How to find your power animal
And why I'm so obsessed with pelicans...
I didn’t set out to find a pelican. The pelican found me!
As a witchcraft practitioner from a very young age, I spent my teen years experimenting with astral travel (as one does) after my homework. I’d lie on my bedroom floor and find myself in other dimensions, speaking with animals and goddesses alike. Normal high school experience? Hmm, probably not. But it certainly made things more interesting.
However, it wasn’t until I was 17 that I first met the spirit guide that was to show up for the rest of my life.
Deep in a guided meditation, I was told to head towards a campfire and ask the creature there for advice. When I arrived, I was almost horrified to see a very dishevelled pelican (of all things!) drying its dusty and dirty wings by the flames.
I asked it - keeping my distance - what advice it had for me.
“You have to keep going,” it said, during a time when I thought my teenage depression might pull me under. “I will always be here to support you, but you have to keep going.”
At that, I stepped closer. There was something about the firelight reflected in the pelican’s sombre eye that filled me with a deep calm. I felt like I was being witnessed for the first time and acknowledged for who I really was there by the campfire.
I decided to forget about his shabby appearance. Perhaps his dusty feathers were the mark of a wise and well-travelled being.
For years I wondered who the pelican was. Why had a pelican - of all the creatures in the world - been there to meet me at that campfire? Why had it looked into my soul like it had known me in many lifetimes before? But, being a fickle teenager with a heavy A-Level workload, I never took the time to find out…
Until much later.
Fast-forward to 2019.
(That’s 12 years later for anyone doing the maths.)
I signed up for a shamanic workshop in Speke, Liverpool, with my long-time friend Lottie. If you have read my book The Wheel, you’ll know all about my first foray into shamanism and how it changed my life forever. It was here I met Christine Holt and went on my first shamanic journey - which I found was almost exactly the same as the astral travel I had done on my bedroom floor as a teenager. Who’d have thunk it?
Shamanism - the oldest known spiritual practice in the world - and modern Paganism are not so far apart in their beliefs. Both have a deep, deep appreciation for the natural world and a shared understanding of “animism” - the idea that everything in the world is sentient (every rock, pond, tree and raindrop) and should be treated with immense respect. There is also the shared belief that every plant, animal, mineral and rock has a medicine that we can ask for in times of need. So this practice spoke to my soul.
There in that shamanic workshop in June 2019, our first exercise of the day was to find our power animal.
What is a power animal?
A power animal is a spiritual ally or guide that can safely lead us through the “other realms.” It presents itself as a particular animal and embodies the energy and qualities of that animal; for example, if you have a wolf power animal, this may symbolise loyalty and intuition, while a pelican symbolises family and self-sacrifice (amongst many other things). When we meet our power animal, we would do well to understand this symbolism and see how it fits in with our own lives. Your power animal is the “oversoul” of a species, so yours unfortunately can’t be your old family dog Woofy. If you did have a dog power animal, it would be representative of the entire species and may not look how you expect it to.
Everyone has one, and that power animal supports and spiritually will protect you throughout your life. They act as a bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds and can work subtly, appearing during significant life transitions or guiding you toward new opportunities.
If you want to do shamanic journeys to seek the medicine of plants and animals in other astral realms, finding your power animals is ESSENTIAL. Power animals know the dangers and true paths of the other worlds and can guide you so that you learn your lessons safely and at a steady pace.
In Christine’s workshop, I did a shamanic journey very similar to the one I’ve typed out below to travel to the Lower World - a shamanic realm that is filled with the purest forms of nature. No concrete or polyester here: just the green of the true Earth. The pic above is how the Lower World often appears to me.
It was here in the Lower World that I met my pelican again but, this time, his feathers were shining white. He looked so different to the dishevelled creature I had first seen when I was at my lowest.
Perhaps he was reflecting “me” back to me.
He slowly paddled towards me across a serene lake and I immediately burst into tears. It was like a homecoming. This - I knew now - was my power animal and he had been with me all my life, watching out for me. And now he was here to guide me along the grassy path through this verdant Lower World.
Pelly and me
Pelican and I have now been working consciously together for several years. Which leads me nicely to a charity shop on a rainy day in Leeds.
Recently, I was out with some friends in Leeds and - always nosy - we popped into a charity shop to poke around the book section. We were just about to leave when something caught my eye. It was a large, ornate walnut display cabinet with two glass panels on either side of a pull-down desk. I stopped dead. That was my grandma’s cabinet! I had never known what became of her furniture after she passed and I was convinced this was the exact same cabinet that had been in her dining room and had housed her many china tea sets.
I went over to it and was overcome with emotion. I’d never seen another one like this and I just couldn’t believe I was seeing it again after so long. I turned to my friends to explain my reaction when I was suddenly smacked with another blow of fate.
On top of the cabinet was a carved wooden pelican.
I clutched my heart and immediately bought that pelican!
I truly believe that our power animals come to us to illuminate the way. Pelican, thank you for your knowledge, wisdom and deep care. Thank you for helping me remember my passed loved ones with your family symbolism. And thank you for shouting at me when I don’t come and visit you as often as I should 😅
He is my companion, my watcher and my friend.
This bond is waiting for you too.
Here, I want to share with you how you can meet your own power animal and begin your shamanic journeying practice to other worlds.
A shamanic journey to discover your power animal
Lie down in a quiet spot where you won’t be disturbed. You may wish to cleanse the space before you do your journey. I tend to find lying on a yoga mat on the floor with a blanket and a scarf over my eyes works best (because if I lie on the bed, I’ll fall asleep!).
Start playing this shamanic drumming track from YouTube.
Visualise your axis mundi - a real-world place in nature that you’ve been to before. This has to be somewhere you feel peaceful and safe. For me, this is a beach in South Wales I went to as a teenager. Take some time to really see yourself there and sink down into a meditative state.
Set your intention by saying to yourself, “I am going on a shamanic journey to the Lower World to discover my power animal, who will be my guide."
Now, look around you. You may see that a crack, hole or cave has appeared somewhere in your axis mundi. For me, this is a fissure in a rock face on the beach. Go through this hole/cave until you find yourself at another opening inside. This is the entrance to the Lower World and may be a waterfall, another cave door or a curtain of vines. Walk through that opening into the Lower World.
Take a good look at your surroundings. The Lower World is a lush and vibrant natural world containing nothing manmade. If you see anything manmade, find another opening in the surroundings and push yourself through it and downwards until you reach another realm that you perceive to be entirely natural. Once you’re there, say: “Show me my power animal.“
Now, an animal should appear. It might come to you running, flying, swimming, or may even be standing still and gazing at you. If it does appear, go towards it. If you can’t see anything, start to walk into the natural space and look out for anything that could be your power animal.
When you meet your guide, you may feel suddenly emotional like this is a homecoming to a creature that you’ve known in many lifetimes before. Don’t be worried if this happens! Now is the time to get to know your power animal. You can ask it: Why have you come to me? How can we work together? Do you have anything you wish to show me? Listen carefully for its answers, which may come as words, emotions, or intuitive impressions. If your guide wants to show you something, follow it and see where it leads you. Your guide should feel safe and nurturing.
You may find that your YouTube drumming track has started to drum a different beat. If this is the case, it is now time to say thank you to your power animal and return to the physical world. Show your deep thanks for this interaction then retrace your steps back to where you began at your axis mundi.
When you open your eyes, grab a notepad and immediately start to write everything down, even the smallest of details: messages, things you were shown in the Lower World, the setting in which you found your power animal. Now that you’ve met them, your power animal will begin to show up in your life, so watch out for the signs and note them down!
Let me know in the comments if you try this journey. Did your power animal meet you in the Lower World?
Shamanism is an especially large part of my life at the moment because I’m currently on a Shamanic Ancestral Healing course with Christine (and Lottie!). Two weeks in and I’m so immersed in the power of this work. I’m pretty sure Christine will be hosting more of these courses so keep an eye on her website for the next dates.
Happy Saturday, everyone! Tomorrow, we’ll be in December - can you believe it? That means only three weeks until the Pagan festival of Yule. Next week, things are about to get wintry on my Substack! I’ll see you then.
Jennifer x
Hello, initially I was scared and saw a bull but when I relaxed it was a white horse. He told me that I was scared of my own power. also that i always questioned what I have known from a young age. After researching the significance of the horse I feel very connected with it
Lovely. I’ve also had animals show up to help with specific issues, like snakes.