Totem Animals and Spirit Guides

[Release.the.bats]

The term Totem animals pertains to an animal that was melded with your soul upon birth. At least that's the general belief[it depends on Native American traditions, but overall it is seen as the animal guardian of your spirit], because of this it remains with you throughout your life and is an animal representation of your soul. With totem animals, the person involved tends to reflect habits or characteristics of their totem animal.

For example: My totem animal is an Owl. I tend to have a piercing gaze or I appear to be looking right through you[Owls are known for their predatory gaze]. I love all birds but my favorite foods are also birds[Owls eat other birds], I don't make much noise when I walk and tend to sneak up on people easily-despite my platform shoes[Owls are the only birds that don't make noise when they fly].
Do you get the general idea?

Totem animals are not something that everyone is endowed with. Generally, you have a totem animal if your path has a strong Native American influence or it is Native American. However, there are plenty of exceptions, nobody really knows why certain people are chosen for different spiritual paths, only the person chosen can really find out. An example is my boyfriend, he's not pagan, he believes in a higher power and some Christian teachings. But he has an Alligator as his totem animal, do I know why? I haven't a clue! I do know that he has a really strong ability to heal people and I think that might play a role in why he has one.

If you have a totem animal it will generally come to you in four different positions, none of them aggressive. This can be done through Shamanic Journeying[which I will post about later], meditation, dreams or in person. Most of the time your totem animal will show up around you randomly in person. They also tend to communicate to you perfectly in your dream and shamanic states. Totem animals are also not seen as a specific animal, they are supposed to be the essence of what makes that animal what it is.

For Example: The totem animal of a raven, wouldn't be a specific raven[as in, the one down the street or in your backyard] but all of them. It is the essence of what makes them all ravens, that's the totem.

Spirit Guides[animal] are animals that guide you. They are generally called upon in some way to help guide you through a specific struggle or time in your life, but they aren't permanent. They will leave once their finished showing you whatever it is they were called upon to do, but a lot of the time, they will return to you. To check up on you in person or dreams, they also might give you something (a feather, lock of hair etc.) as a way to say their goodbyes but that they will return. Their power over you isn't as strong as a totem animals, but that's more so because the totem is permanent and part of your soul. Spirit guides are the essence of that animal, but might also show themselves as a familiar(it isn't very common, but it can happen), they tend to be disassociated with you. In the sense that you won't ever feel like you are that animal, because it isn't tied to you that way, so you might view it the way you'd view any animal.

How do I find my totem animal/spirit guide?
There are a few different ways to discover your totem animal or spirit guide. You can meditate on it, you can participate in a shamanic journey, you can go to a sweat lodge, you can ask a psychic with a strong Native American influence, you can purchase Medicine Cards and give yourself a reading etc. there are many ways to figure out what your spirit guide or totem animal is.

I meditated and saw 2+ animals, which is my totem and which is my spirit guide?
Generally, you'll know if you have a totem animal. So you won't really have to ask.
As for spirit guides, it is common to have more than two at a time, since each one pertains to a specific part of your life that they are lending their medicine to help you.

For example: I have a crow and a spider spirit guide, and when I was younger I had a wolf and a bat. The crow pertains to my magick and the sacred law, the spider pertains to my writing, art and listening skills. The wolf pertained to my family and leadership, the bat pertained to my personal transition or spiritual rebirth.

Why does everyone have a spirit guide but not a totem animal?
Totem animals are spiritual and follow the path of shamans and Native Americans usually. But there are exceptions. They typically show themselves as either personal totems or family totems depending on your tradition.
Everyone has a spirit guide because it is our tie to the natural world. It is how we understand that we are not better than animals, they have their medicines which they act upon constantly and we have our egos which prevent us from moving ahead, a lot of the time. They are there to help us understand and communicate with them, so that we can better appreciate their existence and so we know that animals are not stupid simply because they are not human.
I think of it as a secondary survival instinct for them, if they come to humans and allow us to make progressions in our lives by lending their medicine or abilities to us, chances are were going to deeply love them for their assistance and probably help them survive out in the real world.
I also think it's because animals realized they needed to make an alliance of sorts with mankind in order to survive harmoniously.[I'm meaning their essence, not actual animals walking around shaking hands with humans. Just to clarify].

What do totem poles have to do with totem animals?
Totem poles are the tradition of everyone in the same family being represented by the same animal. Like a bear, or wolf.

How do I communicate with my spirit guide/totem animal?
Meditation, dream work, shamanic journeying etc.
It's generally easy to tell whether your listening to what the animal is saying or not.
You'll experience a good dream or positive situation if your open to listening and are being receptive.
You'll experience a nightmare or negative situation if your closed off and refusing to listen.

What do I do after I discover my totem animal/spirit guide?
Talk to it, read about it, listen to it, study it etc.
Learn as much as you can about it because it might help you understand why it is there and it's reflections on your personality.
You can purchase stuffed animals, carved items etc. of the animal and it can help make you more receptive and show your appreciation.

Keep in mind:
*Some traditions teach that you have up to 9 totem animals, based directionally.
*You do not choose your spirit guide/totem animal, it chooses you. So just because you really love wolves, dosen't mean they're your totem animal/spirit guide.
*Many animals have God/Goddess affiliations, you might be sent an animal from a higher being. However, you will notice a difference between an animal being sent to you and a totem animal/spirit guide. The ones sent by a deity, will seem to radiate light and act like that animal does in real life, with more life, only they aren't physically there.
*Spirit guides can come to you in human and animal form.
*It is common for you to have many guides from the same species. (Birds, reptiles, fish etc.)
*Your spirit guides can remain with you for various lengths of time, days-years[this can be the rest of your life depending. But this dosen't make it your totem animal since it wasn't with you upon birth].
*It is possible for you to be able to narrow down your totem animal or spirit guide to a specific breed of that species. However, if it is your totem it will shift because it is the essence of all is not specific [as already stated]. Which means I tend to be visited by Great Horned Owls in person, but in my dreams i'm visited by Barn owls, Screech owls and Spotted Owls.

Totem animals/spirit guides:(the medicine is generally the same for both, except the totem animal's power is stronger over you/more influential).
Totem animals
Cycle of Power
List of Totem Animals
Animal Totems
Starstuff: Animal Totems
Lins Domain
Legends of America
Medicine Cards: The Power of Animals
Animal Spirit Guides and Totems
Animal Spirit guides and Guardians

(these are websites, I can post the URL if anyone has trouble)