Thread: Spirit Animals, Animal Guides, Animal Guardians, etc. - I found a fox!

awesome experience!

I haven't really actively tried to summon any guides in my dream. But a stag appeared in a vivid meditation and in a lucid dream where I found my sanctuary. That dream was really weird, a voice instructed me to look for a stone, who was my spirit guide. But I couldn't remember the name of the stone/spirit guide.

I have a spirit fox with me too. they're very cheeky little beings. Mine came in a dream

17/03/08

I remember I was thinking about being in space and playing a racing game, then I changed places and I was sitting in some place with stoned walls I concentrated and tried to create a lightning sword holding the base of the weapon and creating the blade as I moved my hand, it felt very strange and realistic. Tehn suddenly I'm on a street and I'm looking ahead at dense mist, I started walking to it and when I entered it I tried to go back, but I realised that I was already in some other place I was in space/void I was looking ahead and I could see an anthropomorphic fox in a shield/bubble I freed him from that place and then I remember it taking my place, in my dream I had a false awakening, I was with my brother but I knew something was diferent , I felt like I was someone else, I felt I had better magic abilities, that I was more physicly agile, that my conciousness was altered I also felt more wise.

When I woke up I could still remember my foxes energy signature and I still have emotional comunication with him.

Here's a dream from my DJ where I met my spirit animal - it was a jungle cat (what kind I unfortunately don't remember - it was many years ago) and I was supposed to whisper its name in its ear but I didn't know its name until my sister told me what it was:

We walked into a chamber with three straw mats laying on the floor, each one with a large jungle cat laying next to it. They were three different kinds of cats... I don't remember exactly what kinds, but I believe one was a tiger, one a panther, and one a Leopard or something like that. Somehow we knew two of these were our spirit animals, and we had to choose them correctly. I think it's absolutely ingenious how clever the dreaming mind can be at times... the fact that there were three cats means we both had to make a choice... if there were only two then after the first of us made a choice the other one would get the other cat by default.

We both knew immediately which cat was our spirit animal. I wish I could remember what they were, but it's been many years. But here's the clincher... just choosing the right cat wasn't enough... we also had to whisper their name in their ear or they'd tear us apart. My sister whispered something I couldn't hear in her cat's ear and it laid its head back down and went to sleep.. she snuggled up next to it's body to keep warm in the cooling evening air and I was left sitting on my mat next to my cat wondering how the hell I was supposed to know it's name!! The cat started to get restless because I didn't know it's name; I could feel it growling deep in its throat and then it looked at me. Its eyes were wild and glaring... beginning to get angry. The tail began to twitch and it started to rise up onto its front paws ready to stand up. I knew it was only a matter of minutes before it would rip into me. But Lauren leaned over and told me its name... it was something complicated that started with an R... I think it might have been Rumplestiltskin. Something similar anyway. Again, I really wish I remembered!

Link to the entire entry: http://www.dreamviews.com/f107/becau...3/#post1296428

I had a dream in which I was fishing in a stream and I caught a large fish with very sharp teeth. It transformed into a wolf and I ran from it. It followed me and I ended up at the edge of a cliff with nowhere to go. I looked into the eyes of the wolf and saw a softness and human quality that surprised me. The wolf transformed into a young Native American warrior. He told me that there was someone in my inner circle that was working against me. It turned out to be very true.

Those are some awesome experiences everyone! Keep 'em coming!
- DreamBliss

In my most recent lucid dream (my first induced LD!), there was a dog in my apartment (I don't actually own one), and later on I passed a dog again, barking violently at me, I told myself I was dreaming and could do anything at all, so I ordered it to "sit" and it did. It was looking up at me expectingly, but then something happened in the dream and it became unstable and collapsed.

..could this have been my first encounter with my spirit animal guide?

Its curious.. I dont think I EVER see animals in my dreams. Unless shooting a 50ft high troll in the face with arrows counts (skyrim+B6 influenced)

@MissLucy
There are two possibilities here... One is that a dog is a symbol for you. When you get a moment sit down and write the first thoughts, images, feelings, etc. that come to mind when you think of a dog. Take those, translate your LD (congrats BTW!) , and see what your dream is telling you.

The other possibility is that the dog is indeed a guide. To test this you could, during meditation, invite him on a journey through your chakras (see Meditation: Path to the Deepest Self by Michal Levin per my booklist). Alertantively you could invite him along on your next LD. If the same dog appears I would assume he or she is a guide.

Please understand I have limited knowledge here, but this would be my approach. I invite other forum users, more experienced than myself, to share their thoughts with you.

@ShadowOfSelf
There's nothing wrong with not seeing animals or having a guide. It could be you don't like animals at a subconsious level, or that your subconscious awareness is simply not open to them, or that you are not ready for animals for some reason on a subconscious level. It could even be that animals have no personal symbololgy with you, and your subconscious speaks in symbols, so you don't see animals, but instead a 50 foot troll which, if it were my dream, would symbolize a very large problem I have to deal with . When you are ready you will find a guide, or more likely your guide has already found you but will not appear until you are ready to see them. Your guide will take whatever form is most relevant to you on a subconscious level. Maybe they'll manifest as an ancient elf wizard or a plucky dwarf Maybe they'll manifest as your sword, ax, staff, or some other weapon. You should definitely tell us about them when they appear!

You can attempt to manifest an animal of course in your dreams. You could, for example, while fighting an enemy look to the woods, sea, lake, river, mountain, wherever you are and mentally call a helper to you. This may manifest an animal to fit in with the realm of your dream. You would expect a wolf, bear, stag or maybe a Cliffracer (are those in the new game?) or some other animal form the world you are dreaming about to come over. You can have a lot of fun here. My advice would be to call out with no expectation of what you will see. Allow yourself to be surprised!
- DreamBliss

Thank you for explaining. Dogs mean loyalty to me, and compagnonship. Protection, I suppose, but this wasn't a large dog, it looked like a bulldog but with cocker spaniel qualities, like the ears and tail. I should take the time to paint this little barker..

Funny thing is, earlier in the same LD when I walked out my bedroom into my living room, there was a golden retriever.. ..another dog. Two dogs in the same dream?

Only you can find the meaning. The dog or dogs will either fit in with your dream as a symbol of some sort, and this will come out in the translation, or one or both of them may turn out to be a guide/guardian. Or, to make your head hurt even more, both dogs could each have a symbolic meaning and each be a particular helper in some way. One may be a tracker or a guide. The other may be a protector. You probably won't see some huge, slobbery, mouth full of teeth, monster doberman pincher or boxer as a protector. Unless such a breed of dog is one you like and/or it has symbology for your. So don't assume a dog with is not meaning or threatening in appearance or size can't be a protector. In the spiritual realm you can't judge a book by its cover. Heck it may not even be a book!

I've attached my Dream Interpretation Outline if you need it -
- DreamBliss

I'll just tell you my dream, makes it easier to understand

I do a WILD and wake up in my room, do a RC and see I'm dreaming.
I walk towards my bedroom door, wishing for person C. to be behind it. When I open the door, instead of seeing C., I almost trip over a (now no longer) sleeping golden retriever I apparently own in the dream.

Later on I'm walking with some friends, and we pass a violently barking bulldog-type mixed breed dog. I realise I can do anything since I'm dreaming, so I just look at it intensely and just calmly say "sit." . The dog sits, shuts up and looks at me expectingly. ..but then of course aliens invade town and I try to teleport away but the dream ends.

Thanks for that sheet, btw!! I will save a copy of it when I get home!

From what you have said, if it were my dream, I would think that the golden retriever has something to do with C or is symbolic of C in some way. There is a reason you saw the retriever instead of the expected person. It could be that C even appeared to you as the dog.

The bulldog sounds like more of a warning. Either of the incoming aliens, and what they represent, or of one or any number of your friends.

From the description of your dream story I would say that neither animal was, at that time, serving as a guide or guardian. That does not mean that one of them may not appear as a guide or guardian later. Of the two the most likely would seem to me to be the golden retriever. But as I said I believe that both dogs are serving the purpose of symbols in this dream.

I am no authority on this subject of course. But if I had a theory about animal guides guardians it would be this... The animal would be completely unexpected and out of place. Opening a door you find a bear. Robert Moss talks about a sea eagle that tries to take his hat. You are out in the woods and a stag with enormous antlers and intelligent eyes looks at you. A horse appears and carries you over the ocean. You are walking along somewhere and a dragon swoops down, lands, and looks you in the eye, and you are not someone who is into that fantasy stuff. The guide or guardian will be not be congruent with your conscious background, beliefs and interests. But you will not find yourself scared of them, they will be in exactly the right form for you at that time. Also even though you may find instructions and exercises such as in Moss's work to help you find your animal guide or protector, I would expect that that the best approach here is simply to open yourself, open your mind, and let one come to you, without any expectation or summoning on your part. One should appear automatically when you, on a subconscious level, are truly ready or in need of one.
- DreamBliss

Hmmm interesting. I'd love to believe the retriever was C, especially since both have the distinct characteristic of long wavy hair I didn't pay much attention to this dog, to be honest, I was surprised C wasn't there (or so I thought), but instead my friend Nicole had turned up. And of course, the whole "omg I'm dreaming" feeling was distracting enough too.

The Bulldog-mixie did look at me intelligently, considering it was a dog. It looked up at me, as if it expected me to do something, like command it or take it with me or something. It showed more intelligence than your average loudly barking dog who's just been told to "sit" by a total stranger..

Well translate your dream. Try not to make it work or a chore. I know that's a big document I attached here. Your translation should tell you what you need to know.
- DreamBliss

Why is it always something cool like a Wolf or a Fox? Why not a slug or the lowly toad? Does a toes not deserve your love and imagination too?

Originally Posted by IndigoGhost

Why is it always something cool like a Wolf or a Fox? Why not a slug or the lowly toad? Does a toad not deserve your love and imagination too?

Sort of hints at the source of dream guides, doesn't it? After all, if we're inventing our guides, they would have to be something cool, wouldn't they? Something that screams "This is important!" when we see it. Toads, slugs, and whole families of insects just don't fill that bill for most people.

And before the tirades begin, there's nothing wrong with this sort of invention, and the fact that it sprang from your own mind makes the presence of a guide no less significance!

I wish I had your advice many years ago. I rejected the help of a squirrel in a lucid dream because I didn't believe he could help me escape the guys who were chasing me. I got mad and sent him away (I told him to go find me some real help). I've always felt sort of bad about that.

Originally Posted by IndigoGhost

Why is it always something cool like a Wolf or a Fox? Why not a slug or the lowly toad? Does a toes not deserve your love and imagination too?

I think that spirit guides have connections with actual animals, which have internal connections with us. It's like our souls are individual human souls, but also collections of animal souls. The animals aren't doing the guiding exactly, but there's a kind of symmetric relation with something that is.

I think that dogs/wolves are appropriate as guides, because they have close relationships with people. That's one reason we keep them as pets. But I agree that if we branched out to other things like toads, we'd probably learn something new.

I had a lucid dream once where I was a 'turtle'. The animal was unlike anything I've seen, maybe more like an early mammal, but 'turtle' was the closest word for how it felt. I was very happy being this animal.

Last night I dreamed that someone was trying to raise some puppies, and that I should post about puppies. I'm not sure where to go with that, if I know anything relevant. I've encountered my childhood pet wolf/mutt vividly in dream before, not as a visual image, but as a feeling. I loved that dog, and feel that I didn't repay its devotion adequately. (I would like to get some dogs some day, but it's hard to even afford a house with a yard here, and those kinds of dogs need a lot of space to be happy.)

My 'muse' represented itself to me as puppies once, after I had read an image of a paranormal monster chewing its way into our reality like a puppy chewing through a blanket. But after invoking the 'puppies' image to signal what the topic was (I was trying to understand the nature of the muse better), it represented itself as the moon, smaller and nearer, and tuned to the natures of men.

Once I dreamed of being a minor demon. I was able to kill or at least stun dogs, and fry simple electronics, but I could not overpower a healthy human. I wasn't malevolent, I was just trying to get by. To me a dog is akin to desire, more like simple 'lower' desire like lust, though if course a dog has tremendous virtue also. There seems to me to be more to a human than to a dog, sort of. It's like everything's fragmented, with humans in the middle, and dogs only coming up to the knee, a 'lower' part of nature, but with the 'higher' supernatural reflection that's like a guide, or the demon I dreamed of being. Now I recall that the reason I had power against a dog was it was more of my own nature, whereas a human was something that I could at best hope to manipulate a little bit.

Desire to me is the active side of feeling, and feeling is where all these dream impressions come from. When I identify as feeling I get oracle-like impressions, like in dreams. If I identify as my 'muse' I become it's voice, sort of. And I guess I can identify as other things too. This is a primary way I learn from other people, I become something that's akin to them, and I become more in he process. Keeping track of what's me and what's not me, or what that even means, can be confusing though. I don't think it means quite as much as is often assumed.

In another thread Sageous said something about becoming more aware of identity, enabling one to recognize DC's as part of oneself. This seems right to me - the DC's are projected from one's own astral body, it just doesn't seem that way because of the dream setting that's being projected with it. Most 'ghosts' are like this too, but projected against the waking life background. That's not all the DC's are though, even though it's what they are most immediately. They're also other people's thoughts, they're sort of where other people's thoughts agree with yours. Can't have one without the other. It's a kind of consensus reality, just not in the rigid way that the waking world is, and one's own immediate mind tends to dominate.

Although this is pretty subjective, the desire stuff, such as is represented in the form of dogs or bears, is deeper. The forms aren't deeper, but the desire is deeper than the form. Something like the angel of death is deeper than that even, and when I think in that context I get no forms at all, just vague impressions of principles, for lack of a better word, that seem to be everywhere at once. But there is tremendous intelligence there, even though it seems to be distributed, not the intelligence of individual beings. And I don't even think its a kind of animal/human group intelligence, it's more abstract than that. My 'muse' is more at the edge of that realm, though my sense of what it is changes as I shift my focus. There don't seem to be definite lines where these things start and stop, it's sort of like the blind men with the elephant.

I'm sure that was long, rambling, and mostly unintelligible to most people. And I'm on my phone again so I can only see the last 3 lines of what I wrote. I'll stop there. As always, ask questions if I touched on anything you want to hear more about.

Originally Posted by IndigoGhost

Why is it always something cool like a Wolf or a Fox? Why not a slug or the lowly toad? Does a toes not deserve your love and imagination too?

I've actually heard of people having stupid sounding ones. Like an ant, or a big fat cat or a gnome. lol. Usually when that happens, the person is just too embarrassed to ever tell anyone. So you only ever hear about the cool ones.

Originally Posted by Naiya

I wish I had your advice many years ago. I rejected the help of a squirrel in a lucid dream because I didn't believe he could help me escape the guys who were chasing me. I got mad and sent him away (I told him to go find me some real help). I've always felt sort of bad about that.

The squirrel is still there. The connection you have to him or her can't be severed. If you wish to accept the squirrel then he or she will manifest. But it may not actually manifest as a squirrel. It may have appeared as one for a specific reason in your dream. Remember that as these guides/guardians are spirits they have no set form. You see what you need to see and what they want you to see. You see nothing if you are not ready or have blocked yourself in fear - usually through religious dogma. If I were in your shoes, and I wanted to remedy something like this which I feel was a mistake on my part, here's what I would do.

I would get some shamanic drumming recordings - Michael Harner or Robert Moss (has has a CD entitled, "Music for the Journey). If you have a drummer friend you could perhaps convince them to do this for you. Be sure to follow the format - you end with a callback then 4 distinct beats. You will need to research the specifics if you choose to go this route.

Use this music exactly the same as you would if you were going to attempt an OBE. Sit in a comfortable chair or lay on your back somewhere other than your bed. Think about your dream, the vivid images that stand out the most, like your interaction with the squirrel. If it helps find the dream entry in your DJ, type it out in a computer word processing program, and then print it. Read it as you first perform energy gathering exercises (feet bare and flat on the floor, loose clothing, etc.), then settle in and relax. Use headphones for the drumming and play it while thinking about the most vivid images and feelings (especially feelings) from this dream.

What you are doing here is a dream re-entry. If strange images unrelated to your dream pop up, pay attention and follow them. In my very limited experience with this the route to a dream is not direct. In all my attempts I've had to go in strange directions away from the actual dream. But the answer, the solution, I needed would come of this unexpected route. Let go, accept, release, and flow, like water, without judgment down whatever rabbit hole your re-entry attempt throws you into.

When I first heard shamanic drumming I thought, "Man, I could never use that! It's too weird and too loud!" I went in expecting not to be able to do anything. But the drumming flicks some switches in your subconscious and powers stuff up in there. It works. When you re-enter your dream believe and know in your innermost being that you will be given the chance to address your chosen issue. Release any expectations, judgements or fear.

Be sure to have the right mindset. Place your order with the universe, "I want to see the squirrel that appeared in my dream" (use your own unique words and writing.) Set your intention in the same manner, "I want to do _____" then fill in the blank. Once again be sure to use your own words. Record your experiences and feelings (especially feelings) in your DJ.

You may also consider letting us know what happens. I for one am very curious -
- DreamBliss

Originally Posted by Sageous

Sort of hints at the source of dream guides, doesn't it? After all, if we're inventing our guides, they would have to be something cool, wouldn't they? Something that screams "This is important!" when we see it. Toads, slugs, and whole families of insects just don't fill that bill for most people.

And before the tirades begin, there's nothing wrong with this sort of invention, and the fact that it sprang from your own mind makes the presence of a guide no less significance!

Someone who likes frogs and toads in some subconscious or conscious level may have a frog or toad as an animal guarding or guide. There is nothing wrong with that. My guess would be that more people don't have these as guides is because how do you follow a frog? You can follow a creature that can run or walk with you. But keeping track of a hopping frog would be very difficult. Same would go for some insects and other animals like turtles. Probably the ability to interact, subconscious feelings towards, and relationship to size (among other things) are factors that are considered before an animal spirit guardian or guides takes its form.

The reason more don't appear as faeries, dragons, unicorns, mermaids and other fantastical creatures might have something to do with human expectation and history. So these are probably also factors that any spirit guardian or guide carefully consider before choosing the form they will use when they appear to us.

That would be my theory and hypothesis anyway -
- DreamBliss

Originally Posted by Sageous

Sort of hints at the source of dream guides, doesn't it? After all, if we're inventing our guides, they would have to be something cool, wouldn't they? Something that screams "This is important!" when we see it. Toads, slugs, and whole families of insects just don't fill that bill for most people.

And before the tirades begin, there's nothing wrong with this sort of invention, and the fact that it sprang from your own mind makes the presence of a guide no less significance!

You folks shouldn't jump to conclusions yet about what the mind is, the subconscious, and the conscious. It is comforting to have a conclusion though, especially considering that most people will die before learning the nature of the mind. So, how can one live one's whole life not knowing? That is why we jump to conclusions. No less significant indeed that the spirit animal lives inside one's mind. Indeed, it is more significant! Then what is the mind? The spirit animal is what it is. The mind, however, is NOT what it is. Ask your spirit animal what the mind is. Us lucid dreamers have an advantage. Some of us may discover the truth behind the mystery of the mind in this lifetime. Where to start? Find out what it is not. This is what your animal guide would like to show you. Of course it is a labyrinthine journey where first you will have to solve many other riddles. Whatever riddles you think are important. But the mystery that is wrapped within all these riddles and that gives life and meaning to these riddles is the mystery of the mind.

The reason that spirit guides are always something cool like a wolf or a fox is because they are spirit guides, and the wolf or the fox have powerful spirits that we can relate to as humans. It is interesting that you mentioned wolf and fox because the dog is man's best friend. The wolf and the fox are the wild dogs. Humans and wolves have a history together even before humans were humans. They have coexisted in a symbiotic relationship in which the result is the domesticated human and the domesticated dog. We can understand the expression of the higher animals (mammals and birds, and maybe some reptiles) more than the slugs and such because 1, their personalities are more similar to ours and therefore we can relate to them more and 2. therefore they embody energies that we can understand through how they symbolize those energies. In other words, what would you be more likely to understand and learn from, a bear or a clam?
Of course you should remember that a spirit guide of a fox is not really a fox, but something else that embodies a fox in order to communicate with you. Now, is it a part of you and your mind or not? This is the question that cannot be answered truthfully but it is the mystery that these spirit guides challenge you to answer, what IS the mind?

Originally Posted by DreamBliss

Someone who likes frogs and toads in some subconscious or conscious level may have a frog or toad as an animal guarding or guide. There is nothing wrong with that. My guess would be that more people don't have these as guides is because how do you follow a frog? You can follow a creature that can run or walk with you. But keeping track of a hopping frog would be very difficult. Same would go for some insects and other animals like turtles. Probably the ability to interact, subconscious feelings towards, and relationship to size (among other things) are factors that are considered before an animal spirit guardian or guides takes its form.

The reason more don't appear as faeries, dragons, unicorns, mermaids and other fantastical creatures might have something to do with human expectation and history. So these are probably also factors that any spirit guardian or guide carefully consider before choosing the form they will use when they appear to us.

That would be my theory and hypothesis anyway -
- DreamBliss

Frogs and toads are very common spirit guides however. One does not need to travel linearly, one can travel nonlinearly. One can also swim. A frog lives in two worlds, it is an amphibian. It has rain magic. One can learn to control the rain from frogs. Also, if a frog had wings he wouldn't bump his ass on the ground every time he hopped. All animals have their powers, even insects. They are more temporary though while a mammal or bird tends to be a guide for a longer period of time. Check out dragonflies. They are great teachers. And when you get into the praying mantises things can creep you out if you are not ready. I stay away from spiders however. Turtles are amazing teachers and are very very wise, especially about lucid dreaming. They can teach you how to unfold the potential of your dreaming. They almost dream their existence. They also live for a long long time and gather much wisdom. Some say that anything is possible with turtle magic. But they talk slow. You need to be patient when dealing with them. They talk slow because they are so old. I find that dragons are very common. My dragon told me that everyone has a dragon. They can turn invisible and also shapeshift into a human so that others don't recognize them. I have a painting of my dragon posted in my thread of my artwork there is a link in my signature I believe. Faeries and elves are very common but they are not here to guide us. In fact, they sometimes can be mischievous towards our presence and are not to be fully trusted but it is ok to interact with them if you are vigilant. Mermaids I have encountered sometimes, but not much, and I don't know if I trust them or not. They usually swim away. I have looked and looked and looked for a unicorn but never found one. It seems like they are extinct or extremely endangered.

Originally Posted by DreamBliss

My guess would be that more people don't have these as guides is because how do you follow a frog? You can follow a creature that can run or walk with you. But keeping track of a hopping frog would be very difficult. -
- DreamBliss

Not if we just be chill bro, also my frog would have a little tiny Jet-pack and talk to me in french. His name would be Jaun-Piere, he would be my wing man and help me pick up the ladies.