Your Inner Zoo : A Guide to the Meaning of Animals and the Insights They Offer Us

What might we learn about our own human natures from the friskiness of a young goat, the focus of a hawk, the transformation of a butterfly, or the hibernation of a bear? How can animals—through their natural and cultural histories—offer us ideas that could help us better understand ourselves, navigate a relationship, or change an aspect of our lives? Do the animals that we admire or fear reveal something about us? What about the animals who appear in our dreams, visions, and creative inspirations? These are some of the questions addressed in The Inner Zoo: A Field Guide to the Meaning of Animals & the Insights They Offer Us. What might we learn about our own human natures from the friskiness of a young goat, the focus of a hawk, the transformation of a butterfly, or the hibernation of a bear? How can animalsthrough their natural and cultural historiesoffer us ideas that could help us better understand ourselves, navigate a relationship, or change an aspect of our lives? Do the animals that we admire or fear reveal something about us? What about the animals who appear in our dreams, visions, and creative inspirations? These are some of the questions addressed in Belinda Recios new book, Your Inner A Guide to the Meaning of Animals and the Insights They Offer Us. Part animal symbolism dictionary, part field guide, and part meditation on how animals help us to understand ourselves and the world, Recio wrote Your Inner Zoo to help readers develop a zoology of the selfa sense of how animals live within us as ideas and insights, intuitions, and instincts. Interweaving natural history and with animal symbolism, metaphors, folktales, and traditions, Your Inner Zoo invites readers to approach animals as sources of wisdom, perspectives, and provocative ideas that can lead to self-discovery and a deeper connection with the more-than-human world. Illustrated throughout with original color artwork by the author and stunning photography, Your Inner Zoo helps readers to recognize how much animals have contributed to the way we see ourselves and the world. What might we learn about our own human natures from the friskiness of a young goat, the focus of a hawk, the transformation of a butterfly, or the hibernation of a bear? How can animals—through their natural and cultural histories—offer us ideas that could help us better understand ourselves, navigate a relationship, or change an aspect of our lives? Do the animals that we admire or fear reveal something about us? What about the animals who appear in our dreams, visions, and creative inspirations? These are some of the questions addressed in Your Inner Zoo: A Guide to the Meaning of Animals and the Insights They Offer Us. You can use Your Inner Zoo : • to explore yourself through animals • to approach animals as teachers and guides • to explore the possible meaning of animal encounters • to connect with animals through their natural and cultural histories • as an animal symbolism dictionary By exploring animal biology and behavior, as well as the cultural roles that animals play in symbolism, mythology, and traditions, Your Inner Zoo invites you to approach animals as a source of provocative ideas that can lead to self-discovery and a deeper sense of connection with the more-than-human world.