On the animistic path, we forge relationships with our non-human kin. This includes plants of all kinds, the land and elements, crystals, rocks, insects and of course, the animals. We may also cultivate relationships with our ancestors, spirit guides and other light beings and deities in the spirit world.
Like any relationship we would have with a human friend or loved one, these relationships require some energy, time and willingness to cultivate. Part of the challenge in doing this is that we are conditioned to take these beings for granted or see them as beings that don’t have the same capacity for relationship as a human. Or we may just not be sure how to foster this relationship, because it isn’t something we think we know or remember how to do. We’re afraid of ‘doing it wrong’. We may feel intimidated by the spirit world or think we need some special psychic powers to do this.
The truth is, all we need to do is remember what it was like to be a child, when we felt connected to everything. Kids naturally connect with nature kin and the spirit world very easily! We read fairy tales and watch shows of mythical beings as children and some of us still do as adults, because we know they aren’t silly, but hold truth. We are taught to un-learn our natural connection to the spirits of land and spirit, separating us from our original soul family.
We simply need to remember when we felt the ladybug was our friend, the tree was a wise grandfather, and the wind was whispering to us things we needed to hear. We need to remember to trust the feeling of awe, mystery and magick that lies in the world around us. That remembering of not being alone and that there is a world of loving, sentient beings that we can connect with any time we think we’re alone.
Animism reminds us that we are all connected- to all other beings, whether they have an earthly body or not. We are one and just because their energy is a bit different than ours, doesn’t mean they are less powerful. On the contrary, these beings often carry a purer connection to Source because they don’t have the same ego/mind that humans contend with.
Much of the spiritual path is remembering things we already knew innately as children (and perhaps past lives) and releasing many of the things we were taught at school, at home and in the world.
Beginning a Relationship With our Non-Human Kin:
So how do we start? In my opinion, there’s a lot of old Christian/Patriarchal beliefs that have tainted our innate connection to the spirit world with power hierarchies and rank, bringing issues of worthiness and self-trust to individuals on the seeking path.
We feel we need tons of special training, the permission from an ‘expert’ or high priest/ess, elder, shaman, etc to access our innate heart connection to spirit, but that’s not true.
Any spiritual leader worthy of learning from will remind you that you have the power and innate ability to do this, and believe in your innate connection. It may take some practice. Support can be helpful, of course, but not necessary.
The secret to cultivating these relationships is this:
How would you begin or maintain a relationship with a human? Or a pet? How would you wish to be treated? Our heart connects us to other humans and non-human beings, so let it lead the way. The heart feels and knows more than our mind.
Start simple-Meet a neighborhood tree:
Take a moment to center and ground yourself. Tune into your childlike heart and mind. Be open, curious, and hold a loving, good will within.
Take a walk around your neighborhood and let your heart lead you to a tree. Greet it like you would anyone else you haven’t met before:
‘Hi, I’m (name), nice to meet you. Can I come and sit down?’ (or you can stand if sitting isn’t accessible). Listen to their answer energetically, through the heart. Does it feel like a ‘yes, come and sit down’? or a ‘no/maybe not right now’? Trust your instincts.
Usually, trees are more welcoming than humans you first meet and are often happy to let you lean on or sit up against them early in the relationship! Your heart will likely guide you to a tree that is happy to connect with someone and is doing well. However, if you are guided to a tree that seems sickly or unwell, you can ask them what they need. You may be drawn to them to offer some love or learn from them. It’s important to be in listening mode, rather than talking mode when you first meet a tree or any other being, really. Trees, just like people, love being recognized and appreciated.
It’s common for the adult mind to feel silly or worried about what other people might think when we start talking to trees. The adult mind is conditioned to shame this part of ourselves. But with practice, it gets easier. From what I’ve noticed in here Toronto, more people are connecting with the trees around in personal ways and it’s becoming less of a ‘weird hippy’ thing to do and just something we need to do!
The great thing about being with a tree is that we don’t have to make small talk, plaster on a fake smile, or act or perform in any way. We can just be real, and the tree feels what’s real. We listen with our heart and speak from the heart. We can speak out loud or silently. They hear us just the same.
How to Connect With Them:
You can spend as long as you like with the tree. You can begin a powerful connection just by feeling into their energy and merging your own energy with them. You can temporarily let yourself ‘become’ the tree. This is an intro to shapeshifting and is a form of listening and honoring. It helps us to connect with their energy and remember this aspect of our own beingness- because we are all connected.
Does the energy feel it has a gender resonance? Is it soft, gentle, firm, strong? Does it feel young, middle aged or older? If they were a human, how would they look or act? What is their personality like? How do they make you feel? These questions can help us foster a connection.
Once you’ve felt their energy, you may want to have a conversation with them. This can be during your first meeting or after several times just feeling their energy and personality.
When conversing with a tree, just speak intuitively, from the heart. You can ask them questions about themselves or about life, or what they sense about you or something you are struggling with. You may feel the replies in your heart and it will feel like talking with a friend. It takes practice to let go of the ‘am I doing this right? Is this all in my head?’, and to just trust what you feel. But practice is key to noticing the difference. If it feels right, it likely is.
There doesn’t even have to be any words exchanged, really. When we connect with the tree’s energy, we might feel a part of ourselves awaken and receive information through the tree, into this part of us, which then gives us information we can use in our life and feel more whole. We don’t need to let things get too much in our heads. Sometimes the less we think the better the connection is.
Connecting With an Animal Ally:
Connecting with animal spirits and shapeshifting are ancient practices our ancestors all over the globe practiced. It isn’t only special cultures or people that can do this- we all can. Granted, there are different traditions, practices and lineages of practice, which all deserve their due respect. However, the original, pure connection we have with animals is innate, just like with trees and other beings.
When you were a child, was there an animal you felt a strong connection to? Did you have a pet? Is there an animal you feel drawn to these days or keeps showing up in your dreams or in your daily life? If you were an animal, which one would you be?
Animals can show up in real life, however because only some are visible in our local environment and many prefer to stay away from humans, they may choose to show themselves through media, in our dreams, in our environment, on a billboard or ad, on someone’s shirt, etc. They may not necessarily show themselves in real life while we walk down the street. Some animals come from lands far away that want our attention, and some are just less common in our environment. That’s ok! You don’t have to see or interact with a literal tiger to connect with the tiger’s spirit. If it comes with a feeling- like ‘I think this animal wants my attention’- it’s worth checking out!
How to connect with an animal ally: Try my recorded guided meditation journey to find your animal ally here:
This is the meditation we do at my in-person circles and part of my Nourish Your Spirit program.
Cultivating a relationship with an animal ally is similar to one with a beloved human. You may wish to honor them with photos in your space, learning about them and their likes and dislikes, their habits and routines, what they eat, how they survive, what makes them special and how they experience the world. You can connect with them in your imagination, in your heart, through photos, memory, or literal physical connection.
Sometimes having a part of the animal’s body- such as a naturally shed antler, claw, skin, or fur can help you connect. I like to find or make figurines of the animal and have them on my altar.
With animals, it can be easier to feel that they are an aspect of ourselves. We can move our body and make sounds like they do- again, we did this as kids all the time, playing pretend!
One way to get closer to our animal is to merge with them and become them. If you did the meditation above, you may have experienced that. You can also go a step further, and put on some music and dance as your animal. Bringing their energy into your body and into the world is something they appreciate. It is a form of honoring them.
Also, you can honor animals through donating to causes that support their habitat, safety and existence. You can honor them through expressing their energy or your love for them through art, writing, or simply walking in the world in the way they do. By adopting some of their habits or ways of being in the world, you will start to notice how deeply you are connected and how this energy supports your wellbeing and your life.
Offerings:
I feel an important part of my relationship with spirit allies is giving thanks and appreciation. This comes naturally of course when you connect from your heart rather than your head. It’s not that we ‘have to’ give an offering to get into their good books or make a deal or other manipulative give-and-take actions. We don’t need to give our blood or sacrifice ourselves to be in relationship. I don’t feel that we need to prove our worthiness or anything to speak with a tree, animal or other non-human kin. To me, that is hierarchical relational nonsense. It’s our natural reaction to genuine heartfelt connection to want to give thanks and appreciation. When you genuinely care, you show respect. If you aren’t genuine, you need to find that first before starting a relationship.
To show thanks, you can honor your plant ally by:
- Taking care of them physically in the world, such as watering a tree or cleaning up garbage around them.
- Feeding the earth or the squirrels/birds that live in or near them.
- Giving them a genuine hug, kiss, share a song or words of gratitude.
- Offer herbs, or other natural gifts, especially those you’ve cultivated or created yourself
- Simply offer your love, placing your hand on the plant, tree, rock, etc.
You can honor your animal ally by:
- Taking care of this animal in its physical form if accessible or offer money or time to an organization that supports them.
- Honoring them through merging, or dancing.
- Creating something in their honor.
- Having a dedicated space to them in your home or on your altar, having a photo of them where you always see it, candles, etc.
Maintaining a Relationship:
Our non-human kin relationships are like our human ones. Some allies are with us very closely for a period of time and then we may go months or years without much contact, only to reconnect again in a new or similar way. Sometimes we may not really connect much with them again. Some allies are very close with us our entire lifetimes, and everything in between. If we are in a genuine connection with our ally, we will know if it is time to have some space or not. We can ask them directly and let our heart receive the answer.
It’s ok if some allies are a bit further from us for a while. Another may step in to help us learn something, or we may just need time to integrate what the relationship brought us. Sometimes, if they’ve been helping us with something, they give us the chance to see what we can do on our own.
If you haven’t felt a connection in a while, it doesn’t mean they’ve abandoned you, it just may mean you either may need to put forth some effort to reconnect, or trust that there is a reason for the distance. Follow your heart in this relationship. Sometimes they simply wait for us to make the first move to show we want to connect and they are happy when we do!
I hope that helps to give you a sense of what having a relationship with our spirit allies can entail. The same suggestions apply to other beings or guides in Spirit you may be working with or getting to know.
If you have any questions about this or wish to journey deeper into the process, you may be interested in my Nourish Your Spirit program, a 12 week journey where we connect with 5 allies- An animal, tree, crystal, herb and element. It also includes a Tarot Reading. Contact me if you’re interested! Sessions can be online or in-person.
If you’re in the Toronto area, you may wish to join us for our Spring Equinox Circle: Connecting with our Animal Allies– where we will do the meditation in-person together and connect with our animal allies that are coming through for us during this next season and beyond!
Blessings of beautiful connections on your path,
Serena
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