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White Spirit Animals: Prophets of Change
Explores the powers and wisdom of sacred White Spirit Animals
• Looks in-depth at the lessons of the major White Spirit the White Bear, White Lion, White Elephant, White Wolf, and White Buffalo
• Explains how to use shamanic dreaming and trans-species telepathy to communicate with these great spiritual teachers
• Reveals how White Spirit Animals are calling humanity to restore balance, respect, reverence, and honor to protect our animal kin, ourselves, and the earth
Beautiful rarities of nature, all-white animals are held sacred by many indigenous cultures and offer deep wisdom to all who will listen. In addition to the White Buffalo, there are other revered white animals, such as the White Wolf, White Lion, White Elephant, and White Bear. Each of these White Spirit Animals belongs to a species at the apex of their ecosystem, meaning the environment in which they live will unravel without them. Speaking through ancient and modern prophecy and the many humans who communicate with them, these White Spirit Animals are urgently calling to humanity to restore balance and protect our animal kin, ourselves, and the earth.
Combining sacred elder lore, science, and her own telepathic dreams, Zohara Hieronimus looks at the special role played by White Spirit Animals in spiritual traditions and prophecy around the globe, where they are seen as guardians of animal wisdom, each with a special purpose and gift. She reveals how they have collaborated with humanity since the last ice age, inspiring spiritual practices and conferring shamanistic powers, and are considered the stewards of the great spiritual transformations that occur during transitional times. Sharing the waking vision of White Spirit Animals that called her to write this book, and their message of CPR for the earth--conservation, preservation, and restoration--she explains how to use shamanic dreaming and trans-species telepathy to communicate with these great spiritual teachers. Exploring each one of the major White Spirit Animals--White Buffalo, White Lion, White Elephant, White Wolf, and White Spirit Bear--and the cultures in which they are honored, the author shows, for example, how the White Buffalo is called a harbinger of peace and abundance by many Native American tribes and the White Bear, the great earth healer, teaches us about nurturance and patience.
As a bridge between the spiritual and physical worlds, between humans and animals, White Spirit Animals are calling us to open our hearts to the wild, to the sacredness of the wind, the water, the earth, and dream a new world into being to heal our own personal and collective wounds and restore the earth to balance.
• Looks in-depth at the lessons of the major White Spirit the White Bear, White Lion, White Elephant, White Wolf, and White Buffalo
• Explains how to use shamanic dreaming and trans-species telepathy to communicate with these great spiritual teachers
• Reveals how White Spirit Animals are calling humanity to restore balance, respect, reverence, and honor to protect our animal kin, ourselves, and the earth
Beautiful rarities of nature, all-white animals are held sacred by many indigenous cultures and offer deep wisdom to all who will listen. In addition to the White Buffalo, there are other revered white animals, such as the White Wolf, White Lion, White Elephant, and White Bear. Each of these White Spirit Animals belongs to a species at the apex of their ecosystem, meaning the environment in which they live will unravel without them. Speaking through ancient and modern prophecy and the many humans who communicate with them, these White Spirit Animals are urgently calling to humanity to restore balance and protect our animal kin, ourselves, and the earth.
Combining sacred elder lore, science, and her own telepathic dreams, Zohara Hieronimus looks at the special role played by White Spirit Animals in spiritual traditions and prophecy around the globe, where they are seen as guardians of animal wisdom, each with a special purpose and gift. She reveals how they have collaborated with humanity since the last ice age, inspiring spiritual practices and conferring shamanistic powers, and are considered the stewards of the great spiritual transformations that occur during transitional times. Sharing the waking vision of White Spirit Animals that called her to write this book, and their message of CPR for the earth--conservation, preservation, and restoration--she explains how to use shamanic dreaming and trans-species telepathy to communicate with these great spiritual teachers. Exploring each one of the major White Spirit Animals--White Buffalo, White Lion, White Elephant, White Wolf, and White Spirit Bear--and the cultures in which they are honored, the author shows, for example, how the White Buffalo is called a harbinger of peace and abundance by many Native American tribes and the White Bear, the great earth healer, teaches us about nurturance and patience.
As a bridge between the spiritual and physical worlds, between humans and animals, White Spirit Animals are calling us to open our hearts to the wild, to the sacredness of the wind, the water, the earth, and dream a new world into being to heal our own personal and collective wounds and restore the earth to balance.
- GenresNonfictionSpirituality
368 pages, Paperback
Published October 24, 2017
5 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 26, 2017
I received this novel on NetGalley for an honest review.
J. Zohara Meyerhoff Hieronimus does a fantastic job reinterpretating traditional tales from various cultures about the power of animals. She centralizes on five main animals: bears, lions, elephants, wolves, and buffaloes and does an in depth analysis of their origins as powerful totems across the world throughout history. Outside of the historical animal interpretation she also provides us with a small selection from her dream journal. Through her dreams she is able to tap into her shaman abilities and as a result she is given messages sometimes using these sacred animals. I loved this aspect of the book as dream interpretation is an important aspect of the past world just as much as animals were. No matter what your system of belief is, all of them note the importance of dreams. The last chapter of her book deals with the future of this world and our future as humans. It isn't until I get here that I realize the novel can be read as a sort of bible, from Genesis to Revelation. This last chapter really solidified my interest in the book there were so many different lessons that I took notes so that I could reread the previous animal chapters to delve further. The only thing I did not like was her focus on white animals alone being the harbingers of peace and balance in the world. While there a few ancient cultures that mention the importance of white animals, I still do not think she should have focused on that in the title. While I'm sure it was not her intent, interpretation is everything. This novel seems to be a conscious attempt to bring together humanity in an attempt to right the wrong we have done to Mother Earth and all of her inhabitants from animals to the sea). As someone who seems to have a passion for social justice, Meyerhoff-Hieronimus should be intuitive to how divise her focalisation on white spirit animals as being superior would be to readers. Notwithstanding, the novel as a whole is still a good read.
J. Zohara Meyerhoff Hieronimus does a fantastic job reinterpretating traditional tales from various cultures about the power of animals. She centralizes on five main animals: bears, lions, elephants, wolves, and buffaloes and does an in depth analysis of their origins as powerful totems across the world throughout history. Outside of the historical animal interpretation she also provides us with a small selection from her dream journal. Through her dreams she is able to tap into her shaman abilities and as a result she is given messages sometimes using these sacred animals. I loved this aspect of the book as dream interpretation is an important aspect of the past world just as much as animals were. No matter what your system of belief is, all of them note the importance of dreams. The last chapter of her book deals with the future of this world and our future as humans. It isn't until I get here that I realize the novel can be read as a sort of bible, from Genesis to Revelation. This last chapter really solidified my interest in the book there were so many different lessons that I took notes so that I could reread the previous animal chapters to delve further. The only thing I did not like was her focus on white animals alone being the harbingers of peace and balance in the world. While there a few ancient cultures that mention the importance of white animals, I still do not think she should have focused on that in the title. While I'm sure it was not her intent, interpretation is everything. This novel seems to be a conscious attempt to bring together humanity in an attempt to right the wrong we have done to Mother Earth and all of her inhabitants from animals to the sea). As someone who seems to have a passion for social justice, Meyerhoff-Hieronimus should be intuitive to how divise her focalisation on white spirit animals as being superior would be to readers. Notwithstanding, the novel as a whole is still a good read.
July 2, 2018
According to her bio, Hieronimus has a background in radio with a focus on social justice and environmental activism. In White Spirit Animals she discusses the symbolism of five specific animals: bear, lion, elephant, wolf, and buffalo. In a final section of the book, she discusses mythical or older beings. White Spirit Animals is well researched: mythology and animal facts from a variety of sources including Native Americans, Europe, India, Sri Lanka, and other places are used. Each animal chapter has a white spirit lessons section which is where she discusses the importance of the white version of each animal. That's the positive.
The book starts with a lot of academic language and phrasing, but the author quickly settles into a more conversational style as the text continues. Stylistically, by the end of the first chapter, it is uncertain where this book is going and it's confusing as to what she truly wants to accomplish within this book. She gets off track on a variety of tangents and the reader is left wondering where the animals are.
Moving into the chapters about the actual animals she discusses modern-day associations that aren't startling or unusual. For instance she talks about Smokey Bear and Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Yogi and Boo-Boo Bear. From these modern references, she shifts into discussing ancient images of bears and how the white spirit animals work within the imagery. In my opinion, the author wanders in areas unrelated to the overall topic of the book. One example is when, in the middle of a discussion on mythology she makes the leap to go into a modern problem. While such a juxtaposition isn't terrible on the face of it, it undermines the authors' credibility when the information our forbearers were conveying is completely different from what modern people will read into it. (Think of Leda and the Swan, which we now see as a tale of rape.)
The final chapter appears to be more about her view of environmentalism than the promised mythological creatures like giants, white dragons, and the like. Here Hieronimus talks about the stories, but doesn't reference them and it comes off much more as explanations based on her personal beliefs about how they became extinct (tl/dr: humans are bad and we need to protect the animals better).
Throughout White Spirit Animals, the author spends a lot of time quoting Stanley Krippner and discussing his beliefs and theories in a manner similar to how a teenage girl gushes over some a celebrity. In the first chapter particularly, Krippner is comes across as the be-all-and-end-all for Shamanism and psychology.
This book teeters between being an academic book and a personal essay on the importance of white spirit animals. She includes psychology, anthropology, zoology, mythology, and a variety of other topics including environmentalism and animal conservation. She also attempts to discuss the use of these animals in Shamanism. Unfortunately, it fails at being academic except in the very beginning when the language and structure is difficult to read. It also fails at being a thorough or clear direction on how to connect with spirit animals regardless of color. The book does not drive home the importance of the white animals as she reports. The white spirit animal section is a few pages in each chapter lost in a sea of tangents and departures from the topic.
In the end, this book is not recommended.
The book starts with a lot of academic language and phrasing, but the author quickly settles into a more conversational style as the text continues. Stylistically, by the end of the first chapter, it is uncertain where this book is going and it's confusing as to what she truly wants to accomplish within this book. She gets off track on a variety of tangents and the reader is left wondering where the animals are.
Moving into the chapters about the actual animals she discusses modern-day associations that aren't startling or unusual. For instance she talks about Smokey Bear and Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Yogi and Boo-Boo Bear. From these modern references, she shifts into discussing ancient images of bears and how the white spirit animals work within the imagery. In my opinion, the author wanders in areas unrelated to the overall topic of the book. One example is when, in the middle of a discussion on mythology she makes the leap to go into a modern problem. While such a juxtaposition isn't terrible on the face of it, it undermines the authors' credibility when the information our forbearers were conveying is completely different from what modern people will read into it. (Think of Leda and the Swan, which we now see as a tale of rape.)
The final chapter appears to be more about her view of environmentalism than the promised mythological creatures like giants, white dragons, and the like. Here Hieronimus talks about the stories, but doesn't reference them and it comes off much more as explanations based on her personal beliefs about how they became extinct (tl/dr: humans are bad and we need to protect the animals better).
Throughout White Spirit Animals, the author spends a lot of time quoting Stanley Krippner and discussing his beliefs and theories in a manner similar to how a teenage girl gushes over some a celebrity. In the first chapter particularly, Krippner is comes across as the be-all-and-end-all for Shamanism and psychology.
This book teeters between being an academic book and a personal essay on the importance of white spirit animals. She includes psychology, anthropology, zoology, mythology, and a variety of other topics including environmentalism and animal conservation. She also attempts to discuss the use of these animals in Shamanism. Unfortunately, it fails at being academic except in the very beginning when the language and structure is difficult to read. It also fails at being a thorough or clear direction on how to connect with spirit animals regardless of color. The book does not drive home the importance of the white animals as she reports. The white spirit animal section is a few pages in each chapter lost in a sea of tangents and departures from the topic.
In the end, this book is not recommended.
October 17, 2020
I enjoyed some parts of the book but didn't care about the parts where she talks about the bad things. I probably skipped half the book for that reason. But the part where she talks about change and signification were really good and was worth it.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews