Spirituality and Self Help
Craft Haven
Animal Totems
These are very small, very quick outlines of a few animals that may give
you an idea of how to relate to your totem.
Badger
Badgers are muscular, powerful animals. They are great diggers, are
active both day and night and are rather unsociable, solitary loners.
They are comfortable within themselves and are self-reliant. They have
often been used in stories as animals who tell stories which may be
symbolic of it’s need to use stories to communicate rather than dealing
with others directly. The badger is bold and ferocious and never
surrenders. If one has come into your life it is time to do some
examination. It may be indicating a need to do some digging yourself, to
get beneath the surface of things. It may be telling you to draw on the
stories of your childhood for wisdom, there may be symbols there that
you will soon be able to use in your life. Badgers indicated a time of
opportunities to develop self expression and self reliance. Maybe it’s a
time to begin a new story in your life.
Elk
The elk is a strong and regal animal of great stamina. It can trot
very quickly for long periods of time. It’s time of greatest power is
during the autumn breeding season. They generally keep the sexes
separate except during this time and live in herds. They usually have
sentinels that keep watch over the herd and even use baby-sitters for
their young. They eat mostly grasses and do not migrate much except to
find food during particularly hard winters. If an Elk has come into your
life it may have shown up to teach you to pace yourself. Have you been
overdoing it? Are you about to give up on something too soon? Are you
trying for the quick and easy when it’s the long slow pace that would be
most successful? It takes an Elk about five years to reach maturity so
your projects may take as long to mature successfully. The Elk may be
reflecting a need for companionship or group support. Are you trying to
do everything yourself? Anyone working with Elk medicine may have higher
energy levels eating a mostly vegetarian diet.
Horse
No other animal has had such an impact on the lives of mankind.
Horses have been associated with both burial rites and with birth.
Horses have enabled people to explore, find freedom and travel. The
symbolism of the horse is very complex. It can represent movement and
travel, desires, or sexuality. You will need to take your totem and
examining it carefully in regard to your life. How does it appear to
you? Is it standing, are you riding? If a horse has shown up in your
life it may be time to examine the freedom in your life. Do you feel
constricted? Do you need to move on in your life? Is it time to assert
yourself in terms of freedom and power? Are you doing your part to help
within your environment? The horse brings new journeys with it, and will
teach you to ride into new areas that will awaken in you your own
freedom and power.
Lion
Lions are large powerful cats that live in groups called prides. The
female does most of the hunting to support the group and the work to
raise the young. The males tend to be somewhat lazy but are very
protective and jealous of the females. They do not fight for the sake of
fighting and will avoid confrontations when they can. If the lion has
come to you, you may need to examine your usefulness within the
community that makes up your life. Do you need to do more or be more
protective? Do you need to cooperate more? The females do most of the
work in the pride and as a result the lion for a totem can mean the
chance to raise “feminine” energies in your life, creativity, intuition,
and imagination.
Mouse
The deer mouse is a fastidious little creature that likes to keep
clean. This is not so true with other types of mice. If you have a mouse
totem this may show that while you are very careful about some areas of
your life there are others that could use some better attention. Mice
have many predators and so have several litters of young each year. They
care for the young for about 5-6 weeks, this will let you know that the
energies brought into your life by the mouse totem may be most strong
the same amount of time. It may be time to pay some attention to the
details, you may not be able to see the forest for the trees in your
life. Are you getting so lost in the big dreams in your life that you
are forgetting other things? Are you missing what is right in front of
you? Mouse energy or “medicine” can show you how to attain the big
things by working on the little ones.
Frog
Frogs live in both water and on land, this gives them links to both
of these elements and so results in a link to the lore of fairies and
elves. They are also often linked to the moon (she moves the tides after
all) and therefore the many Goddesses that are connected to the moon.
They are known to be heralds of abundance or fertility and are said to
control the weather. They are a totem of change, (egg, tadpole, frog).
Frogs are also cold blooded and take on the temperature of the
surrounding area, therefore people with this totem are often very
sensitive to their surroundings and can rapidly change their moods to
fit the circumstances. A frog coming into your life shows it’s time to
ask yourself if it is time for a change. Are you becoming too bogged
down in the day to day mire of your life? Do you need to invest in some
new creative energy and make some changes? Are you drowning in emotions
at the moment? The frog is calling for some change in the climatic
conditions of your life.
Sparrow
The sparrow is a small and assertive bird. It lives all over the
world. This ability to survive reflects the idea of great nobility in
even the most “common” person. If you have a sparrow come into your life
it may be trying to tell you to look around you, are you allowing others
to take away your pride or dignity? Do you feel “common”? Have you
forgotten your self worth? The sparrow can show you how to assert
yourself and triumph over outside circumstances.
This list is small and very incomplete
but it is our hope that it gives you and idea of what to look at when
your totem comes to you. Look at its’ life style and habitat. Look also
at the stories, myths and legends about your animal. These can offer
real insight into how others have traditionally related to your animal.
But most of all let it teach you itself. Develop a relationship with
your totem and learn to trust. Learn to grow. But mostly, just learn.
