Among the animal spirits in shamanic lore are the Goat, Hare and Falcon. Each brings unique talents, magic or insights we can use to help us live harmonious lives. Animal spirit work puts us in touch with the myriad of energies all around us.
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1. Goat - Invigoration, Strategy, Discovery
The gregarious Goat brings in elements of the trickster, the achiever and explorer and brews them together for a mix with a kick. Goat energy invigorates a weary mind. Laughter is the best medicine for an overload of woes, and the Goat is a natural clown. Don't take this temperamental spirit too lightly, though. Behind a playful exterior lurks a devious mind.
The Goat can help find a way out of a tricky situation. Ideas come quickly as this totem animal triggers brain activity, but beware of following a deceptive route.
Goats love to explore and there's plenty to discover. A nimble opportunist, the Goat can easily navigate trails unsuited to others. This spirit encourages individuality in a group and inspires confidence when taking the path less traveled.
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People with the Goat totem or animal spirit are fun to be around. They have a great sense of humor, and you may find yourself the brunt of it now and then. Being a good sport always wins favor with the Goat. However the Goat can easily find weakness in a person and may try to push acceptable limits in society or relationships.
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Goat people are quick on their feet and intellectually. They love to figure things out. They may be inventors, creators, artists, entrepreneurs or trouble-shooters. Due to their unique eyes, horns and uncanny minds, goats have been associated with the Devil, witches and other entities who gained reputations for evil. When you see the gleam in the billy-goat's eye just before he rams someone innocently bent over, you understand the relation.
The Goat is also a Harvest spirit in German folklore known as Haferbock (oat buck) among other names. A large male goat, he waits in the crops to steal children, hit with his horns or trample them with sharp hooves.
Female goats may accompany him, also dangerous. Like other nature spirits he's a Kinderschreck, meant to keep children from ruining the oat fields or getting lost in the corn. In German lore, the Haferbock is one of the animals who fertilizes the fruit trees in the Yuletide season.
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In Eastern astrology, the Year of the Goat (aka Year of the Ram, Year of the Sheep) happens every twelve years. It's a time of art, beauty, awareness, cultural expansion and helpful friends. Emotions may be sensitive. The next Year of the Goat is 2027.
2. Hare - Earth Magic, Abundance, Madness
The agile Hare is in tune with the energies of the Earth. This animal spirit has a shadow side much like cats and owls, relating to the night, secrets and mystery, crossing dimensions, secrets of nature. The Hare brings hidden knowledge to light. It's one of the animals preferred as a familiar by spirit workers.
Hare energy enhances the senses of hearing, sight and smell. The Hare can see almost 360 degrees around itself and is far-sighted, aware of details. It moves around meadows with ears flat, sniffing along the ground. Hare energy can help detect danger.
Unlike rabbits, who live in burrows, the Hare nests above ground, creating a flat area where it sleeps. The hare is solitary, occasionally found in pairs, while the rabbit is a social animal. The Easter bunny was originally a hare. Greylag geese lay their eggs in abandoned hares' nests in meadows, thus the association between hares and eggs. Later, the bunny rabbit took over the Easter season.
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The Hare is associated with madness as hares are known to exhibit strange behavior in March, the usual breeding season. They box with other hares, run around in a frenzy or jump straight up in the air for no apparent reason. The saying 'mad as a March hare' comes from this behavior, and according to a poem from 1500:
Thanne þey begyn to swere and to stare, And be as braynles as a Marshe hare
(Then they begin to swerve and to stare, And be as brainless as a March hare)
Relating to rhythms of the Earth and the cycles of spring and fall, the Hare spirit brings grounding, wisdom and abundance. Hare people may enjoy gardening, spending time in natural environments and bringing nature indoors.
People with the Hare spirit animal are active, independent but social, with great interest in the environment or the world around them. Another potential trickster energy, the Hare can be wily and may seem erratic at times. This person might prefer time in the background before stepping to the fore, and may avoid certain situations altogether.
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With swift powerful hind legs, Hares can run up to 80 km/h (50 mph) for short distances, up to 55k (35 mph) over longer distances, and can leap up to 3 m (10 ft) into the air. The Hare is lucky for athletes, dancers, people who work or think on their feet.
The Hare finds balance between light and dark, life and death, yin and yang. This spirit may avoid the spotlight, but has many interesting tales to tell if you take time to listen.
3. Falcon - Speed, Perspective, Achievement
A high-flying bird of prey, the Falcon brings gifts of speed, perspective and personal achievement. A hunter, this bird knows when to conserve its strength and when to give all. The falcon flies above the land, keen eyes seeking details or movement. With the Falcon totem, powers of perception increase.
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Falcon has narrow wings especially developed for speed. Peregrine falcons are the fastest creatures on Earth, with diving speeds of 320 km/h (200 mph). Unlike broad-winged birds like Eagles, the falcon has evolved a tooth on the side of its beak for quick kill of prey.
This spirit helps find special talents or abilities within us to guide or assist on our life's journey. The Falcon animal spirit can identify hidden or obscure traits or details of the Self, as well as the whole world order. This bird of prey is a symbol of achievement and success, prosperity, and overcoming challenges to reach a goal or desire.
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People with the Falcon totem or spirit animal are usually successful at what they do. Sometimes it takes a few tries. Falcon people see the bigger picture and don't want to waste energy on dead ends or shallow thinkers.
Although they may seem arrogant at times, people with the Falcon spirit guide know what they want. In love, the Falcon enjoys the thrill of pursuit and will go after the object of desire with passion and determination. In the long term this bird is monogamous. The Falcon settles down after a showy courtship replete with aerial acrobatics from both partners.
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