear to us that has been close to us for a long time and symbolizes our inner powers, or that is strongly accompanying us at this moment. Apart from that, we can call upon animals with special qualities and ask them to help us with a specific concern or to actively accompany us in our development, such as to make it easier to climb a hill or solve a relationship problem.

Power animal work

Working actively with an animal spirit strengthens our power, intuition, creativity, decision-making ability, self-confidence, and trust in life. Animal spirits can help us improve relationships, overcome illness and other obstacles, bring prosperity to all areas of life, and find our calling.

In shamanic treatments, power animals are called upon to accompany them for a period of time when a person feels powerless, disoriented, or depressed. Good progress has also been made with children with ADHD.

Many people interested in spirituality participate in group meetings where they can get to know their power animal on a shamanic journey. Most of them have – often unconsciously – purely “touristic” intentions, because they are interested in what kind of animal will show up. However, only a few have the willingness and perseverance to maintain contact in the long term and really benefit from the collaboration.

How to keep a power animal

Just as most animal species behave differently depending on the season, possibly hibernating or even migrating, animal spirits also have a rather restless character. They can withdraw from a person's life if they are not needed or wanted. That is why it is important to invest in strengthening the connection to your power animal and maintaining it in the long term:

In addition to calling on them for support, one should take time to communicate with them on a regular basis. The stronger the relationship, the better the conversation. Since spirits have a very light energy, they greatly enjoy the experience of being invited into a person's body. This allows them to temporarily become denser and feel what it is like to have a body. Many people therefore take time regularly to “dance” with their power animal.

At an advanced stage, the power animal can also support you in your energetic-spiritual work by protecting you, guiding you, assisting you with healing, and cleansing you after.

An example for powerful power animal work

To show how powerful and life-changing power animal work can be, I would like to describe my own experience here:

Over 20 years ago, I met my power animal on my very first shamanic journey. I had expected a powerful animal, but then a tiny snake crawled towards me. I was so horrified that I sent it away, because snakes were the only animals I hated. The following nights were filled with nightmares: images of snakes as devilish creatures and beings of temptation. To make them stop, I finally undertook another shamanic journey to the snake to pick it up after all. It appeared even smaller than the first time, probably to frighten me as little as possible.

In the weeks that followed, I continued to work with the images that came up, and I realized how many beliefs were at work in my subconscious: Even though I had been raised Protestant and did not believe in the devil, many old Catholic ideas and superstitions seemed to resonate within me. So I had to force myself again and again to connect with my snake. Of course our first conversations were not very productive, with this attitude toward her.

In the years that followed, the snake remained present. It appeared to me not only in my spiritual work, but also often in real life, in nature. At times, I saw one every week while out walking, found snake skins several times, and where there were no snakes, slowworms drossed my path. In this way, I was constantly confronted with my fears, both the real ones of being bitten by a snake and the spiritual ones. Of course, I wanted to develop my spirituality more strongly and attended many courses, but the more I learned and the more powerful I became, the greater my fears became. What if I used my spiritual powers wrongly and no longer worked in the light? Would it be possible that I would accidentally connect with evil forces and thus “sell myself to the devil”?

When the Orishas - the nature deities of Afro-Brazilian traditions, with whom I mainly work today - came into my life, I got to know them and learned to work with them, those fears finally subsided. I realized that they protected me and were strong enough to stand up to any “dark” power. When fear turned into respect, the conversation with my power animal snake also improved, and it appeared to me larger and larger.

As I continued on my path, I realized that it was not so much the seductive creatures of the “devil” that I had to fear, but rather my own shadows. I began to consciously work with and understand them. This gave me confidence in life and also in my spiritual work.

In the Orisha traditions, the power of Exú, the spirit of connection and magic, plays a central role. It is precisely this power that was demonized by the missionaries in Africa in order to frighten the local population, and it is also the reason why we today associate the devil with the colors red and black. If my snake had not helped me to heal the figure of the devil within me, my (ancestral) history, and society, I would certainly not have been able to embrace the power of Exú.

Today, my power animal reveals itself to me in all its grandeur as a ten-meter-long anaconda. It protects me and my clients, guides me on my shamanic journeys, and also performs healings by crawling around inside me or other people and energetically cleansing them, or I send it to someone's home to clear the energies there. We are a good team, know and understand each other like closest friends.

I am deeply grateful to my anaconda for all its teachings, because over the decades it has allowed me to grow and, step by step, tap into my full spiritual power.

Only those who face their fears and “dark sides” can find themselves, because behind the greatest challenge lies the greatest power!

Would you like to get to know your power animal or deepen your relationship with it?

I'd be happy to assist you.

I'm happy to advise you!