Animal Totems and Spirit Guides

ANIMAL TOTEMS AND SPIRIT GUIDES

Animal totems and spirit guides help us in many ways. They guide us and teach us what we need to learn. They help us balance ourselves and in turn treat ourselves and others fairly and without prejudice. We often look to them for advice in our spiritual and mundane lives.

This brings me to the golden rule of working with animal totems and spirit guides: An animal totem or spirit guide will never tell you to harm yourself or another. If you believe you are being told to cause yourself or someone else (human or animal) harm, please seek professional counseling immediately.

Animal Totems

When working with animal totems, we need to first remember that our animal totem chooses us, not the other way around. Do not let your ego get in the way. Mouse is no less important than Hawk and he has just as much to teach. Learn as much as you can about your animal totem, including its habitat, its diet and how it eats, how it cares for its young, and how it interacts with others of its species. Remember, your animal chose you because there is something it can teach you so look at all aspects of its life. Sometimes we can use our animal totem’s characteristics in our own daily lives to better ourselves. For example, Mouse may be showing you that you need to pay attention to the details in your life in case you are missing something right in front of you. Similarly, Hawk may want you to continue to have a broad view of things, but retain the ability to focus and carry out an action, like he does when he hunts.

By working with animal totems, you are honoring the animal’s spirit. Feel free to hang pictures of it, get figurines, or other mementoes (although I do not recommend furs or other body parts since you may not know for sure how the body part was obtained). You may even choose to do something in the physical world to honor your totem, such as donating your money or time to a local, national, or world-wide organization that works toward improving your animal’s habitat and/or freedom in the wild. For a few years, I was personally drawn to participate in the Adopt-A-Wolf program and there are other adoption programs available as well.

To find your animal totem, or more accurately ask it to find you, meditation is an excellent medium. Meditate, envisioning yourself in a meadow, in a forest, in a cave, by a river or a waterfall – anywhere you think you may find what you are looking for. Dreams are also a good resource since many animals and spirits come to us through our dreams. Another place to start is in nature, itself. Think about the animals that may have already shown themselves to you. What animals fascinate you? What animals do you love to see at the zoo? Maybe you have even come across your totem in the wild. Are there any animals that frighten you? Animals that frighten you may have a very important message to share. Also, do not forget about domesticated animals. Your totem could very well be a dog or cat. Wild animals are very powerful, but at one time, all animals were wild and that power still resides within our domesticated friends.

Keep in mind that although you may have one main animal that stays with you throughout your entire life, many other animals may make themselves known when you need a specific lesson or guidance. Do not discount their message just because you “already have an animal totem”.

Some Animals and Their Associations (excerpted from Medicine Cards by David Carson)

This list is terribly incomplete and includes only the poem for certain animals in the deck, but will give you an idea of what some animals represent. Animals were not chosen for any reason in particular. I simply opened the book and typed the poem for whichever animals showed themselves. To get the full meanings of these animals and many more, I recommend purchasing Medicine Cards by David Carson. It is an excellent deck that I have used for over 12 years. There is also a great deal of information online.

Opossum

Opossum… Roll over!

Are you really dead?

Or just playing Possum?

Was it something I said?

Lizard

Lizard… will you dream with me?

Travel across the stars?

Beyond the place of time and space,

There live visions from afar.

Porcupine

Porcupine … remind me,

Of innocence again,

With every man a brother,

Each woman a friend.

Antelope

Run Antelope… Teach me,

Of Action And its pace.

Quickly, Quickly,

So I may run with grace.

Weasel

Weasel… Weasel… Weasel

Who’s in the hen house now?

If I were to ask you,

You’d say it was the Cow!!

Spider

Spider… weaving webs of delight,

Weave me a peaceful world.

Carrying creation in your web,

Waiting to be unfurled!

Bat

Sacred Bat… flew to me,

From the darkness of the cave.

Womb-like reflections, Answers it gave.

Birth, death, rebirth, Cycles of the whole…

Never-ending, just eclipsed,

The journey of the soul.

Bear

Bear…

Invite me

Into the cave

Where silence surrounds

The answer you gave.

Spirit Guides

Like animal totems, spirit guides usually choose you and not the other way around. Your spirit guide could be an ancestor (one you knew in this life or one that passed before you were born). They could be a friend or other loved one that has passed. They could even be someone you never met, but who was simply drawn to you because of a similarity or a difference between you. You could also have more than one spirit guide. Sometimes they work in tandem with each other.

Most of the ways mentioned earlier to find your animal totem also apply to spirit guides. Meditation and dreams are good ways to start the process. In addition, spirit guides can often communicate in ways that make more sense to us than their animal totem counterparts. As a result, clairvoyance, clairaudience, and clairsentience are also excellent avenues of communication. If you have not developed these particular skills, a medium could help you either communicate directly, or learn to be more receptive to your guide’s messages.

In addition to guidance, teaching, and other benefits of having a spirit guide, they can also help you by communicating with other spirits for you. For example, if there is an unpleasant spirit hanging around you or where you live, your spirit guide may be able to find out why and help you fix it or even convince the unpleasant spirit to leave. Please do not mistake unpleasant for ‘evil’. There are plenty of spirits which are not evil in nature, but do emanate an unpleasant feeling, such as sorrow, remorse, or mischievousness.

Spirit guides should always be treated with respect. A good way to show respect is to put together an Altar for them, separate from your working or other Altar(s). Always keeping water and fresh food, such as bread, on the Altar is a thoughtful touch. If you are working with an ancestor that you know, you can put their picture on the Altar. In addition, you could plant a garden or do something else that you may have in common with them.

Herbs to help:

Clairvoyance: Basil, Bay, Eyebright, Lavender, Patchouli, Rose

Psychic Powers: Acicia, Anise, Althea, Bay, Bistort, Bladderwrack, Bodhi (meditation), Borage, Buchu, Camphor, Caraway, Celery, Cinnamon, Citron, Coltsfoot (visions), Damiana (visions), Deerstongue, Elder berry, Elecampane, Eyebright, Flax, Flaxseed, Galangal, Grape, Grass, Hibiscus, Honeysuckle, Jasmine (prophetic dreams), Juniper Berries, kava-Kave (visions), Lemongrass, Mace, Marigold, Mastic, Mugwort, Mustard, Rose, Nutmeg, Peppermint, Periwinkle, Rose, Rosemary, Rowan, Rue, Saffron, Savory/Summer, Spearmint, Star Anise, Stillengia, Sumbul, Tangerine, Thyme, Urva Ursi, Vanilla, Walnut, Wormwood, Wormwood, Yarrow, Yerba Santa

Conclusion

Working with spirit guides is similar to working with animal totems in that they are there to guide and teach you as well as send you messages. Remember that in both cases, you need to nurture the relationship. Trust must be established and don’t always just take guidance, take advice, and learn lessons. Sometimes they need your support and sometimes they just want to have some fun. Don’t be afraid to laugh and play with your animal totem and/or spirit guide.

Jackie Thomas, PD/D 8/8/06