Animal Totems

Shamans use their knowledge of animals to understand people.

"I am the Sun's son. I sit upon a turquoise horse
At the opening of the sky" - Navajo Horse Song

Each animal has its own nature and its own traits. Individual animals represent a power or ability such as strength for the lion or speed for the jaguar.

By learning about animal strengths or powers, a Shaman can understand a person's problem through knowing what animals this person is attracted to and which are repulsive. These attractions and repulsions actually become a tool that tells the Shaman what is needed or missing in a person's life.

There was a woman who, no matter how she tried, kept missing the boat. She missed out on opportunities that would have brought her the abundance and connections she needed to succeed. In hindsight, she could see all the instances where she had failed to recognize, that chance to get ahead. She was vdery frustgrated, but she could not find a way to break out of this rut.

When asked what animal the woman most feared, she spoke of an experience she had as a child with a horse. She had been introduced to a friend's horse, that was very high spirited. When she had reached out her little hand, the horse bit it - causing her much trauma... Since that time, horses represented fear for this woman.

Now, if we look at the power of the horse, note that it is a prey animal. That means it is usually a source of food for some other animal such as a cougar or a pack of wolves. The horse is keenly aware of what is going on around it, at all times. One quick move, one strange sound and the horse will perk up its ears and be on the alert for what is happening. It is ready to run, if it feels any danger. Horses also watch out for one another. If one horse senses danger, the whole herd is willing to move as one, away from the apparent threat.

Examining this woman, from a Shamanic perspective, we see that she is not aware of what is around her. Remember, she keeps missing out on life's opportunities. And she is afraid of the power that is represented by the horse - that of being keenly aware of the surrounding situation at all times.

By dealing with her fear of horses, we can allow her once again to become aware of her surroundings, to prick her ears up and take full advantage of opportunities around her.

In the same regard, we can use those animals we are most attracted to, for observations about powers we have or would like to have.

Recently a student became interested in developing her spiritual gifts and stated that she was attracted to the snake. Her thoughts dwelt upon the snake more often than any other animal. It had been this way for the past year or so.

Looking at the snake, we see it represents the power of transformation. As it grows, the snake sheds its skin and recreates itself within a short time. The snake has always been a symbol of power and has even been regarded as the mother of all life. The life energy called kundalini is often described as a snake rising up the spinal column to bring enlightenment.

For this woman, the snake was showing her that... it was time for her to begin developing her healing abilities and to take charge of her own power to help others. As she progresses, other animals will become her favorites and those, too, will show her new places to grow and bring significance into her life.

It is said that each of us carries 12 totem animals in our lives. Usually, there are four animals that are with us constantly. They represent the powers that are inherent in our Spirit before, now and after, eternally. The other eight totems, represent life changing events or growth cycles, as we move along this path of life - learning and practicing what we have learned. If you pay attention to the animals you most like or don't like, you can learn many things about your true desires. You can learn how how to attain them.

Shaman Elder Maggie Wahls is one of America's best loved authorities on Shamanism. She has been practicing Shaman for over 50 years. She teaches an online, ongoing course on Shamanism at www.shamanelder.com. She is a published author and invites everyone to learn about their own inherent skills to heal and be healed. She also offers Free Consultations to anyone who writes her at shaman@shamanelder.com

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