Animal Totems

Begin the process of discovering your animal totems by examining the animals you have been most interested in and the times of you life that interest was piqued. Use the following questions to help determine which animals are probably totem s to you in your life:

l. Which animal or bird had always fascinated you? (We are drawn to that which most resonates with us. Those animals that fascinate us have something to teach us.)

2. When y ou visit the zoo, which animal do you wish to visit most or first?

3. What animal(s) do you see most frequently when you are out in nature? Have you had encounters with animals in the wild? (The animals we encounter, in their city environments or in the wild, have significance for us. We can learn from them, even if only about survival within that environment.)

4. Of all the animals in the world, which are you most interested in? (our interests in animals change. Yes, we usually have one or two lifetime, power animals, but others become prominent when there is something important to teach.)

5. What animals frighten you most?

6. Have you ever been bitten or attacked by an animal? (Historically if a shaman survives an attack, it was said that the animal was the shaman\rquote s spirit totem and the attack was the totem\rquote s way of testing the shaman\rquote s ability to handle the power.

7. Do you have dreams with animals in them or are there animal dreams you have never forgotten? (This one is especially important.