Symbolic of the four sacred directions, four seasons, and the four colors of man, there are four basic types of animal guides.  

Whether an animal spirit comes by dreams, signs and symbolic events, or actual events it is important to first determine if the guide is a Messenger Guide (Totem), Shadow Guide, Journey Guide or Life Guide.

The meaning and lessons an animal guide brings will differ according to the type of guide it may be.  Learning to differentiate between the four types of totems is critical to knowing how to react and the actions you will take when an animal totem makes itself known to you.  All guides are powerful.  

A Messenger Guide quickly comes into your life and then leaves once a message is understood. The time a Message Guide stays in your psychic is relative to you seeing and accepting the message.   The message itself can be spiritual in nature, or it can be a warning.  The message may deal with a seemingly mundane aspect of your life or it may be a wake-up call for some important action you must make.   Sometimes the animal messenger will come during an unusual event and make a powerful statement and others come on the wind as a whisper.  A messenger guide can cause you delays or some unforeseen help in your life.  They can be both negative and positive in nature for they are totally impartial.

A Shadow Animal Guide is one that invades you with fear. Its purpose it to teach a lesson you have not learned from repeated mistakes because of anger, avarice, greed, insecurity, or other negative thoughts.   A Shadow Guide will return again and again bearing strong feelings of fear until its message is acted upon or a change in lifestyle or actions are incorporated into your life.    The Shadow Guide is powerful.  It can help you to overcome fear by bringing truth and turning fear into a helper animal guide or spirit animal guide.   However, if ignored the Shadow Guide can become dangerous and its powers will have a negative affect on your life.   The Shadow Guide lives in the spirit world and usually arrives during a time of testing.

A Journey Animal Guide appears at the fork in the road of your life.  When a decision is made to follow a certain path in life, the Journey Guide is there to serve as a guide along the way.   It represents a path that may take months or years to complete.  It can be a friendly traveling companion if the path is right.  If you become lost along the way, the Journey Guide is there help lead the way back.  Unlike a Messenger Guide who comes and leaves quickly, the Journey Guide remains at your side until the current cycle in your life has changed. appears at the fork in the road of your life.  When a decision is made to follow a certain path in life, the Journey Guide is there to serve as a guide along the way.   It represents a path that may take months or years to complete.  It can be a friendly traveling companion if the path is right.  If you become lost along the way, the Journey Guide is there help lead the way back.  Unlike a Messenger Guide who comes and leaves quickly, the Journey Guide remains at your side until the current cycle in your life has changed.

A Life Animal Guide is also called a Spirit Guide as it remains a part of you throughout life and reflects your inner-spiritual self.  You may have more than one Life Guide and new ones may come during an expected time. Usually a Life Guide does not move away or disappear but remains an integral part of your life, however, there are instances when a particular Life Guide is no longer needed and is replaced with a new one.  Its powers are always there for you and serve as a constant reminder of your inner powers and oneness with nature.   If for example your Life Guide is Bear, you should be a person who is a solitary dweller, a seeker of knowledge and well grounded.   A Life Guide will often call upon other animal guides found within its domain to assist in giving you special messages from time to time.  

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Thanks for the article Owl! Its long and massive and so informative, my favourite form of articles. I love how it does not spew out information either, the things which it mention are not just there to fill the gaps or so you can read it and then move on. They share beautiful ideals of the Native American culture and communication with the animals. Also with comparisons between what a spirit guide truly is and not what most people believe it is.

Its fascinating how something you fear, like the Shadow Animal, can be your most powerful animal totem.

Fantastic article,  Owl, and clarifying.  I've had a wasp shadow guide that has haunted me since I was seven, and I can't seem to guess its message.  I've never been stung, but I've had wasps land on me out of nowhere in the dead of winter.  There's no communication like with my life guide the Fox.  It's one way with the wasp, and often mildly frightening, though no harm has come of it, and I know it will not sting me.  

It pops up in dreams, in visions, in meditation, and actual wasps touching me in real life.  I've tried to guess over the years what the message was, all the qualities of the wasp/bee: Fruitfulness, team work, setting emotions aside, and yet it never stops.  Has anyone had any experiences like this?  I am hoping going into this new career I have chosen will quell it.