Animal Totems
November 1st 2006 12:25
I few things have happened recently to make think about animal totems. Totems are believed to be a spirit or entity that guides and protects you. We generally think of Native American Indians when we think of totems as this was a key part to their spiritual life. An animal totem can be a link to the natural world whereby we see inherent characteristics of that animal as being a guide to an aspect of ourselves that we need to develop or nurture.
Sometimes we choose the totem out of admiration, perhaps aspiring to that animal’s qualities. Other times the totem can seem to choose us, by constantly appearing to us in any number of ways, from in the wild to images in arts.
Recently two wild ducks have decided to become regular visitors in my backyard. Not the least encouraged by me making sure there is a source of fresh water and food for them when they appear. I have had fun just enjoying watching them and sometime imagining they are some special spirits come to play with me. After telling a friend who scurried to her totem book, she told me that ducks can symbolize the need to protect my emotions. Well ok, I thought, I kind of always feel that. Then she added that as they are connected to water energy perhaps I need to look at whether I need more water at the moment.
This started me considering just where does this concept of animal totems fit into our times and the new energy and consciousness that we are all developing. Do we still hold onto a guidebook to understand why a particular animal appears to us or creates what we feel is a connection? Do we simply acknowledge and enjoy the encounter?
The following week I got closer to my truth on this.
It was this week later that I had the pleasure of visiting Adelaide for the first time to hold a breath workshop.It was hosted in a home in the truly beautiful hills just outside the city. The owner has been living there for a while now and said that often when she has gatherings or is doing healing that wild koalas appear in the trees surrounding her home. Well you can imagine how exciting this sounded to someone from suburban Sydney!
Sure enough after the first breath session one of the group excitedly pointed out the window and there was the most gorgeous koala feasting on some tender gum leaves. It was such a joy to see one in its natural surrounds and a total blessing to be so close. He seemed to be totally uninterested in us and after finishing his meal curled up in the branches and slept, gently swaying with the branch. He remained there all day for us to admire, mostly sleeping but occasionally lifting his head and gurgling out his presence for whoever he felt needed to hear.
As I watched him during the day I was taken by how peaceful he was, how in sync he was with his surroundings and how comfortable he was with the energy we were creating as a group that day. He really was an amazing example of how you can be in the flow and totally sovereign at the same time. That for me was the blessing of the encounter with him. For someone else there that day the koala may have meant something entirely different.
In taking the time to honour and appreciate the koala without rushing into looking for some huge meaning I gave myself a gentle lesson in my own spirituality. I also think its ok to just enjoy the luck of seeing a gorgeous animal in the wild and so close!
Sometimes we choose the totem out of admiration, perhaps aspiring to that animal’s qualities. Other times the totem can seem to choose us, by constantly appearing to us in any number of ways, from in the wild to images in arts.
Recently two wild ducks have decided to become regular visitors in my backyard. Not the least encouraged by me making sure there is a source of fresh water and food for them when they appear. I have had fun just enjoying watching them and sometime imagining they are some special spirits come to play with me. After telling a friend who scurried to her totem book, she told me that ducks can symbolize the need to protect my emotions. Well ok, I thought, I kind of always feel that. Then she added that as they are connected to water energy perhaps I need to look at whether I need more water at the moment.
This started me considering just where does this concept of animal totems fit into our times and the new energy and consciousness that we are all developing. Do we still hold onto a guidebook to understand why a particular animal appears to us or creates what we feel is a connection? Do we simply acknowledge and enjoy the encounter?
The following week I got closer to my truth on this.
It was this week later that I had the pleasure of visiting Adelaide for the first time to hold a breath workshop.It was hosted in a home in the truly beautiful hills just outside the city. The owner has been living there for a while now and said that often when she has gatherings or is doing healing that wild koalas appear in the trees surrounding her home. Well you can imagine how exciting this sounded to someone from suburban Sydney!
Sure enough after the first breath session one of the group excitedly pointed out the window and there was the most gorgeous koala feasting on some tender gum leaves. It was such a joy to see one in its natural surrounds and a total blessing to be so close. He seemed to be totally uninterested in us and after finishing his meal curled up in the branches and slept, gently swaying with the branch. He remained there all day for us to admire, mostly sleeping but occasionally lifting his head and gurgling out his presence for whoever he felt needed to hear.
As I watched him during the day I was taken by how peaceful he was, how in sync he was with his surroundings and how comfortable he was with the energy we were creating as a group that day. He really was an amazing example of how you can be in the flow and totally sovereign at the same time. That for me was the blessing of the encounter with him. For someone else there that day the koala may have meant something entirely different.
In taking the time to honour and appreciate the koala without rushing into looking for some huge meaning I gave myself a gentle lesson in my own spirituality. I also think its ok to just enjoy the luck of seeing a gorgeous animal in the wild and so close!
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Comment by LaurenD
LaurenD
Comment by Deorre
Stress Alive
Man Lessons
Comment by Wendi
Any animal that comes our way, we name. We've had a turtle we called Tiki, a snake we called Merlin, a mouse called Turkey, a frog called Chicken, a spider we named Savannah, a crawdad, several deer, coyotes, rabits, opposom and more all on our property at various times.
One day my son actually found a fist-sized frog sitting on his pillow blinking at him. To this day we haven't figured out how a frog got into the house, or onto his pillow! But we looked up the message of the frog, named him "Blink", thanked him for his message, and sent him on his way. The correspondences in the books were spot on in regard to my son's current situation.
Granted, it shouldn't be taken to extremes and I don't look up absolutely every critter I come across, but there's a pull in the gut when that animal is "talking to you". At least there is for me. It communicates on a level I can't really put into words. It's a feeling.
I do enjoy the times of tranquility when surrounded by wildlife I can just enjoy without metaphysically dissecting, but I also appreciate learning the legends, lore, and myths that equate to our current understanding of "animal magick".