People are often drawn to Native American culture and how the culture has to do with philosophy and spirituality. There is a magical thing that seems to happen when you tie nature into anything, and the traditional Native Americans knew that nature was part of who they were. In other cultures, many people will look at things in their life and they will add nature and spiritual aspects to it.
Native Americans feel that life is full of oneness and that everyone is connected in some way or other. Some life forms are considered to be more sacred than others and these are the items or things that are here to teach people. There is a Great Spirit that speaks to the Native Americans, and this is done by nature. This is why they are often known for being wildlife observers and to learn where they can find food and how they can understand the weather.
This culture knew things that were beyond the senses, and they knew when there would be peace and when there would be war and they would even refer to the animals as their “medicine.”
Oracle Cards
Because of the love of nature from the Native Americans, Jamie Sams and David Carson created an oracle card set in 1988 that was about the medicine animals that would help the Native Americans through their life journey. These are medicine cards and animal medicine cards, and they all have the same meaning.
Understanding Animal Medicine Cards
All parts of nature are considered important to the Native Americans and things like animals, insects and birds all help to teach people things about their life. They teach people how to behave and they hold power to share their wisdom. If you take time to connect with the animal medicine cards, you will see how these selected animals can help people to connect with the guidance of the animals. It is an interesting and sweet way for people to be able to see how important nature is to the world around them.
The Animal Cards that are done by Sams and Carson were created with 44 different cards that showed animals and insects. They are used as “medicine” which means that these mysterious things in life can teach people something and will be connected to everyone. These are things that were drawn from Choctaw, Aztec, Mayan, and other Native American traditions. They made the cards to show people that they can get guidance from the medicine animals and use some of their philosophies.
All of the cards have an animal, insect or bird and a Native American shield. These are medical shields and not war shields. They were created for spiritual protection, and they have different symbols on them that help to bring people life and hope.
Getting to know the cards are important and if you are someone that uses divination, these cards can help to connect to the divine. You can imagine a shield, or you can create your own on almost anything from a vision board to your journal and you can use pictures in magazines or whatever you want to amplify your desires.
The cards were made so that people could remember to connect with nature and to show Mother Earth appreciation for the connectedness of life. These cards can give strength and power to those that use them.
Using Animal Medicine Cards
These cards are a great way to start if you want to know yourself more. You can connect to the cards and with nature and you can start your life journey. If you want to have a certain skill, you can ask the medicine card to help you get that.
Just like other forms of divination, you want to make sure that you have a space set up that you can get into the cards such as an altar or a place where you won’t be bothered. Then, once you start, make sure that you do your readings often because as you repeat the cards you will have more power and you will know how to connect better.
You can do whatever you want to make the room more comfortable such as lighting candles, burning incense and finding a way to relax. Sit in a chair or on the floor on a mat or wherever you feel most comfortable.
Clear your mind and then set your intentions. Think of a question that you have to ask and hold it in your mind for a few seconds before you write it down. Once you focus totally on your question, shuffle the cards. Then, you can pull a card and look at it or you can wait for one to fall out of the deck. Either way, as long as you have your question in mind you can get insight into what you need to know and have a clear mind.
There is a book that comes with these cards, and it can give you information that you can use to understand the cards more. Once you know the answer that you need, you can move to another question. This kind of reading will help you to be more aware of what you need and more aware of your question.
The cards were designed so that they can tell stories and they are full of humor and symbols. The information that the cards have will help you to explore yourself and will help you to understand who you are more. The cards can be used in spreads, and they offer different themes that you can use. Each of the cards represent a problem or a situation that you want to address and whatever kind of wisdom you desire.
Spreading Animal Medicine Cards
There are nine different animals that are the totem animals that you can learn more about:
- Medicine Wheel: This is the wheel of life, and it honors everything a person does.
- Medicine Shield: This can be used in a layout if you are starting something new or if you need to understand a chapter in your life or need growth.
- Pathway: This is a spread that can help you to see your life path better.
- Sun Lodge Spread: Shows how people see you.
- Moon Lodge Spread: Lets you look at your unconscious mind.
- Butterfly Spread: This will show the outcome of a group project.
- Father Sky or Mother Earth Spread: This is a way that you can bring balance and not be confused about things.
Meaning of the Cards
| Animal Medicine Card | What the Card Represents | Upright Meaning | Reversed Meaning |
| Ant | Having patience | Believing in the universe. | Feeling impatient or in a hurry. |
| Armadillo | Be patient. | Trust things around you. | Finding strength even if you’re vulnerable. |
| Antelope | Set boundaries. | Know your boundaries. | What are you not getting done? |
| Badger | Aggressive. | Anger and self-healing. | Where do you direct your anger? |
| Bat | Rebirth. | Hide your anger. | Why do you feel stuck? |
| Bear | Looking deep within. | Let there be stillness. | Having an inner knowing or being disconnected. |
| Beaver | Building. | Use teamwork for goals. | What is hidden? |
| Buffalo | Praying. | Looking for gratitude and changes. | Are you blocking your abundance from coming. |
| Butterfly | Transforming | Seeing things change. | Are you resisting change from coming? |
| Coyote | Trickery. | Let stillness come. | Are you not paying attention to things around you? |
| Crow | Law. | Use teamwork to help you get places. | Are you being rebellious? |
| Deer | Gentle. | Be grateful and humble. | Are you not doing things because of fear? |
| Dolphin | Manna. | See yourself transform. | Are you lacking energy healing? |
| Dragonfly | Illusions. | Learn to laugh. | Do you have an illusion? |
| Dog | Loyalty. | Say what you mean and then do it. | Are you your own best friend? |
| Eagle | Speaking to the spiritual world. | Love people unconditionally. | Have you forgotten your power? |
| Elk | Stamina. | Deep breathe and take care of your body. | Do you feel stressed? |
| Fox | Camouflage. | Be your best. | Do you feel invisible? |
| Frog | Sacredness. | Get support when you need it. | Are you being negative? |
| Grouse | Messenger. | Learn and observe others. | Do you lack confidence? |
| Hawk | Strength and power. | Get rid of negative energy. | Are you not observing things? |
| Horse | Joy. | Know your own power. | Do you abuse your power? |
| Hummingbird | Dreams. | Notice what the universe is telling you. | Is your heart closed? |
| Lizard | Secrets. | Remember who you are. | Do you have inner problems that are causing you to have nightmares? |
| Lynx | Leader. | Enjoy life, take time to relax. | Do you feel that your confidence is broken? |
| Mountain Lion | Have self-esteem. | Use your imagination to get away from life. | Are you having a problem with authority? |
| Moose | Don’t be in scrutiny. | Know your higher self. | What is causing your ego drive? |
| Opossum | Diversion. | Embrace your life and stand for what you believe. | Do you feel like you’re going in circles? |
| Owl | Deceptive. | Love your progress. | What drama is distracting you? |
| Otter | Feminine energies. | Don’t miss the bigger picture. | Is fear of rejecting holding you back? |
| Porcupine | Innocence. | Be smart and strategic. | Do you need to lighten up? |
| Rabbit | Fear. | Be observant and wise. | What scares you? |
| Raven | Be magical. | Have fun and be playful. | Have you lost faith that miracles can happen? |
| Skunk | Reputation. | Hold on to your inner child. | Where has your energy went? |
| Snake | Transmutation. | Face the fears that you have. | Why are you resistant to changes? |
| Squirrel | Find medicine. | Allow your life to have mysteries. | What is making you anxious? |
| Spider | Weave. | Have self-awareness. | Why do you feel criticized? |
| Swan | Have grace for others. | Notice shifts in your life. | What is distracting you? |
| Turkey | Give things away. | Make plans. | Why are you being stingy? |
| Turtle | Mother Earth or nature. | Believe in the one that created you. | Do you feel like a victim? |
| Weasel | Sneaky. | Listen to your intuition. | What are you not being accountable for? |
| Whale | Someone that keeps records. | Know that you are a gift to those around you. | Do you need to clear clutter out of your mind? |
| Wolf | Teacher | Having wisdom from others. | Do you want to have new ideas? |
Meaning of the Cards
Once you use the animal medicine cards you can see that there are opportunities that allow you to be around other people. Notice the behavior of animals around you wherever you are. If you get surprised by something in nature, notice what the message is that it is giving you.
You can also find other books and things online that you can read that can give you a dictionary of the different animals, reptiles, birds, insects and more. This can guide you whenever you see some of these things.
Go deeper into your work and use bird medicine and feather magic to read the signs into nature. When you work with the different calls of animals, you can see that there are things that you can do to connect with nature. Nature is honoring things and when you make a connection with nature you can honor yourself and others.
Spirit Animal
If you wonder what your spirit animal is, there are ways that you can find this out. Pay attention to animals that come around you a lot or animals that you see in your dreams. Sometimes people will just have an affinity for a certain kind of animal, and this can be their spirit animals.
Spirit animals have strong qualities, and these are the same qualities that people sometimes have with their spirit or totem animal. Look at the different birds, animals and insects and see your world change around you.
Always pay attention to the symbols of animals in advertisement, on television, when people around you talk or even in your dreams. When you see that the universe is trying to show you who your spirit animal is, engage with it and see that your life can be amazing.