Part 1, of four
November 5, 2025
“Let a man decide upon his favorite animal and make a study of it, learning its innocent ways. Let him learn to understand its sounds and motions. The animals want to communicate with man, but [the Great Spirit] does not intend they shall do so directly—man must do the greater part in securing an understanding.”
Brave Buffalo (late 19th century) Teton Sioux medicine man
There’s a phrase “human animals;” in the most primal sense, we are animals. Deep inside us we have a natural affinity toward our Earthmates. We often recognize an attraction or a curiosity for one particular animal. Sometimes it becomes a lifelong love, we collect information about them, calendars and note cards, statues and figurines. We find ourselves donating our time and money toward causes that help protect them, and sometimes even to prevent their extinction.
Beyond this we often open our hearts and our homes to them, we become their guardians. Look deeply, and we can see aspects of ourselves within them, traits that we share, both positive and negative. Subconsciously we look to them to help point the way toward self-understanding, and through their eyes we can see and feel characteristics we recognize as our own.
Our inner radar detects a disconnection, and instinctively we know that by connecting with animals we are connecting with ourselves and with the Earth. Our subconscious craves this link between our inner humanness and our outer nature. We want to believe in our own personal magic, to believe in our natural ability to bond and harmonize with the magic of the natural world because it is our world.
So we spin myths and stories into legends, movies, and songs about animals that speak with people, and people who speak with animals. We laugh as dogs help to catch the bad guys, and our hearts open and expand when we see a sick child’s face light up as a dog provides the medicine of a wet kiss. We are enthralled by the idea that someone can tame wild horses with a mere whisper. And when the “lonely little old cat lady” tends to her kitties, who is taking care of whom?
Stories of animal magic go far beyond the witch’s enchanted cat or the mysterious powers of the sorcerer’s owl. It is magic we feel as we watch dolphins swim and play, and through “dolphin-therapy” they help coax the hidden person out from behind the barriers of many illnesses.
As we reach out and open ourselves to animals, it’s clear they are often eager to connect with us as well. We are amazed by stories that illustrate how easily they can read and understand us, and by the degree of empathy and compassion they can show for their human companions. Our animal pals instinctively detect our joys and our sorrows; some can even detect an oncoming seizure in time for medication to intervene.
At disaster sites, search and rescue dogs become disturbed and depressed if they cannot locate any survivors, so mock rescues of live “victims” are staged so the dogs can finish their days’ work with a sense of accomplishment. All this deeply touches our own senses, all the way down to our own animal core. We find that the animals are “whispering” to us, striving to communicate through the magic of their unconditional love.
In this effort to reconnect, we collectively reach out and blend our human spirits and psyches with the spirits and power of other creatures. Using myth and metaphor, intricate artwork and religious images give birth to the intimate connection we share with animals. Throughout time, animals have symbolized physical, spiritual and cosmic powers.
The Holy Spirit takes the form of the dove; and the lamb of God takes away the sins of the Earth. In India, the deity Ganesh, with the head of an elephant and the body of a human, is worshipped and thought to bring good fortune, strength and empowerment. A man’s head was combined with the body of a horse, and as Pan expressed the wild side of both people and animals—our inner beast—both sly and sensual.
We’ve blended the human head and body with a fishtail and created mermaids and mermen. The body of a lion was topped with a human face (often depicting the image of a pharaoh) and as a sphinx kept safe the tombs within the pyramids.
Since ancient times, in every culture, people have connected their energies with that of the animal world in an attempt to communicate with their own inner selves. Through imitation, ceremony, ritual and sacrifice, people have transcended the realm of the physical by honoring and linking themselves with animals. The power and spirit of animals act as a bridge, connecting humans with the non-physical spirit realm. This study of the natural world provides insight into the supernatural world.
In psychologist C.G. Jung’s Man and his Symbols, it is said, “The boundless profusion of animal symbolism in the religion and art of all times does not merely emphasize the importance of the symbol; it shows how vital it is for men to integrate into their lives the symbol’s psychic content—instinct… But in man the ‘animal being’ (which lives in him as his instinctual psyche) may become dangerous if it is not recognized and integrated in life…The acceptance of the animal soul is the condition for wholeness and a fully lived life. …Civilized man must heal the animal in himself and make it his friend.”
“If you talk to the animals, they will talk with you, and you will know each other. If you do not talk to them, you will not know them, and what you do not know you will fear.
What one fears one destroys.”
Chief Dan George
You may have heard of power animals, animal guides, spirit animals, totems, animal totems, and animal allies. With similar meanings, they represent a connection between us and the spiritual energy of the natural world. Totems originated with the Ojibwa and Algonquin tribes of North America, and although a totem can be an object, it is usually a plant or an animal. These tribes used totems as an emblem of a particular family, clan or tribe—like a family crest. And like most emblems, they served as a symbol of the tribe’s strength and ability, a reminder of their heritage and ancestry.
Totemic symbols and designs were carved and painted on poles to represent a family’s lineage, and they provided historical information about important events. These poles were placed in front of people’s homes, like a family tree combined with a record of events. Long before Jung was born, the American Indians, and many other cultures, knew that connecting with the animal soul was indeed the “condition for wholeness and a fully lived life.”
In modern times, it’s easy to think the linking of humans with animals is something people of the past would do. But look around, you’ll see an abundance of animal energy surrounding us right now. Many things in our lives are represented by the power of animals, from flags, emblems and insignias to sports teams, clubs, musical bands, vehicles, products of recreation, vacation spots, and goods and services.
The American Indians used totems to represent the strength and attributes of their tribe, and so do most countries. The bald eagle is the power animal of the United States, and each of her states is identified by the image of an animal and a bird. Many cultures have honored the mystical power of the eagle; the American Indians felt the eagle, with its amazing ability to soar to incredible heights, delivered their prayers upward to the heavens. Americans entrust their mail to the U.S. Postal Service, the delivery safely guarded by the image of the powerful eagle.
The creatures that share our planet are an inherent part of our net, an intimate and essential strand in our web, our “hoop of life.” And whether we are aware of it or not, our circle is their circle.
——end of Part One (of four)
Based on The Spirit of Health: Mind-to-Toe Self-Care for Women
From the segment: Tools for Self-Discovery & Life Enhancement
Photo credits:
Blog 1: Eagle With Fish, by Marie Pulte ©2015
Blog 2: Winter Wolf, by Cindy Gray, ©2009 Grand Canyon, AZ
Blog 3: Molly & Me, by Jill Andre Young ©2002
Blog 4: Chihuahua & Lion, author unknown
(Copyrighted 2001 – 2025, all rights reserved)
