Many people discover similarities between Western Zodiac signs and traditions found in some Native American cultures, where specific animals are associated with your birth time. According to these beliefs, you are assigned a Spirit Animal at birth that journeys with you through life, possessing characteristics mirroring your own. Understanding this animal can offer guidance on navigating life and unlocking your inherent gifts and strengths, helping answer the question: What Is My Native American Spirit Animal?
The Concept of Spirit and Polarity Animals
Beyond your primary Spirit Animal, there’s also a Polarity Animal – its direct opposite. Much like the concept of Yin and Yang in Chinese philosophy, these two opposing animals signify the duality inherent in nature and the contrasting forces within each individual. Learning from both your Spirit Animal and your Polarity Animal is believed to foster harmony and balance in your life, with the Polarity Animal specifically helping to counterbalance your primary traits.
For instance, based on my birth date, my Spirit Animal is the Beaver, while my Polarity Animal is the Snake.
An Example: The Beaver and the Snake
The Beaver Animal Totem (Spirit Animal)
The Beaver totem embodies industriousness, collaboration, and creativity. Beavers are natural builders who thrive on structure and staying busy, often juggling multiple projects and finding satisfaction in their completion. Once focused on a goal, they exhibit remarkable persistence.
However, when hurt or feeling vulnerable, those aligned with the Beaver may tend to isolate themselves. It’s a reminder for Beaver individuals to avoid building emotional dams that shut others out or suppress their own feelings. Interestingly, some Northern Tribes regarded beavers as symbols of good fortune, believing their dams offered protection against danger and negative influences.
The Snake Polarity Animal Totem
My corresponding Polarity Animal is the Snake. While perhaps initially unsettling for some, exploring spirit animal symbolism reveals that every element in nature serves a purpose and possesses positive attributes – the snake included.
Close-up of a green snake representing the Snake polarity animal totem and hidden knowledge symbolism
Snakes often symbolize duality and the pursuit of balance. They represent concepts such as fertility, life cycles, rebirth, transformation, cunning, patience, intuition, awareness, intelligence, hidden knowledge, and even healing. The snake encourages a balance between the practical aspects of life and spiritual understanding.
This symbolism appears across cultures and history. In biblical narratives, Moses was instructed by God to erect a bronze serpent on a pole; Israelites bitten by poisonous snakes would live if they looked upon it. This healing metaphor persists in modern medicine through the Rod of Asclepius (a staff entwined by a single snake), representing the Greek god of healing. The association with hidden knowledge likely traces back to the Garden of Eden, where a serpent tempted Adam and Eve with forbidden fruit, promising knowledge akin to God’s. The snake, in this context, represents an awakening from innocence, urging heightened awareness and acceptance of life’s dualities – the knowledge of both good and evil.
Personal Reflections on the Beaver and Snake
Reflecting on my Beaver Spirit Animal and Snake Polarity Animal, the connections feel deeply personal. I strongly identify with the Beaver’s drive – enjoying productivity, creative projects, and staying occupied. Yet, I also recognize the tendency to withdraw when stressed or wounded. While I value collaboration, difficult times often lead me to seek solitude and, sometimes, to dam up my emotions, inadvertently shutting others out.
The themes associated with the Snake also resonate:
- I consciously strive for balance between work and relaxation.
- Life’s challenges have pushed me to seek compensating blessings, embracing duality.
- I sometimes struggle with being so absorbed in thoughts or projects that I overlook potential negative influences, having entered unhealthy relationships due to ignoring warning signs.
- There have been times I suppressed emotions to the point of discounting my intuition.
- I possess a strong desire for deeper understanding and enjoy bridging the spiritual with the practical.
Studying both the Beaver and the Snake has been genuinely enlightening, revealing how accurately they reflect different facets of my personality and life experiences.
Native American Spirit Animal and Polarity Animal Chart
Below is a chart outlining birth animals and their corresponding polarity totems, based on information sourced from LoveToKnow.com. Visiting their site can provide further details on Polarity Animals.
| Birth Animal | Dates | Element | Polarity Totem |
|---|---|---|---|
| Falcon or Hawk | March 19 – April 19 | Fire | Crow |
| Beaver | April 20 – May 20 | Earth | Snake |
| Deer | May 21 – June 21 | Wind | Owl |
| Woodpecker | June 22 – July 21 | Water | Goose |
| Salmon or Sturgeon | July 22 – August 21 | Fire | Otter |
| Bear | August 22 – September 22 | Earth | Wolf |
| Raven or Crow | September 23 – October 22 | Wind | Falcon |
| Snake | October 23 – November 21 | Water | Beaver |
| Owl | November 22 – December 21 | Fire | Deer |
| Goose | December 22 – January 19 | Earth | Woodpecker |
| Otter | January 20 – February 18 | Wind | Salmon |
| Wolf | February 19 – March 20 | Water | Bear |
Conclusion
Exploring the concept of Native American spirit animals and their polarity counterparts offers a fascinating lens for self-discovery. Identifying your birth animal using the chart above can provide insights into your core traits (Spirit Animal) and the balancing forces you might need to integrate (Polarity Animal). Understanding this duality can be a powerful tool for personal growth, awareness, and achieving greater harmony within yourself and your life. Consider researching your own animals to see what resonates with you.
