The spiritual, energetic connection between a person and their power animal totem serves as an ally, guide, teacher, protector, and a source of power for one's life. The animal Totem offers power, teaching, medicine, protection, wisdom and gifts unique to its own being.

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"Animals are wiser than human beings because they do not forget to behave in the proper way; they remember their original instructions from the Creator". Jake Swamp, Mohawk subchief.

Joseph Bruchac, nationally acclaimed Native American storyteller and writer, in his book OUR STORIES REMEMBER, tells us that "Totem" is an Anishinable word that comes from "ototeman", which roughly means "one's relative". He goes on to say that, "There is a spiritual, energetic connection between a person and their totem and it serves as an ally, a guide, a teacher, a protector, and a source of power for one's life."

For many, if not all, indigenous people, there is the understanding that each person comes into this life with at least one animal helper from the spirit world. Many of the creation stories speak of how our human ancestors shape shifted out of their original animal form to become the people that we know ourselves to be today. Long ago the animals and humans all spoke the same language and because we humans are the weakest physically of the animals, they took pity on us and offered to help us in our lives. But this offer of help came with an attendant responsibility to remember and honor their gifts to us.

The power animal, the totem animal and animal spirit guide are different terms referring to our partnership with a helping animal spirit that is connected to us for life – if we honor the relationship! Traditionally the totem power animal spirit would first come to the individual through a dream, on a vision quest or pilgrimage to a sacred place of power, or through an encounter with it in the physical world in which it communicated its presence and its availability for relationship.

The totem power animal offers its power, teaching, medicine, protection, wisdom and gifts unique to its being, to help the person learn and grow in understanding in how to be with it in a good way. For like any other relationship, it can grow or wither based on the quality of attention and energy it is given. To help the relationship prosper and to open the doorway for the animal spirit to feel welcome and share fully of its gifts, it is vitally important that the person acknowledge its presence and make a sacred home for it in their consciousness and in their lives.

It is important to "feed" the power animal spirit on a regular basis with prayers, song, tobacco, corn meal, music or whatever the person can share with it that truly honors its being. Also important is to invite the totem spirit in to your body, mind and spirit so it can teach you what it has to offer. Thus it might show you a power song or a power dance through which the person learns about its ability to help them in their lives.

The totem spirit animal has the ability to enrich a person's life empowering them with its power. It serves as an intermediary between the spirit world and the physical world and thus helps one to realize and potentiate the full spectrum of their multi-dimensional being.

In my own life I start each day by giving thanks to the power animal allies that have come to me over the years while fasting in the mountains, in dreams and visions. I pray for their lives, their families. I offer them gifts to feed their spirits and often I sing and drum the songs and chants they have taught me. That way when I need their help for a challenge I am facing, I can call on them confident that they will respond in a positive way, helping me access the wisdom guidance and power that is best suited for the task at hand.

In all truthfulness, I do not know if I would still be alive if not for the help of my power animal totem allies and how they have served me so faithfully and fruitfully through the years. Each of us has this kind of helper available to us if we but open the door to it, invite it in and then pay attention to what comes.

For a full explanation of how to work with power animals and totems, you may be interested in a digital book I just composed with a shamanic colleague, Nancy Binzen, in which I discuss my understanding of right relationship with these important "relatives" of ours', and recorded a drum journey to help call them in. See the nierica trading post for more information on this new "shamanic tool" and how to order a copy if you are so interested.

In the meantime, I wish you well with your helping ally who seeks to offer aid in the fullest living of your authentic life.

Buena medicina, tomás