Our Kinship With Animals
Malidoma Patrice Somé is
a healer,
teacher, and elder of the Dagara peoples in the small West
African nation of Burkina Faso in West Africa. He travels
extensively giving classes and workshops, and in one of his
teachings, he describes how the Dagara believe there are
three levels of intelligence on Earth. Plants are considered
to be the most intelligent beings, animals second, while
humans capture the ribbon for third place. It’s a different
way of looking at life and our relationship with plants and
animals, one that contradicts the more typical and subtle
arrogance ingrained within many of us in the more
“civilized” societies.
Whether we
agree that we’re somehow less intelligent than plants or
animals, most indigenous peoples, who are more intimately
connected to the natural world, know that we are
intrinsically related to all life on this fair planet. Chief
Seattle, of the Suqwamish and Duwamish tribes of British
Columbia said it best: “Humankind
has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within
it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All
things are bound together. All things connect.”
So how is
it that those of us who have been raised in the more
“civilized” parts of the world have forgotten this
connection? How did we forget how to talk with the animals,
to listen to their language, to connect with their spirit,
and to show them compassion and gratitude for all they give
us? How did we come to live in this illusion that we’re
somehow separate from all other beings and nature herself?
Of course
there’s no single cause for this dissociation from the
natural world and specifically from animals, yet we can
point to a couple of powerful influences. One of these was
the beginning of the scientific revolution, heralded by Sir
Francis Bacon in the early 16th century.
Considered the founder of modern science, Bacon claimed that
goal seeking was a specifically human activity, and
attributing goals to nature misrepresents it as human-like.
It became science’s job to objectify nature, and to think
otherwise became a cardinal sin. Then in 1637, along came
Descartes, famous for his quote, “I think, therefore I am”
(although it’s more accurate to say, “I am, therefore I
think!”). Descartes maintained that only humans have souls,
so animals can’t really feel pain, and thus pioneered the
practice of vivisection, further objectifying the animal
world.
In the 20th
century many others would openly disagree with this way of
thinking. Darwin was one who challenged this view and
demonstrated that animals had their own unique intelligence.
Yet paradoxically, in the past century and even to today,
animals have continued to be treated like objects, as having
no soul or spirit, here mainly to serve humankind’s needs
and purposes. Yet these attitudes are slowly changing.
With the spark
of ancient memory awakening in many of us comes
a deep longing
to experience the intimacy with the natural world that was a
way of life for our ancestors, who expressed their gratitude
for the gifts of the earth through continuous prayer,
ceremony, and ritual. They appreciated that whatever you
took from nature, you always gave something back, and you
used every part of what you’ve taken. They knew that every
aspect of life was infused with Spirit and consistently
honored that fact. Animals were seen as kin, as brothers and
sisters, and even when hunted for sustenance, they were
honored and treated with the utmost respect and gratitude
for sacrificing their lives.
Another
aspect was the relationship to the spirit of these various
animals. Typically a clan, tribe, or community would have a
spirit animal in common, called a totem animal, one
that everyone in the clan could call on for protection and
guidance. Shamans in these communities typically had one or
more spirit animals that they used in their work on behalf
of the people, called power animals. An animal
spirit guide was any animal that showed itself in an
unusual way or repeatedly. The animal was believed to be
bringing a message from the spirit of that animal.
The
purpose of my books and cards (Animal Spirit Guides,
Power Animals, and Power Animal Oracle Cards)
is not only to help people discover how our animal brothers
and sisters and their spirits can help us in our lives with
guidance and healing, but also to encourage the re-awakening
of that inherent connection we have to animals. As they did
for our ancestors, the spirit of an animal will attempt to
reach us through unusual or repetitive visitations, whether
the physical animal or a symbolic representation. If a crow
lands three feet away and looks at you, or a crow shows up
repeatedly throughout the day, Crow spirit is trying to pass
along a message. Crow may also show up symbolically, such as
in dreams, on a TV show, or a ceramic figure in a bookshop.
Regardless, Crow spirit is trying to pass along a message.
I always
suggest to pause and ask Crow (or whatever animal) what the
message is before referring to any of these books or cards
that contain possible meanings of any such sighting. Once
you ask the animal, pay attention to any impressions that
comes to you, whether visual, auditory, thoughts, or
sensations in your body. Ifthe message isn’t clear right
away, often through the coming days you’ll pick up other
signs or omens that clarify the message from the animal
spirit.
Our animal
brothers and sisters want to reach us, teach us, and heal
us. It’s simply a matter of being open and receptive to
Spirit’s communication through the specific animal spirit,
and doing whatever we can to maintain the awareness of our
relationship our brothers and sisters.
