What's your totem?

[ButterflyWoman]

Just thought it might be a fun thread. :) If you have a totem animal spirit, what is it?

Mine is a horse. Looks like a mustang, but that just could be the way I visualise wild horses (spent much of my childhood in Arizona ;)).


Horse represents freedom and power. Horse people are wild spirits that cannot be broken. If Horse comes to you, look for safe passage into the new. We must synchronize our motives with that of others so we can quickly and steadily reach our goals.

Interestingly, my horse was with me throughout most of my childhood. I thought it was an "imaginary" horse for years... It was my companion through thick and thin. Then I sort of lost contact (i.e., I got more interested in material things and for a while lost my awareness of the astral/spiritual), though I always had a big thing for unicorns (collect them still, though I have so many now I'm very, very selective about what I add to the collection).

Then, just this year, my horse came back! Or, rather, I became aware of it (I say "it" because it's never been revealed if the horse is male or female; I'd say it's not very important, and the horse does have a gender-neutral name that I gave it when I was small). Happily, a friend who is well-versed in Native American mysticism and lore helped me to understand about the nature of my equine companion and to work out why, after all these years, I suddenly became aware of my childhood "imaginary" horse again... ;)

Okay. That's my story. Share yours?

[CFTraveler]

Mine is a black crow. I think I posted the dreams that guided me to this idea, but basically, I've always been attracted to birds (my house growing up was always full of birds, a lot of them just flew into the house and since we already had the cages we just kept them until they were ready to go again (mostly parakeets, but also parrots, cockatiels and once a macaw.) So a few years ago I had a 'temple dream' (at this time I had no interest or knowledge of things metaphysical ), and in it there were four birds in 4 pillars in which I went to. Then there was some sort of experience in water (sort of like a baptism, but with a fountain) in which I received a lot of what I now know to have been metaphysical revelations but were 'wonderful' (in the sense of wonder and awe) in a very abstract way, and unbelievable images that I had trouble understanding, but I knew pointed into a very spiritual (near) future. In the following years, I stopped working where I did, got pregnant, had my son, joined a metaphysical church, learned basic metaphysics and reawoke my love for these kinds of things, and had the next dream. After the next dream the rest is history. I'll see if I can find the second dream and I'll also get my totem description.
Be right back.
Ok I'm back:
My dream: http://forums.astraldynamics.com/viewto ... light=crow (http://forums.astraldynamics.com/viewtopic.php?t=5518&highlight=crow)

As you can see I highlighted 'crow' so you can scroll down and find it quicker. Here's the totem meaning (which applied to me at the time and sort of still does):

"Keeper of the Sacred Law
Crows are the keepers of the Sacred Law
and to have a Crow totem is very powerful.

Personal Integrity are your watchwords
and your guide in Life.
If you have a Crow totem, your prime path
is to be mindful of your opinions and actions.
You must be willing to walk your talk,
to speak your truth and to know your life's mission.

Crow is a omen of Change.
Crow lives in the void and has no sense of time,
therefore, it sees past, present and future simultaneously.
Crow merges both light and dark, both inner and outer.
It is the totem of the Great Spirit
and must be respected as such.

They are symbols of creation and spiritual strength.
Look for opportunities to create and manifest the magic of life.
Crows are messengers calling to us
about the creation and magic that is alive in the world today
and available to us."

[Beekeeper]

I have totems come and go but two have been with me consistently: the bird and the spider.

Birds have all kinds of meanings for me and it would take me forever to explain my association with them. I will say that when I called on my guide in a lucid dream it came as a white dove.

As a very small child, my siblings and I were left in the so-called care of a woman who so despised infants that she made us use the outside toilet that was infested with spiders of all sizes. If we needed to go to the toilet, we were reqired to await her Ladyship's pleasure. Then would come the inevitable fumbling of tiny fingers with buttoned corderoy dungarees and the panic caused by an insistent bladder and potential shame. The final challenge was to get the whole exercise over with as quickly as possible so as to avoid an extended encounter with the spiders.

Eventually, I learnt to take my time down there. At least I'd be outside away from the droning soap operas and cigarette smoke. I started to find the spiders interesting and gradually came to associate them with good luck. My mother had told me about money spiders and I thought they were cute, so why were these other spiders so bad? I liked snails, and ladybugs and preying mantis, it wasn't a great leap to like spiders too and, eventually, I began to see spiders as good omens. Still do.

Snakes and rats also operate as harbingers for me. Snakes are good; rats are not. This sounds terrible, but my dog has twice killed a rat on our walks and each time I've had a run of good fortune afterwards. On my first actual teaching day where I currently work, a rat ran into my classroom and around the perimeter.

[Caelrie]

I seem to have two, both the dog and the spider.

[Mishell]

Is a totem the same as an animal spirit guide?

I did a meditation a couple of years ago to meet my animal guide. I visualized walking into a room, went to the far wall and looked out a window. I was suposed to turn around and see my animal guide. Was suposed to be surprised about what the animal was. But, as I was looking out the window I felt a nudge in my back and heard a neigh.

I actually felt the nudge physically. When I turned around there was a very spunky horse and he gave me an affectionate nuzzle.

[ButterflyWoman]

Is a totem the same as an animal spirit guide?

Yes.

Technically, a "totem" is only applicable to a group, like a tribe or nation. But people use the word to mean an individual animal guide, too.

[blacktiger057]

Right now I have two animal guides, the tiger and red hawk.

My connection with cats is stronger than any other animal. But the tiger has always been randomly appearing in my dreams and meditations. I'm sponsoring a tiger in Africa right now. I feel just really attuned to this animal. In the astral, I've seen my spirit guide a few times. It often takes the form of a black tiger, almost like a panther in color but definately a tiger. Hence, my username.

Whoah, I just noticed something else! One of my cats is all black, and one of them has tiger-like markings so we call him Tiger(we got him about four months ago). My username even corresponds to my cats.

Anyway, my other totem is the red tailed hawk. I think that this bird has been my guide ever since I nursed one back to health. I frequently find red hawk feathers on my deck. While this animal does not appear in my dreams as often as the tiger, it has more physical ways of reminding me its there (as tigers don't live in my backyard :lol: ).

I feel a close connection to both of these animals. In a way, they are very real friends...

Many Blesings!

Scott

[journyman161]

I have no idea what mine would be, but I'd guess at a dog - I seem to have always had an affinity for them & them for me.

[Freawaru]

I did a shamanic journey some years ago and it turned out to be a rabbit. It is funny, I expected it to be either horse or elephant, as somehow I have a strong relationship to both in real life.

In a way it is good that it turned out to be something unexpected, it was my first journey and I was not at all sure about doing everything right.

I asked a correspondence about the meaning of rabbit but she just said there are many and was rather amused that I had been choosen by a companion who was good at fast flights and unexpected turns. :lol:

Does anyone have anything on rabbit as animal spirit guide?

[Beekeeper]

Rabbit guides:

http://www.manataka.org/page236.html#RABBIT

[Caelrie]

I'm not sure how much stock I put in the animal totems thing. I'm inclined to believe, based on my observations and experiences, that my dog and spider don't actually have anything to do with dogs or spiders at all, but instead are just symbols chosen by me on some level to represent qualities I find wise or interesting.

[Silence]

Great fun, thanks!

Was taught that our Spirit Animals are the ones with us from birth. At least think I'm remembering that correctly. :roll:
I try to link it with Spirit Guides to remember.

Totems and animal guides come at different times and situations, as do other guides we request or our higher self requests.

Either way, no matter. Animals are one of my favorite subjects! Thanks for the thread.

My born with animal guides would seem to be horse and hawk. Have had horses come to me in dreams when I was studying Shamanism and had an indian friend who passed me a spiritual stone from a Shaman. Dreamt of zooming in on the horses eye and in my dream knew all the secrets of the universe, then when you awake, it's like !?!!! why can't I remember? LOL Also rode and trained horses for many years. Started riding very young. As an artist did many paintings and other art of them too.
Hawk is just "always there", if you know what I mean. :wink:
He watches over and guides. I always know I'm on the right path when see hawks. They send me feather gifts too.

Various animals within last few years that came and went in certain learning phases. Turtle is very strong now. Had spider a few years ago in time of great spiritual growth. Frog was strong this year too. Tiger last year in time of facing many fears. Wasp... not sure what that one is teaching me but has been strong this year. Thanks for bringing up, will have to look that animal up. Praying mantis 5 yr ago right before big changes. Big cats come and go. Short strong messages. Gnats... watch out for them. That was prob 10 years ago, but that was someone who sent a small spell my way. Dogs and cats and hamsters... are very close and familiar... more like family, but they can teach plenty and they do constantly. I have two dogs and two cats.

Enjoyed reading everyones!
Thanks OlderWiser,
Silence

[Freawaru]

Thank you very much, Beerkeeper :-D

[Beekeeper]

You are most welcome. :D

Gnats, yes, annoying omen. Lots of little niggly things. :lol:

mine is a tiger..http://www.namastecafe.com/animal/tiger.htm

[blacktiger057]

mine is a tiger..http://www.namastecafe.com/animal/tiger.htm

Cool link! My totem being a tiger too, I printed it out. Very intersting.

Oh, and for everyone, a great book to read on working with animal totems is "Animal Speak" by....I forget, but that's the title.

[Jenn Lynn]

in my childhood, i had nightmares involving large spiders, and they seemed to get bigger as i grew older. i remember one dream in particular where i was standing on the edge of a swimming pool looking down at a giant spider in the bottom of a pool in the water that was looking back up at me, i think i was 4 or 5.

last year i had two dreams, in succession. the first involved me in an apartment moving a laundry basket into an unused fireplace in my living room because i noticed a spider on the basket and wanted to move it to a safe place where it could build a web (i have since grown to love spiders). suddenly it jumped from the basket onto my chest and startled me, i was scared, and then it jumped back to the basket. then it morphed into a man and he asked me why i was still afraid of him. i confessed i didn't know why.

in the next dream, i had received three presents from my mother for christmas (i was in the in the same apartment). in the first package was a dreamcatcher. imagine my confusion after awaking from this dream, and realizing i had dreamed about a dreamcatcher :?

anyway, i researched the dreamcatcher the next day and found this lakota indian legend:



http://www.cia-g.com/~gathplac/dreamcatcher_legend.htm

yay archetypes !!!!


jennifer

[Aunt Clair]

My totems are dragon , wolf , lion , crow , spider , elephant , swan , dolphin cobra & cat.

[sleeper]

Aunt Clair, do you work with animal pelts and similar things when you work with your totems?

[Harry Shirton]

My Totem is the Chipmunk...don't know why...but have had more than one very weird situations involving Chipmunks. I have a deep respect for all life...am fascinated by the diversity in our planet's animal kingdom, but have never really placed chipmunks in any special spot...they seemed to have done that on their own...if I have a Totem...its the Chipmunk...

[Harry Shirton]

Follow-up to The Chipmunk...
I was 8 or 9 yrs old...spending 2 weeks at a YMCA kids summer camp up north in Ontario. We were out on the Big Trip...4 days at the end of the 2 weeks away from the actual camp...we were living in tents, cooking over fires...the whole experience. I had wandered off on my own just to experience nature. At one point, I had the Need...I was standing in front of a tree Taking Care Of Business, when I noticed a chipmunk in my peripheral vision. Didn't think anything of it...then noticed a couple more flitting around me...I looked up and any bio activities froze...there were at least a dozen chipmunks spread out in a circle around me. None of them were acting threatening, but key scenes from The Birds did run through my head...I slowly zipped up, and walked away back towards out campsite, spinning slowly to keep them in my line of sight. Once I started walking away, they kind of broke up the meeting and went their separate ways...leaving me with a feeling I had experienced something a little more than just a nature walk.
Then, years later...just a couple of years ago from today...my wife and I were spending some Away Time at a rented cottage in northern Ontario. It was a pleasant day, my wife was inside doing something, and I was out on the porch sitting in a chair just chillin'. I hear this high pitched screeching and look up...there was a tree just off the porch, and about 4 feet above my head, was this chipmunk. It was on the main trunk, head towards the ground, and was looking me right in the eye, and screeching up a storm. It got my wife's attention, and when she came out, the little guy ran up the tree trunk and disappeared.
I've spent a lot of time enjoying outdoors...camping, canoeing, hiking...have experienced awareness and exposure to a whole range of wildlife, but nothing ever came close to just plain weirdness as my experiences with The Chipmunk.
I feel I was chosen to have this creature as my Totem, rather than any concious decision on my part. Reading and talking with others, I realize that with most people with a Totem, this is the way it happens...you don't pick your Totem...it picks you...
Harry
"Whenever you read a good book, it's like the author is right there, in the room talking to you, which is why I don't like to read good books."

[UR2BU4U]

hi i dont know alot about totems,, But one time i had an o.b.e,, i looked out of my bedroom window, And above my neibours-roof-top-house,, i saw a eagle or a hawk, circule 1 and a half-times then it spotted me, ,And within a blink of an eye, it was up against my bedroom window,, i dident see it fly towards my window when it had spotted myself, it had just appeard within a blink of an eye,, and when it was at my window, i noticed it was quite-large,and it had a cats body, with a cats face, it was half cat,and half eagle.. i belive it could of been a hawk because of its colour--was like a dark brown black, and it had a hawks-tail,,its wings curled up at the tips of the wings,, this was my first spirtual-being,,and because of this,i got a bit freaked out,not scared but more angry,because i was reading some books about demonic stuff? and i think for that reason,i thought it was demonic,so i remembered i had a tourch next to my bed so i shinned the light on it,and it just vanished,,but when it dissapeard i started to notice at the top of my bedroom window BLUE-FLOWERE'S started to come in my bedroom long plants witrh blue flowers on it,,, when i was back in my phisical-body i was so gutted that i dident try to communicate with this spirtual-being,,i dont suppose you have ever heard of this being ??, and if you know if i will ever see this being again ??? hope this makes sense thankyou for reading--peace2u..

Edited by CF:
"Griffon: Spiritual Enlightenment

The Griffon protects hidden treasures and gold mines. Griffon is the guardian to the path of spiritual enlightenment. It has the body of a lion and the head of an eagle and is sometimes depicted with the tail of a serpent. The Griffon is consecrated to the Sun and is often shown drawing the Apollo's chariot across the sky. It is the symbol of vigilant strength and dominates both the earth and the sky."
http://www.linsdomain.com/totems-g.htm

[I-stone]

Just thought it might be a fun thread. :) If you have a totem animal spirit, what is it?

Mine is a horse. Looks like a mustang, but that just could be the way I visualise wild horses (spent much of my childhood in Arizona ;)).



Interestingly, my horse was with me throughout most of my childhood. I thought it was an "imaginary" horse for years... It was my companion through thick and thin. Then I sort of lost contact (i.e., I got more interested in material things and for a while lost my awareness of the astral/spiritual), though I always had a big thing for unicorns (collect them still, though I have so many now I'm very, very selective about what I add to the collection).

Then, just this year, my horse came back! Or, rather, I became aware of it (I say "it" because it's never been revealed if the horse is male or female; I'd say it's not very important, and the horse does have a gender-neutral name that I gave it when I was small). Happily, a friend who is well-versed in Native American mysticism and lore helped me to understand about the nature of my equine companion and to work out why, after all these years, I suddenly became aware of my childhood "imaginary" horse again... ;)

Okay. That's my story. Share yours?

Ive done a bit of complaining around my family about never meeting a unicorn in my dreams or etc. The general concensus in the world is that they are wonderful, so I wanted to meed one. One sweltering night I had a dream where I met a tiny horse-like creature who I felt was a Kirin, though I didnt know what a Kirin was (it probably wasnt tiny, im just big these days). I wokr up and continued to complain about no unicorns. Recently I decided to illistrate the Kirin dream properly, complete with paintings of what I saw. Afterwords I did research on the internet for 'Kirin'.Turns out the Kirin is the original unicorn. Hehe thought you might like that Butterfly

[CFTraveler]

I see you got in, UR2BU. Good.
Mine seems to still be the Lion. Sweet sweet lion.

BTW half cat half eagle/hawk sounds like a griffin. Check it out in the totems thread. I edited into your own thread.

[UR2BU4U]

Thankyou for your reply. somebody else has also said it could of been a griffon,, but, the tail was like a bird's tail,,(like a kite-bird,, and it had wings witch curled up at the tips of its wings,, iv seen a picture of a griffon,,,and it wasent that,, so i am not2 sure wot it was,, iv found this picture and it was more like this,,but its wings were much longer,,and the colour was dark ,brownish-blackish,,662 thankyou for your reply,, iv also seen this kind of being floating towards my third eye,, it was wavy in motion,, i had to break-away from seeing this image in my inner-eye,,because it sort of freaked me out because i thought it could off been demonic ?? but not to sure,,, thankyou for your reply,, all the best to you,,,663

[UR2BU4U]

Thankyou for your Reply,, Yes i did get in ,,in the end,, i used to have an account years ago,, but i 4got my password and stuff,,so i thought id register again,, i had to stop my spirtual-practice,, due to myself having lots of spirtual-experinces,, and at the time i was going through a lot of personal-problems-in my past,, but now things are going good,i am going to start back with my spirtual-practice,,,But have to do some reserch on protection,and stuff,,,, Nice to meet you by the way,,and thankyou for helping mysef, getting back on to this webb-site,, take care,,and all the best... ""CFTRAVELER""

[eyeoneblack]

nothing ever came close to just plain weirdness as my experiences with The Chipmunk.

I had much the same experience with bees. They collected on me while I was meditating. I have always loved honey-bees. Gentle, they are and no threat. Yet, my totem (as is CFT's) is the lion.

My first lucid was about a lion. They show up frequently in my dreams. Besides I admire the cat, large and small, for its perfection of body and instinct.

I guess I'm saying, might you find a power totem. Chipmunks? Well.........

[IronGega]

I have no idea, never met mine :/

[CruxxImmortal]

My totem animal is a mogwai gremlin. :twisted:

[SiriusTraveler]

Well I don't really know but I guess its a cat. When there's animals in my dreams itc usually cats, although I have dreamt about other animals. For instance owl, bear and some kind of bird.
Since I have three cats I guess that influences me alot, so I really don't know.

[IA56]

If you get to know what your totem is from dream´s then I have had these animals in my Dreams...
Dragon,
Eagel,
Bear,
Wolf,
Snake´s of all kind both big and small,
Horse,
Cow,
Golden spider with very blue eye´s,
Dogs of all kind big and small,
Cat´s
Ant´s,
Coleopteron with stransparant Shell and light of all kind Rolling inside,
Strange stickanimal but like a green leaf,
I am sure I have seen many more what I have forgotten :-) Strange animals from that time I dreamt of Alien Worlds, those animals are not as our here on Earth at all, so they are very hard to Picture too.

Love
ia

[DarkChylde]

I'm not sure if it's a totem or not , I've seen a gargantuan frog too many times in ASOC to chalk it off to mere coincidence.
It's pretty repugnant though.

[eyeoneblack]

Interesting, DC, but I have known in a couple of esoteric belief systems that the frog is considered the progenitor of mankind. One of my teachers had a collection of 300+ frogs and she would complain, don't give me ANOTHER frog. I suppose this ancient belief stems from the fact that frogs begin life in 'the sea' and move to land at maturity - an allegory such as caterpillar to butterfly - yet long before the theory of evolution it was believed man came from the ocean. The Phoenicians held that a man-fish left the ocean and revered it as the first god.

Not a bad totem if you asked me.

[DarkChylde]

Interesting, DC, but I have known in a couple of esoteric belief systems that the frog is considered the progenitor of mankind. One of my teachers had a collection of 300+ frogs and she would complain, don't give me ANOTHER frog. I suppose this ancient belief stems from the fact that frogs begin life in 'the sea' and move to land at maturity - an allegory such as caterpillar to butterfly - yet long before the theory of evolution it was believed man came from the ocean. The Phoenicians held that a man-fish left the ocean and revered it as the first god.

Not a bad totem if you asked me.

Very interesting indeed , thankyou for sharing this , I will definitely initiate contact with the giant frog and report thereafter as to what transpires!

thanks again!

[newfreedom]

Struggling with overwhelming head pain & asking for help..... i was drawn to a cuddly toy in my bedroom, that i could not make out, when i did make it out i saw a moose

Symbolic Moose Facts (http://www.whats-your-sign.com/symbolic-moose-facts.html)

[IA56]

If you get to know what your totem is from dream´s then I have had these animals in my Dreams...
Dragon,
Eagel,
Bear,
Wolf,
Snake´s of all kind both big and small,
Horse,
Cow,
Golden spider with very blue eye´s,
Dogs of all kind big and small,
Cat´s
Ant´s,
Coleopteron with stransparant Shell and light of all kind Rolling inside,
Strange stickanimal but like a green leaf,
I am sure I have seen many more what I have forgotten :-) Strange animals from that time I dreamt of Alien Worlds, those animals are not as our here on Earth at all, so they are very hard to Picture too.

Love
ia


For some years ago I had a whole weekend with visions whilst I was awake...I have had fear that I am not enought or that my eagle will not carry me enought high up ....so I got a visit from an old shaman who wanted me to become a shaman...I do not feel so much to nature as I feel a shaman is.....so I asked him...have you ever seen an shaman in high heels?? He said ...you can be a urban shaman....so he showed me that above the eagle is a big huge dragon...he asked if this would me become secure to be able to go beyond the beyond.....so this above me....Him at my right side, a wolf at my left side, and an elephant behind me....a brown bear infront of me....I asked why an elephant behind me...he said...so you do not get any idea to turn back...there is no going back...only forward.....I am still pondering on this vision....I do not know what it is, still..

Love
ia

[newfreedom]

For some years ago I had a whole weekend with visions whilst I was awake...I have had fear that I am not enought or that my eagle will not carry me enought high up ....so I got a visit from an old shaman who wanted me to become a shaman...I do not feel so much to nature as I feel a shaman is.....so I asked him...have you ever seen an shaman in high heels?? He said ...you can be a urban shaman....so he showed me that above the eagle is a big huge dragon...he asked if this would me become secure to be able to go beyond the beyond.....so this above me....Him at my right side, a wolf at my left side, and an elephant behind me....a brown bear infront of me....I asked why an elephant behind me...he said...so you do not get any idea to turn back...there is no going back...only forward.....I am still pondering on this vision....I do not know what it is, still..

Love
ia

Thanks ia xxx

i need to study more the animals you have written up here, but it made me realise i should / could look to see what animals i have written i have seen / had encounters with on my AD dream journal & list them & also list dream memory animals that i haven't written down.

Also it makes me realise i can look up & put up the links 'animal facts' for the animals i saw in the clouds formations too - to get more info. / understanding & learning done

Big THANKS XXX

[newfreedom]

Struggling with overwhelming head pain & asking for help..... i was drawn to a cuddly toy in my bedroom, that i could not make out, when i did make it out i saw a mousse

Symbolic Moose Facts (http://www.whats-your-sign.com/symbolic-moose-facts.html)



Was able to make it to the Dr. Surgery to pick up some more Beta-blockers for my migraine symptoms and on the counter they had some small cuddly toy animals.... i couldn't resist going over to look, touch them... i ended up buying some :mrgreen:xxx

I bought a


bear
monkey
fox
pig


Big THANX xxxxx

[mystyx]

"In brother bear when a tribe member came of age the shaman woman, guided by ancestors, would assign that person a totem. The totem is an animal that represents a trait that the coming of age is to learn in their lifetime.
I was struck by how wonderfully simple and straight forward life would be if society was like that. It would guarantee that nobody would be stumbling around grasping for purpose and meaning. And nobody would have to die with regret, they know they accomplished their purpose in life. I would like such a clear purpose."

Totems come and go with different periods in your life. You can loose totems and gain new ones.
in chrono order:

When I was completely innocent my totem was a deer and a white horse. When I lost the deer it drowned in a puddle of water. When my innocence ended so did the white horse, I had a dream of it dying. It was the most intense emotional experience of my life. I was literally screaming, crying and flailing in my sleep, then continued to cry while awake. It was worse than my sisters death. Guess I really value innocence.

A little psychic girl 5 years old told me my animal is a cow. I think it still applies somewhat.

For a long time when I was only focused on spiritual matters my totem was the golden eagle. After a traumatic event that changed everything I had a dream of falling from the sky with the eagle and two other animals and humans, all the animals died when we hit the ground.

My most beloved animal is the chickadee. Unfortunately my familiar is the Merlin falcon who only eats chickadees! (How I learned about my familiar is a long but magical story) I chose to keep the chickadee over the falcon.

I believe one of the best ways to tell that an animal is your totem though unexplainable attraction. I felt it whenever I saw the eagle in my dreams, and seagull feathers in waking life.

Recently I asked what my most important totem to focus on and I got stork.

But the one totem I have always had, and always will, is the nightingale:
"The sweet song of the Nightingale gives inspiration as a harbinger of a personal dawn. She guides one into seeing the importance in the connection to old beliefs and thoughts. It is time to take authority of your mind. She teaches the nocturnal song and brings to the light what is mysterious and hidden. What is learned in the "night' is to be incorporated into the "day". She shows how to move throughout different consciousness and use inspirations of higher realms while keeping grounded. Nightingale balances masculine and feminine energies along with balancing dietary elements. It is time to sing loudly - above the cacophony of the mind chatter and above what others think and say. Timid and shy at times, she can show how to act with grace and elegance. In regards to parental love, timidity changes to a brave ferocity. Nightingale will show the balance between the two. Are you sharing what you know, acting what you believe."




This site for bird totems:
http://www.starstuffs.com/animal_totems/dictionary_of_birds.htm

[Dreamweaver]

Right now, bears feature strongly in pivotal dream experiences - and my daughter-in-law calls me Momma Bear - and to my grandkids I am Gramma Bear. When I was a young adolescent I had a very lucid Freudian/Shamanic dream where I was introduced to mother Bengal and her cubs.... I guess I'm one fierce mother tee-hee.

[newfreedom]

"In brother bear when a tribe member came of age the shaman woman, guided by ancestors, would assign that person a totem. The totem is an animal that represents a trait that the coming of age is to learn in their lifetime.
I was struck by how wonderfully simple and straight forward life would be if society was like that. It would guarantee that nobody would be stumbling around grasping for purpose and meaning. And nobody would have to die with regret, they know they accomplished their purpose in life. I would like such a clear purpose."

Totems come and go with different periods in your life. You can loose totems and gain new ones.
in chrono order:

When I was completely innocent my totem was a deer and a white horse. When I lost the deer it drowned in a puddle of water. When my innocence ended so did the white horse, I had a dream of it dying. It was the most intense emotional experience of my life. I was literally screaming, crying and flailing in my sleep, then continued to cry while awake. It was worse than my sisters death. Guess I really value innocence.

A little psychic girl 5 years old told me my animal is a cow. I think it still applies somewhat.

For a long time when I was only focused on spiritual matters my totem was the golden eagle. After a traumatic event that changed everything I had a dream of falling from the sky with the eagle and two other animals and humans, all the animals died when we hit the ground.

My most beloved animal is the chickadee. Unfortunately my familiar is the Merlin falcon who only eats chickadees! (How I learned about my familiar is a long but magical story) I chose to keep the chickadee over the falcon.

I believe one of the best ways to tell that an animal is your totem though unexplainable attraction. I felt it whenever I saw the eagle in my dreams, and seagull feathers in waking life.

Recently I asked what my most important totem to focus on and I got stork.

But the one totem I have always had, and always will, is the nightingale:
"The sweet song of the Nightingale gives inspiration as a harbinger of a personal dawn. She guides one into seeing the importance in the connection to old beliefs and thoughts. It is time to take authority of your mind. She teaches the nocturnal song and brings to the light what is mysterious and hidden. What is learned in the "night' is to be incorporated into the "day". She shows how to move throughout different consciousness and use inspirations of higher realms while keeping grounded. Nightingale balances masculine and feminine energies along with balancing dietary elements. It is time to sing loudly - above the cacophony of the mind chatter and above what others think and say. Timid and shy at times, she can show how to act with grace and elegance. In regards to parental love, timidity changes to a brave ferocity. Nightingale will show the balance between the two. Are you sharing what you know, acting what you believe."




This site for bird totems:
http://www.starstuffs.com/animal_totems/dictionary_of_birds.htm

Thanks for sharing this bird totem site mystyx..... it's really beautiful

Reading through the list, i am fortunate to have the influence of many birds around my living space

the blackbird & the robin are two species that i find are very impactful to have around

From the list, birds that we have regularly around:

blackbird
robin
starlings
doves
pigeons
crow
magpies
seagulls
wren
goldfinch
sparrow
swifts
ducks & geese

[newfreedom]

Bat

Bat Symbolism & Meaning (https://whatismyspiritanimal.com/spirit-totem-power-animal-meanings/mammals/bat-symbolism-meaning/#BatSymbolizes)

Last night I was lying in bed pondering & spending some time self engaging before going to sleep, when i shut my eyes i had a clear vision of a bat flying towards me.

As a child i had a fascination with bats & would always like to draw them

The video below conveys the bat in flight reflecting what i saw in my vision

Meet the World's Biggest Bat (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FK9tWT5pA4)

[newfreedom]

Oystercatcher

Oystercatcher (http://spiritwalkministry.com/spirit_guides/bird_animal_spirits)--



Large, conspicuous, and noisy.



A time to realize that portions of you are being suppressed



(Christian legend says that the oystercatcher once hid Jesus in a time of danger and was rewarded by being given the mark of the cross on its back.)





A need to protect children from being taken.


​



A selfless act of concealment.




1724

The Virgin Mother, in Celtic lore, has Oystercatcher as one of her symbols.
(http://www.searanchescape.com/community/birds/oystercatcher.html)
(http://www.searanchescape.com/community/birds/oystercatcher.html)