Discover 10 Animals That Represent Healing

Some animals have a mystical, healing quality to them. Their presence alone seems to calm your spirit, helping you reconnect with yourself and with the present moment. Discover 10 animals that represent healing! Plus, learn about spirit animals and what it means when these animals show up as spirit animals for you!

What Is a Spirit Animal?

A spirit animal is an animal that symbolizes certain concepts. These concepts resonate with individuals. Kim Somers Egelsee, Author, Speaker, Life Coach, and Intuitive told A-Z-Animals. “Each animal has certain qualities that serve to guide a person. The spirit of the animal offers protection as well. These are concepts that originate from various indigenous cultures and those who know what their spirit animal is can connect with them for wisdom and guidance on their life path.”

Spirit animals are full of life lessons and can provide you with clarity as they help you connect with your spirituality. Spirit animals also work on a spiritual level to protect you from harmful energies. Your ancestry can have a direct influence on the type of spirit animal you have. In many cases, spirit animals are closely linked to you for personal reasons that only you thoroughly understand.

Though the concept of spirit animals has become more popular in Western cultures, it’s vital that you offer respect for the places from which these concepts originated. There is a lot of depth associated with the idea of a spirit animal that requires your reverence as you explore further. Below, we share a little bit more about which animals represent healing as it can be helpful as you connect with your own spirit animal.

10 Animals That Represent Healing

1. Dolphin

Scientific name: Delphinus

Dolphins are often touted for their intelligence, but they are also quite nurturing and playful creatures. A dolphin represents healing as they are highly spiritual beings. They can help you connect your mind with your body, instilling a sense of calm.

Dolphins have soothing energy, which makes them wonderful spirit animals for those who experience mental distress, be it momentary anxiety, or clinical depression. Not only do dolphins offer a sense of tranquility and serenity, but they also offer protection.

Water represents emotions and a dolphin has mastered the water. A dolphin as a spirit animal can offer comfort. You can tap into the spirit animal of a dolphin during your meditative practices to connect with their calm, nurturing energy.

2. Horse

Scientific name: Equus caballus

Horses represent strength and symbolize both mental and physical healing. In fact, horses are used in therapy for both mental and physical conditions. They have an uncanny ability to pick up on the emotions of the people who interact with them. Although massive creatures with unwavering strength, being around horses promotes feelings of relaxation. They seem to emanate a healing frequency that people around them can feel.

Those who work with horses know that riding them helps you connect with your own body. This can be healing for your muscles and can even help you improve your balance. As a spirit animal, horses offer emotional protection, encouraging you to tap into your own emotional resilience as you navigate trying times.

3. Butterfly

Scientific name: Lepidoptera

Butterflies go through a well-known metamorphosis that you can witness yourself. The metamorphosis that people go through is not always so apparent. It can be an internal blossoming season during which you outgrow a past version of yourself. No one can perceive the change exactly, but they may be able to pick up on your transformation.

No matter how long you’re in a cocoon, a butterfly reminds you that you’re going to emerge completely transformed. This spirit animal reminds you that even when it’s dark, a new beginning is right around the corner. It arrives to help you heal emotionally and mentally as you face a time of growth and eventual renewal.

4. Ladybug

Scientific name: Coccinellidae

You likely already associate good luck or good fortune with ladybugs. However, ladybugs are also associated with healing and protection. Ladybugs represent courage and strength, which you need when you focus on personal growth. The ladybug blesses you with healing, reminding you that good things are on the horizon.

5. Snake

Scientific name: Serpentes

Snakes are reptiles that shed their skin, which points to healing. Just like your own skin forms a scab that eventually falls off after a wound, snakes remind you that healing is a process. As you walk through a process of healing, you’re shedding layers of yourself, leaving past versions you no longer fit into. In many cultures, snakes are perceived as creatures associated with the divine. They point to a spiritual awakening. As a spirit animal, the snake appears with primal energy to protect you while you heal. It’s a symbol with an intimate understanding of what you’re experiencing.

6. Elephant

Scientific name: Elephantidae

An elephant is undeniably strong, and it symbolizes wisdom. With wisdom, different parts of you start to heal. Concepts you couldn’t grasp before stayed on a shelf until you were able to integrate them into your understanding. When the elephant shows up as your spirit animal, you are reminded of your own majestic existence.

These creatures live long lives and they’re wildly intelligent. The elephant arrives to help you heal and create balance in your life. It’s the kind of spirit animal that connects you with yourself, which is especially important if that connection has been severed.

7. Owl

Scientific name: Strigiformes

Wisdom is often associated with owls but so is healing in many cultures. The owl is nocturnal, able to see even when darkness falls. Healing is often a process you begin in darkness. Yet you’re able to see ahead despite the challenge. You forge ahead to find a solution. When the owl arrives as your spirit animal, it offers protection as you walk through the dark. It invites you to tap into your own clairvoyance, to use your intelligence, and to revel in the mystery of this phase. It may be dark, but you can still see clearly.

8. Bear

Scientific name: Ursus

Bears are obviously strong creatures, and they carry with them a grounding energy. They are highly respected and as a spirit animal, a bear shows up to offer its physical strength and emotional strength. Think of a bear hug. That’s the kind of safety and protection you receive from this spirit animal. It’s your guardian.

This is a fantastic spirit animal to tap into when you’re feeling afraid and vulnerable. Healing brings up a lot, and sometimes it’s overwhelming. However, with the bear as your spirit animal, you can walk through a dark, rocky path knowing you have immense, loving protection that is going to keep you grounded. Even when your fears and anxieties arise.

9. Deer

Scientific name: Cervidae

When you are on a spiritual journey involving healing, the deer arrives with its own sensitivity and graceful movements to guide you. The deer symbolizes compassion and gentle nature, which you need while healing.

Without compassion during your darkest moments, it’s nearly impossible to continue facing everything you need to face. When the deer spirit animal appears, it’s to remind you that you are unconditionally loved. You can tap into the kindness and wisdom of the deer as you navigate your healing path.

10. Wolf

Scientific name: Canis lupus

Wolves symbolize healing on many levels from your emotions to your thoughts to your spirit. Wolves represent loyalty. They stick with their packs, which also highlights your own inherent need for a tribe to call your own. You can find strength and community as you heal. When the wolf arrives as your spirit animal, it invites you to tap into your intuition. Through healing, you learn to trust yourself again. Connect with the wolf spirit animal to build up your self-confidence and to find that strength that lives within you.

Summary of Discover 10 Animals That Represent Healing

The photo featured at the top of this post is © metamorworks/Shutterstock.com