Totem Animal

[Lamaas]

I recently asked to be shown my totem animal, as I've never really felt a strong connection to a specific animal. While dreaming, I encountered an intelligent bumblebee that allowed me to remove its stinger and then proceeded to follow me around on my shamanic quest. However, in a subsequent dream a chameleon came to me, constantly shifting from blue to green in coloration. While meditating further on my totem animal, I encountered a leopard or jaguar sitting atop the trunk of a tree that had been cut down. So far I've encountered three animals, so I'm no closer to discovering which one is my totem. I'm assuming each animal has arrived for a certain reason, although none of them stick out above the others.

A person I respect very much once told me concerning animals that they are us and that we are them.
Now I didn't understand what this person meant until I reflected upon His statement for a long time. Today I totaly get it.

Maybe you (we) have more then one totem animal?

Maybe within you resides many different aspects of the animal kind?

Tell me why should their be only one, when you as an individual are so much more?

[Albalida]

Originally Posted by Lamaas

I recently asked to be shown my totem animal, as I've never really felt a strong connection to a specific animal. While dreaming, I encountered an intelligent bumblebee that allowed me to remove its stinger and then proceeded to follow me around on my shamanic quest. However, in a subsequent dream a chameleon came to me, constantly shifting from blue to green in coloration. While meditating further on my totem animal, I encountered a leopard or jaguar sitting atop the trunk of a tree that had been cut down. So far I've encountered three animals, so I'm no closer to discovering which one is my totem. I'm assuming each animal has arrived for a certain reason, although none of them stick out above the others.

Totems were originally attendant animal spirits of whole families.

Perhaps you're seeking your fylgja?

The New Age has a more fluid and experience-based model for working with animal spirits than either tradition, anyway, and maybe you don't have one. Or it's just not time for it to reveal itself yet.

I recommend reading Fur and Fang, Blood and Bone: A Primal Guide To Animal Magic by Lupa. It's for sale pretty cheap and in digital formats, PDF's, and hard copies on both Amazon and SmashWords.

As a child, I related strongly to the wolf. I am not even sure why. I did consider it my spirit animal, or "totem." Over the years, however, I have had many different animals guide me or teach me in one way or another. If I had to pick one totem animal, it would be the crow. Crow has spoken to me on a number of occasions, and I have and continue to learn from them. I agree, however, that we don't necessarily need to pick one totem! I have a deck of animal spirit cards that I actually find very helpful. I often simply ask, "What animal do I need to learn from today?" and then read about it in the book and then meditate on it and think about it throughout my day. Each animal has something to remind us, something to teach. I think the fact that you have had three animals appear to you is fortunate, and that instead of wishing for only one, be grateful for all that are presenting themselves to you! :)