Animals don’t just cross our paths by accident. This post explores how animals show up as messengers, allies, and guides—and how to recognise the deeper invitation they offer when they do.

It began with a crack I couldn’t explain; subtle at first, then splitting me wide. I didn’t know it then, but I was in the early stages of a shamanic initiation. It came through dreams, physical symptoms, and a trembling sense that something ancient was stirring in my bones. Trauma cracked me open. Illness hollowed me out. I had waves of ecstasy so intense I searched online if it could be the symptom of a brain tumour.