Animal guides, power animals, totems, what?

[corvid04]

Yet the key facet there in my opinion is we project upon them those things we find desirable or deplorable in humanity. Yet it is not about the creature's strengths or weaknesses or even what the prime or great creature's spirit medicine is when it pertains to the whole of the group and not just an individual within it.

True, I think we should all study the animals which we find appealing to us. As we consciously strive for the observed strengths we my well be projecting subconscious weaknesses. All to often in the pagan community you will find that people want to believe that all of the mothers creations are peace loving and unambiguously good. The truth is many of the thing we find as being bad about our selves is repeated in nature.

[NatureMade]

I see these phrases thrown around quite a bit, and I really only have the vaguest idea what they are supposed to be. Nevermind that alot of the internet explanations (and the one book I skimmed on the subject; it was the one the library happened to have) seem rather fluffy and not terribly enlightening. I also understand the word "totem" specifically is problematic because of its Native American origins. So I was wondering if someone here could enlighten me, or point me to some good resources.

Are "animal guide", "power animal" and "totem" interchangeable, or are they different things? Does everyone have one, or only some people (e.g. people of a given culture)? If one doesn't have one, can one be acquired? Or, well, I've heard of guided meditations and things to learn what your animal totem/guide is, so I guess the answer to this question is "yes"? What is their purpose? And any other useful bits of information would be most welcome.

I just found this thread as I was looking for more information on the idea of totem animals or animal guides. I admit, I am both curious and confused about it, and so would like to answer this question with a story and a question of my own.

Since I can remember (and I am talking about age 2 or 3 here) I have dreamed about bears and bulls. Since, as an artist and naturalist, I am probably not going to make it big on Wall Street, I doubt that has any connection to finance. The literature I have come across stresses that a totem animal (or power animal, shadow totem, spiritual guide, whatever it technically may be) tends to come to us in dreams or occupy us in other ways, so that we recognize it as having more significance to us than other animals. We can't just choose an animal we like and want to be like, but that it (or they) choose us. If that is so, then these two are definitely associated in my mind in that way.

The dreams are almost never positive, however, and I would go so far as to call them nightmares. When I was very young, I always woke up scared from dreams where I was being chased by a huge black bull (think bullfight type bull) or a black bear. Later, the dreams still remained scary, but usually the animal involved was not actively chasing me or trying to harm me, though I was still frightened by the dreams. Now, at age 56, the dreams are still scary, but I never seem to be able to remember what happens in them except that there is a bear involved. (I almost never dream about the bull any more, though he does occasionally appear.)

The funny thing is that I was a zookeeper for awhile back in my 30s, and I took care of large animals and big cats. Among my charges was a huge Cape Buffallo (think bull on steroids! His name was Idi Amin, and well-deserved, as he had a violent temper and the power to kill) and a pair of grizzlies. I was so scared of those animals that when I had to clean their enclosures -- a complicated process of opening one set of doors and coaxing them into a separate space, then closing those doors and opening another set to access the area to be cleaned -- I would have mental pictures of accidentally forgetting to close a door or opening the wrong set and being face to face with one of them. I even began to wonder if my childhood dreams had been premonitions of my death somehow.

This began to wear on me to the extent that I actually did open the door one day and walk into the enclosure with Idi Amin. I stood face to face with him for all of about a full minute -- during which time it was a toss up who was the most startled by that meeting. I think he was so surprised to see me there that he forgot to charge, and I had time to quietly back out the door. It shook me up a lot, but after that, I was never quite so frightened by him. I did still worry about doing the same thing with the grizzlies though, and it was becoming so stressful, I finally went to a psychiatrist about it. I won't go into those sessions here, but suffice it to say, it didn't help.

I still greatly fear bears, though I actually love and admire them a great deal. I live in an area with black bears (not many, but I have seen one huge male, and at least 2 different bears have visited my parent's house about 30 miles away). The conservation department says they are becoming more numerous in our area as well.

My question is, are these totem animals (or whichever is the correct term) for me? If so, why do I fear them, and how can I find out what they want, if anything, with me? This has plagued me for too many years.

[DancesWithHorses]

I just found this thread as I was looking for more information on the idea of totem animals or animal guides. I admit, I am both curious and confused about it, and so would like to answer this question with a story and a question of my own.

Just found this thread too. Highly informative.

I understood the totem connection to clans but the explanations here were really great. I'm very curious about the Power Animals. Taking me away from animals (the domestic barnyard kind) really is not good for my mental state, I become severely depressed within days. Take me away from horses and I go a little crazy. I think the longest I've gone my entire life without being near a horse is three days.



I never understood why, I don't dream often (and if I do its nightmares, the "failed-exam" version) and I very rarely see horses in my dreams if I do. They seem to draw out the emotional turmoil I can be consumed by at times and make it manageable. I could be having the worst day, go visit my horse, have a bad ride but still walk away feeling lighter in the end. Unlike many other horse-people I know, I don't really care much for showing, fancy pedigrees or anything like that, I'm just drawn to the horses themselves and I adapt to their needs and habits.

Is there a more in-depth explanation of Power Animals?