WHAT IS A NAWAL?
In Mesoamerican folk religion, a NAGUAL, NAHUAL or NAWAL, is a human being who has the power to magically transform him- or herself into an animal form, inhabited by its powers. Nawalism is linked with Pre-Columbian shamanistic practices, mostly used for divination rituals. The word “NAWAL” derives from “NAWATL,” an indigenous religious practitioner, identified by the Spanish as a “MAGICIAN.”
My little bronze NAWAL-JAGUAR embodies the process of metamorphosis. You can still recognize human features, but you can also see and feel the spirit of the Jaguar within the changes of these features.
The NAWAL JAGUAR protects against evil spirits. It is also a symbol of fertility. The jaguar is a quick, agile, very powerful animal, an integrant part of Shamanism. The jaguar moves between worlds, comfortable both in the trees and the water, able to hunt in the nighttime as well as the daytime. As such he is the perfect mediator between the above and the below, the world of spirit and the world of matter.