Totem Animals are Spirit Helpers to us. Once the connection is recognized, they will travel with you throughout life. I say it this way because the connection is already there but, depending on our perspective, we may not recognize that we have a connection to Nature, Animals, or Spirit.
A Power Animal may be a very close guide along our journey. We recognize a kinship, deep respect, or inspiring awe with a particular animal or kinds of animals. But, as we grow and change and our lives change, we may not always feel the same strong connection or affinity. Therefore, a Power Animal may be seen as a guide who could stay-or-go as we journey in life, unlike Totem Animals which are Spirit Helpers so deeply connected to us that they often remain in that role throughout our journey.
| I have learned several things about Animal Guides & Animal Spirit Helpers in my own journey. According to various traditions, they may have a directional place on a Medicine Wheel or have a position on a carved Totem Pole. It all depends on the tradition. Another factor may have to do with geographical location. Certain cultures may have a different “encyclopedia” or repertoire of certain creatures because that is what they experience in their local environments – from monkeys or elephants, to wolves or panthers, to whales or kangaroos. |  Crystal Grid & Shaman Wisdom Cards (Richesson, 1998) Set for Meditation |
When trying to discern who your Totem Animals are, or your Power Animals, check for affinity & do research. An intense like for an animal, or an animal’s intense “like” for you, could signal a significant Animal Helper. We may also find an intense fear of the creature as being a part of the relationship dynamic. Consider why you don’t like snakes, lizards, birds, dogs, cats, tigers, bears, spiders, raccoons. Maybe you had a fearful or harmful encounter with one of their kind. Maybe your have other reasons for distaste or distrust. Think back to the experience or consider your feelings – there could be a lesson or message there. There are great resources to look up on-line or in book, and I have listed a few of my classic favorites at the end of this article. Sometimes the biggest lesson we can learn is to have respect for even that which we do not like and keep our distance.
After considering your likes, dislikes, encounters, lessons, and anything you have gleaned from research, you can begin to make connections. One of the most direct ways is to meditate. Center & relax yourself comfortably. Practice a few minutes of deep, belly-breaths. You may choose a focal point meditation wherein you focus on a candle-flame, campfire, static image, or a mandala. Or, you may choose a visualization – either of an image or a comfortable place outdoors in nature.
When you are present with your focus-image or visualization, ask one or more of your Animal Spirit Helpers to come to you. As a each appears, introduce yourself and ask it, “Are you my Spirit Helper?” After you have heard the response and depending on how much information you have gleaned from the response, consider asking more or asking for clarification, “Are you a Totem Animal of mine? Are you a Power Animal of mine? What lesson can you teach me? Do you have a message for me at this time?”
Be sure to ask your questions conversationally, pausing between them in order to give the creature time to respond to you or interact with you. If you feel like you haven’t gotten a response from a question, feel free to ask respectfully one more time but – this time – tune in to receiving the answer differently. Animals communicate differently than people and, although we think we can “hear” thoughts or responses from animals due to telepathic-like communication, we may be receiving images or feelings associated with the creature’s perceptions or the sounds they make – like when you know the sound of your cat’s meow or your dog’s bark to mean something very specific. Or, we may see behaviors since animals often communicate with gestures and postures.
After your meditation, write down what you remember, who or what your visitors were, what communications you received, actions or experiences occurred. If you are not a “visual” person, your meditation and this subsequent journaling exercise may simply be a series of thoughts, sensations, feelings – like asking a question and getting chills or goosebumps, or feeling a presence and having this gut-instinct of knowing who it was with you. You could also find your meditation took the feel of telepathic communication – as though you were imagining a conversation between you and your Animal Helper. Upon journaling your meditation, you can do more research for information & guidance, or visit a spiritual advisor knowledgeable about Spirit Animals.
After considering your likes, dislikes, encounters, lessons, and anything you have gleaned from research, you can begin to make connections. One of the most direct ways is to meditate. Center & relax yourself comfortably. Practice a few minutes of deep, belly-breaths. You may choose a focal point meditation wherein you focus on a candle-flame, campfire, static image, or a mandala. Or, you may choose a visualization – either of an image or a comfortable place outdoors in nature.
When you are present with your focus-image or visualization, ask one or more of your Animal Spirit Helpers to come to you. As a each appears, introduce yourself and ask it, “Are you my Spirit Helper?” After you have heard the response and depending on how much information you have gleaned from the response, consider asking more or asking for clarification, “Are you a Totem Animal of mine? Are you a Power Animal of mine? What lesson can you teach me? Do you have a message for me at this time?”
Be sure to ask your questions conversationally, pausing between them in order to give the creature time to respond to you or interact with you. If you feel like you haven’t gotten a response from a question, feel free to ask respectfully one more time but – this time – tune in to receiving the answer differently. Animals communicate differently than people and, although we think we can “hear” thoughts or responses from animals due to telepathic-like communication, we may be receiving images or feelings associated with the creature’s perceptions or the sounds they make – like when you know the sound of your cat’s meow or your dog’s bark to mean something very specific. Or, we may see behaviors since animals often communicate with gestures and postures.
After your meditation, write down what you remember, who or what your visitors were, what communications you received, actions or experiences occurred. If you are not a “visual” person, your meditation and this subsequent journaling exercise may simply be a series of thoughts, sensations, feelings – like asking a question and getting chills or goosebumps, or feeling a presence and having this gut-instinct of knowing who it was with you. You could also find your meditation took the feel of telepathic communication – as though you were imagining a conversation between you and your Animal Helper. Upon journaling your meditation, you can do more research for information & guidance, or visit a spiritual advisor knowledgeable about Spirit Animals.
The following list of some of my “go-to” sources for Spirit Animal meanings, etc. are classic “oldies but goodies” and have fueled more expansive research. They have provided me a beginning point, that way I can see the deeper meanings if I look up a scientific fact page about a creature, and I can find the greater lessons and messages when I read another culture’s story or mythology featuring or about a particular creature.
Animal Speak by Ted Andrews (1993)
Medicine Cards by David Carson & Jamie Samms (St. Martins Press, 1988)
Shaman Wisdom Cards by Leita Richesson (US Games, 1998)
The Wisdom of Avalon Oracle Cards by Colette Baron-Reid (Hay House, 2007)
Power Animals by Steven Farmer (Hay House, 2004) - Book w/ CD & Oracle Cards
Animal Speak by Ted Andrews (1993)
Medicine Cards by David Carson & Jamie Samms (St. Martins Press, 1988)
Shaman Wisdom Cards by Leita Richesson (US Games, 1998)
The Wisdom of Avalon Oracle Cards by Colette Baron-Reid (Hay House, 2007)
Power Animals by Steven Farmer (Hay House, 2004) - Book w/ CD & Oracle Cards
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