In the ancient practice of shamanism, power animals are among the most beloved and vital spiritual allies. They are more than just symbols or totems — they are living spirit beings who walk with us, protect us, and guide us on our journey through life. Whether you’re new to shamanic work or deepening your practice, understanding the role of power animals can open new dimensions of healing, connection, and empowerment.

What Is a Power Animal?
A power animal is a spiritual being that takes the form of an animal and serves as a guardian, guide, and source of strength. Unlike animal spirit guides or totems that may come and go with life’s seasons, a power animal is a lifelong companion in the shamanic tradition. This being chooses you — often during a journey or initiation — and stays with you to offer support, insight, and protection.

In many indigenous cultures across the globe, including those of the Americas, Siberia, and parts of Europe and Africa, the belief in animal spirits is deeply embedded in spiritual and healing practices. These animals are not metaphors or projections of the psyche, but conscious beings who exist in the spiritual realms. They are seen as emissaries from the spirit world, helping us to maintain balance, vitality, and spiritual alignment.

Why Do We Have a Power Animal?
From a shamanic perspective, everyone is born with a power animal — a spirit being that helps maintain our personal power and spiritual sovereignty. In traditional societies, it was believed that if someone lost connection with their power animal, they could become ill, unlucky, or emotionally unbalanced. This is because power animals help to protect our energy field, enhance our intuition, and connect us to the natural world.

Your power animal helps you stay in alignment with your soul’s truth. It offers energetic protection and serves as a bridge between the physical and spiritual realms. In shamanic healing, one of the first things a practitioner might do is retrieve a lost power animal for a client who feels drained, lost, or disconnected. Reuniting with this ally can be profoundly healing, restoring vitality and clarity.

The Role of Power Animals in Shamanic Practice
Power animals take on many roles depending on your needs and the path you're walking. Some of their key functions include:

1. Protection:
Power animals act as spiritual bodyguards, helping to shield you from negative energies or influences. They can stand beside you in dreamwork, journeys, and daily life, keeping your spiritual space safe and clear.

2. Guidance and Wisdom:
Each animal carries its own medicine — the energetic qualities and wisdom it offers. For example, Owl brings intuition and the ability to see what’s hidden, while Bear offers courage and healing strength. Your power animal can help you make decisions, navigate challenges, and understand your soul’s path more clearly.

3. Empowerment:
When you feel disconnected, anxious, or unsure of your place in the world, calling on your power animal can help you tap into inner strength. These allies help you reclaim lost parts of yourself and remind you of who you truly are.

4. Connection to Nature and Spirit:
Power animals help to reweave our relationship with the natural world. In a time when many feel cut off from the Earth and its rhythms, connecting with your animal ally can restore a sense of belonging and sacred relationship with all life.

How to Discover Your Power Animal
Often, your power animal will reveal itself through a shamanic journey — a meditative, trance-like state where you travel to the spiritual realm with the help of rhythmic drumming or rattling. In this space, you may see or sense an animal approaching you. Sometimes, it will come multiple times in dreams, meditations, or even repeated physical sightings in the waking world.

You don’t choose your power animal — it chooses you. And while popular animals like Wolves, Eagles, and Jaguars may be more commonly known, your power animal may just as easily be a Mouse, Ant, or Whale. There is no hierarchy in the spirit world. Each animal carries unique gifts, and what matters most is how that being connects with you.

Living in Partnership With Your Power Animal
Once you’ve met your power animal, the relationship deepens through ongoing connection. You can honor them through art, ritual, or nature walks. Ask for their guidance in times of uncertainty. Invite them into your healing work or daily intentions. Offer gratitude often — just as in any relationship, mutual respect and communication build trust and strength.

Power animals aren’t just mystical companions — they are reminders that we are never truly alone. They walk beside us in the seen and unseen realms, ready to offer their strength, protection, and wisdom whenever we remember to call them.

In reconnecting with your power animal, you reconnect with your wild, instinctual self — the part of you that is deeply rooted in the Earth, attuned to Spirit, and fully alive.
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Wylder's clients come from across the globe, and all walks of life, each seeking to find that inner connection to a more meaningful, heart centered existence. Wylder is a Shamanic Practitioner, Energy Healer, and Teacher offering grounded, holistic support for personal healing and self-discovery. Through tailored sessions combining energy work, breath work, guided meditation, and shamanic journeying, she helps clients release stress, shift limiting patterns, and reconnect with their inner wisdom. She also offers House Cleansing and Land Blessings to restore harmony and uplift the energy of spaces.

​In the changing world we live in, more and more people are creating a dedicated space in their homes where they can connect with their inner selves, honour their intentions, and find a moment of peace and focus.

Whether small or elaborate, a personal altar can serve as a powerful tool for grounding, reflection, and spiritual practice. Creating a spiritual altar can be a deeply personal experience, allowing you to design a space that reflects your beliefs, goals, and the energies you want to invite into your life.

Historically, altars have been used across cultures and religions as sacred spaces for offerings, rituals, and prayer. While traditional altars are often associated with formal places of worship, a home altar is more flexible and customized to your personal spiritual needs. It doesn’t require religious affiliation; instead, it’s about cultivating a space where you can focus your thoughts, intentions, and energies, making room for meditation, manifestation, or simple moments of peace and gratitude.

To begin, choose a quiet and clean area of your home for your altar. This could be a small table, a shelf, a windowsill, or even a designated corner of a room. The size and placement are less important than the intention you bring to the space. Ideally, it should be somewhere you feel calm and undisturbed, where you can visit regularly to centre yourself.

Once you’ve selected your space, you can start adding items that hold personal meaning or represent the energies you want to embrace. Many people include elements that resonate with the four natural elements: earth, water, fire, and air; a crystal or plant to symbolise earth, a small bowl of water, a candle to represent fire, and incense or feathers for air. These elements help to create balance and bring the energy of nature into your home.

You can also add items that reflect your spiritual or personal journey. Photographs of loved ones, images of spiritual figures, meaningful stones, or objects found on walks in nature are wonderful additions. Many people choose to include symbols of their goals or intentions, like a journal for thoughts, a piece of paper with an affirmation, or a vision board representing their dreams. The beauty of a home altar is that it is entirely personal, and you can continuously evolve it as your journey unfolds.

Maintaining your altar is another way to keep its energy vibrant. Regularly cleaning and rearranging it can symbolize fresh intentions and help release any stagnant energy. Lighting candles or incense can also help set the tone, making the space feel alive and inviting. Over time, this space becomes a touchstone, a grounding force in your home and life.

One of the most valuable benefits of a home altar is the opportunity it creates for daily rituals, whether as a place to set intentions in the morning or to release worries at the end of the day. Just a few minutes spent at your altar can bring a sense of calm and connection, helping you to reconnect with your own spirit and cultivate a deeper sense of gratitude.

Creating a spiritual altar is a beautiful way to invite sacredness into your home and your life. It’s a place for reflection, intention, and peace—a physical reminder of your inner journey. By taking a few moments each day at your altar, you’re honouring your spiritual practice and creating a habit of mindfulness, intention, and connection with the energies you wish to embrace.

Below are some suggestions for Home and Nature based Altars - create something that resonates with who you are and what you need. Your altar can change, adding and subtracting items or amending the purpose of it whenever you feel the need. Enjoy connecting with your inner self, finding peace and calm in this tumultuous world. Re-weave the fabric of your life.

Wylder Clout is a Shamanic Practitioner, Energy Healer, and Teacher who provides a practical, holistic approach to personal spiritual healing and self-discovery. She offers services aimed at helping clients release stress, address trauma, and break free from patterns that may be holding them back. Each session is tailored to fit individual needs, using techniques like energy work, breath work, guided meditation, and shamanic journeying to support clients in reconnecting with themselves, accessing their own inner wisdom, and gaining clarity in their lives. Wylder also offers House Cleansing and Land Blessings, bringing a sense of renewal and positive energy to spaces and surroundings.