Been thinking about power animals recently and thinking, how come so many people have the same power animals. I'm thinking about the wolves, eagles, tigers and all the glamourous ones. Mine gets into that terrority (and no its not and never has been a Gryphon). Mine is one of the common ones and that really irritates me.

I'm not by any defination a shaman, I've read up on it but i'm absymal at it. But I've got a power animal. Keep looking around wondering, is there no less typical one about, is it sitting on my one, maybe its out here for a smoke, maybe I'll look over here or something along those lines. While said power animal is looking at me going Get over it its me, your just being rude now *sigh*.
I'd been almost waiting for it to say STOP LOOKING BEHIND ME.

Why do people think this is?
IMO these animals work with us personally and maybe symbolise and are trying to bring something common to society at the same time. Wolves, sense of community. Tigers, self empowment. Birds of Prey, forsight and wider perspective.

Maybe these are personal power animals tying into common traits we all need like a totem animal.

Wolves
Community and family ties, a sense of belonging. I have barely anything to do with my family and so many people are not only reported but I know live alone with no or limited connection to those around them, espicially the eldery. No one hugely cares or keeps an eye out for anyone (Kitty Genovase being an extreme example). There is sense of community here and in many places. But I do tend towards the solitary. The old flat there was, the old woman around they'd garden together or chat over the wall all the time. But I didn't see that anywhere outside of halls.

Tigers/Lions
How many of us have that sense of this is who I am without apology or fear? Someone said to me we are in awe of tigers/lions because they are their power 100% and every step is taken without apology or fear. When you compare that to society who doesn't strive in so many ways, eating pants food, following trends blindly denying what they like is ok to go with, not striving to learn outside of the preverbial box. Following the steps, the stagnent motions without looking, feeling and wondering.

Birds of Prey
How many people follow a pattern or belief because they were brought up with it and never thought to challange it. I'll give a good example, Sunday church goers, I was one, I/they go because I/they have always done. Not because I EVER felt the connection, the fire that my relatives do. They believe with a passion that would scorch and that I never felt. We went on a Sunday, passion and passionless, but when the passion fades, they'll still go instead of trying to recapture the wonder. Going to church is how its always been done and thats how it will be done.
Recycling, Some people don't because they aren't in the habit of thinking what will happen to this after they are done with it. They'll never think to bring a plastic bag with them for shopping, they've always got one at the shop and thrown it out afterwards so they'll continue to do that. i've seen people want a plastc bag for a chocolate bar and a packet of crisps which is utterly pathetic.
How many of us look around us constantly with wonder and think, damn, its gorgeous out there, Wow? Realising the vibrancy of the world with the wonder it deserves. Seeing the bigger picture, who and what we are and how our lives impact those around us. There is more to life than the office, tv, video games, this forum or house.

I come home, tired, cold and stinking like a devil's fart at times, the world is passionless and listless and suddenly something catches my eye and the wonder returns. But the thought of the intrim, brings a shudder to me thinking back. I think, what of those people who never catch that wonder. Or keep it for a holiday?

Should prob add that I'm looking at one aspect of each animal here and that people should look at the full ecological position of the animal and its behaviour rather than what the books say.

Don't really remember how I came up with the above thoughts .

i do wonder why no slugs or rats. or p[erhaps all of the extinct life that has been on earth, 95% of all animals that have ever lived are now extinct.

prize to the first person with a trilobite power animal.

i do however know someone who has yeast as his power animal.

I once made contact with a little lizard, bit unusual I suppose. Maybe certain animals are more popular because they have understanding that is commonly lacking in the human race. or maybe we just 'identify' with the perceptions of particular animals, maybe, for example, we like the exoticness, the courage, the gracefulness of the tiger and therefore desire to adopt these as an ideal. just a thought.

What did I get from my lizard? mmm...to appreciate even the most insignificant aspects of life as being worthy of cherishing, respecting and included.

fizz.

Is yeast an animal?... Just kidding I know it's not important



My power animal is a lizard, I wouldn't swap him for anything else

Cheers,

DM

I know someone who said their totem animal was a worm. Really.

I have an affinity with Badgers and Weasels both in real life and in the otherworld, but then I live on the edge of a forest and they are as common as rats around here. Certain paths do seem to have certain animals associated with them:

Northern - Wolf, Raven, Bear
Native American - Wolf, Buffalo, Eagle, Racoon
Druid - Badger, Boar, Deer, Wren, Magpie

Never underestimate the weasel, they are excellent at conveyancing...oh no...hang on...

No offense but,



Most pagans in the U.K. are Gardnerian Wiccans.

There are hundreds of autonomous Indigenous tribes in North America and I'm quite sure a Hopi would be as surprised at seeing a polar bear as a Haida would be to see a member of the Bison family or an Inuit at seeing a rattlesnake. .

I'm beginning to see the problem with people's 'choice' of 'spirit' animal if they attempt to do so in a North American way .


Marto

Yes, for the Heathen. The raven was associated with Odhin, who had two he sent out over the world to gather information. The berserkr was thought to take the shape of a bear on the battlefield, and the ulfhedhinn (plural: ulfhednar) took the shape of a wolf. Among the tales of fetches is that of a man whose fetch was a bear.

It's not so for the First People of North America. Your list may be the modern way of looking at it, but the First People were concerned with many more animals around them, and often not the ones which have become glamourised in modern paganisms. And sometimes not even the whole animal. I know you may be talking about spirit guides, but if I simply look at totem animals, AFAIK the word 'totem' belongs only to the Ojibwe peoples, whose five original totems were Bullhead, Crane, Pintail Duck, Bear and Moosetail. No wolves, buffalos etc