“Everyone has been touched by animals in some way, either in life or in dreams, and always the difficulty is determining what it means.”
—TED ANDREWS, ANIMAL-WISE
In late December of 2004, an undersea earthquake erupted in the Indian Ocean. The violent upheaval of the tectonic plates displaced an enormous amount of water and within a few hours, waves as high as a hundred feet radiated outward from the epicenter. A tsunami crashed into the coastline of eleven Indian Ocean countries, killing more than 250,000 people.
Because the wave that spread out across the Bay of Bengal was visible from space, scientists could precisely measure the size of the quake and the resulting tsunami. However, they were unable to predict it. What became apparent from the earliest reports—and in information gathered during the years since—is that animals were aware of the eruption hours, even days, in advance.
On January 11, 2005, an online article in National Geographic featured numerous stories about animals that had survived the tsunami. Giant waves washed floodwaters up to two miles inland at Yala National Park in Sri Lanka’s biggest wildlife reserve, home to hundreds of elephants, buffalo, leopards, deer, jackals, and monkeys. Yet, the deputy director of the National Wildlife Department, R. D. Ratnayake, said there were no reports of dead animals. “The elephants, wild boar, deer, monkeys, and others moved inland to avoid the killer waves.”
Survivors described how monkeys, who always accept bananas, rejected them on the morning of the tsunami; how elephants screamed and fled to higher ground; how dogs refused to go on their usual morning walks. Even a pair of tethered elephants pulled free of their chains and ran to higher ground for safety before the tsunami crashed against the shore. Flamingos that breed at that time of year at the Point Calimere wildlife sanctuary in India flew to higher ground beforehand and abandoned their breeding grounds.
Ravi Corea, president of the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society, based in Nutley, New Jersey, was in Sri Lanka when the massive waves struck. Afterward, he traveled to the Patanangala beach inside Yala National Park, where sixty visitors were washed away. The beach was one of the worst-hit areas of the 500-square-mile wildlife reserve, which is home to a variety of animals, including elephants, leopards, and 130 species of birds. Other than two water buffalo that died, Corea didn’t see any animal carcasses, nor did the park personnel know of any.
Along India’s Cuddalore coast, where thousands of people perished, the Indo-Asian News Service reported that buffaloes, goats, and dogs were found unharmed. Another survivor recalled bats frantically flying away just before the tsunami struck. In Thailand, a dolphin and her calf reportedly got caught in a lagoon after the tsunami, but many other dolphins fled.
The anecdotes are numerous and involve a variety of species. They clearly show that animals sensed the tsunami’s approach and vacated the area.
“Imagine what could happen … if, instead of ignoring the warnings given by animals, people took them seriously,” wrote British biologist Rupert Sheldrake in Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home.
On May 12, 2008, China experienced its worst earthquake in three decades, a 7.9 in the Sichuan Province. Three weeks before the quake, in a province 350 miles from the quake’s epicenter, the water level in a pond suddenly plunged. Three days before the quake, thousands of toads appeared in the streets of Mianzhu. Residents feared the toads were a sign of an approaching natural disaster. But according to an AP story, an official with the local forestry bureau quashed this theory by saying the toad behavior was normal.
On the day of the quake, zebras at a zoo in Wuhan, more than 600 miles from the quake’s epicenter, banged their heads against doors. Elephants trunks swung wildly and lions and tigers paced restlessly. Five minutes before the quake hit, peacocks started screeching.
Sheldrake noted that before an earthquake on September 26, 1997 that obliterated the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, Italy, there were numerous reports of animals acting strangely. Dogs barked more than usual, cats seemed “disturbed,” pigeons “flew strangely,” and pheasants “screamed in an unusual way.” At least a week before the earthquake, people in Foligno, twelve miles from Assisi, reported rats invading the town.
In some instances, authorities have successfully forecast major earthquakes based in part on their observation of the strange antics of animals. National Geographic reported that in 1975, Chinese officials ordered the evacuation of Haicheng, a city with one million people, just days before a 7.3-magnitude quake. Only a small portion of the population was hurt or killed. If the city officials had ignored the odd animal behavior, it’s estimated that the number of fatalities and injuries could have exceeded 150,000.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, accounts of animals acting strangely before earthquakes date back to Greece in 373 b.c., when rats, weasels, snakes, and centipedes supposedly left their homes and headed for safety several days before a destructive earthquake. Pliny the Elder, who lived between A.D. 23 and 79, wrote that one of the signs of an impending quake “is the excitation and terror of animals with no apparent reason.”
Sheldrake put forth four theories about how animals know, and refuted the first three: They are able to detect what we cannot—subtle sounds, vibrations, movements of the earth; they sense gases released by the earth prior to earthquakes; they respond to electrical changes that precede an earthquake. His fourth theory states “animals may sense what is about to happen in a way that lies beyond our current scientific understanding. In other words, they may be presentient, having a feeling that something is about to happen, or precognitive, knowing in advance what is going to happen.”
There is plenty of evidence of animals predicting earthquakes. Can they also act as early warning systems for other natural disasters? And if so, how can this knowledge benefit us?
During 2004, Florida was hit by three hurricanes: Frances, Charlie, and Jeanne. Birds apparently delayed their migration while the storms churned through Florida. When Hurricane Jeanne was still several hours away from Gainesville, University of Florida biologist Thomas Emmel noticed the butterflies in the university’s enclosed rainforest took shelter among the rocks and trees. When Hurricane Charlie was within twelve hours of southwest Florida, scientists at the Mote Marine Laboratory near Sarasota, Florida, noticed the odd behavior among ten tiger sharks they had tagged. Eight of them fled the estuary for the safety of the open ocean. In 1992, Hurricane Andrew slammed into Homestead, Florida, and wiped it off the map. In its path was the habitat of crocodiles that live in the cooling canals of the Turkey Point nuclear power plant. Apparently the crocodiles sensed the approach of the storm; once it had moved on, not a single dead crocodile was found. It’s speculated that they fled into open water or to the bottom of the twenty-foot canals.
“It doesn’t make any difference if it’s a hurricane, a fire, or an earthquake,” said Frank Mazzotti, a wildlife biologist at the University of Florida. “They apparently sense these things before humans can do that. Not a lot of work has been done to learn the sensory mechanisms. It’s likely a combination of smell, vibrations, and pressure. They start moving away from danger before humans pick it up.”
Animals are among the most accessible synchronistic symbols and you don’t have to live in a rural area to experience animals as messengers or guides. Joseph Campbell, after all, lived on the fourteenth floor of a Manhattan building when he experienced his praying mantis synchronicity (discussed in Secret 1).
Ray Grasse, author of The Waking Dream, recalled how the erratic flight of a bird provided a clue to understanding a question on his mind. The author was involved in a lengthy discussion with a native healer in Arizona, when the man suggested they take a walk along the edge of the village where they could look out over the desert. The medicine man asked Grasse about his life and Grasse mentioned a project he would start soon. He noted that the effort seemed to be taking a direction he hadn’t intended. At that moment, a bird darted in front of them, let out a cry, and turned sharply. “See!” said the medicine man. “There you are! Like you thought, things are going to turn out quite differently than you originally planned.” The healer explained that messages are presented to us all the time, but most people have forgotten how to read them.
Grasse’s story illustrates how clear an animal’s message can be once you understand which animals speak to you and what they’re conveying. Any creature may be a messenger, a vehicle for synchronicity. Whether you call these animals oracles or totems, their presence in your life links you to ancient shamanic traditions, to a world more natural than the one in which most of us now live.
When an animal appears to you—especially one you wouldn’t normally see in the course of your ordinary day, or that shows up under unusual circumstances—consider what you were thinking about or doing at the time. The sighting could be a verification that you’re making the right decision, as in Grasse’s case. The animal’s appearance or its actions could warn you that you’re about to make a bad decision.
If you’re paying attention, you’ll notice that different animals may appear synchronistically at different times, for specific reasons. The reason may not always be apparent to you at the time, but you’ll intuitively feel the connection. You could call that creature your power animal, spirit animal, or totem, and draw on the energy it offers.
This meditation helps you find your power or spirit animal. Sit in a comfortable chair in a quiet setting. Keep your back straight and take several deep breaths to gradually still your mind, then soften your breathing so it feels natural. Let your thoughts drift for a few moments, until your daily concerns no longer seem pressing.
Know that you are protected as you sink deeper into a relaxed state. Imagine a beautiful place in nature—a trail in a majestic forest with sunshine beaming through the canopy, or a spot by a stream or waterfall with mountains in the distance. Put yourself in this place. Sense your surroundings, the sounds and smells of nature.
Call to your animal guardian, even if you don’t know what it is yet. Sense the animal approaching, coming toward you. You feel safe and secure as it moves closer. Now you can see the animal clearly. Is it furry, feathery, small, large? Look into its eyes and feel a connection with the animal.
The creature has a message for you. You may hear the message as a voice in your head, or the animal’s actions may communicate the message symbolically. After a few moments, thank the creature for its guidance. Know that you can go back again to visit your power animal whenever you choose.
If you already know your power animal, you can call on it for help or healing or anything else you may need. Jane Clifford of Wales considers the swan her power animal. She called on it one morning when she woke feeling blue and out of sorts—the words “the Lord is my Shepherd” kept running through her head. “I felt so low that for the first time, I called on swan to help out. I opened my eyes and to my absolute astonishment, two swans flew past.” Although she’d lived in a riverside house for two years, this was the first time she’d seen swans in flight. For a moment, she doubted the experience, wondering if she’d imagined it. “In answer, they flew past again the opposite way.”
Consider a question or matter that concerns you, then during the day watch for the appearance of an animal. If you have pets, exclude them for this divinatory exercise, because they are a constant in your life.
We’ve provided a short list of animals and their possible synchronistic meanings. Many excellent books exist on this subject, and numerous online sites offer more information. When you experience an animal synchronicity—either in real life or in a dream—trust your own impressions and interpretations. What does the animal mean to you? How is it significant in your life?
Research the animal for possible clues to its message. What do its habitat, physical characteristics, behavior, and habits tell you? Is it a mammal, bird, reptile, fish, or insect? What are its most recognized qualities? Where does it live? How long is the female pregnant? Does it give live birth or lay eggs? Does it mate for life? Is it nomadic? Predator or prey? Endangered? All of this information provides you with vital clues about what your animal synchronicity might mean.
In a broad sense, all birds are messengers. So many species of birds exist, they could comprise their own book of oracles. We’ve listed some of the more common birds. Use these meanings only as guidelines to come up with your own interpretations.
Time to socialize. You may have to dig around for the information you need, and the first place to start is with other people. Someone in your circle of acquaintances may have expertise or skills that can help you.
Known as a scavenger bird, buzzards or vultures serve to rid the environment of decaying remains of animals. What do you need to clean up in your life? Which loose ends are waiting to be tied up?
Miners took canaries down into the shafts to provide early warnings of dangerous gases in the air. The appearance of a canary might signify a warning. Note the details surrounding your sighting or dream of this bird. Don’t judge people by the way they look.
Seeing this endangered bird indicates you need to see the bigger picture. But don’t place yourself in jeopardy to get that broader perspective.
Like his brother the raven, the crow is often believed to convey messages between the dead and the living and is linked with birth and rebirth. He’s associated with shamanic magic, too. When you have a synchronistic encounter with a crow, the message might be that you should work more diligently at manifesting your desires. Also, try to be more open to the concept of reincarnation.
You’re not just looking for a committed relationship, you’re searching for your soul mate. We associate doves with peace. Therefore, if you see a dove and you’re concerned about a relationship issue, the bird’s appearance could indicate that a relationship issue will be resolved, peacefully.
Seeing an eagle encourages you to use your intuition. Like the eagle, there’s something regal about you and the way you do things. You enjoy the company of others; however, someone with whom you’re involved may have a better reputation than he or she deserves. You’re able to see the bigger picture—the bird’s-eye view.
Grace and agility are your strengths. You’re looking for the broader perspective. Get out and socialize; don’t be such a loner. Be vigilant for predatory practices.
Long-distance travel is in your future. So are joy, celebration, and love. This animal synchronicity usually points to something positive.
Across time, borders, and cultures, the mythology and folklore about owls involves extremes. They’ve been tagged as harbingers of death and of healing, of unspeakable evil and of great wisdom. In Celtic tradition, owls symbolize the underworld. Zulus consider the owl to be the sorcerer’s bird. In Peru, owls are thought to be strong shamanic medicine. Among Australian Aborigines, they’re believed to be the souls of women. In Siberia, the owl is considered a helpful spirit.
The long tradition of owls as messengers is beautifully illustrated in the Harry Potter books and movies. Remember the opening scenes in the first movie? Owls sweep into the main hall and drop letters down over the students. They are literally mail carriers who freely traverse the boundary between the mundane world and the magical world of Hogwarts. In many shamanic traditions, owls are believed to move between the worlds of the living and the dead with ease, equally at home in both realms.
Sometimes owls are viewed as harbingers of death. One afternoon Trish saw an owl perched on the fence outside her dad’s window. In his mid-nineties at the time, her father had Parkinson’s and was struggling to adjust to the fact that his wife of fifty years was in an Alzheimer’s facility.
She went outside for a closer look at the bird. It was a burrowing owl, an endangered species with ground nests. It didn’t fly away as she approached and she saw that it was missing part of its left leg. That puzzled her. Her dad had both his legs and used a cane to get around. If the owl was a symbol of his imminent death, what was the owl’s missing leg about?
The next morning, she received a call from the Alzheimer’s facility where her mother resided and was told her mother had broken her left hip. The owl was missing part of its left leg. Due to the Alzheimer’s, Trish’s mom wasn’t eligible for hip replacement surgery. The alternative was morphine and a nursing home. Three weeks later, her mother died.
Swans mate for life. Seeing this bird suggests that you should trust the process. A romance may quickly turn into a lifelong committed relationship.
Invertebrates are so common that you could drive yourself nuts trying to figure out the message every time you see one. But if you’re stung, or your house suddenly fills with these critters, you should pay attention.
You’re feeling restless, antsy. Your schedule is jammed and you could be in danger of becoming a workaholic. If you love what you do, that’s fine. You may feel you’re working for the greater good. Otherwise, the ant’s message may be to assess your work situation.
The specific message depends on the type of bee. The honeybee symbolizes generosity, teamwork, and a sweetness of spirit. The bumblebee represents communication and healing.
Seeing a butterfly may herald a transformation, resurrection, or rebirth of some kind. Expect profound changes in your life, in your relationships, career, family, or another area.
Like the butterfly, caterpillars are linked with transformation. Your life is about to undergo a transformation that will enable you to break out and show who you really are.
Good new news is on the way. These beautiful creatures often symbolize go good luck.
You’re in search of the truth. Your inner radiance lights up darkness and garners you attention—your brilliance might even attract the ideal partner.
Seeing a ladybug suggests good luck, transformation, and joy. It urges you to pay attention to family life and spiritual considerations.
Look forward to a powerful creative period. Camouflage and patience can serve you well.
This insect represents independence and self-sufficiency. If a wasp stings you, it may be time to determine where and how you feel injured in your life. Heal the wound through forgiveness.
While it is hard to accurately summarize this category of creatures, as they mean very different things, it’s still worthwhile to pay attention to their presence in your life to become attuned to how it may apply.
In myth, folklore, and fairy tales, the frog is a symbol of transformation, healing, fertility, and renewal. It represents the trickster and magician archetypes, the cycle of death and rebirth. In the fairy tale The Frog Prince by the Brothers Grimm a princess is wooed by a frog who asks for a kiss. Initially horrified by the request, the princess gradually consents out of pity. The moment she kisses the ugly frog, he’s transformed into a prince. The two are married, of course, and the moral of the tale is that beauty is only skin deep.
The frog’s rich shamanic history draws upon its alchemical qualities. Frogs and toads are purveyors of poison and powerful drugs, which can heal or induce hallucinations. Some South American tribes use toad and frog poisons in their spiritual rituals as part of vision quests. The chemical secreted by the poison dart frog can be useful as a cardiac stimulant for heart attack patients, but also produces a painkiller that may someday replace morphine. Thus, symbolism involving a frog usually contains at least two facets.
Frogs are an “indicator species,” meaning they are among the first to be affected by changes in the environment. So when frogs appear to us as symbols, it might mean our personal environments are about to undergo major changes.
In The Dreaming Universe, physicist Fred Alan Wolf related a story of a therapist whose patient, a young girl, was so ill her doctors didn’t think she would live through the night. The therapist, Catherine, visited the comatose girl at the hospital and started talking to her, telling her she could “go into a vast open space and that the space would be enough to keep the girl comfortable. Catherine did not tell her what the space would be like or what she would see in the space. Catherine was leaving it open so that something could happen purely initiated by the girl herself.”
Within a short period of time, the girl came out of her coma, sat up, and said, “The frog jumps.” Then she dropped back on the bed and went to sleep. By the next morning, she was on the road to recovery.
When Catherine went to the hospital the next day, she stopped in the gift shop and bought a toy frog for the girl. “I gave it to her because she needed something very concrete to recognize that her image had brought her back to life.”
Only later did Catherine discover that the frog, as a symbol, had an illustrious history “involving sick children and was given to children who needed to believe in life.”
If frogs are one of your totems, the synchronistic appearance of a frog alerts you that something significant is headed your way. Whether it’s good luck or bad depends on the condition of the frog. If the frog is injured or dead, the news or event may not be positive. A lively leaping frog could indicate good news bounding your way, a fresh start, even a transformation.
This animal reminds you to set your own pace, be observant, and camouflage yourself. Let people come to you.
Your sexuality is heightened. And, perhaps paradoxically, so is your spirituality. By shedding relationships, beliefs, and situations that are no longer in your best interest, your personal power increases.
Numerous opportunities are headed your way. Take your time sifting through them. Follow your instincts about choosing the opportunity that is right for you.
Mammals are all around you, so becoming alert to their special significance in your life can open a window onto even greater synchronicities all around you.
A cat brings a message that your sleeping habits are about to change. Maybe you’ll sleep more during the day, leaving the night open for creative work and exploration. Or perhaps you’re going to start working the night shift. More independence and solitude are beneficial now. Don’t worry about what other people think.
Deer have long been associated with grace and camouflage. When one synchronistically appears in your life, it may indicate you’ll be required to adapt to a situation or within a relationship. For Jenean Gilstrap, a synchronicity involving a deer brought home the need to end a relationship.
“A few years ago, in the midst of a fantastic, cosmic personal relationship, I was questioning the logic/validity of my continuing this relationship regardless of how much I wanted to stay.”
At some level, Jenean had always known the time would come when she would have to decide whether to stay or leave. She struggled daily with the issue. “Driving the long highway to work one cold morning, I began another mental dialogue—stay or go, go or stay—and mentally phrased a request for a sign of what I must do—just something, anything, to help me see my way more clearly.”
With that thought, while driving in the left lane of a four-lane highway in a commercially developed area, she glanced down briefly. Then she looked up again. “There, directly in front of me, was the face of a deer, looking me straight in the eye. Her head was even with mine and her eyes turned directly to me as she bounded across my path and onto the median of grass.”
It seemed so surreal Jenean was certain she’d imagined it. Logistically, it wasn’t possible for the deer to be in midair in front of her as she traveled in the left lane with another car parallel to her in the right lane. But she glanced in her side mirror and saw the deer bounding down the median.
The same conversation ran through Jenean’s mind as she drove to work a few days later. The night before she’d had a dream in which her lover had died and she’d seen him in his casket. “So as I’m driving with the mental image of his casket in my mind, still questioning, asking for a sign, for assurance, I approached the same place on the road where the earlier deer had jumped in front of my car. There, on the side of the road, was a dead deer. A doe.”
Could the message be any clearer? She ended the relationship shortly afterward.
The tail wagging, the slobbering kisses when you walk in your front door: dogs symbolize unconditional love and acceptance. No wonder so many of us believe our dogs understand us better than our human partners. Like other animals, they can also serve as oracles, as vehicles for synchronicities and transformations.
On her way to work one day, Vivian Ortiz, a psychiatric ER nurse in Savannah, saw a dog wandering through traffic. Thin, confused, it was ripe for extinction among the speeding cars. She stopped and coaxed the dog, a beagle mix, into her car, then took it to her vet. Vivian subsequently adopted the dog, which she named Sister, and was delighted that the stray got along well with her cats.
A year later, Vivian, who lives alone, was on her way to work and saw another dog in the same predicament, on the same road; again, she stopped and coaxed it into her car. A homeless man nearby called out his thanks to her for doing the right thing. The dog was a beagle mix, a male. Now Sister and Brother are the best of friends, keeping each other company while Vivian is at work. From the point of view of those two dogs, Vivian served as an oracle, a symbol of transformation for their lives. In return, their unconditional love for Vivan has enriched her life.
Dolphins call you to pay attention to your dream life and spirituality. At this time you’ll achieve the most within a group or working with a team of like-minded individuals. In some way, you’re protected. For now, sex is just for fun.
The devil is in the details, as the saying goes. Seeing a mouse reminds you to connect the dots, save something for the future, but don’t accumulate so much stuff that you’re bogged down.
Squirrels represent communication. They also can advise resourcefulness, storing, and planning for the future.
Some of these meanings may fit your experiences. It’s likely you’ll discover that many of your own animal experiences mean something different. If you’re terrified of dogs, for example, you probably won’t associate them with unconditional love and acceptance. For you, it may be an omen that something frightening is coming into your life. Keep track of your animal experiences and the synchronicities that unfold. Use your insights to create your own glossary.