Spirit Animals
So you’ve spent a long time searching for your animal guide, and now you have found one on a totem. Where do you go from here? Well, you can spend time meditating and building your relationship with your guide, but how do you identify with it? The first step is usually to give it a name. Sounds relatively easy, but is it? Sometimes it can take a lot of effort to find that right name for your animal guide, almost as much as finding your guide in the first place.
Some people have that knack for names, usually the first name that pops into their head and are happy with that choice. But remember you are building a lifetime relationship with your guide. You want that name to be unique to your guide and you. You don’t want to change your guides name a dozen times; it may actually confuse your guide and cause problems with your relationship. Would you give your dog several different names? A dog will respond to one name, one that he or she identifies with. If you call your dog different names it will confuse them and frustrate you. I think you get the idea.
Visions of Light
Most names come to you from the visions and meditations you undertake when you are finding your guide; sometimes when you call out to them. Other times the name comes from actual contact with your spirit guide, such as the colour and the texture of the fur, feathers or skin. It could come the way they reacted to you when they appeared to you, such as howling, running, flying, roaring, etc. An example could be “White Snow Wolf”, “Crouching Tiger”, “Big Running Bear” or a simple one word name, such as “Makota”, “Bluewolf”, or “Lonewolf”. I will tell you a short story about the way I found mine.
I was introduced to my animal guide in one of my visions as a young Indian boy.
I was growing up and coming of age. We always had wolves around our camp and I remember one incident when I was very young. I was always getting into things I shouldn’t have. One time I got too close to the campfire and was going to stick my hand in it. Then out of nowhere this young wolf, about a year old, grabbed my arm in its mouth and pulled it away from the fire putting his own life at risk to save me. The elders of the tribe saw this. They were astonished and amazed at the act of bravery this wolf had done. After witnessing this, the elders came up to me and the young wolf and told my parents what the wolf had done. They told them that this wolf “Is the one” to be paired up with me as my guide and companion. The elders named the wolf “Lakota”. He was beautiful with all black fur, gold eyes and was very big and strong for his age. We became inseparable, with many adventures ahead of us.
Wolfpack
This is how I got the name for my wolf guide, in one of the many visions I had. So when I had my first contact with my animal guide, which in this case was the wolf, I saw that same black wolf with the gold eyes staring at me. I called out “Is that you Lakota?” He came over to me because he recognized the name and sat down by my side. I gave him a big hug and I realized it was him I’d seen in my visions. And we have been building on this relationship ever since. You may not have had the same experience I did, but it can be a fulfilling and rewarding experience for you to find that right name for your guide.
As for a spirit names for yourself, since we are on the subject of names; it can be the same name as your animal guide or completely different. The process is the same as it was for your animal guide. Most of us are not of Native American blood so to speak, so we weren’t given a spiritual name. Your spiritual name can come from your guide, something you are or do, or from your meditations and visions. I received my spiritual name from one of my visions and I will share with you here.
Once again, as a very young Indian boy, I remember life in my tribe when I was growing up. I used to play with the other children, but I had a tendency to wander off on my own. I just wanted to explore the world around me. I would wander off for hours at a time and my parents would start to worry and end up sending out some of the other members of the tribe to look for me. When I was found they would bring me back and I would get scolded and punished for running off. Remember, it is dangerous to be wandering off on your own, especially for a young boy by himself! The tribal elders conferred with my parents and decided to give me the name “Little Grey Lonewolf“. And that’s how I earned my spirit name in real life. As time went on and I got older, I dropped the “Little” from the name and eventually dropped the “Grey” from the name as well. I now use my real first name “Ken” so it has become “Ken Lonewolf”.
Animal Spirit Guid
Some of my friends just call me “Lonewolf“. Even in real life I had the same tendencies as the young Indian boy. I love to explore and seek new things. That does not mean I am a loner as the name would suggest. It actually means freedom, the ability to strike out on your own, but not forget the qualities gifted by the wolf spirit; those such as love and family and the togetherness of community.
Enjoy naming your animal guide and even yourself. Just remember, you have to live with the names you choose. Do not worry about other people’s thoughts about the names you chose, they’re not you!
Blessings on your journey and may it be rewarding and fulfilling.
Thank you Wolf Brothers,
Ken Lonewolf
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Ken Lonewolf,
That was absolutely beautiful! I have had 2 different guides come to me during one of my meditations,although I believe that I do have a 3rd one and have only seen it once. However, I believe that my first guide is my strongest and the one that is around me most often. My 2nd guide is there when I need him and most generally he pops in and out of my day as the time comes appropriate for his presence! My first guide is Wolf….although I am still trying to figure out if my guide is male or female, I believe it to be female (maybe I am just guessing on this, but I have not been told that I was wrong yet!) I have a name that sticks with me and as a dog breeder, I even named one of my dogs the name. It is Tala….which means “Stalking Wolf” in Native American, but not sure which tribe. Until I am certain if my guide is male or female, I will not give it a name, I would so hate to name my guide a girl name, if it was actually a male! My 2nd guide is a Bear and is a male. I have named him “Standing Bear”, as every time I have seen him, he is standing on his hind legs.
I absolutely love this and Thank you so much for sharing with us! As many of us are just learning how to contact our guides!
Timber Wolf, I do believe you have another great Article writer on your hands!
Blessings to both of you, as jobs well done!
Holly Jo
This article was very inspirational, helped me to learn the ways of my native american brothers, I hope Lonewolf, continues to enlighten us in his verses, and teaches us of the true american way! Wishing you much success in your endeavors, sincerly, Silver Wolf
After reading this I have discovered what I always felt to be true. The horse is my animal guide. I have always felt a kindred spirit with horses , especially the wild mustang for its’ unfathomable courage and unbreakable spirit. I am not in depth enough yet with my spirituality to name my spirit guide. I believe I have found the friends with which I may learn to search my soul for the answers that I seek.
Thank you Lonewolf for yet another wonderful article. Truly it appears to be written from the depths of your soul…
Caroline~
Namaste Caroline
Thank you for your comment. It is wonderful to see so much interaction going on here at Timberwolf HQ these days. I too am pleased that you have located your animal guide. While I think that patience is necessary to understand your guide and its message and lessons for you. However, meditation can afford you a closer link to your guide and it can even speed up the process of name discovery. The article: Discovering Your Animal Totem has an amazing meditation that has helped many people to not only meet, but be introduced to their animal guide by name. As to your own spirit name, that will come with time. Have patience – a-ye-ga-li a-ga-ti-yv
Timberwolf
Namaste Caroline,
Give yourself some time for the name, you have already taken a huge step finding your animal totem. Take some time to develop your relationship with your guide, learn about it’s character and traits and how it relates to you. Meditate and place yourself with it in a quiet place, speak to it, look into it’s eyes, you will be surprised at what you can learn from it. The name may just appear from nowhere, capture it and it may be what you are seeking. Patience is the key, just let it happen on it’s own.
Keep us posted on your progress, and blessings to you,
Ken Lonewolf
I thought that Silverfawn would be a good name for my spirit guide but i was wrong, i know now that Aruna is the right name. Aruna means Dawn in Cheyenne Indian, so it works out perfectly, in a way me and my Spirit guide has the same name.
Introduction into the life of the Owl. A guardian warrior by birth descended down from all great inhabitants of this world and the next.
Viewing myself from outside the line of sight seen from my eyes, trapped underwater beneath the firm grip of a log I had tried using for safe crossing over the swift streams current which now gives me this outsiders view of my young boyish self no older than four years of age.
On a job sight as my father welded on a bridge near by, mother sitting comfortably in a beach chair beneath the sun as she read a book, I wondered adventurously. My guardian, a wolf dog given to me at birth now the same age as myself, crossing the stream she uses a log as her crossing. Following close behind I was sure to meet her on the other side.
That was my intention before feeling the slippery moss gave way under my feet. Happening to fall off on the upstream side of the log I was swiftly pinned between sand and tree… I remember the water being so clear, though not able to set myself free I imagined my dog and how I wasn’t there in our discovery of what lay across the stream. Time passes slowly when faced with reality, suddenly with perfect clarity of an outsiders view I seen exactly what was needed to free this child. Whether I became assended from within or momentarily viewed life through the eyes of a wolf, I was aware that all was needed was to push away enough rock, sand and gravel from beneath me allowing the force of water to guide me through to the other side where I’d be free from the log which kept me fastly pinned to the depths of the stream bed. Upon doing this, little Arthur Stock Jr. rose from the bank on which he came only now sopping wet and walking calmly to his mother, all the while as I viewed this from the other side of the stream.
Namaste Arthur
Welcome to Timberwolf HQ. I would like to thank you for the powerful words of your comment. I felt the chill of the water and the goose bumps on my arms as the young Arthur Stock Jr walked out of the water to his mother.
Thank you for sharing.
Timberwolf
Namaste Arthur,
I myself have experienced the seeing of myself from the outside as seen through the eyes of the wolf. It has kept me out of dangerous situations because I saw it from a different perspective and was able to make the decisions to avoid it. I have also been visited by other animal guides as well depending on the situation. You are truly blessed to experience this and would love to hear more of your visions.
Thank you for sharing,
Ken Lonewolf
My guides named ME, in Algonquin its very long but in English it means Frozenwolf. Took me a year after starring at myself in lakes in wolf form while thinking why I was named that. The reasoning why was amazing. Too long and detailed here but it made sense about my personality, traits and challenges and morals in my life. I have seen all my totems human looking forms as well. Including recently the main family totem of a Canadian grey wolf. His form was very ancient looking but wise, as like a chef.