Totems – Do I have one?lion.wmf (3606 bytes)

 

What is a totem? A totem is an animal, real or mythical for which you feel an affinity. It is not the same as a familiar, which is an animal that you live with that has a magickal connection to you. A familiar may or may not be a totem. As an example, I have a black cat, the infamous "Spookie," but cats are not one of my totems. However, the black Jaguar of South America is a dream totem for me. It is possible that "Spookie" is indeed a totem in that respect. He does have the temperament of the Jaguar!

How many totems can a person have? Some people only have one, their whole life, others have one main totem and other animal helpers that come into to their lives during a particular period to teach a lesson that is needed or to lend a certain strength. There is no right or wrong here but it is an individual thing. This can vary with your "tradition."

I have one main totem, the owl; my mother gave it to me. (No we are definitely not Native American!) I also have a "messenger" the Hummingbird. Whenever I see one, I know that I need to pay attention to my feelings, intuition, and what is happening at that particular moment in time.

How do you get a totem? This can vary quite a bit; again sometimes it is a part of a tradition. Some traditions have you do a vision quest to "see" your totem. It may come to you in a dream or during a meditation. One animal that has come to me during dreams is the Wolf. It brings with it the message of the Clan or pack.

Or it could be that whenever you meditate, you always use the same animal helper (totem), to help you "get there." Someone could give you a totem, as in a nickname such as "Bear" or "Mouse." Totems could be an animal that you have always loved and feel great emotions about them. This is particularly so for more domestic animals such as horses or dogs.

Your totem could be also a mythical, mystical beast such as a dragon or a unicorn. These great creatures of the past have energies that lend themselves to some of us from time to time. Many folks have large collections of Dragons, even wear T-shirts with Dragons on them and do not realize that this is a totem.

Totems can be quite useful in your life and bring you many gifts, including knowledge, lessons, protection, and understanding of yourself. I have used the Owl to guard my home. They literally stand guard at each door and window to the outside world. They watch over me all the time.

There was a time in my grandson’s life when he needed some protection and I asked the Bear to guard him. The "bear" came in the form of "Brown Bear" his new dog, and he does indeed guard him!

StarrWalker

Meditate to reach your totem using Medicine Wheel Incense from the Sacred Flame.


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Last updated Wednesday, September 23, 1998 08:35 AM. Copyrighted Temple of The Triple Goddess, P.O. Box 38113, Phoenix, AZ 85069-8113. All rights reserved.

Email: starrw@sacredflame.com