Animal Power: 100 Animals to Energize Your Life and Awaken Your Soul

by Alyson Charles, Alyson Charles

Internationally renowned shaman, author, and podcast host Alyson Charles presents an enlightening guide to the power of the animal realm, brimming with vibrant illustrations, transformative practices, and captivating stories from around the world.

In this luxe compendium, get ready to discover rituals, meditations, and visualizations to connect with 100 remarkable animals, including your own spirit animal, for peace, healing, and empowerment.

Hailed by readers as a portal into divine connection to the wisdom, magic, and medicine of animals, this is both a stunning resource book and a powerful metaphysical guide. Within these pages, you can learn how to engage with the animal power of the bear for comfort and protection, the leopard for confidence, the seal for healthy relationships, and the peacock for creative inspiration, and many more. Browse the artwork and text for daily inspiration or use the book as a divination tool by asking a question, then allowing the pages to fall open to reveal the animal to connect with for spiritual guidance.

The practices are paired with illuminating stories from spiritual teachers around the world, plus sidebars with fascinating details on ancient traditions, global mythology, and scientific trivia. Delivered in an enchanting package overflowing with insight and magic, and vibrant full-page illustrations, Animal Power is a celebration of the natural world and an inspiring companion for modern mystics, nature and animal lovers, and the spiritually curious.
 

FOR WONDER SEEKERS: Animal Power offers endless opportunities to unlock hidden power and wisdom from within and offers solutions that awaken greater happiness, love, and fulfillment. Refer to an animal that has shown up in your life to see what it's trying to teach, pick an animal that resonates with you at any point each day, or close your eyes and flip to a random page for empowering inspiration in the morning. It's a perfect blend of interaction, discovery, reverence, and joy.

ACCESSIBLE TECHNIQUES: The spiritual guidance, meditation techniques, and transformative shamanic practices shared here are accessible and easy to follow. Discover each animal's powerful healing traits and abilities along with their insightful messages. Anyone interested in self-care, mindfulness, and personal transformation will enjoy the short practices that can easily be incorporated into everyday life.

AUTHORITATIVE AUTHOR: Alyson Charles is a revered shaman and spiritual teacher devoted to living by the calls of inner wisdom, mysticism, energy medicine, and shamanic practices she has mastered through her studies with spiritual teachers, both of and beyond this world. She leads global courses, events, and talks to reconnect people to their fullest power and confidence. In this book, she shares her deep knowledge and respect for mystical traditions, providing essential context and global information on humans' relationship with sacred animals, along with illuminating testimonials from shamanic teachers and leaders around the world.

Perfect for:

Genres: Spirituality, Animals

303 pages, Hardcover

Published March 1, 2022

About the author

Alyson Charles is a revered shaman, seer and spiritual teacher. She lives in Austin, Texas with her fiancé, black cat Jelly Bean and dog Cookie. She is devoted to being of service by living by the calls of inner wisdom, mysticism, energy medicine, and shamanic practices she has mastered through her studies with spiritual teachers, both of and beyond this world. She leads global courses, events, and talks to reconnect people to their fullest power and confidence through sacred practices and rituals. Alyson's power animal shamanic journey was named a top meditation to try by O, The Oprah Magazine, and she has been called "a leading shaman for expanding others into their full gifts and power" by Forbes. Alyson has collaborated with a range of additional media outlets and brands, including the New York Times, HBO, National Geographic, Well + Good, mindbodygreen, Elle, and Self.

Reviews

[Jesse Field · Rating 3 out of 5]

It doesn't list on here that the brilliant illustrations are by Willian Santiago, but they are fabulous and easily the main reason I picked this up of the "new books" shelf at the New York Public Library. Yes, you can still go to a library and browse the shelves! Try it, it's super fun!

The prose is highly formulaic. For example, "Bear." "When to work with me:" "when you want to feel held by the love of the universe." And so on. Another section of "Bear" is "Energy medicine:" "Honor the rhythms of your life and recognize whether now is the time for you to rest and cultivate new ideas and new foundations or whether now is the time for you to step out of your cave and present yourself to the world." And so on, etc. etc. One more section: "Power Practice:" " Envision yourself leaning back completely into this bear, your back against its chest, and let your entire being (physically, spiritually, emotionally, mentally, energetically) be held by it." Some animals also have a cultural note after that part, as with bear: Chinese place a bear at the entrance to the home for protection, it says.

Take another animal: "Cricket," for example. It also comes with "When to work with me," "Energy medicine," and "Power practice." The cultural note: "During the Tang dynasty in China, it was fairly common for people to keep crickets in small cages." I guess China is featured quite a bit.

Anyway, reading this book straight through would be super boring. And trying to find common threads in the book, like which animals might go with "ancient wisdom" (turtle, whale, elephant, manatee, owl, octopus, rhinoceros) is at best a bit of a hunting game. Still, it was very fun to show the book to visitors to my living room. I'm not sure if I read every single entry, but it's overdue at the library. And time for me to go browsing there again!

[The Shakti Witch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Connect with your power animal with Alyson Charles, Animal Power. Includes beautiful bold illustrations by Willian Santiago and a handy quick reference in the back.

The author has much experience with many differing Shamanic traditions whilst guided by invitation by its fellow custodians. With this in mind the author states clearly to the reader to remember to respect the practice and acknowledge, honour and respect the First Nations and First Peoples of the land.

*eArc provided by the publisher and NetGalley

[UntamedLibrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alyson Charles’ new book Animal Power is filled with lovely illustrations and insights into connecting spiritually with a variety of animals. What I like about this book is that the author includes some animals that one might initially dismiss working with such as the gnat and the leech. Included for each animal in the book are suggestions of when to work with them, the type of energy/medicine associated with each animal and personal power practice. If you want to work with animals as guides or incorporate them into your practice this book is a delightful reference to have on your shelf.

If you do decide to preorder this book the author is offering some freebies on her website https://www.alysoncharles.com/. Also look for a companion oracle deck coming in Spring of 2022.

*I received an eArc provided by the publisher and NetGalley.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this fascinating book full of earth-centered wisdom about the wisdom we can receive from many different animal energies. There are excellent background stories as well, and so much to ponder. The illustrations are bright, bold, and powerful

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alyson Charles has provided readers with a lexicon of animals, from the aligator to the zebra, and what their powers are, how to find your power animal, and to tap into the power of all the animals that you may need as you move through your life.

My thanks to Chronicle Books and Edelweiss for an eARC.

[Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from Goodreads. The author relates characteristics of spirit animals and the workings of shamanism. All levels of animals are included the book, even the lowly mosquito. The author does a good job of explaining the practice. This is not for me though.

[Neenz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magnificent illustrations!

[Josephine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautiful introduction into shamanic practises and connecting with the animal kingdom.

[Nirce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book to start a meditation practice based on animals and what could represent or which archetype bring to our consciousness.