Power Animals Help Us Become Better People
When studying animals, we find that each species has unique gifts. Considering there are 10,000 species of birds, 6,400 species of mammals, 925,000 species of insects, 10,700 species of reptiles, 50,000 species of mollusks, 28,000 species of fish, and 8,000 species of amphibians, there are a lot of personalities out there. Each animal has a different combination of traits they would like to share with humanity. We can learn more about life from these willing teachers than all the books in the library. There is an amazing school of wisdom literally all around us.
Believe it or not, animals are waiting to support and converse with humans on just about any topic. They need our help as much as we need theirs. If they could communicate with humanity, they would probably say, “humans need to put their efforts into healing, preserving, and caring for all life.” The animals want humanity to know how much the animals love and care for them. Animals love to serve humans and they wouldn’t sell out for anyone or for anything. If people knew that, they would be so much happier.
People often feel separated from others and the creation as a whole. Their relationship with the natural world is often expressed in terms of us and them. Most people see animals as not only unrelated but very different from themselves. Animals, on the other hand, don’t see any distinction between themselves and the rest of the environment including humanity. If people knew they were connected and a part of everything, they would not be cruel and hurtful towards others. They would know if they did, they would be just hurting themselves.
People have an innate sense that animals bring a higher meaning and value to life. Almost every school and sports team have an animal for a mascot. Many cars, boats, and aircraft are named after animals. Sikorsky has the Seahawk and Pelican helicopter. With cars, there is the Ford Mustang, the Dodge Ram, and Volkswagen Beetle. Wrestlers adopt animal names to show off their prowess. Some examples are Gorilla Monsoon, the British Bulldog, and Randy the Snake Savage. Marvel Universe inspires people with movies like Spider Man, Black Panther, and Ant Man to show the incredible powers humans would have if they adopted the nature of an animal. There are other movies depicting animals acting human including Jungle Book, Madagascar, Zootopia, and Guardians of the Galaxy. People love animals so much that they are naturally inspired to put their pictures and names on calendars, clothing, coffee mugs, posters, or just about anything that needs a personality. Many streets and nature spots are named after animals including towns like Buffalo, NY; Beaver, Utah; Badger, Minnesota; Alligator, Mississippi; and Moose, Wyoming. Without animals, the world wouldn’t be very exciting.
Adopting animals’ virtues goes a long way towards improving our own character. Many indigenous tribes take on a name of an animal to inherit their unique characteristics and abilities. In fact, identifying with the spirit of an animal brings a unique perception. Famous Indians that were identified with animals include: Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Black Elk, Standing Bear, Little Owl, White Eagle, and Black Hawk. Some well-known people with animal names include: Wolf Blitzer, Pearl S. Buck, Tony Hawk, Florence Nightingale, and Bear Grylls. Some folks have animal first names such as - Raven, Buck, Drake, and Robin. Sharp-witted people prefer to be called by their power animal name. When they do that, it shows both appreciation for that animal and a healthy dose of self-respect. Someday it may be normal to call ourselves by our spirit animal like, Wolf sister, Turtle woman, Owl woman, Elephant man, or Moth man. Once we equate ourselves with our power animal, life takes on a whole new meaning. In fact, everyone will eventually find that their power animal possesses an expertise that will awaken them to a higher spiritual consciousness.
