Has a spirit creature attacked or tested you?

[MonSno_LeeDra]

This could probally go under a number of headings but I think this is probally the most correct place for it, if not please feel free to move it to the correct spot.

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For a few days now an old concept has been at the forefront of my mind, that being the concept of being attacked and / or tested by a spirit creature or guide. I can't give links or references right now as it is just something swirling about in the depths of my mind seeking the light of day once again.

In some cultures it seems that a person might have to battle the creature that would become his / her spirit animal, spirit guide or even a personal totem. Sometimes the battle might be a physical encounter with a living example of said creature. At times not even a true battle but surviving an attack by said creature. Ie surviving a snake bite, an encounter with a bear, etc.

I recall that to have survived the attack was a sign that the creature had accepted you and possibly given you some of its magic. If not given some of its strength then accepted you as a clan member.

Other times the encounter may occur in dream time or visison journey. Again a time of testing and seeing if you are strong enough or brave enough to be accepted into its clan or house. Some times I have heard that a physical scare or blemish may appear on the physical body after said encounter to mark the occasion. If not the scaring then a physical sensation to include pain or tenderness of the points attacked.

I have heard of encounters that ranged from simply stareing down to actual battle or attack upon the person. I know of Native Amercian tales of battles to the death to show a person's spirit or power animal.

I'll be honest in that I can not recall any attacks or events that I might construe as attacks upon me. I've had people tell me Bear has tested me but I tell them, think about it I live in the country and seeing a bear is not really that uncommon, the same could be said of deer, fox, bobcat, etc.

The only thing I could even possibly construe as a test or attack was in several dream / vision sequences where a dragon appeared and left it's marks upon me, but who can tell for sure.

Wonder if anyone else has experienced this or if it is a passage that is associated particuarly with the Warrior facet of some Shamanic type callings?

[Sequoia]

I can't say that I've had the Spirit of the Bear test me... but when I was younger, there was a bear spirit that lived in my area, and followed me around. He/it seemed protective.

Years later, my Peruvian Catholic step-mother has seen/felt a similar creature in the same house, without ever being told about it. When the topic came up, my dad pretty much dismissed me, but when my step-mom expressed having seen a similar creature, it kind of freaked him out a bit. (She is definitely NOT the "fanciful" type to imagine things.) Knowing that she had seen it was pretty validating for me, actually.

I don't doubt that such spirits could come to "guide" or "test", or even "attack" others. I've known non-animal spirits that were guardians, willing to "attack" others. So I don't know why animal spirits wouldn't be willing to do so.

But I think that a true spirit totem animal creature would be more likely to be testing you, and you accidentally perceive it as an "attack", than for them to actually just randomly bust a spiritual cap in your astral self.

[Shanti]

Yes I have had encounters such as you speak.
I dont see them as some passage.
I see them as all learning experiences.

You cant learn from just the quite, calm, and peaceful elements of other worlds.
There are many types of learning to be experienced and some are quite unique.
All are mind and life changing experiences though.

This is why I dont fear other beings or entities.
I dont use circles or spells of protection.
I cant fully learn in a safety bubble and even the most challenging, fearful, violent encounter has something to teach.

My experiences have been both in dreams and awake while in Shamanistic journeys and while awake doing nothing in particular and not expecting anything!
Some have taken more than one such experience before I understood and learned.

I'm still here so I havent been a total failure.
*I dont believe I would fail to the point of permanent harm.
*The spirits dont teach that way as there would be nothing to learn in this life if that life was lost.
I have had my share of injuries but all healed fine. I only carry one physical scar.


*( This last part is my opinion on my experiences. The fact that I dont fear death nor spiritual challenge may play a roll in not having been permanently harmed.)

[Against The Tide]

In my dreams and visions I have wrestled with the bear (totem), been stung by the wasp (shadow totem) and have been bitten by the spider (shadow totem) only to have emerged stronger as a person and also have a stronger affinity with the said creatures afterwards. With the bear I felt much sure of myself, with the wasp and spider I learned to appreciate what they represented (before I associated with negative things) and flourished under the lessons. Of my battles with my totems, was only the spider that ever made me ever afraid of the consequences of failure. They showed me what happened to those that failed that trial and I think it was enough to turn on something that was dormant and waiting for such a time - with that aspect of me awoken I managed to scrape through and emerged transformed.

Some other creatures, not my totems but spirits have also attacked me. I was in a trance and a snake (constrictor) took hold of me, I wasn't ready for that so I fled at once and managed to wake up. I love snakes but something about those snakes just felt wrong. One day I might be ready to face them again should they make another apperance.

And in my work on the astral plane (ok not strictly shamanistic here) I've had my mind brush with alien minds - creatures that there are simply no words for. The probing by the creatures minds into my own make me feel like I'm fighting with my mental strength to prevent my mind from being obliterated by a vastly superior one.

[Shanti]

And in my work on the astral plane (ok not strictly shamanistic here) I've had my mind brush with alien minds - creatures that there are simply no words for. The probing by the creatures minds into my own make me feel like I'm fighting with my mental strength to prevent my mind from being obliterated by a vastly superior one.
I love it when another says something I have learned of too.
Its a conformation of sorts.
I know that entities and other things are out there in different planes of existence and in our own plane in other places.
I have experienced the same in my shamanistic journeys.

[Ladyvi]

Testing from the spirits is in accordance to each individual. if you are the stubborn type it may be necessary for the spirits to bring out the proverbial 2x4 and wack you across the head.

when a shaman discovers that he/she is a shaman, if they ignore it the spirits will tell you "hey buddy, your path is this way". sometimes rather roughly.

for me, i have been followed and "harrassed" for a number of years as a youngster and young adult. till i understood where they where leading me to.

Im not a shaman, i do follow shamanistic ways. my gifts, the spirits nudge me to the right ways to use them. perhaps one day after the kids are grown i can focus more on shamanistic path.

Vi

[Simply Puzzled]

This could probally go under a number of headings but I think this is probally the most correct place for it, if not please feel free to move it to the correct spot.

Seems like the perfect spot to me. I'm definitely leaving this one here. Unfortunately, I don't have much to add, but thanks for the thread. The responses are really interesting.

[WolfWhoSings]

Okay, funny story about such:

So, I was in the process of communing with the four cardinal directions, going to get a feel from them, see where I was oriented and also see if my name would come to me (or as it turns out, come BACK).

I was at the side of a brook, facing west, observant for any insight when I heard a rustle in the tree nearby. A squirrel came skittering down the trunk and gave me "the eye." You know the one, that kinda belligerent squirrel look? Like, "Yeah, you're bigger than me, big whoop! Wanna fight about it?"

I know squirrels can leap and he (or she) is only feet away at my eye level. Thoughts of this being a rabid squirrel, given it was pretty durn forward, started going through my head. I had visions of it jumping on me and biting with those rodenty chompers.

It's tail twitches. I seriously consider getting up and out of the way.

Then this much clearer thought enters my head:

It's a squirrel. Your name is WolfWhoSings. Why would a wolf be afraid of a squirrel? Seriously, what's wrong with you?

I eyed the squirrel and stood up. I left then not because I was afraid, but because I had what I needed.

Wherever you may be, thanks, Squirrely Joe! I may still find myself afraid of metaphorical squirrels from time to time, but I keep this lesson with me then.

(Also "squirrel" is really odd looking if you type it enough times ;) )

[AkashaLuna]

I am new to this site, so this is a little personal for me to address right away, but I was date-raped about 2 years ago, and since then I had held on to that experience in some ways, letting it drag me down, etc. I was in the process of peeling off the layers of healing so to speak, and just a few days ago, I had a wake up call. It came from a creature I had no previous experience with - the dragonfly. I had however read a little about the lure of the dragonfly, and I knew they stood for change and endurance.

On this day, I was meditating, and then a flashback of my rape interrupted my train of thought. As I shook it off, I saw in my mind's eye a shimmering blue dragonfly, and it zoomed at me, stopping just before my face. It was larger than a real dragonfly would be, and its huge deep eyes penetrated my being with anger toward me, I felt, and then it disappeared.

At the moment I came out of it, I felt new and whole. Like it was all over with. I felt like it was a wake up call to get over it, and accept the change that came with letting go. So, this wasn't a dangerous attack at all, but more of a wake up call. Let me know if that makes any sense...

Blessed be.

[Nuadu]

We dont really have spirit creatures or spirit guides in Ireland that Im aware of. Its Ghosts and Deities afaik but I got on the bad side of a deity once.


http://www.guide-to-nireland.com/navan.jpeg
I was heading up to Navan Fort (above) with some friends to meet up for some camping and chat with the local Irish Pagans there. When I go to a place like that I usually take along an appropriate offering as a sign of respect to the deity that uses the cultural site as its home. This time we were running late and because Navan fort is Emain Macha the home of Macha the mother Goddess of all Ulster we couldnt decide on an appropriate offering and we just left it rather then be late.


http://farm1.static.flickr.com/161/379158030_d65a4d812d.jpg?v=0
We got up to the place and no sooner had we gotten there and the wild abundant energy of the place hit us then bad luck started in. I was going up the steep bank of the hill and slipped a good 20 feet back on my arse. We were all so buzzed at being there for the first time and how great it felt noone thought anything of it.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1371/1423264183_b8b957a150.jpg?v=0
When we got up to the top of the hill there was noone else around and thoughts of Leinster V Ulster even in a friendly way began to be bounced around. Some of the group circumambulated the smaller mounds and I noticed a big black feather sticking up from the ground which is unusual but thought nothing of it. Trouble was in the air though.


As the night progressed the leader of the local group lead us in circumambulating the large ritual complex to get the Goddesses attention and back to the hill where the first sharp words were exchanged. A fight didnt break out but we are all adults, happy to be in each others company and discussing joint plans so we decided to head down to the camp. Where the votive offering pool used to be. As night fell and we set in for food and drink some of the groups went off to meditate in the area to get a sense for the different energies and to try and commune with the deity through journeying to the spiritual side of the area. Once offerings were made of the food and drink something we would normally have done when we got there the attention of the deity was focussed on us as a group and we felt a heavy booming energy change to that electric feeling of a deities attention.


http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:Su9arMnbQtiaQM:http://www.angiespencer.co.uk/%27Macha%27,%2520Drypoint,%2520%25A350%2520unframed,%2520edition%2520of%25204,%25203%2520available.j pg
None of us had noticed that heavy unwelcome energy before hand because it was there as soon as we arrived in the county and was masked by the other energies when we arrived at the cultural site. We apologised and asked Machas blessing for the joint venture and after a few hours when the sky was shining unaturally bright, the grass and leaves were a deeper green then Id seen before and the camp fire leaped 3 feet and burned bright for a short time without our interferance the heavy energy left and was replaced by a lighter hum Macha the Goddess of all Ulster had forgiven us and given her blessing.

Thats not a physical attack by Macha but deities arent physically present. That bad energy that irritated us all and provoked arguments being there at Machas whim counts as an attack in my books. Not an unwarranted one either.

[AkashaLuna]

Just an update on my dragonfly: Now every time I start to have a flashback of the rape, the dragonfly appears, as if blocking it, and I completely forget immediately. It's pretty awesome. =]

[Shosha]

The only thing I could even possibly construe as a test or attack was in several dream / vision sequences where a dragon appeared and left it's marks upon me, but who can tell for sure.

Wonder if anyone else has experienced this or if it is a passage that is associated particuarly with the Warrior facet of some Shamanic type callings?


Yes. Dragon. Warrior! wow... You're the first I've ever met who has also had training with Dragon. Marks...:uhhuhuh:
This is recent?