Did you ever overhear one child saying that to another? You probably saw the parents roll their eyes and grin at you knowingly at their youngster's foolish beliefs.

But imagine for a minute that what the child sees is real. What if this unseen friend is in that young person's life as a protector, guarding him or her with the same ferocity and selflessness as any loving caretaker?

From a shamanic perspective, this is exactly what is happening. Shamans believe that the instant we are born a helping spirit enters our lives to watch over us. As the Jivaro Indians of Ecuador claim, without the aid of these guardian spirits, we would not have the protective power necessary to achieve adulthood.

There are many names for these helping spirits – power animals, spirit guides, guardians, totems and even angels. While they are most often perceived as non-domesticated animals, they can also be mythological figures and occasionally humanoid.

Societies with shamanic roots believe that we are spiritual beings who have taken human form. As newcomers into this reality, children have a stronger connection to the spirit world and see more clearly through the veil separating the two. Because of this, they can perceive helping spirits with more clarity than adults.

In our culture, however, we tend to believe only those things that our limited five senses tell us are real. Since we are out of touch with the spirit world, we tell our children (as we were told ourselves) that their "invisible friends" do not exist and they should stop this fantasy. After a while, our insistence and shaming closes off young people to a truly precious gift from the universe. As in any relationship where one party is constantly ignored, the unwanted spirit helper may leave.

In many cultures, children are encouraged to seek out their helper. Once that relationship is established, young people are taught to sustain this friendship by finding ways to honor their helper. This can include singing songs, creating dances, constructing fetishes and making a special effort to acknowledge the animal if encountered in the wild.

In addition to protecting children, spirit helpers bestow their young charges with special strengths, talents and abilities. These gifts might include enhanced tracking skills, artistic abilities or leadership qualities. As young people grow and contribute to this alliance, so does their personal power grow, increasing their success and status within the community.

Shamanic cultures believe that children who have lost their spirit helper can become ill and may perish. Symptoms of this dis-ease often include a series of unexplained accidents or misfortunes. Frequently, the remedy for this is a healing called a spirit helper retrieval (sometimes called a "power animal retrieval") in which the shaman journeys into the spirit world, finds a spirit guide willing to help, brings it back and unites it with the child.

After the healing, the child is asked to establish communication with the new helper. This may be achieved by sitting quietly in a place in nature, by meditating or by taking a shamanic "journey." The goal is to open his or her heart to the helper, find its voice and begin a dialogue.

This early discussion will often involve the child asking the helper how it can be honored. He or she may be told to make a small altar, say a daily prayer of thanks, hike into the wilderness (or zoo) to observe the spirit's animal form, or go to the library to research its history, habitat and traits.

The child should also ask what talents or strengths his or her helper brings to the relationship. The helpers always have mankind's "greater good" in mind and their gifts will reflect that which is needed for the child to achieve growth as a spiritual being.

So, the next time you hear a child talking about an "invisible friend," make the effort to create a safe place to discuss this friend. It may just be a whimsical creation born from a child's fertile imagination, but it could also be one of the most powerful and inspirational forces in a young person's life.

Bob Martin is a shamanic practitioner living in Anchorage, Alaska. He is available for shamanic healings on both children and adults and can be reached at 907-694-9555 or rdmartin@alaska.net.