Before Animal Communication: My Journey with Animal Spirits

Before I knew I could communicate with animals, I was seeing animal spirits.

This started the beginning of 2021, not too long before I discovered animal communication, although at the time I had no idea the two would eventually be connected. I would be talking with someone and suddenly see an animal in my mind's eye standing slightly above them or off to the side. The first one I remember seeing was a wolf spirit.

I didn't receive any messages from it. It wasn't speaking to me or giving me directions. I simply saw it and knew it was somehow connected to the person. More animals began appearing around people and my curiosity grew. Eventually I started to understand that these were animal spirits and that they seemed to reflect something about the energy that person was carrying.

Once I realized this, I began wondering if I could connect with these animals intentionally rather than waiting for them to appear around someone else. As I experimented, I discovered that I could call them in. Whenever I did, I would find myself standing in what I can only describe as an animal kingdom court. I would be in the center while animals filled the space around me like a giant stadium. When I asked for an animal spirit for myself or someone I loved, one animal would come forward.

At first I would write the animal down and look up its meaning. Every time I did, the information resonated deeply with whatever was happening in my life or the life of the person I was asking about. This became a daily practice for me. I would ask questions like, "What animal spirit can help me with this challenge?" or "What animal can help me navigate this situation?" An animal would always appear.

As time went on, the animals became more specific. Instead of receiving snake, I would receive sidewinder. Instead of frog, I would receive dart frog. Sometimes animals would appear that I knew almost nothing about, such as blobfish. Tasmanian devil was one that really threw me. At the time, I genuinely thought it only existed as the Looney Tunes character. The spirit first showed me an animal that looked like a mix between a possum and a bear, which left me completely puzzled. When the image shifted to the cartoon character I recognized, it finally clicked. I ended up looking it up and discovered that the animal I thought was made up was, in fact, very real.

There were also times when animals appeared that weren't represented in any animal symbolism books I owned. Conch shell was one of those. I found myself having to trust the impressions and messages I was receiving rather than relying entirely on information I could look up. Looking back, I can see that this was teaching me to develop a direct relationship with the animal spirits themselves.

Eventually I realized they wanted me to hear them.

Instead of simply receiving an animal and researching it afterward, I began listening. The animals had their own perspectives, personalities, and teachings. They were showing me that I could communicate directly with them.

Around the same time, I began noticing other beings as well. In the wooded areas around my home, I would occasionally see presences that I originally assumed were connected to the animal spirits. Over time I came to understand that many of them were nature spirits. My awareness was expanding and I was becoming more open to the many ways spirit communicates.

Looking back now, I find it interesting that this all happened before animal communication, before reading for people, and before doing any of this professionally. Animal spirits were one of the first ways spirit reached me. I think that makes perfect sense because animals have always been something I loved deeply. Spirit met me through a language I already understood.

Over the years I came to see animal spirits as a form of guidance. People often pull tarot cards to gain insight into the energy surrounding a situation. For me, animal spirits often function in a similar way. They arrive carrying wisdom, perspective, support, and teachings that are relevant to whatever someone is experiencing.

The way they appear can vary greatly. Sometimes I see them as a quick flash in my mind's eye. Other times I can feel their presence standing beside me. There have also been occasions where they felt so vivid and tangible that it seemed as though they were physically present in the room.

I remember experiences with rabbits, a gorilla, and a tiger that felt incredibly strong. One experience in particular has stayed with me for years. I was in my kitchen and living room area when I saw a woman appear. As I was taking in what she looked like, she began to fade. In her place appeared a massive tiger. The tiger looked at me and I heard in my mind, "I am shapeshifter."

The experience was so powerful that I immediately told my husband at the time that I felt as though I could reach out and touch the tiger. It wasn't simply that I could see it. Its presence filled the room in a way that felt completely real. Even now, I get chills when I think about it.

One of the things I have learned is that animal spirits can serve different roles. Occasionally an animal will tell me it has been with a person their entire life. More often, they seem to step forward during a particular chapter of a person's journey. They help with a specific lesson, challenge, or period of growth. When their work is complete, another animal may arrive carrying the next teaching.

What began as curiosity has grown into a relationship that has lasted for years. Animal spirits have taught me about guidance, trust, intuition, and the incredible wisdom that exists within the animal kingdom. They have shown me that the spirit of an animal carries far more than symbolism. It carries experience, perspective, and teachings that can help us navigate our own lives.

To this day I still work with them. Sometimes months pass without much interaction. Then life presents a challenge, a crossroads, or a question that needs answering. When I ask for guidance, an animal appears just as it always has. They have never failed to show up when called.