Customer Reviews

Animal-Wise: The Spirit Language and Signs of Nature

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was looking for a book that would be a guide to animals that I see. For example, today I saw four white-tailed deer and wondered if this book would provide a message of why they appeared today.

I read Natalie Post's review: "The book comprehensively details the animal kingdoms with an extensive dictionary that provides key qualities and characteristics of particular animals, the mythology and history surrounding them, and questions to ask when they are encountered during the course of a day." That, together with the 5-star rating, and I thought, "Wow! I'll buy it!"

I was hoping for a waking-hours animal reference book along the lines of Barbara Condron's "The Dreamer's Dictionary" that covers dream-time images.

And Animal-Wise would come close to that kind of reference book if only it focused on common animals. I was hoping to at least be able to check out things like squirrels (for which there is a very good small reference but not a full listing), deer, blue jays, robins, cardinals, raccoons, skunks, et. al.

Instead, it lists animals that might be part of your animal totem -- usually not one of the animals you come across in your daily life, unless you're a zoo-keeper or you live in the jungles of Africa or in the Outback of Australia.

The list of mammals covered is: aardvark, apes & monkeys, arctic fox, baboons, beluga, boar, camel, capybara, caribou, cheetah, chimpanzee, chipmunk (Well, there's one I see once in a while anyway!), dingo, eland, ferret, gazelle, gibbon, gorilla, guinea pig, hedgehog, hippopotamus, humpback whale, hyena, impala, jackal, jaguar, kangaroo, koala, lemur, llama, mole, musk ox, muskrat, orangutan, panda, polar bear, shrew, Siberian tiger, wallaby, walrus, wolverine and zebra. Very disappointing!

The list of birds covered is: albatross, bittern, black vulture, bluebird, bobwhite, burrowing owl, caracara, cockatoo, condor, conures, cormorant, emu, flamingo, goshawk, great blue heron, grebe, gyrfalcon, harrier hawk, harris hawk, ibis, junco, killdeer, kite, lark, long-eared owl, macaw, merlin, nighthawk, osprey, parakeet, puffin, sandhill crane, sapsucker, secretary bird, sharp-shinned hawk, shorteared owl, tufted titmous, and white crane. Again, very disappointing -- though a bit more commonly-seen than the mammals Andrews chose to cover.

On the other hand, his "Dictionary of Insects and Arachnids" is much more useful. He covers the following insects and arachnids: black and yellow argiope, black widow spider, brown spider, caterpillar, centipede and millipede, cicada, cockroach, cricket, daddy longlegs, earthworm, firefly, flea, fly, jumping spider, ladybug, leech, mosquito, moth, orb-weaver spiders, scorpion, silkworm moth, slug, snail, stick bug (walkingstick), tarantula, tick, wasp, water spider, wolf spider, and woolly caterpillar.

Andrews also has sections on reptiles & amphibians and sea life.

I'm posting this so that people know what they're buying, as I felt the current descriptions and reviews misrepresent it.

I'm glad I snagged a copy of this book. Usually when an author puts out another book on the same topic as before it ends up being flogge past redemption. This one, though, is a good expansion on what Animal-Speak contained. I'm especially happy about the continuation of the animal totem dictionary, primarily because it reminds readers that there are animals beyond North America ;)

I wouldn't really recommend it as a stand-alone book for a beginner because you really do need a lot of the material from Animal-Speak for betetr context, but if you really, really like Andrews' work go ahead and get this. If you're more independent, you can probably pass it up since it's pretty much the second half of a very large book.

Although I have just purchased this book and have yet to read most of it I did one of the excersises and already I see a differene in the animals that I see and the way that I am attuned to nature!! Ted Andrews oncre more gives well written guidance for anyone who is seeking to get in touch with their spiritual nature! His grasp of the animals is through. Animal Wise goes in conjuction with Animal Speak. In animal wise he expounds on animals. Not ones that appear to you every day but sometimes those that come in dreams or draw your attention on TV. An elightening book for all!!

I have not fully read this book but the last review written needed to be added to. This book is an extention of Animal Speak, so as author writes further into the shaministic world of animals he writes further on less common animals. So if you know of particular animals that you would like to work with or learn Mr Andrews views on it might behoove you to compare both of the books physically before you commit to purchasing them. I personally find Andrews writting style to be easily read and most often agreeable if not sometimes a little watered down as spiritual books need to be due to the nature that is dependant on the individual.
-j

Animal-Wise expands on Ted Andrews first book, Animal-Speak, and is also a companion to Animal-Wise Tarot. A New Age shaman, Ted Andrews gained his knowledge of animals as a wildlife rehabilitator of birds of prey and small mammals. In writing this book on animals, he states, "My approach is universal, drawing upon my own naturalistic and mystical experiences and education. I have tried to incorporate the science with the mystical, the zoology with mythology, seeking out the common threads running through all traditions about the animals." He partly succeeds in his efforts, but often veers off by presenting contradicatory information about the animals.

Mr. Andrews first discusses how to understand the language of nature. He offers suggestions on how to learn about and from animals, such as quietly watch the animals as they go about their activities. The author writes, "Feel and imagine yourself as part of the environment, a part of the natural surroundings. Quietly observe the various sounds." He stresses that by observing, the reader can begin to know the natural world.

Since Mr. Andrews is familiar with shamanistic practices, he presumes that the reader is also. Also, the author assumes that the reader understands New Age concepts, as well. For example, in the section on creating "your inner totem pole" by associating animals to human charkas, he takes for granted that the reader follows what he is doing.

Mr. Andrews has a propensity to leap from one unrelated concept to another in an animal's teaching. For example, he starts one of his teachings, "Snail has often been associated with the death (sic) and the spirits of the dead." At the end of Snail's lesson, with little transition, Ted Andrews writes, "Snails as messengers remind us that the Holy Child (inner child) still lives with in us. It is often a sign that it is time to bring that child out once more. Remember that all is possible to the Holy Child within."

Animal-Wise is one of the few "animal wisdom" books that features a full complement of Crawling Ones, Cold-Blooded Ones, and Finned and Water Ones. Ted Andrews has a wide assortment of Cold-Blooded Ones ranging from Snapping Turtle to Sea Turtle to Salamander. This book will complete a reader's "animal wisdom" library.

Truley another wonderful book on the subject of animal magic and totems. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in finding out what animal(s) is their totem or just to find out what each animal that comes into their life means amd how it relates to them.

I also haven't read through all of this book yet, but I am very pleased to see that, unlike Animal-Speak, Ted Andrews has included fish and sea creatures! Ted Andrews has such valueable knowledge to share on all animals, I believe it's a mistake to keep trying to fit it all into a one-volume book, but at least it seems to be growing.

Here we go! I feel it necessary to explain to some of the reviewers out there that Animal-Wise is a companion book to Animal Speak, which otherwise expands upon the ideas of the other book and adds some lesser known animal spirits into the mix. Though, Animal Speak is clearly the most popular book for the obvious reason that it discusses animals which are more commonly manifested in shamanic journey, Animal Wise does have value which is worth exploring. For instance, if you are looking for a more complete understanding of Andrew's ideas and want to know about some of nature's more unusual and often misunderstood animals then this book will be helpful. At least it will be an added resource to give your library a more complete and well-rounded approach.

Ted Andrews has put alot of research & dedication into this resource.
Fantastic info on all animals included & excellent sections on how to incorporate animal wisdom into your life.
An excellent resource for healers & Kinesiologists when balancing or for anyone who loves animals & nature.
Highly recommended buy.

Animals show themselves to us in life, day dreams, meditations, and night dreams. This book, along with his other book Animal-Speak, can help us understand any messages the animal brings by its appearance. I like that he goes beyond mammals and includes information on birds, insects and spiders, reptiles and amhibians, plus fish and sea life. At the beginning of each section, there is a listing of the animals that are included so I can quickly determine if the one I'm looking for is there. While many of the animals are not present where I live, I can explore why I might feel a special connection to a specific animal. For me, growing up in a small farm in Iowa didn't present any opportunities to encounter a giant panda but Ted's book allowed me to explore their apiritual characteristics.