“Wolf Spirit Animal”

 

“Wolf Spirit Animal”

By Elena Harris, SpiritAnimal.com Editor

(Go check out her great site for more information and to answer the quiz to find your spirit animal!)

“The wolf offers some of the most striking animal meanings in the realm of spirit animals. The power of the wolf brings forth instinct, intelligence, appetite for freedom, and awareness of the importance of social connections. This animal can also symbolize fear of being threatened and lack of trust. When the wolf shows up in your life, pay attention to what your intuition is telling you.

What is the wolf spirit animal meaning?

In the spirit animal kingdom, the wolf symbolizes:

-Sharp intelligence, deep connection with instincts
-Appetite for freedom
-Expression of strong instincts
-Feeling threatened, lack of trust in someone or in yourself

Positive symbolism of the wolf spirit animal:

Positive meanings emphasize a deep connection with your intuition and instincts. On the negative side, the wolf could represent a perceived threat or a lack of trust in someone or your own feelings or actions. This spirit animal also reflects sharp intelligence in dealing with important matters.

Wolf spirit and connection with instincts:

When you have the wolf as a spirit animal, it could be an expression of your sharp intelligence and strong instincts. The wolf symbolizes a strong connection with instincts and when it appears as a animal spirit guide, it could point to a way of perceiving and understanding the world around you that works similarly.

Whether the wolf appears in physical form or in a dream or meditation, it may reveal that you’re using your instincts and intuition to grasp a situation well. The fact that your wolf animal spirit guide shows up could also be a call to use this capacity to deal with a recent challenge you’ve experienced in your life.

If the presence of the wolf feels threatening, pay attention to how your instinctual nature and raw emotions can jeopardize your balance or the balance of people around you. Your power animal may appear in such light to warn you about devouring instincts of those belonging somebody around you.

The wolf: A power animal symbolic of freedom:

Wolf power or spirit animals point to an appetite for freedom and living life powerfully, guided by instincts. When a wolf manifests its presence as a guide in your life, it could be a call to live your life more freely, to bring the intensity of passion in your everyday endeavors.

Wolves are wild animals that are not easily domesticated and when they appear as spirit guides, they could be an invitation to look at what supports your authentic self and the true expression of yourself.

The wolf totem is a reminder to keep your spirit alive and trust your instincts to find the way that will best suit you.

The dark side of the wolf totem: Sensitivity about feelings of threat:

A wolf totem animal can represent a perceived threat or feeling you are being threatened. The presence of this spirit animal could be a reminder of an event, situation or a person you feel threatened by.

The wolf could reflect something that may have a “predatory” feel to it and instill a feeling of vulnerability that is not reassuring. Encountering your spirit animal in such a way invites you to look at who or what in your life is having such an influence.

Perhaps your spirit animal is warning you about challenges with personal boundaries: You may feel you have exposed yourself too much with someone or in a certain situation and need to pull back or strengthen emotional or physical boundaries with that person or in the context of that experience. The wolf as a spirit animal could also remind you that you’re facing stiff competition at work or that the behavior of people around may feel like you have to deal with a “pack of wolves”.

The wolf as representation being guided or misguided by instincts:

Since a common meaning for the wolf spirit animal emphasizes the role of instincts, having this animal as a guide or totem could point to your relationship with how you live your life, and more specifically how you trust or mistrust your instincts and intuitive guidance.

Check whether you feel threatened by your own instincts and feelings. The presence of your wolf power animal could reflect your inner emotional landscape and bring to your awareness your own feelings about a matter that is highly emotionally charged.

Dream interpretation of the wolf spirit animal:

The dream meanings associated with the wolf point to powerful instincts or habits that could be experienced as aggressive or dominating by others. Wolves in dreams convey the energetic imprint of strong sexual energy or addictive behaviors of different kinds that would benefit from being kept in check.

If a woman dreams of a wolf in a nightmare or anxious dream, she may be getting in touch with anxiety relating to a male partner who may be pushing his sexual desires very strongly or pushing her boundaries. The intensity of the relationship can cause fear and be experienced as a threat that the wolf symbolizes in the dream.

If the dream has a positive tone or outcome, the wolf could be interpreted as a guiding symbol for trusting your instincts more or expressing them in a more balanced manner. If you have such a dream, ask yourself if you feel at ease and supported by your instincts, especially your sexuality or a partner’s sexual expression, or other types of “cravings” in your life.

Further connect with your wolf spirit animal:

Here are a few questions to uncover the meaning of the wolf as a spirit animal:

-Do you need time for yourself to reconnect with your true, deep passions in life?
-Do you need to find more isolation to “collect” yourself and reconnect to your personal, spiritual quest?
-Do you need time or help in distinguishing what is true and authentic from lies and deceit in communications with someone? Within yourself?
-Like the wolf that howls, do you need to let some of the tension out and express yourself loud and clear in your circle of close relationships?”

@ http://www.spiritanimal.info/wolf-spirit-animal/

Shared by Moro

Art title: ;’From Nantan with Love’ by artist wind-princess @http://www.deviantart.com/art/From-Nantan-with-Love-334364301

“Butterfly Spirit Animal & Totem”

 

“The butterfly is one of the most emblematic totem animals symbolizing personal transformation. If you see the butterfly as your totem or spirit animal, pay attention to the areas in your life or personality that are in need of profound change or transformation. Perhaps, this animal totem guides you to be sensitive to your personal cycles of expansion and growth, as well as the beauty of life’s continuous unfolding. An important message carried by the spirit of the butterfly is about the ability to go through important changes with grace and lightness.

 

Butterfly Symbolism

What is the meaning of the butterfly? This animal totem is primarily associated with symbolism of change and transformation.

• Powerful transformation, metamorphosis in your life, personality
• Moving through different life cycles
• Renewal, rebirth
• Lightness of being, playfulness
• Elevation from earthly matters, tuning into emotional or spiritual
• The world of the soul, the psyche

A secondary meaning of the butterfly is about finding joy in life and lightness of being.

 

Butterfly totem and transformation

The butterfly is a symbol of powerful transformations. By analogy to the development of this animal, the meaning associated with the butterfly emphasizes the ability to move from one state, perspective, lifestyle to another.

When the butterfly comes into your life as spirit guide, you may be going through or expect important changes in your life. More than changes in your environment, the transformation the butterfly totem points to are more internal: They could be related to your own perspective on a subject, aspects of your personality, or personal habits. Personal transformation is emblematic of the butterfly symbolism.

Butterfly totem symbol of joy and lightness of being

When the butterfly shows up in your life as a spirit animal or totem, it might indicate the need to look at a conflicting situation with more lightness and different perspective. This totem animal is symbolic of lightness of being and elevation from the heaviness of tensions.

This power animal invites those who have a connection with it to bring joy and bliss into their lives. Butterflies often have bright colors. By extension, they are associated with aliveness and brightness. The message of this totem animal is to lighten up and add more color to your life. Perhaps it’s time to express yourself more fully and show your colorful personality.

The Butterfly and the world of the Soul

In many traditions around the world, the butterfly is a symbol of the soul or soul world. For example, in Chinese symbology, it can represent immortality. For the Japanese, a white butterfly symbolizes the soul the departed ones.

In Ancient Greece, butterflies represent the psyche or soul, and its attribute of immortality.

Calling the butterfly totem for support

The butterfly is a powerful animal to call when you need support in times of transition, whether it’s at work, in a relationship, or when you’re doing inner work. Great ally during intense periods of personal transformation, it will add ease and lightness to the process.

This power animal is a good inspiration for adding more color into your life and self-expression. Those who have the butterfly as a totem animal may be naturally inclined to express themselves openly, to reflect their colors into their environment.”

 

By Elena Harris, SpiritAnimal.com Editor

 

Look for more articles here on the same subjects. I hope to gather as many articles on various and same subjects from amazing websites and blogs as I can find in time. If there is nothing else at the moment, check back later. It just means I hadn’t gotten to it yet.  😀 

 

Check out the website where this comes from and take the quiz… find out your spirit guide. :3

Original source: http://www.spiritanimal.info/butterfly-spirit-animal/

 

Moro

 

Stock Photo title: “Butterfly‘ by artist: shahar12 @ http://shahar12.deviantart.com/art/Butterfly-255298739

 

 

“Bear Spirit Animal”

 

“In the kingdom of  the bear is emblematic of grounding forces and strength. This animal has been worshiped throughout time as a powerful totem, inspiring those who need it the courage to stand up against adversity. As a spirit animal in touch with the earth and the cycles of nature, it is a powerful guide to support physical and emotional healing.

Bear Meaning

The bear has several meanings that will inspire those who have this animal as totem:

• The primary meaning of the bear spirit animalis strength and confidence
• Standing against adversity; taking action and leadership
• The spirit of the the bear indicates it’s time for healing or using healing abilities to help self or others
• The bear medicine emphasizes the importance of solitude, quiet time, rest
• The spirit of the bear provides strong grounding forces

The bear, an ancient spirit animal worshiped in many traditions

The bear as a spirit animal or totem is one of the most ancient worshiped animals. Remains of bears have been found in many archeological sites in Europe especially, where bear bones and skulls were found together with human bones dating back to the Neanderthals.

It is said that the Vikings would wear bear skins in times of war to scare off their enemies. They would appear as powerful as these wild animals. Bears symbolize warrior spirit and courage to fight. The bear’s spirit would be invoked to help the warriors in the battle.

In ancient Greece and Rom, the bear was a totem animal associated with the Goddess Artemis and Diana, goddesses of fertility. In contrast, for the Celts, the bear would represent the sun.

The spirit of the bear as healer and teacher

Interestingly, in Siberia, the name used to designate women shaman is the same as the word “bear”. In Northern America, in the Inuit tradition, the bear spirit animal is also connected to the shamanic tradition and women.

For the Inuit people, the bear is a strong power or totem animal. In some beliefs, it is said that if an Inuit hunter accepts to be eaten by a bear, he may reincarnate as a shaman and carry the spirit of this animal. The polar bear is considered as the “Wise Teacher” as it shows how to survive in harsh conditions.

The bear, a spirit animal symbolic of strength and courage

The spirit of the bear is a strong source of support in times of difficulty. It provides courage and a stable foundation to face challenges. When the bear shows up as a spirit guide in your life, it’s perhaps time to stand for your beliefs or your truth. This power animal will provide for support and strength.

The bear is also a guide to take leadership in your life or in other people’s lives. This animal is feared and admired for its strength. Its presence inspires respect. Its strength and powerful stature will inspire you to step into a leadership role in your life and take action without fear.

When you invoke the power of the bear totem, reflect on the qualities of inner strength, fearlessness, and confidence in yourself and how you can project them in your world.

The spirit of the bear and healing

Since the bear is often associated with shamans in many traditions, this spirit animal can symbolize healing abilities and stepping into the role of the healer. If the bear shows up in your life, it may also be time to take care of your own needs for healing, whether it’s at the physical, emotional or spiritual level.

Be sensitive to where you are at and reflect on where you would most need healing. You can call on the bear spirit guidance to direct your energy in a more conservative or focused way.

Bear spirit animal and grounding forces

The bear is an animal that lives a solitary life. Having a bear as a spirit animal can mean that you find balance and comfort in solitude. The presence of this power animal could point to the need to “regroup” and set up boundaries, so you feel comfortable in your own space. It may be a call to find time away from the crowd or busyness and favor quiet time and rest.

The bear spirit can also be a great helper to dedicate time and energy to more introspective practices, such as self-inquiry or meditation. Call on the spirit of the bear to help you find your center and ground yourself in a strong foundation that will support you in more busy and noisy times.”

 

Author of this article is unlisted at this time, that I can see but others of the same content type are by By Elena Harris, SpiritAnimal.com Editor

 

Look for more articles here on the same subjects. I hope to gather as many articles on various and same subjects from amazing websites and blogs as I can find in time. If there is nothing else at the moment, check back later. It just means I hadn’t gotten to it yet.  😀 

 

Check out the website where this comes from and take the quiz… find out your spirit guide. :3

Original source: http://www.spiritanimal.info/bear-spirit-animal/

 

Moro

 

 

Though I can not find the original source for the pic, it is also an amazing and popular wallpaper now. It can be found here: http://animalspirits.wikia.com/wiki/File:Free_Grizzly_Bear_Pictures.jpg

 

 

 

“How To Tell the Difference Between…”

 

“How To Tell the Difference Between Your Ego, Logic, Spirit Guides and Intuition

A question I am asked frequently is how to know if you are receiving guidance or advice from your intuition, your spirit guides, or just your own logic or ego. It can be difficult to discern the difference if you don’t know what signs to look for. Let’s go over the differences between them.

Your Ego

I like to think of the ego as a little imp that sits on your shoulder and whispers in your ear when it has something to say. Usually it’s saying things like, “You’re gonna fail. Who do you think you are?” Or, “He totally hates you, and if you do that he’s going to find out and hate you more. I’d keep that little indiscretion to yourself!” It’s a little subversive and usually broadcasting on the fear and anxiety channel. On some level it’s trying to protect you from embarassment and failure. It has a job to do, it has its place, but you’ve got to learn to recognize it for what it is. It only serves you to the extent that it is trying to keep you safe, it’s looking out for #1 which is you. It’s only care is to keep you safe and happy and off the front page of the newspaper. Many people find comfort in listening to this little imp and, technically, it’s a valid way to go through life. It’s not out to hurt you, only to protect you and keep you comfortable.

Logic

Logic is the mental voice that uses past experience, statistics, probability, and reason to communicate ideas to you. It is based on knowledge and facts, not ethereal hoo-haw. Besides drawing from your own experience you can use logic to draw from other people’s experiences, i.e. “Frank said Costco is always crowded on Sundays at noon so I should probably go on Monday when it opens instead.”

Spirit Guides
Spirit guides are celestial beings who are assigned to you to help guide you through life. They’re very aware of your life plan, which is the plan you concocted for yourself before you incarnated. They are volunteers. Their job is to keep you on track and help guide you through life. Their primary care is your growth and learning. That sometimes means discomfort for you. For example they might see that the best way to teach you to value money is to send you through a bankruptcy. On the other hand, your ego would never let something like that happen to you if it could help it. Your spirit guides carry the big picture, whereas your ego is involved only in the moment.

Intuition

Your intuition is not a conscious being. I like to think of intuition as a concentrated blast of Source energy designed to help you avoid catastrophe or steer you in a really important direction. It’s more like a message than a messenger. I believe intuition stems from your higher self, angels, and God or Source energy. Intuition is there to guide you in the moment, to help you make decisions that will have a positive impact on your overall human experience. Intuition is connected to spirit guides in the sense that intuitive information usually follows your life plan.

How They All Sound

Here are some examples of how ego, logic, spirit guides, and intuition sound when they communicate with you. I think you’ll be able to see the differences pretty clearly.

Ego

“Don’t go out with that loser, he’ll ruin your reputation.”
“That piece of pie is going straight to your thighs, honey!”
“No way we’re taking speech next semester. I’ll find a way to kill us first.”
“She doesn’t love you so you might as well cheat on her.”

Logic

“Last time you tried doing that you broke your ankle. Chances are good you’ll hurt it again.”
“Speaking in front of 30 people won’t actually kill you, so agree to do the speech and just practice until you can recite it from memory.”
“He’s geographically desireable, good looking, and his parents are still together. You should agree to date him.”
“There’s a traffic jam coming up ahead. I know a shortcut that will get us there faster.”

Spirit Guides

“You’d be wise to accept the job in Los Angeles. It’s what you’ve been waiting for your whole life.”
“Don’t be afraid to do the speech. It’s not going to be nearly as bad as you fear.”
“You know in your heart that he’s not right for you.”
“Remember what happened the last time you ate the whole pizza? Do you want to experience that again?”

Intuition
“Run!”
“Go left, now!”
“He’s the one! Introduce yourself.”
“Stop at the gas station on the way home.”

Do you see the differences? Again, your ego is out to protect you from failure and embarrassment. While it seems like it has your best interest at heart I wouldn’t say it’s the most encouraging growth-oriented voice in your arsenal. Still, it serves its purpose.

Logic is a wonderful tool of information. Developing your logic can certainly help you in life, until you run into something you didn’t see coming or have no information in your mental database to sift through. That’s when you have a failure, er, I mean learning experience, you update your file and move on.

Spirit guides won’t tell you what to do, but they will help you feel and/or understand your choices better. They’re coming from a higher perspective than you are, and they’re following your orders (your higher self’s orders that is). You can trust that your guides have your best interest at heart, but you can’t trust you’ll be totally comfortable following their guidance. They’re in it for the long run and sometimes see minor setbacks as necessary for your overall success.

Your intuition has but a moment to make an impression. It’s got to get vital, sometimes life-altering, information to you in a split second. Its general goal is to notify you that you are in danger or at a vital decision-making moment in your life. When you become adept at listening to your intuition you’ll start getting information about less life-threatening situations. Until then, you get snippets.

Now sometimes all four of these voices overlap. I can imagine a situation where this is possible. Your ego might say, “Why would that guy be interested in you?” and your logic is saying, “Look, this guy wants you to get in his van parked behind the alley. That is probably not a good idea. The chances of you going home in a body bag are pretty high right now. I say pass.” At the same time your guides are saying, “Do you really think you can trust this guy?” and your intuition is screaming, “Danger, avoid him!” If you ever get agreement from all four voices, I highly advise you to listen!

Getting to know the voices in your head can really help you manage your life. Identifying which one is speaking to you can help you determine how much power and credibility you want to give it. I have found that I prefer to listen to my guides and intuition over my logic and ego, but I know people who do quite well listening to their logic and ego so what can I say? It’s a question of where you want to go in life and how comfortably you want to arrive. In my experience if you opt for a faith, trust, and love strategy in life, you’ll listen to your intuition and guides. If you opt for a control or fear-based strategy in life you’ll probably prefer your ego and logic. There really is no right or wrong choice, just preferences. You might try developing the ability to hear all of them and then decide what works best for you.

The best way to develop the ability to discern them is awareness and practice. Whenever you consult that inner voice try to figure out if it’s a guide, intuition, or your ego or logic talking to you. Or consult all four before you make a decision. You could try 30 days with each as your primary inner voice and see which one gives you the best results.

Now, if you’re hearing other voices in your head like, “She looks tasty, let’s carve her up and eat her,” or “Jump off the barn because you know you can fly,” then you’re listening to something entirely different! Seek professional help immediately. ”

by Erin Pavlina @ http://www.erinpavlina.com/blog/2008/05/how-to-tell-the-difference-between-your-ego-logic-spirit-guides-and-intuition/

Moro

Art title: ‘::OUR MONSTER::EGO’ by artist: meisan @ http://www.deviantart.com/art/OUR-MONSTER-EGO-94304130

Spirit/power animal: The Owl…

 

Spirit/power animal:  The Owl…

The most striking animal meaning for the owl is its deep connection with wisdom and intuitive knowledge. If you have the owl as a totem or spirit animal, you’re likely to have the ability to see what’s usually hidden to most. When the owl guides you, you can count on the power of this spirit animal to see beyond illusion and deceit to access the true reality. Owl spirit animals also offer wisdom about the unknown and life’s magic.

What is the owl spirit animal meaning?

Common meanings for the owl are:

Intuition, ability to see what other do not see

The presence of the owl announces change

Capacity to see beyond deceit and masks

Wisdom

Owl spirit animals are associated with curiosity for the unknown, life mysteries

The traditional meaning of the owl spirit animal is the announcer of death, most likely symbolic like a life transition, change

The owl spirit animal and the power to see in the dark

The owl sees in the dark: As a spirit animal, the owl guides you to see beyond the veil of deception and illusion; it helps see what’s kept hidden. It also symbolizes the ability to cut through illusions and see the real meaning of someone’s action or state of mind.

When the owl is one of your power animals, you have a strong intuition and can access information and wisdom that’s usually hidden to most. The spirit of this animal encourages you to look beyond deceiving appearances into the true reality of a situation or a person’s motives.

The owl is a strong spirit guide for discernment and making decision based solid foundations. Call on the owl totem when you have to assess a situation or are going through confusing times.

The unknown and the owl power animal

If you have an owl as a totem or spirit animal, you probably like to explore the unknown. The mysteries of life are a fascinating field of interest. As the owl guides your steps, you are likely to develop an appreciation for life’s magic.

When the owl shows up in your life, listen and look out for the subtle signs that are around you. Your animal spirit guide is a great helper to be attentive to what usually goes below your radar, but is now of particular importance.

The owl is also a guide to uncover your hidden potential and abilities. Check whether you need to reveal more of your intuitive nature.

Night time is particularly auspicious for your creativity, so take the time to focus your creative energy then.

Owl spirit animals as messengers of change

Owl spirit animals are symbolic of death in many traditions. In most cases however, it should not be taken literally: If the owl is associated with death, it can be viewed a symbolic death, meaning a transition in life, important changes that are taking place or about to happen.

When the owl shows up in your life, pay attention to the winds of change. Perhaps you are about to leave some old habits, a situation that no longer serve you or bring something new in your life.

Dream interpretation of the owl

When you dream about an owl, your spirit animal may be contacting you to warn you about a danger or threat hat you need to pay attention to. It can bring a wise insight about important matters that you should not ignore.

When an owl appears in a dream, it could also mean that the intuitive part of you is calling for attention: Pay attention and listen to the subtle signs in your life, to what is important, but not necessarily obviously so.

The owl could also be a animal spirit guide offering you insight about a moment of transition. Since this totem animal is often associated with death, when an owl shows up in a dream, it could mean that you are receiving guidance regarding personal transformation, change.

In many dream interpretations, the owl can represent a deceased friend or family member who comes back in the dream in the shape of a spirit animal.

The owl spirit animal & superstition

Birds, especially birds of the night, are often associated with departed souls. The owl is no exception. In some popular believes, they are considered as bad omen signifying the imminent death of a close relative or someone important. Romans even believed that an owl hooting from the top of a public building announces the death of an important public figure. It could also represent the spirit of a deceased family of close friend.

The night owl was the animal associated with the Lord of Death in the Aztec tradition. There’s a similar meaning for the Celts who associated the owl’s spirit with an animal announcing death, especially if it flies into someone’s window while a sick person is inside the house. It was viewed as the spirit animal that would carry the souls of the departed to the underworld.

Other traditional meanings for the owl spirit animal

In some Native American traditions, the owl is called the Night Eagle. The owl totem has a special connection with the night and the moon, while the eagle is connected to the sun.

The owl is associated with witchcraft in a number of European and some American Indian traditions. Witches would often take the owl as an animal spirit guide.

In Greek mythology, the Goddess Athena, goddess of the wisdom and war, was represented as an owl. It is said that the Romans believed that someone would reveal all their secrets during their sleep if an owl feather was placed near their pillow. What is the owl spirit animal revealing about your secrets?

Moro
I think this page was my original source for the post, if memory serves me correct: http://www.spiritanimal.info/owl-spirit-animal/

The picture I chose for the post back then was from an animal conservation page but I am unable to track it down now. Instead, it seams it has become a very popular wallpaper many many sites.

“What is the difference between a Spirit Animal, a Totem Animal and an animal ‘Familiar’?” ” What is a Totem Pole?”

“What is the difference between a Spirit Animal, a Totem Animal and an animal ‘Familiar’?

” What is a Totem Pole?”

A “Spirit Animal” is the one who will present life’s lessons. The Spirit Animal is the one who comes to you in order to show you, through its own unique nature and skills, how to deal with the manifestations of your Spiritual Journey. Spirit Animals do not necessarily guide you, but they come to teach you that which you need to learn, in order to know how meet the challenges of your Spirit Walk.

Each Spirit Animal has certain powers and skills to teach and certain knowledge to share, for each Spirit Animal has its own methods of overcoming the many challenges it must meet in order to survive.

The Spirit Animal’s appearance signals a time to connect with your true Self and your life’s purpose. Pay attention to the repeated appearance of this animal and of repeated patterns or themes. Awakening to the recognition of these seemingly synchronistic occurrences teaches you to be aware of the hidden messages in everyday experiences.

There are many ways by which your Spirit Animal may make itself known to you and many ways by which by which it may pass on its message. Do not let your perceived image of the animal prejudice you as to the significance of its message. You will meet with the Spirit Animal whose lesson you need to learn.

You do not choose your Spirit Animal, it chooses you. Do not try to “compel” your Spirit Animal to manifest itself just because you want it to. True Spirit Animals will appear only at the time and place in your life when you are ready to accept them and the wisdom the come to offer.

And … they always turn up at exactly the right moment.

A “Totem Animal” is an animal spirit that you call upon or invoke, as an individual or a tribe, for its special powers and survival skills, to serve as a guardian or protector when facing adversity.

It is customary for many Native American tribes (as well as others) to be made up of smaller groups or “Clans” united by actual or perceived kinship and descent and formed around a founding member or “ancestor”. Often this ancestor is an animal spirit which becomes the Clan Totem. The clan totems are often the animals that inhabit the local area, (The wolf, bear, turtle, and deer are common clans of the Great Lakes area.), and which have a unique relationship to the tribe and its heritage.

Some of the clans of the Six Nations are the turtle, bear, wolf and the heron and often within these clans there are different “sub-clans” represented by such animals as the Snapping Turtle and the Painted Turtle in the example of the Turtle Clan.

The “spiritual powers” of the various totems help each clan to carry out its own special duties and responsibilities within the tribe in accordance with the attributes of that totem. (The Turtle Clan usually being the tribes “Keepers of Wisdom”, the guardians of the legends and mysteries mysteries within the tribes ceremonies and practices.)

Again, never let your perceived image of an animal effect how you see its ability to serve as a “Totem”. Though it may seem incongruous to invoke a rabbit as a totem for battle, remember the wisdom shown by “Bre’r Rabbit” in defeating an enemy.

Totem Poles

The Totem Pole is an arrangement of symbols representing animal totems from the tribe’s ancestral past. Totems were a form of communication for the Pacific Northwest Coast Native Americans as they had no written language and thus the Story Poles were used to convey their legends, stories and events. Totem poles may also be messages passed on by those that carve them. The pole’s symbols may often tell a very personal story of the carver himself, as well as that of his own family, clan or tribe.

Totem Poles

The Totem Pole is an arrangement of symbols representing animal totems from the tribe’s ancestral past. Totems were a form of communication for the Pacific Northwest Coast Native Americans as they had no written language and thus the Story Poles were used to convey their legends, stories and events. Totem poles may also be messages passed on by those that carve them. The pole’s symbols may often tell a very personal story of the carver himself, as well as that of his own family, clan or tribe.

“The Familiar”

A third type of Animal Spirit, little heard of outside of Shamanism and Witchcraft is called a “familiar”. The familiar is a spiritual entity that will appear as a facilitator in the communion of the human, animal and spirit realms.

The true shaman or witch does not just decide to walk the “Path”. They must first be chosen by and then accept a spirit being or deity as their mentor. Usually, this mentor will send forth an animal spirit to guide the initiate to them, or in many cases, they themselves may take the form of an animal spirit, only later revealing their true nature.

One example, in the case of shamans and witches who come from the background of the European Celtic traditions, the Goddess Morrigan will often appear to the initiate in the form of a raven or crow as their familiar and she will reveal her true self only after the initiate has actualized as an “enlightened being”.”

http://www.spiritwalkministry.com/spirit_guides

Moro

Photo/art from: http://www.crystalinks.com/totemanimals.html