Totems

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sooZen
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Totems

Post by sooZen » November 23rd, 2009, 9:47 am

I wrote about this subject a few weeks ago in my journal and thought maybe (well, just maybe) some of you would be interested.

In North America, the Native Americans always looked to the animals as "spirit guides" as they were always very attuned to nature and the world around them for survival. They "believed" these guides would come to them in a dream or when they fasted and went on a vision quest.

Here therefore, is my journal entry on Totems:
I have been up for a long while, since 4 am but I have spent most of the morning reading and thinking about a subject that is near and dear to my heart. Many of you may think it is bull but that is neither here nor there to me. I know what I know and I know what I believe. Most beliefs are based on faith, not fact so that is my warning to the unbelievers among you. Believe what you will, take what you want and I will leave it at that.

"What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, man would die from a great loneliness of spirit. For whatever happens to the beasts, soon happens to man. All things are connected.

You must teach your children that the ground beneath their feet is the ashes of their grandfathers. So that they will respect the land, tell your children that the earth is rich with the lives of our kin. Teach your children what we have taught our children, that the earth is our mother.

Whatever befalls the earth, befalls the sons of earth. If men spit upon the ground, they spit upon themselves. Thus we know, the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to earth.

~Chief Seattle~

(Truth is, I have failed my children in this matter. I think that they understand very little about the connectedness of all living things and that is my burden to bear. But that is not what I was going to talk about.)

The Native Americans, whose very lives depended on the natural world believed that all "two-leggeds" or humans had animal totems who served as messengers (kind of like Harry Potter's owl) but also served as signals of good fortune or alarms of ill will to come.

How do you know what your totem is, that is if you wanted to know? The peoples of the land believed that one could find his totem by dreaming or fasting or a solitary journey. Modern man has very little opportunity to find his totem, little time for dreaming or taking solitary journeys, much less a willingness to go without eating for any length of time. But even then, your totem will follow you, it will appear in your dreams, you will see images of it if you look, it will be there, popping up in unexpected places. It may be a hummingbird or a mouse, a moose or a rabbit, a lizard or a elephant...it will follow you, it will haunt you, it will. All you need to do is become aware that you have a animal totem and it will appear, in one way or another, to you.

Now, if you don't believe in totems or animal guides, that is all well and good for I ain't here pushing my beliefs on nonbelievers. I am only preaching to the choir or those that have a curiosity about something they may have never even thought about. Besides, it is fun and I am all for that no matter what one believes.

I have known my totem for a very long time. People that are close to the natural world, have an affinity for animals and spend time alone in contemplation of the forest or the desert usually notice an animal that follows them, is there when they are. They may not know that that animal is a guide or a signal or a warning but they notice, maybe not consciously, that animal is around an awful lot when they are.

Animal totems follow you, turn up in unexpected places like a picture on a mug or a piece of representational jewelry or a stuffed toy that catches your eye. This animal may not be the one you would like it to be, for it is a part of you that you do not choose. I love dogs but dogs are not my totem. I am crazy about horses, but horses are not my totem either. So it is not necessarily some animal that you love or are crazy about, heck, it might even be something you fear, like a spider or a snake. Coming to terms with your animal totem is, in Native American mythology, part of the process of maturity and understanding of the natural world and your place within it.

When you do recognize your totem, you can use the power of that animal to help you if you understand what that animal represents. I will use my totem as an example for the uninitiated.

The Red-tailed Hawk flies next to his two-legged as a guardian of Earth Mother. These are people that recognize the interconnectedness of all things. They have a respect and reverence for all life in whatever form it takes. They are usually active in environmental causes and/or animal rights. These people will be protectors of earth and it's denizens, encouraging and educating others to do the same.

A Red-tail Hawk does not receive it's red tail feathers until mature and maturation comes late. This hawk flies next to people that are "flighty" folks and those folks can be perceived as too direct in speech or searchers for truth, no matter the cost. Usually these people have a sharp mind and that sharp intellect can be used as a weapon (for good or evil intent.)

That is just a bit about my totem. Are you wondering now what yours is? Maybe you don't give a poop and that is fine by me. I know that my animal totem has been a resource, a comfort and a harbinger and that is a wonderful thing. No matter if it is real or imagined, it brings me a sense of peace and isn't that a good thing? Surely.

Have a nice day, be observant (like a hawk) and notice what goes on in nature around you. Look to the sky, watch where you tread and be kind.
Freedom's just another word...



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Post by stilltrucking » November 23rd, 2009, 3:05 pm

The Elephant.
I know it is my totem

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Post by SadLuckDame » November 23rd, 2009, 4:23 pm

I believe mine to be a spider, unfortunate for me because I'm afraid of most of them. They do follow me, drop on me, get in my clothes, creep in my dreams and at times overwhelm me with how often they're about. sooZen, how do I find out what a spider totem means?
Oh and it's a wood spider or wolf spider to be more exact.

The totem I wish were me is a butterfly.

Also, is it possible to have more than one? I think I have snake as well. I see them in many dreams and all through life. Though, I'm not very afraid of them. Another would be one for childhood only, which was the turtle. A lot of childhood history there with feeling a turtle watching me, many stories.

Loved this thread sooZ.
`Do you know, I was so angry, Kitty,' Alice went on...`when I saw all the mischief you had been doing, I was very nearly opening the window, and putting you out into the snow! And you'd have deserved it, you
little mischievous darling!
~Lewis Carroll

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Post by SadLuckDame » November 24th, 2009, 9:00 am

I've thought about this a lot yesterday, went and googled it and looked up some interesting bits. We can have more than one and we could have different animal totem spirits at different phases of our life.

As a child it was snake (has always been steady), a turtle, a bat and a grasshopper. Spider is my now one, along with snake. Plus butterfly, it might be my more adopted one I've chosen instead of it choosing me, not sure how that works, but I'm decided it'll work, lol.

Thanks sooZ, this led me on to all sorts of morsels. Found stuff about animal tracks, too.
`Do you know, I was so angry, Kitty,' Alice went on...`when I saw all the mischief you had been doing, I was very nearly opening the window, and putting you out into the snow! And you'd have deserved it, you
little mischievous darling!
~Lewis Carroll

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Post by sooZen » November 24th, 2009, 9:33 am

Jack, no wonder you have such a long memory of the past. Elephants remember everything and it effects all that they do. They say that the Buddha choose a white elephant as one of his incarnations. Elephants are very compassionate and family oriented. They are one of the few mammals that actually shed tears and have grief ceremonies over a lost loved one. Those that have this totem make good researchers, it is said. Knowing you as I think I do, this is true. You are always searching and you have a long family history with our family here and before on Litkicks.

SLD, only one totem and trust your intuition on that.

A spider is actually very gentle and will only bite if threatened. She is a weaver and the Native Americans honor her greatly for she wove the universe together, stitching the past, present and future into one. The Navajo's especially with their weavings pay homage to "Spider Woman" and have many stories and myths about her. (To me, she is a friend indeed for I started out as a weaver originally before I was drawn to the beads.) Her eight legs represent infinity (like Studio Eight!) If your totem is spider, you can bring people together, show them the connectedness of all life and heal the wounds of the spirit by stitching it together again. Spider totems are very wise (remember Charlotte's Web?) and kind.

The snake totem represents transmutation, change, and energy. For she can shed her skin and become anew again. Many cultures have snake symbols and myths. Snake totem people engender respect, just by their presence. Plus, their eyes never close so they say they can look into the hearts of others and see the essential spirit of that person. Snakes also represent the spine, what holds us upright and delivers energy to all the parts of our body. If the snake is your totem, you have "backbone" and are not afraid of change because many changes are a part of your life. It is said that those with a snake totem are highly evolved spiritually for it is a guardian of the sacred and life's mysteries.

Remember that your totem chooses you, you do not do the choosing. Trust your intuition (always) as to what it is and if you are not sure, become aware and watch for it will make a presence known, even in the most unlikely of places...

There are many books out on Animal Totems or you can find out more just by looking for them on the web. On a personal level, because my totem is the Red Tail Hawk (protectors of the earth) and I have genetic affinity (Choctaw on my grandmother's side of the family) for Native American mythology, it has long been a study of mine. There are "animal whisperers" or "talkers" along my family line going way back.
Freedom's just another word...



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Post by sooZen » November 24th, 2009, 9:44 am

ahh, SLD...I did not see your second reply before I posted my first answer. Myths have many paths and so it seems, many suppositions and answers. I personally feel that we have only one guide throughout our lives but that is just a feeling and not always true for others.

I am happy that you enjoyed your forays into the totems and that it took you on a journey of exploration and perhaps new knowledge and insight. Thanks too for "playing" along with me!
Freedom's just another word...



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Post by SadLuckDame » November 25th, 2009, 2:56 pm

Oh sooZen, I only did a peek about on the net, so don't listen to me with these ramblings. I don't know what's what, but was just thrilled to discover, look and be entertained for the day. Pleasures are a wonderful distraction and this was what I'd needed.

If I've only one totem, then it's a spider or snake. It's not an easy way to see which of the two it'd be. Spiders interact with me in and out of consciousness and unconsciousness. In dreams they interact with me, then jump or climb at each chance in waking. Today I found a large, calm gray one. She's gentle like scarlet and I can tolerate her types. It's the wickedly fast, larger types (wood spiders or wolf) that I can't handle. They particularly seem drawn to freaking me.

Snakes were reality more in childhood than now, though they still enter-twine in my dreams very often.

I've no idea how to know.

Much thanks to you sooZ. You're so wonderful, and I'm always interested.
`Do you know, I was so angry, Kitty,' Alice went on...`when I saw all the mischief you had been doing, I was very nearly opening the window, and putting you out into the snow! And you'd have deserved it, you
little mischievous darling!
~Lewis Carroll

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Post by sooZen » November 26th, 2009, 8:07 am

SLD, Thanks for the kind replies and the interest!
Freedom's just another word...



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Post by mnaz » April 27th, 2010, 4:52 pm

wow. the red tail hawk. I could swear the red tail hawk is my totem. although ravens and crows seem to turn up a lot too. had a crow follow me for three blocks when I was about six.

interesting stuff, sooz, and others.

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Post by sooZen » April 27th, 2010, 6:44 pm

Crows or Ravens are very powerful totems Mark. If you have the crows (they are a mob) as a totem, you probably have the wolves (the pack or lone wolf) as totem also. Crows fly with the wolves and both are explorers. It seems very likely to me that you have both.

Crows will follow you if they are your totem and being on the highest of intelligence level of birddom, they can protect and warn you. They love shiney, sparkly objects and water for soaking and bathing. Even if you are a desert Raven, you love water.

We have Grackles in the yard (crow tribe) and they are my entertainment. They even feed my dogs occasionally, bringing them cheetoes and bread and stuff like that as gifts for leaving them the heck alone.

They are very, very family oriented and one time Yogi killed a baby and that mother (and father for a bit but mostly mom) dogged my dog daily for weeks and weeks. Poor Yogi paid dearly for that indiscretion, she screamed at him everywhere he went. She would perch in the pine and just have at him. He finally looked remorseful and she left him alone. But I can imagine she felt he was a murderer. I have never seen such grief in my life, truly.

You need to read this: http://morningstar.netfirms.com/crow.html
Freedom's just another word...



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Post by hester_prynne » April 27th, 2010, 9:56 pm

Mine is a deer.
I know this because of a dream I had a long time ago, and because deer always seem to come right up to me without fear.
I do love their gentleness.
H 8)
"I am a victim of society, and, an entertainer"........DW

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Post by mnaz » April 28th, 2010, 10:20 pm

interesting, soozen. I remember the ravens liked to show off for me when I camped out at the old mining site. can't seem to recall much "wolf" manifestation in my life, other than my "lone wolf" tendencies themselves. wolves were reintroduced into western high deserts (late '90s, I think?), and though still pretty rare in 2004 I did hear a wolf howl way off in the distance while camping one time. (that was the same trip in which I got lost). thanks for the info!

and hesty, I remember all those deer wandering by your old house. that was great.

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Post by sooZen » April 29th, 2010, 8:33 am

Hes, I am on the fly (lol, redtail joke) this morning but knowing you have deer as totem is absolutely appropriate for you. Deer represent a gentleness of spirit, moving like ballerinas through the forest and glade. When a deer is your totem, you are always a kind soul.

Here is a link for you: http://www.linsdomain.com/totems/pages/deer.htm

Mark, the fact that you even heard a wild wolf is amazing and rare. Few ever have that opportunity. Like I said, crows will follow the wolves so your crow totem took you to a space you could experience that for you are the "lone wolf" so to speak. If you ever get "lost", crow will take you home and warn you of danger. Listen to your crow spirit guide if you are wise.
Freedom's just another word...



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Re: Totems

Post by sooZen » September 28th, 2010, 9:12 am

Hi and welcome and I am glad you found what you were looking for.
Freedom's just another word...



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