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Azul
March 22nd, 2003, 08:38 PM
animal totems are more of a native american belief i guess, but i still believe in them. does anyone else here know theirs, have questions, or information to share on them?

i found out mine was a red panda, a friend said he thought i was "fuzzy" like a raccon or red panda.. so i looked it up and i have ALOT in common with red panda totems..


just thought this would be nice to share with people, i thought it was really interesting learning about it.


animal totems (http://www.sayahda.com/cycle.htm)
heres a nice link to gain information on the totems themsleves, but not really much on how to find yours that i could find. i was lucky i knew someone with abilities to tell these things. and though the site says about becoming the totem, i think that everyone has somethin in common with one animal in general, and this is only one site of many. enjoy

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------my totem

The Red Panda

The red panda is a smaller relative of the well known giant panda. It is slightly bigger than a large house cat, has rusty red fur, a long light and dark striped tail, a short white nose, and dark tear tracks. It is active around dawn and dusk and well adapted for climbing, spending much of its time in trees partly to escape predators. It feels safe high above the ground below and never ventures too far away from this source of security. Those with this medicine need to develop a secure foundation and always maintain trust in great spirit.

The panda is a solitary animal except during mating season. They are territorial and will fight other males that enter their area. Because the panda spends most of its day sleeping and descends to the ground in the evening to hunt for food, those with this medicine are usually night owls and do their best work after the sun goes down. Inspiring ideas and perceptive visions are received within the silence of the night.

Red pandas are slow moving agile climbers and teach us the value of slow movement and patient persistence. They hold the teachings of trust, flow and balance. The pandas range extends through Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, Burma and China. Those with this totem often have past life connections in these areas as well as strong ties to Eastern beliefs and practices. The study of martial arts is beneficial.

In the wild, red pandas eat mostly bamboo leaves although they supplement their diet with berries, mushrooms, grasses, bark, bird nestings and insects. The panda depends on bamboo as a main food source. Each species of bamboo has a unique reproductive cycle. Bamboo flowers and dies once every 40 to 120 years. It can take approximately 5 to 10 years for it to regenerate to the point of being a reliable food source again. Its specialized diet, low production rate and low population density makes the red panda vulnerable. In humans this can manifest in difficult pregnancies or childbirth and dietary imbalances. Proper attention to health is important.

Because the red panda has a simple stomach and short intestine it can not get complete nourishment from its low calorie diet. They must spend a large portion of the day feeding. Those with this totem would benefit by eating small amounts throughout the day to avoid becoming hypoglycemic. A vegetarian diet is helpful. Pandas have a strong connection to plant life and those with this medicine would benefit by studying the healing properties of plants and herbs.

Red Pandas lounge around during the day and appear to be somewhat nonchalant with a carefree attitude. When they appear in our life they are asking us to play more and worry less.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Phoenix Blue
March 22nd, 2003, 09:02 PM
An acquaintance and something of a mentor of mine taught me, a long time ago, some information about animal totems. There were seven, he taught me: one in each cardinal direction; one at your "left," one at your "right," and one at your Center. Sadly, I don't have all the information on it that I used to have (and if I did write it down, I lost it a long time ago).

Here's what I do remember, but it may be sketchy:

North - your "predator" animal, which embodies how you act upon the world.
East - your "prey" animal, which embodies how you react to the events around you. The difference between this and the North animal is that the East animal's actions are driven by some exterior stimulus, whereas the North animal's actions are done on its own initiative.
South - your "party" animal, which embodies the ways you find and express joy in the world.
West - your "knowing" animal, which embodies how you learn and how you share your experiences with the world.

Right (Above) - your "paternal" animal, which embodies the father figures in your life--how you perceive them, and how you emulate them.
Left (Below) - your "maternal" animal, which embodies the mother figures in your life--how you perceive them, and how you emulate them.

Center - your soul animal, which embodies your connection with the Divine.

That said, here are mine:

North - Puma
East - Coyote
South - Dolphin
West - Dove

Right - Tigress
Left - Hawk

Center - Phoenix (:bigredgri Who'd have guessed?)

Ravens_Tears
March 22nd, 2003, 09:09 PM
Wonderful link Azul! :D It's one I haven't ecountered before. I've always been drawn to corvids and they to me.. thus the forum name I have...

Phoenix, would you have any information on how one determines ones totems or a few leads on where I might find it? I would really appreciate it if you do. :)

Azul
March 22nd, 2003, 09:16 PM
wonderful information blue!

and glad i could help raven ;)

i think humans have ALOT to learn from the spirits, and totems are one way to guide us through life.

Phoenix Blue
March 22nd, 2003, 09:22 PM
**Shakes head** I don't have information, but I'll see what I can dig up. I meditated, and came by mine that way. One book I recommend, though, is Ted Andrews' "Animal Speak" (Amazon link (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0875420281/qid=1048386038/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/102-3195739-4480122?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)).

I'm fairly sure the information I gave isn't 100% traditional Shamanic - Shamanistic might be a better word, if for no other reason than traditional Shamanic totem animals don't include mythological animals like the Phoenix. :) The Phoenix does figure in Native American mythology, just not as a totem animal.

Edited to add: After a brief Google search, I found a fairly comprehensive page hosted on Fortunecity. Here's the link: How to choose your totem animal (http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/reinli/54/id236.htm). I'd offer a bit different advice, though: instead of paging through books that offer you the information on on what each animal represents, think of animals you've observed or that you feel drawn to, and look for similarities between the animals' traits and your own.

Ravens_Tears
March 22nd, 2003, 09:45 PM
Thank you:)

gyroWang
March 23rd, 2003, 06:56 AM
I think the celts had a similar thing to animal totems which may fit better with some people beliefs than the native american style. Arent they called animal familiars?
I sometimes think of my chinese star sign as a sort of totem as well.

Sylv
March 23rd, 2003, 09:10 PM
For those who are interested in what different animals traditionally represent, I stumbled across this site: http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/4076/index1.html
Also, I found this cool book in my library, The Golden Cauldron: Shamanic Journeys on the Path of Wisdom, that combined mediations on different animals with the Egyptian pantheon. I really enjoyed it. :)
Phoenix, that was interesting information.....it 'clicked' so thanks a bunch!

~ Monk ~
March 24th, 2003, 12:56 PM
I came across this web site not too long ago:

http://www.fortunecity.com/millenium/bertisevil/537/projects/totems/animalwk.htm

PB, it seems pretty similar to what you're talking about.

Phoenix Blue
March 24th, 2003, 12:59 PM
Good link, but all the "Fortunecity" images in the background and such make the silly page unreadable. . . for me, anyway. Is anyone else having that problem?

~ Monk ~
March 24th, 2003, 01:00 PM
...I thought this place offered something very interesting:

http://www.rainbowcrystal.com/bach/animalessence.html

~ Monk ~
March 24th, 2003, 01:01 PM
Originally posted by Phoenix_Blue

Good link, but all the "Fortunecity" images in the background and such make the silly page unreadable. . . for me, anyway. Is anyone else having that problem?

I get some pop-up boxes but don't see the images you're referring too. Hmm.

Phoenix Blue
March 24th, 2003, 04:05 PM
Must be the proxy I'm sitting behind. :) Remind me to look at it again when I get home.

Edit: Yup, it's the proxy. :) I'm home, and it looks just fine.

moonmorgan
March 24th, 2003, 07:45 PM
Thanks for listing those sites, they were great. I bookmarked the first two.

My totem/spirit animals are

Tiger
Elephant
Dog
Firefly

MysticFire
June 16th, 2003, 02:55 PM
I have had a few animal spirits or guides in my life at different points(I guess). My first animal was the white wolf she came to me ina dream and no matter what other animal I have she is always there when I need her. Others have been the eagle, white horse, and most recently the tiger(orange and white), it came to me in a daydream. Kind of scard me a little bit, I wasn't expecting a tiger to pop in and interupt my daydream like that. I tried to ignore it, but it kept coming at me. It showed up in a few dreams, shows or documentaries on tigers kept coming on, so I eventually gave up running from it..I like all my animals and they all come back to me eventually.
Rise up Witches, throw off your maskes And cease srying guilt for ancient crimes;Earth and all her children need us, For All face now the Burning Times.-L.A. Hussey We shall never forget!!!

Rain Gnosis
June 16th, 2003, 03:07 PM
An acquaintance and something of a mentor of mine taught me, a long time ago, some information about animal totems. There were seven, he taught me:

Fascinating! Thanks for bringing that up.

I'd give you a karma point if I had one :D

Rain Gnosis
June 16th, 2003, 03:10 PM
That gives me something to think about as bears have been coming up a lot and I think they might have a place in your "many totems" system.

SylverStar
June 19th, 2003, 04:50 AM
I've only had two animals ever present themselves to me. When I was younger I had a white tiger that would come to me in spirit form and protect me when I was scared like a guardian angel. Lately when I meditate it is always a small brown bear that comes a shows me answers. The white tiger has always been my favorite animal I haven't really thought much about bears. However both guides have been there when I needed them.

Tiarcana
June 19th, 2003, 02:51 PM
One of my totems is the blue-jay and I hate to admit it, but the character really fits me!

My guiding totem is the crow... definitely not romantic like a white owl or silver wolf.... but hey, dreamers can't be choosers!

:antennae: -Tiarcana

~ Monk ~
June 19th, 2003, 02:57 PM
My guiding totem is the crow... definitely not romantic like a white owl or silver wolf.... but hey, dreamers can't be choosers!

:antennae: -Tiarcana

Hey, Crow is a great totem - really, no such thing as a bad one. They all have something to teach us...:D

zakzekezedd
June 23rd, 2003, 10:35 PM
I find the similarities in the qualities attributed to certain animals by various cultures interesting. I think there is some connection for me with "owl". I keep getting images and even "touches" from a small brown owl when I meditate. I'm not entirely sure what this means, but I figure I'll understand when the time is right.