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Animals represent instinctual wisdom, freedom, and the powers of Nature. They represent different spiritual qualities; each of us has an animal self whose wisdom we can draw on in times of need. This animal self is not an enemy to be conquered, but a potential ally - to live instinctually is to live in harmony with Nature. This is why Taoist philosophy often uses stories of animals to impart its wisdom. Similarly, folklore and mythology from all over the world is full of animal stories, and many (if not most) deities have animal totems associated with them. The animals, birds, trees, and places connected with each deity link all Nature in a web of symbols, showing that everything depends on everything else. The animal represents the power of the deity at work in the world, a visible manifestation of the numinous.
The animal spirits which reach out to humans in the form of totem animals may be powerful guardians of the land, like the Aboriginal Ancestors of the Dreamtime; or the spirits of living animals; or they may be the animal aspects of the human psyche resurfacing from the pre-conscious mind. For example, it is possible to access the reptilian aspects of the mind (said to correspond to the limbic system in the brain, which deals with sensory impressions, pleasure and pain) by meditating on the various qualities of reptiles and their mythical associations. Fish are associated with the unconscious, in that they live in the sea, which symbolises the deep mind. Frogs and toads are generally associated with the sensual aspects of the earth, the underworld, and sexuality. Their amphibious qualities led them to be associated with the ability to exist on more than one level, so they also symbolise the incarnation of spirit in matter. The serpent is also associated with the earth and the!
underworld, representing the sinuous qualities of earth energies; it is associated with healing (Asklepios, Greek god of healing, had a snake entwined about his staff) and wisdom (Hermes and Mercury had as their attribute the caduceus, with two serpents entwined about it). The mammalian aspects of mind (generally regarded as corresponding to the thalamus and the hypothalamus) are associated with the emotions, a sense of community, and instinctual wisdom. The mammalian mind is more complex and multifarious, so that different mammals hold widely different symbolic meanings.
Another way of developing the animal aspects of the mind is to use the shamanistic technique of dressing as an animal, in order to acquire its characteristics. This practice survived into the dances of the medieval mummers (though its original meaning may have been forgotten), who often dressed as hares and other sacred animals.
Animals themselves frequently have an instinctual awareness of people's personalities. This awareness is perhaps similar to what we experience as a "gut feeling", a kind of pre-cognitive knowledge. We can learn to develop this awareness in ourselves by being aware of animals' responses to people.
In the past, animals were used as "cures" for various diseases. Some of these practices were extremely dodgy (e.g. fried mice as a cure for whooping cough). The therapeutic benefits of having animals around have been confirmed by research, however - it has been observed by psychologists that stroking a cat or a dog will lower a person's blood pressure and reduce stress.
The companionship of animals is an ancient pleasure. Since cats and dogs first moved in with humans, and various animals were domesticated, humans have shared their lives with animals. The ancient Egyptians regarded the cat as sacred, so much so that the penalty for killing a cat was death.
Humans have also hunted animals for food and clothing. Many of the early rituals of humans were acts of sympathetic magic for success in the hunt. The spirits of the animals had to be propitiated, in order that they would not exact vengeance; the animals' remains had to be buried in a certain way, to ensure that their spirits could reach the underworld; and the guardian deity of the hunt would be invoked to provide plentiful game.
Both wild and domestic animals are rich in symbolic associations, which have developed over the centuries and cultures into an immense heritage of mythology and folklore. In our dealings with animals, it is well to be aware of their symbolic meaning as well as their characteristics, habitat, and position in the eco-system. Many of our attitudes to species affect our dealings with them. The symbolism of an animal can change over time, and this will not only affect our dealings with it, but also reflect some change in the culture. The new attitude to the wolf has been constructed from various sources, but it probably represents a shift in tastes towards the truly wild, which is seen as the locus of freedom and individuality - symbolised by the "lone wolf" (although wolves are actually quite sociable animals). By observing such cultural shifts, we can discover a lot about the nature of consciousness and society. Symbolism and myth are never static. They are a constant internal process, fermenting in the vat of consciousness.
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