Totems and your animal counterparts.

Animals come to us in all forms.  Often it is due to the love and natural companionship they can offer.  However it can also be because they have an important lesson to give us in terms of the wisdom and instinctive range, they can use this sense at times to the effect of helping and intervening in lives and sometimes this can be enough to save a life.  We can study, learn and be astounded by powers they are willing to bestow upon a friend.  They seek to give us gifts of understanding, compassion, universal love, energy, and knowledge.  In general, animals remind us that we are all a crucial part of the earth; that each animal is valuable; that each creature has an ability of it’s own; that we all have properties given to us from Mother Earth, a wisdom born with us that we can awaken.  The Animal Totem that I would like to talk about come to you through spiritual means, natural day to day encounters and dreams, they can offer you power and wisdom if you will learn to communicate with it, the respect, love, the trust, and understanding which can mount as a result of this will help you in ways that you can not imagine. The native American clans of old knew as a practiced part of the culture the attributes that animals have in our day to day lives.  Developing a knowledge about how to explore your animal totem takes practice, time, and of course patience. Having an animal totem does not mean necessarily that you gain the touch or care for it in a sense which is not spiritual but that the animal can help offer you protection and heighten your awareness of who you are, your identity and aid to encourage safety and well being for you. Having an animal totem means that you can progress spiritually, you can endeavour to learn and have a powerful spiritual friend as an ally.

Each animal has its own potential and means of gift to bring into your life.  One account which perfectly brings this message into context is from one young man who was living in a Country at a time of Revolution, a period of danger and army deadlock.  His journey that day had seen both himself and his friend sat together in his car and headed up a steep mountain path towards a serene but picturesque eating spot.  Without knowledge that just beyond the road a militia convoy had ceased vehicles and was physically manhandling and taking into their hands the lives of the families inside.  The two who had chosen to drive up on to that mountain had no idea of what was taking place.  It was literally only a few miles up ahead.  Oblivious the journey continued and it was that as they drove towards the imminent threat to their lives that an odd yet mystifying experience was to be staged.  A saviour in the form of a Hawk swept in from the clouds above.  This bird came swooping below, seemingly out of nowhere, and thus as it approached their car dove and struck itself against the windscreen.  Both men were slightly taken aback and quickly got out from the car to check on the state of the bird.  The act had been so decisive.  Both were puzzled and still as they held the hawk felt dismay at what had been such an odd intervention.  Spending a while to see if there was anything the two could do for the bird and on seeing it was too late they waited whilst they laid it and covered it in the Earth.  Both were sad as they entered the car as they thought the Hawk’s passing had been needless but it went without saying that the action was more significant than either though; it was a mere few minutes later that as they turned on to the sweeping road and incline they passed the army vehicles now leaving.  Both could not believe how lucky they had been not to have fallen prey to the activities which would no doubt have forced them into the military arms and had them either hurt or taken captive.

The action of one Hawk saved two lives that day.  It is partly instinct no doubt but it is hard not to sense that as tribes of old used to state the animal kingdom has more knowledge, feeling and wisdom than we give credit to… Hawks are not the only animal who has displayed an awesome sense of knowing beyond its realm, other stories too have shown the counterparts which share part of our natural habitat do so with more heart and spiritual understanding than we know.  

When we talk about spiritualism, even when we sit for trance and physical circle, we use external apparatus such as cameras to pick up photographic evidences, tape recorders to extract sound and objects to visually highlight spiritual movement.  Energies have traits and can be photographed to show colour, recorded to catch oral footprint and in the case of animals used to depict the auras and shades of powerful intent which surrounds them.

Colours are very important in the animal world.  They can show the emotional and physical being of an animal.

  • The White bear, bird and Wolf:
    Known as the spiritual phantom, the white animal and wolf lives in the spiritual and physical, both sides of the veil simultaneously. They can teach the lessons which help to give proportion, a scale of understanding and bring both the lives of spirit and life into balance. The help us learn how to be closer to spirit.   They help to build the bridge between the two worlds so that we might learn the underlying purpose of events and issues in our life.
  • Brown animal, birds and Wolf:
    They teach the lessons and intentions of health and healing. How to use the forces of the natural world in conjunction with the earth foundation of medicine to maintain a balance between the mind, body and spirit.
  • Gray animal, bird and Wolf:
    The hidden lessons, reaching through to the veil of vision and into the realm of spirit. The gray colour is the teacher of spirit companionship and communications. How we can regain our path with information with our spiritual teachers and guides.
  • Red animal, birds and Wolf:
    They are the protectors of earth and nature. These red coloured animals help us communicate with our elements, their connection is to the earth, they can commune with spirit in physical form (such as in dream). The teachers of communication.   It is with these animals that behaviour is vital.  If you spot an animal and you do not know what it signifies then seeing the colour red in these kinds of animals can help you find the meaning.
  • Black birds, animals and Wolf:
    Expression, physical natures and intentions come into the realm of this colour in animals. These animals keep us intent on the material world whilst our spiritual side can flourish and extend.

The native American culture knew to attribute certain qualities and life meanings to the totem.  Yet it can also be to the different animal totems that we can learn and receive the most. 

Animal Journey totem –  An animal journey totem is the chosen form which gives us guidance when we embark on a new project, albeit geographical or creative in nature.

Animal message totem –  The animal who gives knowledge about endeavours which come to us through words, signs or experiences that are new to us can be the ones which uncover truth and comfort.

Animal shadow totem –  The shadow Totem is the one who meets both the spiritual and material sides in our life.    

Animals can be expressive, emotional and inspirational sources which give us passion and guidance when we know that we need it or even when we unaware that we are in need of their support.

Just as with the Hawk who sacrificed itself and gave two lives direction, animals can come into a life and make it worthwhile and meaning will come in many spiritual and other connections.

A checklist of how to understand and look into our animal elements can include questions on..  If you have ever felt drawn to one animal over another without being able to explain why?

  • Does a certain kind of animal keep coming up in your life? This doesn’t necessarily have to be a physical appearance, it could be represented in other ways such as dreams, cards with the same symbol over and over, unexplainable vision of a particular animal, watching television or a stray who adopts you as an owner.
  • Are there any animals that you feel an affection for to the extreme or simply fear?
  • When you go to a park do you try to look out for the same species of animal?
  • When you are outside do you feel an affinity to any one species?
  • Are you painting or drawing a recurring animal in a picture or do you feel as if a memory about one animal comes to you more than it should?

Please find below a chart that gives information on particular animals and their behaviour, it can give guidance on symbolic meaning of an animal if it or they appear to you in life or in a dream.  Animals are so vivid, as a part of life they instruct and can be the most inspiring examples of spirit in life.

Alligator Speedy,Maternal,

determined,

emotion led, and extremely grounded by a need for survival instincts.

 
Ant Group and collective thoughts, motivated, patient, able, and industrial body  
Antelope  Agile,Physical,

 Shy but loyal.

 
Anteater Sleepycurious

and pursues easy wins

 
Armadillo Safe and wiliy, has borders that should not be broached.  
  Badger Brave, aggressive, a healer, sole body, and energy conduit
Bat Rebirth, long life span, secrecy and initiation, good oral gifts.
Bear Safe, instinctive, a healing one, power, sovereignty, guardian of the planet, watcher of events, courage, will power to succeed, self-preservation, introspection, and great strength..
Beaver Strong-willed, builds homes, overseer, and guardianship
     
Boar/Pig A very powerful totem – prosperity, spiritual alertness, organized, self-doer, fearless.
Buffalo Sacredness, life, strength, abundance, gratitude.
Bull The past information, fertility, rushing into incidents without preparation.
Butterfly A Metamorphosis, transformation, balnace, grace, ability to accept change
Camel Survival, positive, accomplishments
   
  Cat Detachment, sensuality, physical guide, mystery, magic, and independence
Cheetah Swiftness, insight, focus
Cougar Leadership and guide, loyalty, agility, taking responsibility, foresight
Cow Swift, insightful and vigiliant
Coyote Clever, intelligence, stealth, wisdom and knowledge, guile and innocence
Cobra Decisive but determined
  Crab Good luck and success
   
Crocodile Ensuring your emotions are shown accurately, appropriately
Crow Justice, shape shifter, creativity, spiritual, energy, community sharing, and balanced
Deer Peace, compassion, intellectual, gentle, caring, kind hearted, subtlety, gracefulness, feminine, gentleness, innocence, and seller of adventures
Dog A noble, loyal, friend teaching easily, protection, and guide