Animalia: What if my power animal is a flea?

FRIDAY, Aug. 16 — When most people learn about spirit and totem animals, it’s usually just a fun thing you do once while skimming through a New Age bookstore with friends. But like anything, it’s all fun and games until suddenly you run face-first into the heavy mirror of self-reflection, demanding an examination of your deepest fears and desires.  

 Teresa Wojtowicz is a shamanic practitioner and founder of Willow Stick Ceremonies and Healing Arts in Lansing. During her shamanic clinic Tuesday, she invited participants to discover their power animals, as well as teach the origins of Western shamanic practices. Wojtowicz began the ceremony by closing her eyes and settling into a deep, drum-induced trance, called a shamanic journey, where she essentially meets up with her spirit guides to retrieve the participant’s animal. Wojtowicz said power animals are the essence of us, but due to our culture, they leave our corrupted vessels.  

 “It’s like a restoration of power,” she said. “The more you work with the animal, the more empowered you are.” 

 A power animal is a more accurate term for the concept which people commonly refer to as spirit animals. Also called an ally, the power animal is an archetype that can be called upon in certain situations. For example, Wojtowicz once had an RV infested with mice and called upon Eagle to help her overcome her phobia — asking for the regal bird of prey’s confidence and razor-sharp focus. 

 Another point: unless you are a shaman, you only have one power animal. So disregard that scene from “Hot Rod” when Andy Samberg’s character calls upon his various spirit animals before attempting a fatal bike stunt. Even more of a bummer, sometimes they aren’t as cool as an eagle, a wolf or, in Samberg’s case, a domestic cat.  

 The local shamanic practitioner said during one of her clinics, she was helping a woman retrieve her power animal. During her journey, she said “Spirit”— a name she uses to refer to a universal, higher power — told her the woman’s power animal was a flea. Even after telling Spirit about the insect’s notoriety in her realm, there was no negotiating.  

 The shamanic practitioner recommends to participants to research their power animals’ habitat and mannerisms before totally turning their back on the idea.  

 An entry on wikipedia.com states that besides being carriers of disease and a pest to humanity, fleas are a metamorphic animal similar to butterflies. Meaning the flea is a great ally for someone who is otherwise resistant to change. The flea also has incredible physical prowess and can jump up to 13 inches — 200 times its body length. 

“They are a bother, but if you need to be the squeaky wheel, you can call upon flea and say, ‘I need persistence,” Wojtowicz said.  

According to an article on wildspeak.com, the flea comes to someone only with lessons to bear. The flea may serve as a reminder to look after one’s environment and physical state. For example, perhaps you are neglecting a fulfilling hobby due to lack of space in your apartment when the real issue is lack of organization and commitment to making room for yourself. In this practice and cultures around the world, not looking after your environment and body can be seen as an invitation to be emotionally and spiritually harmed. Wojtowicz emphasized during her clinic that if you want to change the toxicity in our world, you must start with yourself.  

 Fleas are also repelled by light and prefer to burrow deep in carpet and fur, especially when in the larval stage. Through a spiritual lens, the flea may appear to someone who is feeling overwhelmed by their surroundings and serves as a suggestion to find quiet, dark places to heal — anticipating a rebirth.  

 Wojtowicz has been helping people heal from trauma for 20 years and said that even people “who aren’t into the woo-woo” can understand how examining the skills and mannerisms of an animal can help in their daily interactions.  

 “My motto is be empowered,” she said. “I want them to be their own healers. That’s my goal.”