Curated for the Journey
Resource Guide
Every path is easier when you have good companions and good tools. This guide gathers the resources we return to again and again — books that open the mind, podcasts that speak to the soul, communities that welcome the seeker, and practices that ground the spirit.
These are not affiliate listings. They are genuine recommendations from the Animal Soul team — things we have read, used, loved, and learned from. We hope they serve you as well as they have served us.
Essential Books
These books have shaped how we understand spirit animals, shamanism, and the relationship between humans and the natural world.
Animal Speak
by Ted Andrews
The definitive guide to understanding the messages of animals, birds, insects, and reptiles. Andrews provides detailed interpretations for over 200 animals, along with practical guidance on how to observe and interact with the natural world as a spiritual practice.
The Way of the Shaman
by Michael Harner
The foundational book on core shamanism. Harner, an anthropologist who studied with indigenous shamans across the Americas, distills the universal elements of shamanic practice into a clear, accessible guide. Essential reading for anyone serious about the journey.
The Book of Symbols
by Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism
A stunning visual encyclopedia of symbols from across human culture, including extensive entries on animal symbolism. Not specifically about spirit animals, but invaluable for understanding the deep archetypal meanings that animals carry in the collective unconscious.
Medicine Cards
by Jamie Sams and David Carson
A card deck and guidebook system for working with animal energies as spiritual tools. Each animal card offers a teaching, a challenge, and a medicine. While it draws from Native American symbolism, it is best approached as a modern oracular system rather than a traditional text.
Podcasts Worth Your Ears
For when you want to learn while walking, driving, or sitting by the fire.
For the Wild
with Ayana Young
An interview-based podcast at the intersection of ecology, spirituality, and activism. While not exclusively about spirit animals, it explores the profound relationship between humans and the natural world — the very ground from which spirit animal work grows.
The Emerald
with Joshua Schrei
A podcast dedicated to the human relationship with the more-than-human world. Schrei weaves together mythology, anthropology, and nature spirituality in a way that illuminates how animals have always been our teachers.
Shamanic Voices
with Lorna and Richard
Interviews with practicing shamans, healers, and journeyers from around the world. Each episode offers a window into how different cultures and individuals practice shamanism in the modern world.
Digital Tools
Apps and websites that support your daily practice.
Dream Journal Apps
Capture your dreams the moment you wake. Apps like DreamKeeper or Lucidity let you tag animal appearances and track patterns over time.
Meditation Timers
Insight Timer and MyLife offer guided meditations specifically for connecting with spirit animals, as well as interval bells for self-guided journeying.
Nature ID Apps
iNaturalist, Merlin Bird ID, and Seek help you identify animals and plants in your area. Knowing who you share your land with deepens your connection to place.
Communities and Organizations
You do not have to walk this path alone. These communities offer teaching, support, and fellowship.
Foundation for Shamanic Studies
Founded by Michael Harner, this organization offers workshops and trainings in core shamanism worldwide. Their workshops are the gold standard for learning shamanic journeying in a respectful, non-appropriative context.
Society for Shamanic Practice
A membership organization that provides community, resources, and continuing education for shamanic practitioners. Their online gatherings and journal are excellent for deepening your understanding.
Local Nature Groups
One of the most underrated resources. Look for local birding groups, nature walks, or wilderness skills workshops. Learning the names and behaviors of the animals in your bioregion is a form of shamanic training in its own right.
Online Forums
Reddit communities like r/shamanism and r/spirituality offer spaces to ask questions and share experiences. Approach with discernment — not all advice is equal — but genuine wisdom can be found.
Simple Daily Practices
Beyond books and apps, the most powerful resources are the practices you return to day after day.
Morning Animal Check-In
Before you check your phone in the morning, pause and ask: which animal comes to mind? The first animal that appears — whether expected or surprising — carries a message for your day. Sit with it for one minute before you rise.
Weekly Nature Sit
Once a week, sit in the same spot outdoors for fifteen minutes. Do nothing. Watch. Listen. Notice which animals appear. Over weeks, you will build a relationship with a place and its non-human residents.
Full Moon Reflection
Each full moon, review your dialogue journal. Look for patterns in the animals that have appeared to you — in dreams, synchronicities, and meditations. The full moon illuminates what has been growing in the dark.
How to Use This Guide
This resource guide is a living document. We add to it as we discover new tools, books, and practices that genuinely support the spirit animal path. If there is a resource you love that is not listed here, we would love to hear about it.
Start with what calls to you. If you are new, begin with the books. If you are experienced, explore the communities. If you are short on time, try a daily practice. The right resource at the right moment can change everything.
Not Sure Where to Start?
If you have not yet found your spirit animal, take our quiz. It is the beginning of everything.
Take the Spirit Animal Quiz