Sarah Bamford Seidelmann - The Book of Beasties: Your A-to-Z Guide to the Illuminating Wisdom of Spirit Animals

For Alice and all the other elephants.

And for Ted Andrews (19522009), author of Animal Speak, the book that introduced me (and countless other readers) to the idea that beasties might have messages to share with us. Im deeply grateful for the gifts you shared with your writing. Aho.

Here is my secret. Its quite simple: One sees clearly only with the heart.

Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.

THE FOX

from The Little Prince, Antoine de SaintExupry

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

BEASTIE (BST)

(1) any insect, reptile, bird, mammal, or mythical creature that exists or has ever existed; (2) the spirit of any insect, reptile, bird, mammal, or mythical creature that exists or has ever existed, including Ladybug, Woolly Mammoth, and Dragon, to name a few; also known as an animal totem or spirit animal.

Years ago, I fell madly in love with a taxidermied walrus. I couldnt stop myself from returning to the shop where he lived so I could stare at the grand mysteriousness of him. I wondered, Am I supposed to buy this walrus? That felt like a really inappropriate impulse because he cost several thousand dollars, and I already wondered how Id replace the income my family would lose if I quit my job as a surgical pathologist. My husband and I are both physicians, and we were also busy raising four kids (ages five to fourteen, at the time). I had the sense that I was no longer meant to be working as a physician, and my desperate aim was to figure out my feel-good vocation. But so far, I was just extremely worried.

I took a sabbatical that summer from my medical practice. I was unaware Id been living a nature-starved, overcivilized life for a long time. As I started spending more time outside, taking more walks and noticing what was happening around me, I began to feel better. It seemed the more time I spent outside, the better I felt. A few weeks later, I stumbled into the ancient idea that the wild animals that cross our path might have messages for us.

The night I made this discovery, I must admit I was skeptical. Wild animals can deliver helpful messages to you? How could a wild animal visit be of any possible consequence to a person? But I was also excited and delighted at the prospect. As a young kid, I was utterly obsessed with Mutual of Omahas Wild Kingdom TV series (hosted by Marlin Perkins); I collected Beatrix Potter animal figurines (Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle!); and I secretly fantasized in my under-the-bed diary about becoming a veterinarian. Truth be told, I was a pretty anxious child, terrified of actual animals (especially the neighbors dog), so that career choice would have been disastrous. But the thrill of wild creatures had never left me.

Bond with Your Beastie Book

Before you begin reading, I encourage you to take the following strange steps: give your Book of Beasties a big fat kiss, place it over your heart for a few moments, pat it gently three times on its back, and silently and sweetly ask it to become a steady source of personal inspiration and truth for you and everyone you share it with.

I began to learn that if you feel muddled, exhausted, depressed, overwhelmed, or need help of any kind, communicating with animal spirits can helpa lot. I learned that this amazing new sort of communication wasnt limited to living creatures. There was an aliveness to everythingespecially in nature. During my training to become a physician, nobody mentioned the ineffable and profoundly loving aspect of the Universe that the beasties can help you connect with. My parents and other good people had tried to point me to it, but I hadnt been able to see. Lacking this critical knowledge, I had been struggling mightily to live out my mission to relieve suffering in the worldto be useful in the way I longed to be. But with a new willingness to explore the unknown, I learned that if you want to truly be well, this transcendent way of viewing the world is most vital.

Connecting with the taxidermied walrus and the spirit I sensed in him (even in his stuffed and breathless state) felt deeply reassuring. In time, I discovered that Walrus is a powerful beastie, offering strength, abundance, gregariousness, deep diving, and a generous skosh of sensitivity. To this day, whenever I think of that taxidermied walrus, a feeling of deep security washes over me, and I am deeply grateful for the wisdom that Walrus, the animal spirit, shared with me. I didnt need to buy the taxidermied walrus; it turned out I could carry Walrus with me everywhere. (Incidentally, the taxidermied walrus still hangs in that shop in downtown Duluth. I suspect hes whispering beneath his whiskers to other unsuspecting shoppers as we speak.)

Once I started communicating with beasties, things began to feel much better. During my radical sabbatical, many amazing things began to happen in rapid sequence: I attracted a remarkable opportunity to travel to South Africa, I realized I was yearning to step away from traditional medicine altogether, and I found the resources to make all of that possible.

But the most important and best thing that happened that year was something I will forever cherish: as I forged a sacred connection with beasties, I recovered a deep sense of peace, joy, and belonging.

I began to have a deep knowing that love and support surrounded me. My resistance to what I wanted decreased dramatically, and I began to recognize beauty everywhere. I also experienced many moments of ecstatic joy. In my early forties, it seemed like my whole life needed to fall apart a little so that I could become more buoyant. And the beasties were the doorway to that lightness.

Thats why Im passionate about sharing the messages of beasties Ive received and teaching others how to discover theirs. Connecting with beasties helped me, and I know it can help you too. Plus, it feels good!

Whether you are a skeptical new explorer of these spirited seas or a well-traveled, savvy life pirate, it is my intention that this book and its large collection of Beastie Portraits will shed light on their fantastic attributes and provide you with delightful provisions to fortify you on your unique voyage.

is a compilation of Beastie Portraits, which you can use like a field guide to help you discover more about their possible significance in your life. This not a typical field guide to help you identify beasties, but to help you identify with beasties. As you go through this book, I invite you to ask yourself, What might this beastie be saying if it were trying to help me?

And if, for any reason, you are struggling on your path right now, I invite you to gently ask yourself another powerful questionone I learned to ask myself often during my radical sabbaticalHow good are you willing to let it get?

And, as many wise ones like to say about this beautiful path, the world is what you think it is. So if your experience of the world is currently unpleasant, I lovingly invite you to pay attention to beasties because they can shift your perceptions.

On behalf of the beasties, welcome to your new adventureand welcome to The Book of Beasties!

With love,

Sarah

QUICK START

for the Irrepressible

If, like me, you tend to recklessly plunge in without reading directions and cannot wait to get your first message, you could turn now to and look up the animal youve been seeing most often in your day-to-day life. Or the beastie youve loved for a lifetime.