Deeply ingrained in the tradition of North American Indians, who have protected the concept of totem animals to this day, the word “totem” is attributed to the Ojibwa tribe. According to the dictionary, a totem is an object, usually an animal or a plant, that serves as a revered ancestral emblem of a family or clan. Totem animals are used for personal guardianship as well; in this guise, however, totem animals are not passed down through the family or clan but are chosen individually.
To the Athabascan Indians of Canada, medicine is the art of connecting with a guardian or totem animal spirit. In the Athabascan tradition, this process is usually undertaken around the age of five years. The ritual is in the form of some sort of deprivation, such as a fasting quest, and the first image that comes to the child is the guardian spirit that will never leave. It might appear in the form of an animal, a bird, an insect, a reptile, a plant, or another spirit guise, and a bond is formed between the child and the guardian spirit that involves a certain interaction, with rights and duties. The totem is said to carry special influence over natural or magical forces, enhancing personal power, healing, and understanding. For the rest of his or her life, the child wears an item representing the guardian spirit: a piece of fur, a feather, a tooth, a symbol cut into wood. Without the guardian spirit it is believed that a person will die. While this first connection is of primary importance, other guardian spirits might be acquired throughout a lifetime.
Although the word “totem” is associated with North American Indians, the concept is found in some form in nearly all cultures. The idea of spirit guides speaking to and assisting humans through animals and birds is prevalent throughout the world. While some people might be more comfortable with the term “guardian angel” than with “spirit guide,” others connect more strongly with the idea of animal energy. Many people, however, flatly dismiss the idea of having an animal or a bird as a personal spirit guide. “A fantasy; superstition,” they might say. “We know better because science has told us that we are conscious, rational beings, and animals are not.”
Yet, the idea that humans are superior to animals seems to have come at a great price. Having set ourselves apart from the natural kingdom, we have alienated ourselves from the very planet that we live upon. Having judged the instincts of animals as somehow inferior, we have come to distrust our own instincts. In so doing we have lost our own inner knowing, the knowing of intuition. Inner knowing is what helps us be truly creative and to make the leap beyond worry, fear, and pain; otherwise, we must make a rational decision about every step we take in life.
As well as helping you personally, coming to know and work with your totem animal will help you live in a harmonious relationship with the natural world and will link you to a long, rich tradition that connects us all to the sacred web of life.
