In North America, the Native Americans always looked to the animals as "spirit guides" as they were always very attuned to nature and the world around them for survival. They "believed" these guides would come to them in a dream or when they fasted and went on a vision quest.
Here therefore, is my journal entry on Totems:
I have been up for a long while, since 4 am but I have spent most of the morning reading and thinking about a subject that is near and dear to my heart. Many of you may think it is bull but that is neither here nor there to me. I know what I know and I know what I believe. Most beliefs are based on faith, not fact so that is my warning to the unbelievers among you. Believe what you will, take what you want and I will leave it at that.
"What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, man would die from a great loneliness of spirit. For whatever happens to the beasts, soon happens to man. All things are connected.
You must teach your children that the ground beneath their feet is the ashes of their grandfathers. So that they will respect the land, tell your children that the earth is rich with the lives of our kin. Teach your children what we have taught our children, that the earth is our mother.
Whatever befalls the earth, befalls the sons of earth. If men spit upon the ground, they spit upon themselves. Thus we know, the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to earth.
~Chief Seattle~
(Truth is, I have failed my children in this matter. I think that they understand very little about the connectedness of all living things and that is my burden to bear. But that is not what I was going to talk about.)
The Native Americans, whose very lives depended on the natural world believed that all "two-leggeds" or humans had animal totems who served as messengers (kind of like Harry Potter's owl) but also served as signals of good fortune or alarms of ill will to come.
How do you know what your totem is, that is if you wanted to know? The peoples of the land believed that one could find his totem by dreaming or fasting or a solitary journey. Modern man has very little opportunity to find his totem, little time for dreaming or taking solitary journeys, much less a willingness to go without eating for any length of time. But even then, your totem will follow you, it will appear in your dreams, you will see images of it if you look, it will be there, popping up in unexpected places. It may be a hummingbird or a mouse, a moose or a rabbit, a lizard or a elephant...it will follow you, it will haunt you, it will. All you need to do is become aware that you have a animal totem and it will appear, in one way or another, to you.
Now, if you don't believe in totems or animal guides, that is all well and good for I ain't here pushing my beliefs on nonbelievers. I am only preaching to the choir or those that have a curiosity about something they may have never even thought about. Besides, it is fun and I am all for that no matter what one believes.
I have known my totem for a very long time. People that are close to the natural world, have an affinity for animals and spend time alone in contemplation of the forest or the desert usually notice an animal that follows them, is there when they are. They may not know that that animal is a guide or a signal or a warning but they notice, maybe not consciously, that animal is around an awful lot when they are.
Animal totems follow you, turn up in unexpected places like a picture on a mug or a piece of representational jewelry or a stuffed toy that catches your eye. This animal may not be the one you would like it to be, for it is a part of you that you do not choose. I love dogs but dogs are not my totem. I am crazy about horses, but horses are not my totem either. So it is not necessarily some animal that you love or are crazy about, heck, it might even be something you fear, like a spider or a snake. Coming to terms with your animal totem is, in Native American mythology, part of the process of maturity and understanding of the natural world and your place within it.
When you do recognize your totem, you can use the power of that animal to help you if you understand what that animal represents. I will use my totem as an example for the uninitiated.
The Red-tailed Hawk flies next to his two-legged as a guardian of Earth Mother. These are people that recognize the interconnectedness of all things. They have a respect and reverence for all life in whatever form it takes. They are usually active in environmental causes and/or animal rights. These people will be protectors of earth and it's denizens, encouraging and educating others to do the same.
A Red-tail Hawk does not receive it's red tail feathers until mature and maturation comes late. This hawk flies next to people that are "flighty" folks and those folks can be perceived as too direct in speech or searchers for truth, no matter the cost. Usually these people have a sharp mind and that sharp intellect can be used as a weapon (for good or evil intent.)
That is just a bit about my totem. Are you wondering now what yours is? Maybe you don't give a poop and that is fine by me. I know that my animal totem has been a resource, a comfort and a harbinger and that is a wonderful thing. No matter if it is real or imagined, it brings me a sense of peace and isn't that a good thing? Surely.
Have a nice day, be observant (like a hawk) and notice what goes on in nature around you. Look to the sky, watch where you tread and be kind.