Pet Turtle Care

Connecting to the divine animal archetypes

Karl Jung said that his compassion for animals did not stem from Buddhism but ‘rested on the deeper foundation of a primitive attitude of mind - an unconscious identity with animals.’ People who do not sense the phylogenic and spirit connection with animals are closing themselves off to the reality and truth of their own natures. This disconnection is a cutting off from a source of guidance, clarity and power. Animal archetypes give us opportunity to eulogise the noble and natural aspects of our own awareness. All the animal kingdom can be tapped into and utilized in the connected model of the universe. Cross culturally and historically the position of animals as spiritual beings is correlated with the amount of so called ‘civilization’ of that society.

The metaphysical fusion of human and animal is expressed in the notion of ‘Power animal’. These entities are derived from a variety of species. For some cultures the type of power animal that works with the shaman, indicates his abilities and power as a shaman. It is interesting how diverse cultures frequently have mythological similarities. This is true for the deification and spiritual identification in animals. Children find it easy to commune with animals, they instinctively act out animal behaviors and understand the subtle communications of the non human world. When we are very young, children of all cultures naturally anthropomorphize animals. This tendency is reflected in the stories children like (which frequently feature animals with human abilities such as speech). Often these animals also have supernatural power. Hume in Natural history of Religions says “there is a universal tendency amongst mankind to conceive .