Represents: Innocence, wonder, imagination
The playful Porcupine reminds us of the innocence of childhood. He teaches us not to get so caught up in the chaos of the world that we lose ourselves. Porcupine teaches us not to take life to seriously, and to take time to laugh and to play.
Porcupine is a symbol of faith and trust. People of the Porcupine are open and forgiving people, but those who push them too far have also felt the sting of their barbs!
If Porcupine calls to you, it is a call for a return to innocence and creativity. Remember the fantasy and imagination of childhood and bring them into your life again. Porcupines know that it can sometimes be more selfish not to take time for themselves, because if they forget to play they show their barbs, and when this happens they can sometimes wound the ones they love. Better to schedule some play time than to injure the ones you love by allowing yourself to become so worn out that you have nothing left to give.
Porcupine people would do well to remember that if someone has angered them, the time to confront it is the time when it happens. If it is stuffed down and swept under the rug, Porcupines have a tendency to become prickly after too much of this.
If a Porcupine is your spirit animal you might have a tendency to be overly sensitive to criticism from others or overly critical of others. If this has happened to you, use your powers of imagination and creativity to do a little soul searching. Perhaps you are allowing barbs from long ago to affect your life now. If so, it is time to let them go.
Porcupines sometimes have problems with poor boundaries. They either let people in when they shouldn’t, or they miss the clear signs others are giving them. When this happens, they are in danger of either sticking it to others, or having others get under their skin.
To avoid situations like this, People of the Porcupine would do well to remember to always keep the channels of communication open, learning to see and hear what is actually there, instead of what you wish were there. Guard against your tendency to assume too much, and always check your facts before launching your barbs.
Explore the significance of some common spirit animals by clicking a link below.