I always feel like I’m so long winded…lol. I have a lot to say! But with power animals, there are reasons why I tend to say a lot. Power animals don’t have their spiritual associations for some mystical, unknown reason. They have their meanings based on their habits and the way they live. People would observe them, back in those days when we lived more commonly with animals and nature as part of our daily lives. Then when someone would start to see these animals popping up around their homes a lot kind of suddenly they might take this as a sign that they needed to take on some of the traits of that animal.

So for instance, last week Wolf was one of the animals that we had come up. What I said about the message from Wolf last week was this:

If you connected to Wolf this week you’re reminded of two things…working with others can be a time saver and bring bigger rewards than working alone…and being exact in your communication is the key to effectively working with others. Take the knowledge that you gain from talking with others and apply it as workable wisdom this week. It’s time to get things done and make things happen, but only when you willingly partner with others will you see things really get moving.  

Wolves can be observed as being very careful in their hunting process, almost stalking their prey, taking time to really watch their target’s movements and gathering an idea of what they may do next before pouncing. Wolves also have a very noticeable and distinct set of howls and “laughing” tones that they use for communication. They are very “chatty” animals and if you have wolves around you, you are always aware of their near constant communication.

So all of this lends to our idea of Wolf being an animal of careful planning, wisdom, and communication.

This is why I always talk about the animal themselves and not just the spiritual message in hopes that you will see that correlation. I always find it funny when I have someone tell me to ditch the “facts for kids” about the power animals and get “get to the magickal aspects.” I always have to reply by saying “Where do you think the ‘magickal aspects’ come from? Thin air?!”

In order to keep these messages a bit shorter, I try to skip the facts about the animals as much as I can and focus more on the magickal and spiritual part. It can be hard for me to not think about the practical side, my brain just has a hard time separating the two. Give a quick Google search for “facts about” your animal and you’ll find lots to go on, or of course, ask down in the comments!

Lizards, and may other reptiles, have long been associated with dreams and dreamtime. It’s an interesting association that is likely linked to how lizards are often found in the wild. They are usually slow-moving if moving at all, and typically can be found lying around in the sun seemingly asleep or otherwise off in their own little worlds. But once they get a sign that something is around that could be around that would threaten their safety, they wake up and move fast!

As a power animal, Lizard comes to us when we need to do some dreaming in our waking hours. It’s time for you to consider being open to your dreams and really taking the steps to follow through with the desires you have. In magick we talk about how we need to always be able to have a vision of the end result of our spells because the “how” doesn’t matter when you don’t know clearly what the “what” is that you’re going for. Lizard feels the same…having the vision of the dream is more important than knowing how the dream will manifest.

This week Lizard is with you to encourage you to dream, the have a vision for yourself and your future regardless of how crazy or unattainable it might seem. You won’t ever know if you can make it happen if you aren’t even willing to imagine it as happening. But Lizard also reminds us that we have to be willing to believe in the dream. You can’t dream of being a world class opera singer but then always talk down about yourself saying you can’t hold a tune. Believe in yourself and believe in the dream…but dream, first and foremost.

Dragonflies are one of the magickal insects that are associated with faeries and spirits of various kinds. They are most often found around rivers, ponds, and lakes with water being one of the places that they are most comfortable. We see them as tied to the idea of transition, healing, and spiritual journey because of their connection to water but also because of a few of their physical traits. They are often iridescent or have transitioning colors which suggest their ability to shift and adapt their outer appearance. They also have large, multifaceted eyes which make them one of the insects that have the best sight over all others. This lends to the idea of them being able to “see between the worlds” and carry visions from the various spiritual worlds into the world of form.

As a power animal, Dragonfly is all about changing, adaptability, creativity, and joy. They invite us to see beyond the illusions of both dreams and reality and find what we want and how we can adapt to attract it. Because dragonflies begin life in water and then move on to flying in the air and adapting to being able to live on land when they need to, they remind us that we all have to start with a spiritual dream or heart-centered goal and then move into the stages of thought and planning in order to ground and manifest what we want.

This week Dragonfly wants you to be open to the wisdom that comes from accepting the truth of what you want at a soul level. Many of us deny our real desires because either we feel they aren’t socially acceptable or our friends and family would disapprove, or we just feel we’ve missed our chance or we’re no longer able to go after those things in life. Dragonfly asks that you pay attention to what TRULY calls your heart this week…what your dreams tell you and what little nudges the Universe is sending you. It’s time to look past the illusion of what you “should” do and find the truth of what you “want” to do.

Rhinos are one of the animals symbolic of overcoming challenges, blocks, and obstacles; given that the name for a group of rhinos is a “crash” that’s pretty fitting! Their name comes from the Greek words for “nose” and “horn,” with some species of rhinos having two horns and others only one. Rhinos are one of the species on the “red list” of most endangered with under 300,000 left in existence. One of the reasons they are on the list of animals headed for extinction is that they are hunted for their horns since some cultures believe that if turned into powder their horns have mystical healing powers. This is far from true, given that their horns are made of the same material that our hair and nails are made of.

As a power animal, Rhinos are revered as being creatures of strength and power with the ability to help us overcome anything that may get in our way. Big or small, no obstacle can hold back Rhino. When we find that Rhino comes to us there are two things we need to be aware of. The first is that we need to pay more attention to the things happening around us; we need to lift our heads and look around since we may be too close to a situation to fully notice the challenges we may face. And the second is that we need to be willing to push ahead, to charge through, and to keep going even when it looks like the things in our way are impassable.

This week Rhino wants you to truly believe that whatever obstacle is in front of you can be overcome. It may not happen in an instant, and it may take the help of some other that can point out what you can’t see yourself, but you CAN and WILL overcome the things that challenge you. But Rhino also wants you to know that sometimes an obstacle isn’t just an obstacle, but a signpost. Some obstacles are there to help guide us toward another course of action because something better is out there waiting for us. Rhino can help you know the difference.