What’s your spirit animal?
A dog, an eagle, or maybe something braver, like a lion.
It’s a game we’ve all played as kids but often forget about when we grew up.
This was also the case for me until I came across Doug Good Feather’s book Think Indigenous (#9 in this spiritual books’ post).
In his work, Good Feather discusses Native American ceremonies like the vision quest and the roles of animals in spirituality.
One of these crucial animals is the dragonfly, which he described the following:
“Ask yourself, have you seen a dragonfly recently? The dragonfly is a messenger, delivering guidance from the spirit world to those who are on a journey of spiritual self-actualization. Pay attention. The moment you pick up this book and begin reading it, the dragonfly will begin to show up in various places in your life.”
Having a scientific (and Western) background, I was skeptical. The phenomenon Good Feather describes is commonly known as the frequency illusion. Once you’re aware of something (like a car brand), you start seeing it everywhere because your subconscious brain is now paying attention to it.
However, I didn’t see any harm in keeping an open mind and decided to give it a go.
Good Feather was right, and I started seeing more dragonflies despite the cold Dutch weather. It was nice seeing the beautiful animals more often. Still, things only started to become really interesting during the summer at the BOOM festival in Portugal.
The BOOM festival is similar to Burning Man. It is known for psychedelic trance music and spiritual workshops like meditation, sound baths, and breathwork.
During these meditations, I noticed dragonflies whenever I had significant personal insights. The dragonfly’s appearance also calmed me down when I was nervous as if the little animal was trying to show me I was precisely where I was supposed to be.
The whole experience became even stranger when one of the girls in our group showed us her new dragonfly tattoo. I hadn’t mentioned the book to her, nor my experiences, so I was flabbergasted when she told me that she got the tattoo because dragonflies always seemed to show up at her most meaningful spiritual breakthroughs.
These moments, and many others, made me think there could be something more to this.
I decided to keep my mind even more open than before.
Fast forward one month, and I start getting visits from a grasshopper. I live on the fourth floor, so God knows where he comes from, but it keeps showing up no matter how often I put him back outside.
At the time, I was struggling with doubts and insecurities about my blog and my ability to turn Cultural Reads into a full-time business, so I decided to see what the grasshopper had to tell me.
I now knew the rules of the game and inquired with Google about the spiritual meaning of grasshoppers.
As it turned out, they symbolize the importance of finding your voice and believing in your goals, a welcome message at the time.
Strangely enough, this newfound meaning transformed the little grasshopper from an insect into a friend and teacher, someone who wanted the best for me.
The dragonfly and grasshopper both had a profound impact on me.
Although I still don’t fully understand the workings, nature may teach us more than we think. Or, at the very least, reflect what we already know deep down.
Now, it’s up to you.
Are you ready to play the spirit animal game?
For those who liked the cups in the picture, I bought them from Lilibo because I thought they would be a friendly reminder.
4 Responses
Awesome! I have had similar experiences with blackbirds, kingfishers, ants, wasps, snakes, and even with produce like walnuts or bird feathers, showing themselves in connection to meaningful events. Spectacular, in my opinion, also if it’s a case of frequency illusion. Makes me eager to read the book!
Thanks Bob! It’s always exciting to hear from others after sharing a personal story. Would definitely recommend the book 😉
How interesting! I also discovered this idea of a spirit animal only three years ago and I feel it gave me more perspective to recognize how nature can be so inspiring for us! Unfortunately we do not always have “time” or headspace to be conscious of that. I will try to find the book you mentioned, greetings!! 🙂
Hey Lorena, thanks so much for the reply! Yeah, I have the same. After a few busy weeks, it’s difficult to reconnect to nature in that way.