For the most part, a spirit animal will always in some ways match or complement our personalities; therefore, we will often recognize our spirit animal guides due to their behavioral similarities with us.
For example, a person with a happy and curious disposition may find that their spirit animal is a dolphin. After all, dolphins tend to be almost always good-natured and willing to help out others.
Conversely, a person with a sassy or “above-it-all” personality might have a cat as a spirit animal. Cats tend to forge their own path through life and value their independence above everything else.
Raccoons as Spirit Animals
So what does it mean to discover that your spirit animal is a raccoon?
As guides through life go, this is certainly a great spirit animal to have. Raccoons have a variety of different qualities that make for great spirit companions.
Firstly, it is important to point out that raccoons are very clever. They have a gift for problem-solving; if you put something in a raccoon’s way, they’re probably going to overcome it.
Raccoons also tend to work outside of the bounds of “normal” society. They tend to enjoy the quiet of the nighttime and have a different approach to life than similar animals.
The Nocturnal Spirit
It’s their love of the nighttime that also makes raccoons great spirit guides for people that we tend to think of as “night owls.”
Someone with a raccoon spirit guide will enjoy staying up late reading or doing creative work. They might enjoy an artistic or even Bohemian life.
Such a person might find it difficult to work around a lot of people or go along with the latest trend in popular culture.
An Independent Streak of Epic Proportions
This independent streak also makes raccoons great spirit guides for people who don’t quite fit in within society. A racoon spirit animal is more likely to go it alone than try to fit in with the crowd.
Of course, the independence of raccoons sometimes drives other people nuts! They are nature’s ultimate nonconformist and can be very stubborn at times.
People who have a racoon spirit animal are often said to be very difficult to sway from a course of action and enjoy doing things their own way. But this quality of independence can come in handy too: A racoon totem is a very powerful ally in times of difficulty.
For example, a person with a racoon totem will tend to meet life’s biggest problems with a sense of singleminded focus. If a loved one is sick or in trouble, a person with a raccoon spirit animal will try to help them out until the problem is solved.
Such a person can be an extremely loyal friend and a great ally.
Understanding Symbols of the Raccoon
Racoon symbolism also tends to be related to these qualities.
For example, we might associate the image of the crescent moon with racoon symbolism: To wit, the crescent moon doesn’t reveal its entire personality all at once; it is also deeply tied to imagery that we associate with the night.
But how do you know if the raccoon is your spirit animal? What signs should you look for?
A spirit animal doesn’t always make itself apparent in obvious ways. In fact, the wilier type of spirit animals can be very difficult to suss out.
Although you might actually see your spirit animal in the flesh, a spirit animal won’t necessarily make its physical presence known. You might have to do a bit of detective work to discover which animal will be your guide.
Firstly, you’ll need to take a hard look at your personal characteristics. Being honest with ourselves about our core values can really help us to discover our spirit animal.
For example, it’s not always easy to admit that we prefer being outsiders. Sometimes not fitting in with others can be more of a pain than we’d like to think.
A Unique Perspective
But outsiders are often given a unique opportunity to see society from a different perspective than most people. The Ancient Athenian philosopher Socrates was such a person: Socrates didn’t put much stock in material wealth or power.
Socrates thought that real wealth came from expanding our knowledge about our true natures. He thought that we should try to understand ourselves rather than seek worldly things.
While Socrates stuck out in Ancient Athens like a sore thumb, his ideas would eventually change the world. Socrates was the teacher of the philosopher Plato; Plato was the teacher of Aristotle; in turn, Aristotle was the teacher of Alexander the Great.
In other words, Socrates’s beliefs were incredibly original and left a big mark on the world.
But these beliefs also put Socrates at odds with the culture of his time. He was even mocked by leading playwrights like Aristophanes and criticized by local political authorities.
The Benefits of a Raccoon Spirit Animal
Almost certainly, a person like Socrates would have had a raccoon as a spirit animal. Because of their independent style of life and nonconformist approach to problems, raccoons are often looked down upon and even treated as a pest!
That’s a role within society that Socrates would have understood very well.
At the same time, raccoons also don’t really care for what society at large thinks. Raccoons just do what they do: If the world doesn’t like it, that is okay with raccoons.
Although they’re frequently looked down upon, raccoons don’t mean anyone harm. They’re not outsiders because they’re antisocial; they’re outsiders because they simply enjoy solitude.
A Rewarding Spirit Companion
Life as a raccoon isn’t always easy, and people with raccoon spirit animals sometimes face difficult scenarios related to an inability to fit in with their peers.
As spirit animals go, however, raccoons are one of the greatest spirit animals that a person can have.
And if we’re being honest, most of us probably admire the way that raccoons take self-sufficiency seriously. This is a great quality in human beings and raccoons alike.
After all, a raccoon is nobody’s fool. If more of us had raccoons as spirit animals, the world would almost certainly be a better place.
