Animal Totems and their Meanings. By Cherokee Billie

Animal Totems and their Meanings.An Animal Totem is an important symbolic object used by a person to get in touch with specific qualities found within an animal which the person needs, connects with, or feels a deep affinity toward. 

You can have several animal guides through out your life. Sometimes an animal guide will come into your life for a short period of time, and then be replaced by another depending on the journey or direction you are headed toward. Your guide will instruct and protect you as you learn how to navigate through your spiritual and physical life. 

What Spirit Animals are working with you? Find out Here

When you find an animal that speaks strongly to you or feel you must draw more deeply into your life, you might fill your environment with images of the animal to let the animal know its welcome in your space. Animal guides can help you get back to your Earthly roots, and reconnect with nature by reminding you that we are all interconnected.

In the American Indian culture animals have always been respected and the belief was that you could take on the aspects of your animal totem that is why Indians would use parts of the animal to wear on their body as they felt it gave them gifts from their animal.

Each of us is given spirit gifts (totems) at birth to help us discover our path on the "Good Red Road." You can define your path and serve yourself and others while enjoying the trip, for the journey is more important than the destination. All members of creation - animals, plants and minerals - have unique characteristics, energies and lessons giving you direction. Your path consists of the gifts of those with whom you share the Earth combined with your choices and spiritual energies. We each have a special gift to share with others, sometimes multiple gifts.

Animals scarcely come to us because they have a lesson we need to learn a power they are willing to share with a friend.  They seek to give us a gift of understanding, universal love, energy, and knowledge.  In general, animals remind us that we are part of the earth; that each creature has a place; that each creature has a skill of it is own; that we have instincts given to us from Mother earth, wisdom born to us that we must awaken.  The Animal Totem that comes to you offers you power and wisdom if you will learn to communicate with it, with respect, trust, and understanding. Developing a relationship with your animal totem takes time, practice, and patience. Having an animal totem means that you have lessons to learn and a powerful spiritual friend.

From the time I can first remember I was attracted to Owl’s. Now I realize that Owl has been my personal medicine throughout my life. Everything that Owl symbolizes has been natural to me all of my life. Owl medicine is a feminine trait and is symbolically associated with clairvoyance, astral projection, and magic.

I offer personal and small group classes and mediations on animal totems, animal totem consultations over the internet or by phone, and animal totem and shapeshifting guided meditations. Contact me privately to find out about my personalized classes.

Find Your Personal Animal Totem

Find a place where you can be alone to meditate. Sit quietly and ask your animal to make its nature known to you. Feel free to use tools such as incense, smudge, and candles to help you. Since we are drawn to that which resonates with us, what animal, bird, or insect are you drawn to?

Don't give up; sometimes your animal totem is nearby watching to see if you're serious about connecting with it. Keep doing the above exercises until your animal totem makes itself known to you. 

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Alligator

Maternal, revenge oriented quickness, aggression, and basic survival instincts.

Ant

Group minded, determination, patient, active, and industrious

Anteater

Lethargy, curiosity, nosiness.

Antelope

Active, agile, jumpiness, and willing to sacrifice

Armadillo

Safety oriented, grounded, and has boundaries

 

Badger

Courage, aggressive, healer, having problems relating to others, and energy conduit

Bat

Rebirth, longevity, secrecy, initiation, good listener, and long life

Bear

Industrious, instinctive, healing, power, sovereignty, guardian of the world, watcher, courage, will power, self-preservation, introspection, and great strength

Beaver

Determined, strong-willed, builder, overseer, and protector

 

Bee

Organized, industrial, productive, wise, community, celebration, fertility, defensiveness, obsessive nature, and enjoys life

Boar/Pig

A very powerful totem - prosperity, spiritual strength, organized, self-reliant, fearless.

Buffalo

Sacredness, life, great strength, abundance, gratitude.

Bull

Insight into the past, fertility, rushing into things without proper preparation.

Butterfly

Metamorphosis, transformation, balance, grace, ability to accept change

Camel

Survival, positive, accomplishments

Caribou

Traveler, mobility, preference to be nomadic, adaptability to adversity

 

Cat

Guardianship, detachment, sensuality, mystery, magic, and independence

Cheetah

Swiftness, insight, focus

Cougar

Leadership, loyalty, courage, taking responsibility, foresight

Cow

Swift, insightful, and focused

Coyote

Trickster, intelligence, stealth, wisdom and folly, guile and innocence

Cheetah

Nourishment and mother figure

Cobra

Swift and decisive

Coyote

Stealth, mischief, trickster, intelligent, clowning around, ability to recognize mistakes.

 

Crab

Good luck, protection and success

Crane

Solitude, justice, longevity, independent, intelligent, and vigilant

Crocodile

Ensuring your emotions are displayed accurately/appropriately

Crow

Justice, shape shifting, change, creativity, spiritual strength, energy, community sharing, and balance

Deer

Compassion, peace, intellectual, gentle, caring, kind, subtlety, gracefulness, femininity, gentleness, innocence, and seller of adventure

Dog

Noble, faithful, loyal, teaching, protection, and guidance

Dolphin

Kind, salvation, wisdom, happiness, playfulness, prudent, capable of deep emotion, and happy.

Dove

Cross-world communication, spirit messenger, peace, gentleness, love

Dragon

Longevity, richness, prosperity, infinity, wisdom, power, and fiery

Dragonfly

Flighty and carefree, strong imagination, higher aspirations.

Duck

Water energy, helper of seers, can clearly see/deal with emotions

Eagle

Divine spirit, sacrifice, connection to creator, intelligence, renewal, courage, illumination of spirit, healing, creation, freedom, and risk-taker

Elephant

Strength, power, affection, loyalty, royalty, and wisdom

Elk

Strength and agility, pride, majestic, independence, purification, strength, and nobility

Falcon

New beginnings, adventure, passionate, and leadership.

Fish

Graceful, slyness, open-minded, quick to change one's mind.

Flamingo

Heart healing, psychic, people person, flirtatious.

Fox

Cunning, agility, quick-witted, diplomacy, wildness, feminine magic of camouflage, shape shifting and invisibility

Frog

Water energy, cleansing, rebirth, sensitivity, medicine, hidden beauty, peace, adaptability, poor character judgment and power

Gazelle

Aggressive

Giraffe

Communication, intuition, attaining the unreachable, seeing the future

Goat

Surefootedness, stubbornness, independence, diligence, lack of foresight

Goose

Self-demanding, reliable, prudent, rigid, vigilance, parenthood, and productive

Gorilla

Family-oriented, intelligence, strength, environmental protector, keeps peace through aggression.

Grasshopper

Good luck, abundance, forward, progressive.

Grouse

Personal power, enlightenment

Hawk

Messenger, intuition, victory, healing, nobility, recollection, cleansing, visionary power, and guardianship.

Heron/Egret

Aggressive, self-determined, self-reliant, multi-tasking, balanced.

Hippopotamus

Power, creation, imagination, healing.

Horse

Freedom, stamina, mobility, the land, travel, power, and freedom

Hummingbird

Messenger, timelessness, healing, and warrior

Jaguar

Chaos, shape-shifter, aggressiveness, power

Kangaroo

Forward, balance, creative, stamina.

Lion

Family, strength, energy, courage, guardian and protector

Lizard

Conservation, vision, self-protection, hidden defenses.

Llama

Comforting to others, secure.

Lynx

Keeper of secrets, guardian, listener, and guide

Mole

Sensitivity, guidance, searching.

Monkey

Ability to change the environment, health, success

Moose

Headstrong, longevity, steadfastness, and wisdom

Mouse

Scrutiny, order, organizer, and an eye for details

Octopus

Intelligence, camouflage, nocturnal.

Opossum

Diversion, strategist, and deceiver

Ostrich

Grounded, practical

Otter

Playful, friendly, dynamic, joy, helpfulness, and sharing

Owl

Deception, clairvoyance, insight, messenger,

Ox

Sacrifice, chastity and self-denial

Panther

Protection, hidden emotions, introspection, caution, careful decisions

Parrot

Communication, beauty, guide for wisdom, mockery, thinking before speaking

Peacock

Immortality, dignity, and self-confidence

Pelican

Resilient, unselfish, rising above.

Penguin

Self-discipline, grace, self-confidence, spiritual

Porcupine

Innocence, companionship, and trust

Prairie Dog

Swiftness, industrious, constructive, preparedness

Puma

Companion on journeys to other worlds, grace, silent power

Quail

Group-work, team play, creator of harmony and group tolerance, protectiveness (especially toward children)

Rabbit

Fear, timidity, nervousness, humility, rebirth,

Raccoon

Curiosity and cleanliness

Ram

Stoic, sensitive, persevering, curious, imaginative. 

Rat

Fertility, stealth, scavenging, intelligence, enjoys luxury

Raven

Introspection, courage, self-knowledge, magic

Rhinoceros

Wisdom, solitary, insightful, solid.

Roadrunner

Mental agility, speed, opportunistic.

Rooster

Vanity, likes to be showered with gifts and attention, early riser, settling for nothing less than the best

Salmon

Proud, intense, confident, wisdom, inspiration

Scorpion

Transforming, strong, inspiring, chaotic,  passionate

Seagull

Versatility, loud, easy-going nature, creativity, laziness

Seahorse

Confidence and grace

Seal

Love, longing, dilemma, active imagination, creativity

Shark

Hunter, survival, and adaptability

Skunk

Reputation, presence, and strength

Snail

Protective, aware, solitary.

Snake

Impulsive, shrewdness, rebirth, transformation, initiation, and wisdom

Spider

Balance, wisdom, creativity, communication

Squirrel

Planner and gatherer

Stag

Lord of the forest, masculine power of regeneration, signs.

Swan

Grace, balance and innocence, soul, love, beauty, of the self

Tiger

Strength, valor, power, and energy

Toad

inner strength, luck, self-examination

Turkey

Generosity, life-giver, and sharer

Turtle

Nurturer, shy, and protecting

Unicorn

Purity, innocence, dreamer, personal power, gentle

Weasel

Strength, energy, ingenuity and stealth

Whale

Wisdom, provider, intelligence, and kindness.

Wolf

Loyalty, perseverance, success, intuition, and spirit

Woodpecker

Sensitive, protective, and devotion

Zebra

Agility and individuality