The porcupine’s name is a derivative of the Medieval French porc espin, which means “spiny pig.” Like otters, porcupines are very loving, curious, and playful creatures, but they also have a well-known defense they can use if they feel threatened. The sharp quills, as many as thirty thousand, that they are so famous for are mixed in with fur on their back, sides, and tail. The rest of their body is soft hair. Porcupines fall into two groups: Old World and New World. Old World porcupines live in southern Europe, Asia, and Africa, and New World porcupines live in North America and the northern part of South America. Like beavers, porcupines live in forests, where they eat mostly wood and bark, but they also like some plants and fruit. Contrary to popular belief, porcupines can’t shoot their quills, but they do detach relatively easily, as many family dogs painfully discover.
Key Attributes
Childlike innocence, maintaining a sense of curiosity and wonder, adaptability, a reminder to not let other people’s opinions affect you, facing your fears, and having faith and trust.
Chakra Interpretations
Root
North American porcupines prefer to live in forests but can adapt to live in harsher environments. Most likely, you are the kind of person who would rather spend time in the woods than go to the beach. You may even like having a house surrounded by trees. The fact that the porcupine sleeps during the day and comes out at night to find food could mean that you tend wake up in the middle of the night to raid the fridge. Another aspect speaks of the porcupine’s preference for living a simple life. You don’t need a fancy home to make you feel safe and happy. The porcupine moves through life at its own pace. You don’t let anyone push you to do anything you don’t want to do, nor can anyone rush you. From a work perspective, it is probably best if you can be on flex time because if you are required to punch a clock at a particular time, it will always be a struggle.
Sacral
Porcupines are primarily nocturnal, so night could be the time when you wake up and are at your most energetic and creative. New World porcupines are excellent climbers and spend a lot of time in trees. However, they occasionally fall because they see something tempting just out of reach, and they can’t help but try to grasp it. You are not afraid to stretch your limits, even if you fail. It is more important to you to test yourself and see just how far you can go. Another possibility has to do with porcupines being observed standing on their hind legs doing a rhythmic dance. No one is exactly sure why they do it—possibly stress, maybe a mating dance, maybe to relax, or just because they like it. It could be that when you are anxious or bored, it is hard for you to be still. You rock from foot to foot or pace around the room.
Solar Plexus
An obvious feature of the porcupine is its quills; they scare people. For the most part, you have a happy-go-lucky personality and may exude a gentle, playful nature, but there may be something about you that frightens people. It takes a lot, such as a direct attack, to get you riled up, but you are perfectly capable of defending yourself, and when you do, it is in ways that will have your attacker thinking twice before ever crossing you again. If you are exuding a prickly aura due to fear, porcupine energy could be telling you that your shields and defenses are too thick. It may be time to learn to trust so you don’t miss out on the beautiful experiences and joy that are available to you. It might surprise people to find out how cuddly you are.
Heart
Porcupines have a gentle nature and a live-and-let-live approach to life, but they aren’t very social. It is possible that because of past hurts, you keep people away. Another possibility in this chakra has to do with the porcupine having a childlike wonder. On the surface, people might think of you as cantankerous, but once they get to know you, they discover that you’re sweet and full of playfulness and joy. The critical question is, do you know this about yourself?
Throat
Porcupines rely a great deal on scent to communicate. This may mean that you like to leave a trail of your fragrance behind as you walk through a room so people know that you have been there. Another possibility is that porcupines are vocal. Most of us have seen videos of cute porcupines mumbling over a piece of food. It could be that you tend to talk to yourself or mumble and make odd vocal noises while you’re eating or busy with a project or activity. A word of caution would be to make sure you don’t combine your vocalizations with your quills. It probably takes a lot to get you to the point where you feel like you must use them, but your barbs can inflict a lot of damage.
Third Eye
Porcupines tend to be nearsighted. It could be that you only trust what is right in front of you and you are not comfortable with expanding your worldview. Porcupine energy encourages you to see beyond your guarded perception and explore the realm of the unknown with a childlike wonder. You never know what kind of tasty treats you might discover. Another aspect of the porcupine in this chakra is dependence on other senses. You need additional input beyond just what you can see before you trust a situation.
Crown
Porcupine in this chakra could be saying that apprehension and fear of the unknown may be keeping you from connecting with your highest self or with Spirit. As mentioned already, porcupines have been observed dancing. Trance or ritual dancing is or could be a way for you to connect with Spirit. If you don’t already attend them, try going to drumming events, trance dances, or celebrations with a bonfire. At the very least, you’ll have a blast.