“Once a man opens himself to the Great Spirit, a guardian in the form of an animal spirit will be gifted upon him. When this awakening happens, the animal is a part of his soul. The spirit within the chosen gives the body the ability to shift from human to creature at will. The man must maintain control over the magical power and instinctive urges. However, it is most wise for the man listen to the animal’s wisdom. The spirit can sense good and evil as well as the man’s one true love, the mate for both man and beast.” – Indian Dave
Indian Dave rented the cottage next to ours and every summer he shared wonderful stories with me and my cousins around the evening bonfires. He taught us customs, legends, dances and the importance of the harmony between nature and the spirit world.
Animals and humans inhabit the physical world together. The spiritual world is made up of angles, archangels, departed loved ones and animal spirit guides (aka Totem Animals). All these beings help protect, educate heal and inspire us along our life path journey. Animal spirit guides choose their human and come into their life for a reason. The spirit animal will offer insight, power and guidance, helping them with their duties. In return the human honors the wisdom and knowledge the animal gifts upon him.
The tales Indian Dave wove during my childhood inspired the Native American heroes in my Legend of the Spirit series I've created for Decadent Publishing's 1 Night Stand series. In my book, Eagle Dance, I even mention Indian Dave and the summers spent at the cottage became the foundation upon which I built the story. I'm drawn toward the magic and mystery of a person having a spirit animal.
If you had a spirit animal, which do you think it would be?
