Animal Spirit Guides: An Easy-to-Use Handbook for Identifying and Understanding Your Power Animals and Animal Spirit Helpers

by Steven D. Farmer

After the publication of his best-selling book Power Animals, many people inquired about the meaning of spirit animals that were not contained in that work. In Animal Spirit Guides, Dr. Farmer provides concise, relevant details about the significance of more than 200 animals that may come to you in physical or symbolic form as guides and teachers. With each animal listed, you’ll find general meanings of the visitation; practical ways that they can help you as spirit guides; and how, as your power animal, they reflect characteristics that you possess. You’ll also find a “whom-to-call-on” section that will tell you which animal spirit guide to call on for any specific purpose.

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction, Animals, Reference, New Age, Metaphysics, Self Help

456 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Dr. Steven D. Farmer is the author of the best-selling Animal Spirit Guides, Power Animal Oracle Cards, Messages from Your Animal Spirit Guides Oracle Cards, Power Animals, Sacred Ceremony, Messages from Your Animal Spirit Guides guided meditation CD, and the soon-to-be-released Earth Magic: Ancient Shamanic Wisdom for Healing Yourself, Others, and the Planet (Feb 2009). He’s also host of his own radio show, The Shamanic Hotline on HayHouseRadio.com. Dr. Farmer is a shamanic practitioner, ordained minister, and former psychotherapist, offering workshops on various shamanic topics and private consultations.

Picture of Dr. Farmer Having explored, studied, and taught shamanic practices, spiritual transformation, trauma recovery, and men's issues extensively, Dr. Farmer brings a wealth of skills and experience to his writing, teaching, and healing work. In addition to being a licensed psychotherapist, he is also an ordained minister in the Circle of Sacred Earth Church, and has conducted a number of ceremonies in his role as minister and shamanic practitioner.

Dr. Farmer's education includes a B.A. in psychology from the University of California, an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Chapman University, and a Ph.D. from Madison University. He brings a unique blend of common sense and esoteric knowledge to his work, and by sharing his ideas and life experiences in a personal, down-to-earth, and humorous way, he inspires any audience to deeply appreciate the challenges, pleasures, and rewards of creating a fulfilling and spiritually directed life. He makes his home in Laguna Beach, California.

Reviews

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I thought that nothing could beat Ted Andrew's book, Animal Speak, for talking about totem animals. I admit to being slightly prejudiced (well okay, more than slightly) when it comes to Ted Andrews and his books. But, one of my Goodreads friends asked if there were any better books out there than Ted Andrews books and I set out to see what else was out there. My goal was to prove that there was no better books out than Ted's. Well, Steven Farmer's book, Animal Spirit Guides, is excellent. It is very different from Animal Speak and I think that the two books would be very complementary, using them together. Ted describes each animal and how they relate in their environment. Farmer doesn't describe the animals at all. He lists three things for each animal: 1) if the animal shows up, what does it mean, 2) when you should call on the particular animal that you are reading about, and 3) if the animal is your power animal/totem animal what does it mean. This makes the information very concise and easy to find and understand. Also, Farmer lists the animals alphabetically (Aardvark to Zebra) then there is a chart at the back to use when you have a particular condition for which you need help from an animal spirit guide. There is also a nice appendix with additional resources in the back. I am going to order one of Animal Spirit Guides for myself and one for my daughter.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much! I'm an octopus, by the way.

[The Lion's Share · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lacks any spiritual detail.

[Krystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love both animals and symbolism so this was a pretty fun read! It's a reference book, really, so I jumped all over the place reading it and it's one I'll continually go back to, particularly for creative writing and tattoos. I do so love symbolic tattoos!

The format is easy to read, with pictures, bullet points, and three divisions of symbolism for each animal. It tells you what these animals represent, how they can help, and what it means if they are your power animal. (I believe the secret to discovering your power animal lies in a previous book by the author.) It's all in alphabetical order and does include sub-groups in some cases. For example, under the general meanings for 'bear' you can find further details for 'black' and 'brown (grizzly)' plus an additional entry for 'polar bear'.

This is a great starter guide for people interested in the symbolism of animals, whatever the reason. It doesn't go into too much depth but it gives a great overview that will allow for further research into specific animals the reader may be attracted to.

I've got colourful post-its marking pages of the animals that speak to me, and I found it quite interesting looking up animals that I've always favoured, or that turn up regularly in dreams. This is a lot of fun to explore, even if you're just having a laugh and opening pages randomly to see what sort of animals are speaking to you.

Fun, easy, and intriguing, this is a great reference book for anyone interested in the symbolism of animals and animal spirit guides.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading this book, I believe that spirit, god, the creator, or whatever you call the system that creates us all communicates with us in many ways including through animals. This may be through actual animal interaction or it may be through the message of some kind (as in you keep hearing about a certain kind of animal). For example, when I lived in Shanghai, I kept hearing about references to polar bears. They had not recently made news or anthing so this was definitely odd. When I looked up polar bears, the message made a lot of sense. Farmer (what an appropriate name) also discusses powers or totem animals. I always wondered why spiders kept showing up around me and on me and now I believe that is my power animal. For example, I have spiders crawl on me regularly and I even had a spider in my ear for an hour. This used to scare me but since I have never been bitten before, I now believe that spider is my power animal and was just making itself known to me!

[Cristina Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fabulous resource this is for those who love animals and live an examined life! I enjoy consulting this book for information on sightings, dreams and visions. Highly recommended!

[Heidi Domian · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a animal is sort of in your face suddenly, repeatedly...use this book to understand the meaning. Helps with comms between universe and yourself.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

great reference book

[Bridgett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly just a listing of animals with details for each. Interesting, but could have extrapolated more on what totems are and how they act in one's life, as well as how one discovers their totem(s).

[Eden Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic reference book that I use often with clients in session (or send them to it after I find them a power animal, if they or we were not able to get direct messages from the animal itself).

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Animal Spirit Guides” by Steven D. Farmer is a wonderful reference book. I was looking for a good, comprehensive guide on animal spirts that acted as guides and mentors. This book is set up as a reference guide, so obviously I didn’t read the entire book word for word. There are several appendices as well as a great introduction though. These extras gave some great advice and further resources for looking for and understanding your animal spirit guides.
As a reference book, it is set up alphabetically, listing all of the possible animals that have been known to appear as guides. I’m sure there are some that have been missed, but he also will reference many of the family of animals to give you an idea of what they mean. There are three sections for each animal: what it means when that animal shows up, when it is time to call on that animal, and what it means for you if they are your personal guide. I focused mostly on my own animal guides and the information given for them. The information he provided resonated with me, while also giving me some more insight on what traits they showed me.
I enjoyed reading through the extras he provided as well. The introduction was great and gave good insight on why he wrote the book and where he got his information from. If you want a good reference book on spirit guides presenting as animals, this is a great one. It will definitely be staying on my reference shelf!

[Raven Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great resource if you are beginning to experience animal guides/power animals/spirit animals. While this book is definitely more of an as needed resource, it’s great to have. The introduction is short but explains a bit. I do wonder if you should pair this with a previous title from him (Power Animals) since it is mentioned frequently. The majority of the book is an index of various animals ranging from the commonly seen such as doves and hummingbirds to the less common like an eel or zebra. Instead of describing the animals, he gets to the point which is nice. He explains what each represent as it shows up, why you may want to call upon it, and if it’s your power animal. He’s got a section filled with various scenarios in which you’ll find a list of animals to refer back to the previous section. This is great, especially if you looking to bring in animal energies for a specific purpose. The book ends with a meditation to meet your power animal. Overall, it’s not a thrilling book to read cover to cover but that isn’t the intended purpose of this book. This is a resource to have nearby for when you notice strange occurrences with animals and would like a quick resource to find out some of the possible meanings.

[Judy Phin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm entering this as finished, but I don't think this is a book that you would really put down and finish per say, in each and every moment of your life, there are signs and guides all around and this has been a beautiful way to turn our attention and awareness to what has appeared in our dreams, in thought and in the physical realm, and then further look into it a possible message/ direction that the subconscious mind/ universe is trying to guide you towards.

I love the spiritual/ magical story telling behind these age old rituals and beliefs, becoming a lot more in tune with your surroundings and being able to relate to the strengths and challenges of different animals that inhabit this world of ours =)

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't a reading to read book, this is a handbook on all the different animals that can help guide you in various situations or animals that could even be the animal that is your spirit guide. In the back of the book there is an appendix that lists situations and feelings and it will tell you which animals could guide you and help you through the situation or feelings you are experiencing.
I thought at times the author was grasping at animals to include in the book and assign it some meaning. For myself, I picked up bits and pieces that applied to me. I do believe in animal spirit guides but not necessarily in the same way this author does.

[Nikki Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought the kindle version of this book to have something at my fingertips when I wanted to look up animals that I happen to encounter. I have loved Ted Andrews book Animal Speak forever but wanted something more concise yet similar and this book is perfect. I especially like the lists at the end for calling on different animals in different situations. For example I am working to build strength and there is a corresponding list of animals that can be worked with for this purpose. I still consider Animal Speak the best book on this subject but this book is really wonderful too.

[Montana Clay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will be using this to refer back to anytime I see fit but I did flip through and stop on any pages that stood out to me. A lot of the animals I could picture times in my life when they came to me and it made sense why they were resonating for me at those times. Now it’s cool to think I can know more in the moment why they are showing up. A comforting book with good suggestions of how to harness the power of each animal.

[Cécile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy book to find clues to understanding the meaning of an animal encounter, and identify what is a meaningful encounter.
Very well organised and accessible.
Not so helpful to identify your power animal if, like me, you never asked yourself the question before and don’t really know how to start figuring that out.

[Laurel-Lee Colclough · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about you, understanding and knowing which animal is your spiritual guide. Understanding what your strengths and weaknesses are and what you're capable of doing. When I read this book, I found that my spiritual guide is a wolf. If you're a believer in spiritual guides then this is the book for you. Enjoy!

[Filippa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find this book very thorough and on point with the meanings of the animals, and the attributes/characteristics typical of a person with a particular animal totem. An excellent reference book to have on the shelf ready for when one receives messages or amens from the animal kingdom :)

[Dawn Ackerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book it really helps me find messages that i needed to hear.

[Heather Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an interesting book. I refer to it often since I've read it.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

My go to,

[Michelle Clair]

My go-to book when trying to find understand the messages my guides and angels want me to know. Wide variety of animals. Just wish there was a volume 2

[Mangamaximis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for research on spirit animals and what they maybe telling you.

[Tamara Soal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written.

[Hollidaisy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fabulous reference book if you'd like to be able to understand some of the animals that come to you, or if you want to know which spirit to call on during specific times in your life.

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anne Watson had this book, and it looked really interesting. It's not the kind of book that you read in one sitting, but great for a reference if you see an animal and feels it means something.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book if you want a reference for your animals

[Wendy Allard]

Love this book and refer to it for interest and potentially some guidance. I have the full size book and the pocket size book and keep them at both of our places so I can always check out my interaction with various animal spirits.

[Norma Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick and easy guide to discover hidden meanings as to sitings of all sorts of critters of the animal kingdom and what they might be trying to say to you. I've looked at other versions on this topic and many are too far in depth for meaning where Farmer's version is short and sweet. He also has an oracle deck with beautiful paintings depicting an even shorter version of the book.

This is a book to carry with you for referencing wherever you go. There used to be an iPhone version but now only a more condensed version is available to download.