Protective Animal Spirit?

Protective Animal Spirits...very interesting topic for discussion.

In my culture (New Zealand Maori) we term them Kaitiaki (pronounced Ka-eye-tee-ah-key). Or 'Gaurdians/Companions' in some sense of the word.

Our beliefs are that:
1. They are common. Something many people have whether they realise it or not at the time

2. Can be person-specific (attached for whatever reason to a specific person), or location-specific (attached to a specific locale), or event-specific (appearing/being present if/when/where the need arises)

3. Their role/function can be varied. Often it is one of acting as a gaurdian, as a watcher over the person or place. They can heal via their presence...help people through certain events. They can also extract *justice* for wrongs against a person or place.

4. They can be the *vessel* within which the spirit of an ancestor or otherwise may imbue and operate through

...we also believe - though this topic is specifically referring to animals - that Kaitiaki can take the form of non-living objects or otherwise...such as rocks, logs, mountains even...



Some anecdotes of my own/from my own experience:

I've encountered a number of Kaitiaki in my life. Kaitiaki directly related to me, and some related to other people.

I have one main Kaitiaki that has been with me for many years now - in fact throughout the majority of my life - though their physical form changes.
Principally they have been in the form of my pet cat/s. One time they were in the form of my pet dog. However I do feel/believe its the same Kaitiaki just inhabitting different 'animal bodies' at different times.

How can I be so sure? Well...for one they *feel* the same. I do believe that everyone, every living *thing* has a feel to them - we term it Mauri (pronounced Ma-oo-ree) or 'lifeforce/essence' if you will. Well, even supposedly non-living things like rocks, mountains etc have a Mauri.

The other more specific reason I recognise them as being the same Kaitiaki is that they have the same 'audible call/cry' to them. Whether they were in the form of my cat - or my dog - at the time, they made the same specific cry/call which identified them to me. Its hard to explain the sound, its like a long low 'maaaaaaaaawww'.
Now I know cats make a 'maaaawww' sound. But this 'maaaww' is like none I - or anyone else who has heard it - as ever heard before. Its VERY distinctive.

When I was a young kid my cat at the time would run to my parents and make that 'maaaawwww' sound whenever I was sick, or hurt or anything. If I had been out playing and hurt myself I'd head home and my cat would be a few houses down waiting for me, then follow me back home then run inside and start with that mawwwing sound to alert my folks. They knew everytime I needed help.
As each pet passed - for whatever reason (old age, sickness, whatever) I'd soon come across the next *embodiment* of my Kaitiaki. Each time they would identify themselves with that same 'maaawww' sound. Even when it was a dog - the dog still made that same sound when I first encountered them and then whenever something was going on such as a member of the family passing away or suchlike.

My current Kaitiaki embodiment is a cat again. My current cat. How I came across her was a few months after my dog had passed away. I had relocated to a new city to live/work and was thinking about getting another dog. So I went to the SPCA to have a look at the stray/homeless dogs they have...walked through the cat-dorm on the way out the back to the dog kennels when I heard this 'maaaaaaw' sound. Stopped and looked and there was a little runty looking Tortiseshell kitten (maybe about 6mths old) in one of the cat-cages. It was just sitting there, right at the cage door starring at me and making that maaw sound.

So I asked the SPCA Worker if I could take that kitten home. The SPCA Worker said that kitten was quite skittish, always tried to avoid everyone and often would scratch and bite anyone who tried to handle her. Apparently it was quite the vicious wee thing even at its young age.
She advised me to choose another cat if I wanted a cat rather than a dog. I told her nope, thats the one for me. So we opened the cage, I reached out for the cat, it didn't fuss or fight or try to scurry away...instead it just let me pick her up, cuddled into my chest and face and started purring.

Been with me ever since.

Its even defended me against two large Staffie/Pitbull-X dogs that my stupid neighbour at the time hadn't kept chained up.
I was out in the backyard gardening when I heard a growl, turned around and there were my neighbours two Staffie/Pitties looking at me angrily. These were gang dogs, my neighbour was a gang associate quite into dog-fighting and never really secured these dogs properly...so they had got out of their yard and into mine. And they were looking at me like "yum! dinner time!"
My cat comes bounding over the fence, gets between me and these two big Pitties and starts maaaaawwwing at them. I'm thinking "Oh heck, my cat is going to be a brief snack". But these Pitties sort of looked at the cat, slunk back slowly then turned and bolted back over the fence back into their own yard!

Like all the other ones, this cat also alerts me whenever danger is present (like if someone is sneaking around outside, or a heater has been left on etc) or whenever someone in the house or family is ill or passing away.
She's also incredibly obedient with me...not so much with other people though... ...in fact many people comment "That bloody cat of yours only ever listens to you!"...


...other Kaitiaki I've seen:

A Kotuku/White Heron....flying alongside our car when we've been driving to a Tangi/funeral (coincedentally it was my Grandmother whose middle name was Kotuku). White Herons aren't that commonly seen...and certainly NOT flying at 100kph keeping pace with our car! Thats one mighty speedy Heron!

A large log that is shaped like a Crocodile...well, more a Taniwha (mythical Lizard/dragon-like creature in our culture). Interesting thing is that this log moves/floats against the currents of the water.

A rock that changes places. I kid you not. One of my good friends (very spiritual person, healer etc) has many Kaitiaki, and some of them are rocks...as she has quite an affinity with stones/rocks etc.
I've been visiting her before and this particular rock of hers (which incidentally is shaped like a dog sitting there) is out on her front porch. We've come back outside again and this rock as changed sides of the porch! It's funny to see the look on the faces of new visitors who aren't aware of this *rock*...they look at it and you can tell they are thinking "Wasn't that rock on the other side of the porch"...some even say it, normally followed by a "oh thats just way too freaky!"

Lots of other animals.


Anyhoo...apologies for posting a mini-novel...just wanted to add to the discussion.


Cheers.

reply to post by alien


very, very, very interesting. This is the first time i hear about this in it coming in a form of even a rock, i would have never guessed!

Thank you very much for sharing!

The Norse, in their mythology (which has turned out to be eerily allegorical to a whole host of things, past, present, and future) spoke of a guardian spirit called the "Fylgia." It was an animal that usually resembled the personality of the person it guarded.

The Norse believed that some psychic activity or "by chance" occurences in battle (like barely being missed by the blade of a sword) was explained by the fylgia going ahead of the person in time and bringing back what the future held.

I would argue that this is what you're seeing, although the attributes might not be entirely on point. The Norse were explaning, once again, something that all people deal with.

On another note, there are a lot of shapeshifters in Norse mythos, including some of the gods and all of the Jotuns (giants).



[edit on 4-1-2009 by Lifthrasir]

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