How to Find Your Animal Totem

What Is An Animal Totem

Preparing for the Journey

The Journey

I've Found My Totem, Now What?

A Totem Adventure

Honoring Your Totem

What If I Can't Find Info On My Animal Totem?

Having found their animal totem, many people experience occasions where they will "see" (or feel or hear) the totem. The totem will often come to speak with you and teach you lessons about how to utilize your energies, interact with others, manifest your goals and desires and much else.

Within reason and safety, I have found it is usually best to follow their advice. Remember, however, that they are not human, nor mortal, and that sometimes they forget our limitations. Though they strive to protect us, they sometimes suggest ideas which would be wiser not to follow. As an example, my cougar totem used to love to climb along the 50 foot high rock cliffs that backed my former home, and would expect me to follow. Though I am sure-footed in such situations, I also made certain not to take any unnecessary risks.

A Totem Adventure

To illustrate some of the ways in which totems work, I'll tell you of a story that happened near when I first began walking with my cougar totem.

I was walking in the woods behind a friend's house, and suddenly deer (one of my lesser animal allies) came to walk with me. As I moved along the trail, I became conscious of the fact that I was prancing on the tips of my feet, moving in much the way a deer does. Deer led me to a rock wall where I found a an ancient, disintegrating deer's skull. Taking one of the skull's teeth for a medicine pouch, I thanked Deer and moved further into the woods.

Cougar showed up then and took over. "Come, this way," she said, in my mind, and a path to my right tugged at me. And there in the middle of the path was a crow feather. I picked up the feather and moved on. A little ways along, she called me in another direction, and a few steps down that path, I found another feather.

I walked along, gathering feathers as I went. Now, I've lived in the woods a good part of my life. Bugs, mice and other creatures eat feathers, using the keratin to nourish themselves. Downed feathers don't last long in the wild, and a day when you find one is a lucky day. By the time I left the woods, I had a huge double-handful of feathers, mostly turkey and crow, but a few others as well.

At one point, we were walking a path alongside a drainage ditch. We came to a place where there was a log across the ditch, and Cougar said, "cross here." I eyed the log - it would take a good climb to get to, and didn't look very safe. I considered crossing the ditch but there were brambles and sharp rocks and mud at the bottom and it was too wide to leap. I started to move along the path, but Cougar kept insisting that I should cross there. Finally I walked back up the path, the way we'd come from, and found a safer place to cross. I walked back to where the fallen log was and there, where I couldn't have seen it from my former position, was another feather.

Since then, whenever Cougar wants to let me know that I'm on the "right path" I'll find a feather.

Honoring Your Totem

As you walk with your totem, just as with any good friend, you will likely wish to find ways of honoring and gifting to your totem, as well as to learn more about them. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

Water (Emotional)

Surround yourself with pictures, statues and other representations of your totem.

Wear clothing or jewelry depicting your totem. Check out our Animals and Totems, Reptiles and Amphibians and Oceanic pages for some gorgeous totemic jewelry.

Many totems deal with emotional issues. Give time and energy to the ones represented by your totem. For instance, Eagle works with anger, and Frog works with the need for clearing and release of negativity.

If possible (and safe) visit the type of terrain where your totem lives, and spend some time meditating, relaxing and dreaming there.

Write a poem or story about your totem.

Air (Mental)

Read books and study the life and habits of your totem.

Watch nature specials about your totem.

Read books regarding the lessons which your totem teaches. For instance, a Cougar person might want to read books about leadership while a Parrot person might wish to read about communication or color energy.

Fire (Dynamic)

Take action in a way that honors the lessons of your totem. An Eagle person might wish to do something that forces them to be courageous, or far-sighted, while an Elk person might take up long distance running as a way to build stamina.

Earth (Material)

Carry a stone which is aligned with the energies of your totem. A frog person might wish to carry jade or green tourmaline, while a dragonfly person might want opal or something else with scintillating color.

Do something to heal the Earth, particularly that part of the Earth which houses your totem. A Whale person might contribute money to fight an oil spill, while an Owl person might spend a day helping to replant forests. Can't find anything to do? Picking up trash left by others or working on recycling efforts is always appropriate.

If your totem is endangered or other wise in need of protection, contribute money to causes that help them specifically.

If your totem corresponds to a particular body part or function, you may wish to do something helpful for that. Eagle people might wish to have their vision checked, while Giraffe people might want their neck massaged.

Spirit

Work to learn the lessons which your totem teaches, and give attention to your spiritual path.

Spend time in meditiation with your totem animal.

Love yourself, the Earth, and all of Nature.

Say "thank you."

What If I Can't Find Info On My Animal Totem?

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