Animal Totems (Revisited)
 

I see there was an older, now locked, thread on animal totems. I’d like to resurrect the topic.

About three years ago I came to believe that it’s possible to have a special, near-spiritual connection with certain animals. My own experiences led me to research the topic more thoroughly and I gained a better understanding of this connection through the book Animal Speak by Ted Andrews and the Medicine Cards of Jamie Sams and David Carson, as well as other sources.

This sense of kinship is difficult to describe. All I can say for certain is that it increases my respect for Nature (which was high to begin with) and cements my sense that we are all connected. It sounds a little loopy, but by coming to a better understanding of the animals I feel this kinship with, I have come to a better understanding of myself and my place in the natural scheme of things.

The Great Blue Heron is my primary totem. I also feel a special bond with chickadees, crows/ravens, trout, buffalo, moose and bears.

I’d like to know if anyone here feels similarly. Is there a certain animal you are drawn to – that perhaps you see more often than happenstance would indicate, or that you dream about often?

My primary is the owl for a variety of reasons, I see owls everywhere and during last full moon when I went to see the moon an owl flew over me. My secondary is a black panther only because when I asked spirit was my other animal totem was my black big cat came to me and rubbed on me, he literally looks like a black panther, he's as big as a small dog if not bigger and NOT ONE white hair on his body even his whiskers are black.
So for me it's owl and panther.
Spiritlite.

I feel close to the crow because I had an experience where I saw an apparition of a crow from my childhood. It was so real that it even created a breeze and noise as it flapped it's wings. I also feel close to a brown bird which I think is a woodpigeon, and most birds in general such as budgies, finches, pigeons, doves (doves were nesting in our neighbourhood this summer and my dad found and nursed an injured dove when I was a child)etc. Aswell as that I feel a closeness to hamsters and believe my pet hamster returned to say hello a few years ago. Guinea pigs, I had a dream my passed guinea pig was sitting on my bed and it was so vivid too. I even befriended a huge spider in my room, and have smelt the presence of a dog which is malting when I was alone in my room. I don't know if these count as totems or mystical experiences with animals but they have helped me in many ways.

Mine is the owl (I think I may share the same owl with my husband too), and I will often see through her eyes as I'm drifting off to sleep....it's funny seeing grass and mice in such vivid detail :D and in black and white! I also know when she is around alot because at night time I wake up alot and don't get much sleep! If I'm really tired I have to ask for her to step back a little so I can sleep without being woken up.

And recently I have a hawk totem coming through - don't know much about them yet but have a new book which I'm going to read and hopefully shed some light.

I love this topic and very excited to learn more!

Love, light and blessings,
Moon Willow :hug:

I used to work with the Shark...but it my other is the Wandering Albatross.

If you have Albatross as your Totem:

People with this animal as a totem will often manifest traits similar to the animal itself. I work on the philosophy that we only have one totem, and it teaches us lessons as well as representing the core aspects of our personality. Therefore -

- Albatross people are wandering spirits that often find it hard to commit to any one path in life for too long (except that of wandering). People with albatross as a totem will often go where they want, when they want. Neither culture nor people can make them conform.

- Albatross people teach us the value of long-distance relationships, and monogamy despite great distance. They will overcome odds in order to show that long-distance relationships can be just as fruitful as other relationships.

I have two. I was told about the crocodile, and she is my main. The other has appeared to me in dreams and outside. I haven't had much interaction or really talked with either but here is some information.

Snake: Versatility, transformation, change, healer, spiritual muse, water, sexuality, fertility, control over emotion, intuition, ability to heal quickly, slow to anger - strike with control and precision, awakening of spiritual and magical intiution, observation, opened horizions, sensitive to environment, eternity, wisdom, transition, power, protector, rashness, guardian, collective consciousness, dreams.


Crocodile: Power struggle, ancient primal energy, tenacity, wisdom, contradiction, survival, patience, duality, balance in upper and underworld, rebirth, cunning, stealth, plutonium energy, timing, tenderness, Valuing of strength and building of personal power, understanding, dualism, Self-discipline, balance.

Also, I have a question for you guys. I'm actually working on an art series of Spirit animals. Would anyone mind if I used your stories toward the series and the animals I choose/scenes I use in it? I am so far using my croc and snake, my mother's bison, and a friend's humming bird.

I grew up in an area of relatively easy access to the wilds, so animals of all sorts have been exciting to me. I wanted a horse all my life and eventually came to own one for 3 years and am always been crazy about them. I discovered that according to Chinese astrology, I'm a dragon, and so I believe they are a totem, too. Cats have always come around me even cats that people said didn't like strangers, that goes for dogs, too actually. In recent times, crows have become a totem for me, and I have a special affinity for all of these.

The only animals I have made spiritual connection to were:
Giant snapping turtle (bigger than a car)
a spirit of a cat (approached me while at work during a command BBQ)
Spirit of my friend's dog
Multi-headed snake
Giant Spider
Giant birds

Nothing really all spectacular when it comes to animal connections, but beings I have met tend to make it up, lol

i suppose when I think about it I have two main ones. The Grey Wolf and the horse.

We actually had a wolf when I was growing up, she was a hybrid but still wolf and I "understood" her. When they say a wolf will go out of it's way to avoid attacking a human, it's very true, we saw it with a 7 year old that wandered into our yard one day and she was going to nail her when the girl yelled her name, she stopped dead in her tracks and turned around. But they will also protect without warning. we had an upper duplex in the back of our house (beware of dog signs everywhere), mom let the dogs out from eating, he came in the back, she took one leap (i swear to you 20 feet at least), he picked up a stick to hit her and she nailed him. anywhooo........very awesome dog.

I've also always had some weird connection to horses that i can't explain that they will let me near them quicker than some other people.

Crow and Raven
Most spiders
Albino Python
Deep Sea Dragonfish

Cat's absolutely adore me, But I have yet to accept a connection from them because they practically demand it (as well as many other selfish things,) which is a trait I dislike and do not wish to adopt.