Animal Totems

[Kyvr]

I noticed several people talking about animal totems here, but there was no thread about them, so i thought to start one 

I'll start off with my own experiences with my animal totems:

Years ago, in my first year of college, I attended an animal totem seminar held by the Native American center at the college. It wasn't really as much as a seminar as a handful of people in a small office room listening to a old Native American who held the title of shaman. I was a little uncomfortable being only one of the two white people there 

The shaman invited us to participate in a animal totem seeking ritual, where they would play drums (off a cassette tape), the shaman would chant, and the shaman's assistant (I forget her exact title) instructed us. We were told to get in a comfortable position, so I sat against the wall.

The chanting went on, and I was told to listen to the drumbeat. I have meditated before, so I knew that I was attempting to alter my consciousness. I let myself relax, and I lost all perception of where I was and what time it was. At first I thought I had fallen asleep (I am a very lucid dreamer), but then I opened my "eyes" and I found myself in a forest clearing.

It seemed to be a forest from up north my family used to camp at. It was a nice, sunny, cloudy day, and I was resting with my back against a tree. I looked to my right, and sitting right next to me was a large black furred wold with a silver streak down his head. He glanced at me briefly with his green eyes, then continued to sit and watch the area with me. I then noticed movement to my left, and saw a large, black maned lion patrolling the perimeter of the clearing. He paced past me and the wolf, regarded me briefly, before continuing his patrol around the clearing. The vision ended and I woke up.

I was a little confused at first, because the shaman and his assistant did not mention anything about have two animal totems, but when I mentioned it to him, the shaman just nodded. The shaman explained (his assistant translated) that the wolf was my teacher, a great spirit of knowledge, and the lion was my protector, a spirit of battle and war. He was about to move on to talking to the next person, when he paused, and came back to me. He told me that evil spirits (such as demons) feared me because of the lion, and that he would protect me, and anyone else I cared about, from evil spirits. The assistant elaborated, telling me that there was two ways I can regard the spirits: either they are separate spiritual beings that are bonded to me, ore they are reflections of myself. I tend to think they are reflections of my inner self, but I wonder sometimes if they are a little bit of both.

My second animal totem experience came a year and a half later, after my mother passed away from cancer. I was just ending school in a program I didn't like at all, when I saw the Native American center was holding another session. I decided to go, and this time things were a little bit different.

I found myself in the same clearing, with my wolf sitting beside me. I looked around for the lion, because I could not spot him a first, then I saw him patrolling outside the clearing, behind the trees. I realized he was protecting me more by increasing his patrol area. I also became aware of something hugging me from behind. instead of sitting with my back to a tree, there was a large, brown bear hugging me from behind.

The bear, of course, is a powerful spirit of healing and rest. He was obviously there because of my recent loss. After that the bear became very prominent in my life, and I myself went into a period of healing hibernation.

Recently the lion has become more prominent, showing up in my dreams and other places. I feel he is telling me that the resting period is over, and I have to get off my butt and do something. I feel like I have a lot of energy nowadays, and an increased sense of confidence.

My totem animals have always shown up in the darned paces, and I often follow their advice.

Thanks for reading my long post  and I hope to hear from you.

[Benjamin]

It was a very good read. Thanks for sharing your experiences on that.
Since I started spending time with Sedyah here, who happens to be Ojibwe, I've been getting more in touch with my spirituality. For the longest time, I've felt that I was a totemist, but couldn't put my finger on how to understand it. I had a good idea as to what my totems were and had been... and it's only become all the more clear in the time I've spent with Sedyah in my life. She had introduced me to the Ojibwe methods, as I had actually attended some of her classes in college with her, when she was in a Native Child and Family programme at Cambrian. I also got involved at the native health centre she works at, helping as a volunteer at their events, participating in drumming circles with her kids, designing their web site, and even attended a sweat with her son. I was the token zhaaganash at the events, but was always welcome. Actually, it seems a lot of natives mistake me for being at least part native. Maybe it's because I feel at home around most of them.
 
Anyways... back to the totem thing...
 
When I was in my teens, the tiger had been something I had fixated upon and was often in my life, so it was something of a totem to me then. During my university years, as my creative mind became more developed, the lion became my totem. Apparently, in my research, I found that lions are symbols of many things, one of them being creativity... so it started to make sense to me, since I've always strived to keep myself creative somehow or another. I had also learned of ligers, of course, and while it was never particularly a totem to me in and of itself, it became a modern incarnation of an ancient totem that was the forebearer of both lions and tigers... and that being the American lion and European cave lions. Even though these species are extinct, their spirits live on in our world, through lions, tigers... and they are the mishibizhii, or "water panthers", who are the spirits of our lakes, streams, rivers, seas, rapids, storms, drizzles, and all forms of clouds. It tied in the reason why I am drawn to water, like chilling out by the lake, feeling empowered by storms, admiring clouds... just as much as I admire modern lions. It unfolded over a number of years as to who I was guided by, and it becomes clearer and clearer all the time.
 
I believe I had a number of totems during my childhood... like the fox, the beaver... and the lion also showed up a fair bit. They don't always manifest themselves in the most obvious of ways, but they're there. Like in the movie "The Golden Compass", where the kids have their daemon changing every so often, our totems have a way of changing throughout our lives, depending on where we're going and what we need. They can have interesting ways of making themselves known to you... and they definitely have interesting ways of communicating with you.
 
In the past few years, I've come to realise that I am a modern liger with the ancient spirit of an American lion... or a mishibizhii. It's all been making more and more sense to me lately. I feel kindship with the spirits when I'm by the lake, watching clouds, or admiring a storm... because these spirits are actually feline... ancient, giant, striped lions...
 

 
Benjamin

[KrazyWolf]

When i was younger i wanted to know more abount my dad who was native but no one would tell me anything abount him so i started reading pretty much anything i could get my hands on abount native people. I was facinated by everything and for some reason the more i learned the closer i felt to him.
One of the things that really stood out to me was the totem animals and after alot more reasearch abount it one night i had a dream whear i first saw my totem animal.

 In the dream i was walking down a path in a forest and when i got to the end of the path their was a clearing with a giant tree in the middle i started to head to wards the tree when i saw a wolf come in to the clearing on the opposite side and seemed to be heading for the tree as well. We both paused and looked at eachother for a moment and then at the same time we both started walking towards the tree again wile kepping our eyes glued on eachother. I reached the tree first and sat down with my back against it the wolf sat down infront of me and just stared in to my eyes i felt comfortable with his company and was the first time i ever felt compleatly safe and loved.

Ever since then ive just loved wolves to pieces (litterally i had a wolf stuffed animal that i snuggled with so much he came apart at the seams and fell to pieces )

Ive had a couple other totem animals come and go and even had a few of them at the same time but the wolf is the only constant one.
Anyways it was nice to read abount both Benjamins and your expeirences.

[prysmcat]

Fascinating reading.

I do have some native blood (my grandmother's grandmother), but I've never really done any formal exploration of my totem animal(s).  I would like to, at some point.

I do, however, have such an overwhelming affinity with felines that I tend to identify myself as feline-souled.  Being pagan, I have the strongest connection with feline-associated deities - Bast/Sekhmet and Freya, in particular.  It's not all that uncommon for me to say I'm a daughter of Bast when asked about my beliefs.

I do find it rather interesting that I've gone from wolves, while my birth family was disintegrating in my late teens, to tigers while I needed strength to learn to manage on my own, to pumas and small cats for longer than the wolves and tigers put together.

Think I'll leave it at that, though, since this isn't technically about animal totems, just sort of along the same lines.    

[Vulpyra]

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[Vulpyra]

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[Aaeden]

I can't say that I've ever considered the ocelot a totem animal. To me, totems indicate an element of disconnect from the creature in question (even though I totally know that they don't represent that in any way, shape, or form). I prefer to think of it as a reflection of my soul as opposed to it being an element of it. Having multiple fursonas reflecting various facets is a recent complication, but I primarily limit my more spiritual fursonas in identities and established forms. The rest are just costumes they wear, as opposed to spiritual connections to me.

[WalkingTiger]

Benjamin did an exceptional job explaining things...at least from my understanding. Totems can certainly change and will come and go with different times in your life to help you out. Some stay with you as long as you need them, some are there for life. They all have things to teach you based on the virtues inherent to their spirit.

There is a big male tiger that follows me around and I am told his name is Sasha (one of many, I would assume, but it's nice to have something to call him). He's there for the long haul. Others include a snow leopard, wolf, puma and lion and I'm trying my best to learn from them as well.

I would recommend practicing mediation or at least trying to learn if you wanted to get in touch with them. You can learn a lot about them and about yourself as well. Often there will be messages to be considered and it also gives you an opportunity to thank them for being with you.

[Seamus]

I've meditated alot, and the only animal i can actually say i've seen during meditation is a white wolf.  This animal has appeared at several times in my life.  when i was a kid, my grandfather would tell me stories of my native american great great grandmother.  She always used to paint, and alot of her paintings were of a white wolf.

It appears during meditation maybe once a year or so.  It's prescence is somewhat haunting and mysterious, i really don't know what to make of it.  It'll usually appear suddenly and then flee, and it'll usually knock me out of any sort of meditative state i'm in.

I've never heard my grandfather mention anything about it being a totem, but i find it to be a good possibility.  If anyone knows more about this kind of thing i'd love to hear it.

[Garbo]

As a Wolf Shaman i also have a lion as a totem animal i recommend Animal Speak by Ted Andrews a very good book

[Zera Stargazer]

I've actually just discovered mine, like Kyvr I have two.  A wolf and a hawk, I'm thinking the wolf is my protector and the hawk is my guide.  Though I was talking to my SO about totems and he believes that his totem, a giant black wolf named Nanoa is actually linked to my wolf.  Though I've yet to find out what the names of mine are.