Choose your animal guides 🦬🦢🐋
A 2-card spread for your week ahead
Hello friends,
Last night I was meditating and a clear message came through: explore animal guides.
So often nothing comes through—which is also part of the process—so this felt exciting.
I had been looking for something new for all of you, a new theme or way to explore the card for your week ahead. While the format isn’t a whole lot different, the way you’re invited to work with the energy of today’s reading might be.
a very short overview
Animal guides have long been considered to represent wisdom, guidance, and aspects of our nature. Drawing inspiration from various cultures, they represent different energies and lessons we need to encounter in our lives.
When we connect with an animal guide, we open ourselves to the wisdom of the animal kingdom—lessons in adaptability, strength, intuition, freedom, and more. Every animal holds a unique message, and tapping into that energy can be an empowering way to orient ourselves in a new week.
final thoughts
If you’re new here, welcome. I’m so grateful to see this list continue to grow daily. Something is resonating!
If you’ve been here a long time, thank you. I couldn’t have kept this up for nearly five years without you.
And if you’re feeling like you’d like to support this work, you can here.
xo,
Natalie
How to Use This Spread
In this spread, you’ll choose one pile of two animal guides to support you for the week ahead. Each animal represents a different energy or lesson you may need to focus on.
1. Your First Animal Guide:
• What energy or lesson do I need most this week?
• This animal embodies the energy you’re being invited to embrace—whether it’s wisdom, strength, transformation, or a softer quality like patience or intuition.
2. Your Second Animal Guide:
• What challenge or obstacle is coming up that this guide can help me navigate?
• This animal may represent a quality you need to summon to move through an upcoming challenge, or it could bring attention to an aspect of yourself that requires more focus or balance.
The cards
decks: The Spirit Animal Oracle, Spirit of the Animals Oracle, and Woodland Wardens
Take a breath.
Center yourself.
Pick a card.
Scroll down.
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one
• What energy or lesson do I need most this week?
Horse: The Horse brings the lesson of freedom and movement. This week, you are being encouraged to take swift action and trust your instincts.
Is there something you’ve been putting off and putting off?
This energy is here to support movement. Take a moment to imagine what it might look like if you did move ahead with whatever it is you’ve been avoiding.
It’s time to move forward with confidence and grace.
• What challenge or obstacle is coming up that this guide can help me navigate?
Lion: The challenge may be self-doubt or hesitation. Makes sense considering your first card!
The Lion’s courage asks you to rise above any feelings of insecurity or fear and to lead with your inner strength. Embrace the challenge, and face it with a courageous heart.
One way to do this is to sit in meditation (this can be active meditation, too, like walking, journaling, or drawing) and connect with the Lion energy within you.
What does it have to say to you? What does it most want you to know?
Trust whatever comes up, it’s from you, for you.
two
• What energy or lesson do I need most this week?
Bison: The Bison brings the energy of abundance and resilience.
This week, trust that you have everything you need, both internally and externally, to thrive. This is especially important with everything going on around us right now.
Embrace the flow of prosperity and stay focused. All will be well. You might roll your eyes at that one, but what other option do you have? Energetically, let the Bison within will soothe and guide you. Try to trust.
• What challenge or obstacle is coming up that this guide can help me navigate?
Black Bear: The Black Bear reminds you to slow down and listen to your need for rest and renewal. This works really well with the card above, it’s a chance to release your grip.
Have you noticed your grip? Where have you clawed deeply into something lately?
The challenge might be pushing yourself too hard or feeling burned out. Take time to retreat, rest, and recharge, allowing your energy to replenish naturally…a little bear-like hibernation.
three
• What energy or lesson do I need most this week?
Lizard & Pitcher Plant: The Lizard and Pitcher bring the energy of patience and adaptability.
How have you been adjusting to changes around you, either in your community or the world?
Remember, you’re a powerful, adaptable being and no one thing can take that power from you.
This week, you are encouraged to go with the flow, embrace change, and allow new opportunities to unfold at their own pace. Trust the process and be willing to adjust.
• What challenge or obstacle is coming up that this guide can help me navigate?
Eel & Iris: The Eel and Iris help you navigate the fear of transformation. This energy works beautifully with the Lizard above (the Lizard is one of my totems, btw!).
You might be resisting change, but the Eel shows that growth requires change. It will always happen, and you will always have a choice about how you handle it.
The challenge here is to embrace the unfamiliar, letting go of old ways and trusting in the wisdom of transformation.
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