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Four Ways Your Energy Animal Can Appear to You, by Melissa Alvarez

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

Animals. We share our world with them, we have them as pets, and they can be a source of comfort and love. Animals can also be spiritual guides for us during times of need or to help us grow on our spiritual path. I call them energy animals because I work with energy and animal frequency, but they're also known as totems, spirit animals, power animals, familiars, and animal spirit guides. All of these terms describe animals that guide, teach, and connect with you in order to deliver messages from the spiritual realm that you need to know at specific points in your life and on your path. Some appear for a short time, others are with us for a lifetime.

When an animal has a message for you, the energy surrounding the animal will feel different. It may feel as if the animal is staring you down, or you just intuitively know that there's something unusual about the bird that keeps perching in trees near you, making you notice it. The animal will not give up until it gets your attention and delivers the information. If you're not paying attention, things will start to happen that captures your awareness and makes you take notice. Your animal encounters may happen more often and with more intensity until finally you say, "What is going on?" That's when you'll be open to receiving the message that the animal is trying to deliver.

I'll give you an example. When I was writing Animal Frequency, there were so many animals showing up at my farm that every day I expected to see a new one and I usually did. It was also foaling season, and for ten days I was dealing with a mare who had retained part of her placenta after foaling out, which is life-threatening and meant I was up every two to four hours throughout the night giving her three to four antibiotic injections at a time to try to save her life in conjunction with her veterinary care. Being severely sleep deprived, I stopped paying attention to the animals showing up and didn't get much written during that time. Then one day shortly after the mare was over the incident I found myself bombarded with dragonflies. I walked out to the barn and there was one flying along beside me. While I did my work I'd find them sitting on the pitchfork handle or on the bags of shavings or they'd land on my arms. I acknowledged them and thanked them for the appearance but I was so tired I didn't think past that. Then I walked out into the yard by the barn and was swarmed with dragonflies all around me. There must have been fifty or sixty of them flying into the wind all around me. They've done this before in this spot but none had ever landed on me, and this time I had four land on me at once and they seemed to be looking right at me. Then when I went on an errand I was sitting at a stoplight and looked over and there was a tiny baby dragonfly sitting on my window starting at me. As soon as I got home I looked at my Animal Frequency manuscript to see what I'd written about the dragonfly. The line that stood out to me was, "Dragonfly means you need to add lightness to your life. Don't get bogged down in the heaviness of the world but be the light, airy being that shines in a multitude of colors." I had been bogged down in heaviness due to the issues with the mare and lack of sleep. I was still worrying about her even though the crisis had passed. Dragonfly helped me see that I needed to let it go so that I could get back to the lightness of being that I try to keep my frequency at. Once I did, everything flowed easily again.

By knowing some of the different ways that animals can try to capture your attention, you'll become more aware of their appearances. They can show up in any way that they believe will make you notice them, so this list is just a mere sampling. Here are four of the most common ways that animals can appear to you when they have a message to deliver.

1. Media
   With more and more people participating in social media, you're sure to see animals in videos, memes, advertising, news, and in online documentaries. When these animal appearances start repeating or standing out then that means there's a message. Seeing a cute lion cub video and then seeing two more lions online can be a sign that they're trying to get a message to you. Now, let's say you're driving to an appointment and see a lion on a billboard, and as you drive past the local zoo you notice a new advertisement for the lion exhibit, and the radio announcer is talking about a show about lions that he saw over the weekend. Once you get to your appointment you open up a magazine while you wait and there's a huge lion staring back at you. Later at home, you turn on the television and hear a lion's roar. By now you have probably realized that lion has a message for you. Take some time to sit quietly and ask lion what its message is and then trust in the first thoughts you receive.
2. Dreams
   When your spirit guides have a hard time reaching you when you're awake, they often appear to you in your dreams. It's the same with your energy animals. In dreams you're more open to receive their messages as long as you can remember the dream. They will return to your dreams multiple times if you forget it. When you see an energy animal in your dream notice what kind of animal it is. What is it doing in your dream? Is it acting as it normally would in real life, or is it doing something that it could never do in real life—like speaking actual words? If it is speaking words, then it's delivering its message the easiest way it knows how—in your native language. Try hard to remember what it said. Also look at the environment of the dream. Is the animal out of place or in its natural habitat? This can all be part of the message. If you dream of a hippo swinging on a swing set maybe it is trying to tell you that your life is out of balance and you need to have more fun. How are you interacting or reacting to the animal? This is part of the message too.
3. Spoken Word
   Sometimes, when you're not paying attention to the animal, the animal will enlist the help of others to get your attention. You may have noticed those lions and they've piqued your interest, but not enough for you to start looking up what they mean or to meditate to ask what the message is. So now your co-worker starts talking about going to the zoo and how wonderful the new lion exhibit is. She might tell you about how they changed the enclosure or that the lioness had cubs. Then your neighbor tells you about a dream she had that featured a lion. Or your significant other tells you about a new project at work that is featuring a lion. After several people have told you their lion stories, now you're inspired to find out exactly what message lion has for you.
4. In the Flesh
   Many times you'll notice animals because they simply show up in person to get your attention. There have been many times when a hawk, snake, alligator, or other animal has shown up on my farm and just stared me down. I believe that the "stare down" is one of their favorite ways to get your attention. I mean, how can you possibly ignore that? Once I had a big red-tailed hawk perch right on the fence and watch me clean a paddock. I kept looking over at him and just got stared at. When I moved to another paddock, the hawk flew over to a low tree branch and stared me down again. By the time I got to the round pen, where it perched on the panel about four feet away from me, I just stopped what I was doing, stared back at him and intuitively opened my energy to its message. Once I'd received it, the hawk made a loud screech and flew away. So when you see an animal in the flesh that seems to be looking at you or that you intuitively feel like there's something special or unusual about the animal, pay attention to it. Take a few moments to commune with it so that you can discover what it needs to tell you.

Connecting with your energy animal can help you in many different ways. It can even be life changing. If you're not paying attention, energy animals can and will use all of these ways at the same time to inundate you with their presence so you pay attention and start to learn more about the animal. Getting your attention is often the hardest part. Once their message is delivered, the animal usually disappears from your life, but you'll probably always remember the message.

I encourage you to take time to open your heart, mind, and intuition to the animals that appear in your life. Connect with them through animal frequency to experience the Divine with them and within yourself.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2017. All rights reserved.

I have always been enchanted by the idea of fairies. Then the other day, I saw someone on television talking about how she has fairies in her garden, and all the wonderful experiences she has with them, and it made me want fairies too! Do you believe in fairies? If you do, is there some way I can invite them into my life? Can I learn to see them and have real experiences with them? I hope you can help me!

- Margaret

Dreamchaser:

If you want to attract fairies, leave them some food offerings. This will give the fairies something they want and encourage them to trust you. You might start with small cakes, candies, ginger, cookies, etc.

Do not look for the offering to disappear, however, because the fairies will not physically eat what you leave them. Fairies are capable of taking the energy from an offering, but they won't consume it entirely.

In a few days, the offering may still be there, but it will look a bit plastic or waxy. Of course, if an animal comes along and eats the offering, this is a good thing - don't shoo it away, for it may be the fairy in animal form, coming for its gift from you.

You can also plant a garden for the fairies, for they love gardens. You might want to plant bluebells and roses in your garden. Also, fairies and animals both love water, so you create a small pool in the middle of your garden. Just dig a small hole and line it, and then place rocks around the edge. You can refill the water each time you water your plants and flowers.

Fairies are wild by nature, so let a small section of your garden go totally natural and get lush with weeds. This will be a lovely place for those untamed fairies.

You can also set aside a corner, dresser, table, etc., for a fairy altar. On this altar, you can place your offerings in a basket. You can also place flowers, dirt and water there. Make it pretty but keep it warm and simple.

Fairies can be very helpful in magickal work, as they certainly are not ignorant when it comes to such matters. If you can get them to trust you, they can be a great help in your rituals and spells. Of course they will only assist in the ones that do not affect someone else's free will, like love spells often try to do, and in spells that do not harm others. Be sure to thank the fairies when you're done, and remember to give them an offering.

Fairies tend to travel in bands instead of alone. These are called Trouping Fairies, and they are the most common fairies of all. You may also occasionally encounter a solitary fairy, but these tend to be mean-spirited.

Some fairies can be seen traveling in large bands, playing music and riding their horses. These are called Raids. They are most often encountered during the holidays (Pagan and Christian alike), for they are especially active around those times.

If you look at the bottom of trees, you will often see arched openings in the trunks. These are called Fairy Doors. It is said that the fairies enter their homes in the trees through these doors. Try leaving an offering by these doors if you find them in or near your yard.

I wish you joyful fairy encounters!

*****

Astrea:

In my family, we have always accepted fairies as a fact of life. The Victorian notion of fairies is a romanticized version of the Sidhe, a fairy race said to have the power to confuse humankind.

Depending on the time of year, there are many different rituals for attracting and seeing fairies. Fairies most often appear at night in the weeks around Midsummer, but they could inhabit any woods around your home at any time during the growing season.

The big pagan ritual days are good times for seeing Fairies. Full Moon nights in Spring and Summer are good for calling them into your yard or home too.

Rubbing fern seed on your eyelids will "open" your eyes to seeing fairies. The fern seed should be gathered at midnight on Midsummer, but I've bought it at the feed store and it works almost as well.

When trying to see fairies, you must absolutely keep your mind off the mundane, everyday world. Light thoughts will draw light beings to you.

For your yard, build a "fairy ring" of stones in a circle, so they'll have a place to come and dance in the moonlight. Fill your thoughts with the beauty of natural things like plants, trees, and small sweet animals. Dance around with the fairies when you see them.

Fairies usually hibernate during the winter, but if you invite them into your home before the first day of fall, they'll move in and work magic for you all winter long. To let them know they're welcome, set up four candles in the Four Directions: green for north, red for south, blue for west, and yellow for east. Place a crystal or a brightly colored stone or marble beside each candle.

Walk in a counter-clockwise, circular motion to each candle, and sprinkle some finely ground ginger as you go. (Sprinkle just a tiny bit - don't make a mess. Fairies are little and can see even the smallest bit of any substance.)

Say this as you go: "Welcome You Fairies and Nature Spirits, I bid you enter, Kind and Good. Welcome all who wish me well."

Fairies LOVE sugar and milk. I leave a bowl for mine in my garden every Sunday night. They are very fond of cake and sweet treats of any kind. Around here, they get lots of food, love and respect.

Whenever children spill some liquid they're drinking during a picnic or when they're playing outside, NEVER scold them. Instead say, "Leave it for the fairies!" Red Chief tells me that fairies find any liquid that has touched a child's lips especially tempting and sweet!

Fairies love a giving spirit, so leave them small gifts of food regularly in your garden, on your doorstep, or any outside place you might want a fairy ring.

Now you know how to draw fairies near - let us know when you see them!

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.