Many ancient cultures, Native American in particular, believe that not only do we have human spirit guides (or guardian angels), but also animal ones. These guides are called Animal Totems. Everyone has at least one totem which has been with them from birth, but there are other types as well. Some animal spirits are with us during a particular journey or life situation, and then leave, their lesson having been learnt - these guides are called message totems, and come into our lives to help us learn something, a lesson particular to that part of our lives. Whether a 'life-path' totem or a 'message' totem, every animal has what is called it's own 'medicine'. This is the lesson that the animal teaches and the symbols it represents. Discovering your totems can help you understand the energies that are present in your life at a certain time, or the lessons that you are here to learn in this lifetime. So how do you discover your totem? One way to start is to think about the animal that has always fascinated you, one you've always felt a connection with, perhaps your 'favourite' animal. This is usually a clue to your 'life-path' totem. Another thing to consider is the animal that frightens you the most, for no particular reason, or perhaps because you were attacked by one. This is a strong clue to what is called a 'shadow' totem. The reason we are afraid of these animals is often because they hold a very intense lesson that we are here to learn, but for some reason we are 'not ready' or are still in denial over this aspect. The sooner you can confront your fear and learn about the animal and what possible lessons it may be in your life to teach you, the sooner your fear will disappear and you can gain more insight into this aspect of your life/personality. You can always ask you animal totems to appear to you in a dream or meditation. I believe they are always with us, like our angels, and simply asking aloud or in your head for your totem animal to reveal itself to you means you will be heard. After this it's important to keep your eyes and ears open! Take note of any dreams involving animals, pictures that repeat, news stories more than usual about a particular animal, or the actual animal appearing to you in nature more than usual. These are the ways that the totem will send you it's message, and also how you can pick up on whether a new animal has appeared as a 'message' totem. Once you are aware what your totem/s are, the best way of working with them is to learn as much about the animal that you can. In this way we are honouring the animal, as well as picking up invaluable clues as to what it's message is. There are many websites out there which list lots of animals and their particular messages and lessons. These are a good place to start, but I also recommend doing pure research into the animal, learning things like it's habitat, it's favourite prey, it's colours and habits, etc. Here is a useful list of questions to get you started on this path: 1) What is the colour of your animal totem? 2) What is it's size? 3) What is it's shape? 4) How does it act, and behave? 5) What kind of habitat does it live in? 6) What is it's origins, and what direction is that from where you are located? 7) In the wild where is it most often seen? 8) What kind of sounds or noises does it make? 9) What is it's favourite food or prey? 10) Is it a predator? 11) What does it eat? 12) When does it normally mate? 13) Does it have large or small litters? 14) Has it been domesticated? Or is it still wild? 15) What are the survival techniques and adaptations of this totem animal?I have included my thoughts and experiences with 4 of my totem animals on parts of this website:
Click here to read about Panther
Click here to read about Spider
Click here to read about Butterfly
