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WORKING WITH TOTEMS
Seeking your Totem

Totems, Power Animals, spirit guides -- these are all
similar concepts. A follower of the MEDICINE PATH will
mention that the bear, the rabbit, or the hawk is
their totem animal.. This is their totem, a major
source of medicine throughout their life. The totem
will protect, advise, and encourage them.

Whilst the totem that comes to you as part of your
vision may always remain your primary totem spirit,
you are by no means limited to that particular totem.
Each animal has a different set of qualities. These
are gifts, powers, you can call upon. Do you need
advice or assistance in the modern world of business
and finance? The long-seeing, quick hunting Hawk may
offer his expertise. For stalwart courage against
adversity call upon the buffalo.

Through totem meditations you can avail yourself of
the help of whatever totem(s) seem most likely to be
of assistance in your particular situation.

Don't assume that this is a symbolic communication.
Native Americans did not work with what we call
symbols. This is not to imply, however, that you will
have a physical conversation with a specific,
individual animal. Talking to your pet cat, even when
it answers, is not quite what is meant by speaking to
the totems.

The first step to understanding what is meant by
totems is to examine the way we speak of them. We
contact THE bear totem, THE hawk totem, etc. Contact
is made with THE spirit of all the individuals of each
species. To contact the bear totem is to attempt
speech with the essence, the spirit of all bearness.
All bears are reflections of the essential bear-ness
which is the bear totem.

This spirit of bearness is not a symbol. It is the
essential reality of the bear spirit. Each individual
bear is an expression of this spirit. Neither the bear
itself, nor the totem spirit of bear is more or less
real than the other.

Although we are dealing here with Power Animals, your
totem does not necessarily have to be an animal. Just
about anything can become a totem spirit. Plants and
minerals partake equally with animals of the spirit
essence. However, plants and minerals vibrate on a
different frequency to animals. This frequency may be
harder for some of us to receive or tune into.

In our modern world totem spirits can be found in the
most unlikely of modern conveniences and irritations.
Perhaps you have never thought about contacting the
spirit of trains and railroads, of multi-story
buildings, or telephones. Many computer users do feel
a certain contact with the spirit of their thinking
machines. Personally, says Medicine Hawk, when
confronted by an insurmountable obstacle, Im going to
talk to the bulldozer totem!

Doing a Totem Meditation:

Many of you may have already discovered your totem..
It may have been in the Sweat during MEDICINEPATH , or
it may have come to you in a dream, or it may be
simply a "knowing". Some of you may not have
discovered your personal, primary totem as yet.

Your personal totem(s) will probably find you. You may
seek a totem, but it is up to the individual totem
spirit to let you know that he or she has adopted you.
You need to keep in contact with your own personal
totem spirits through meditation and ceremony. It
helps, too, to maintain that contact by honouring your
personal totem by keeping photographs or drawings
around you. Maybe you may come across a claw or a
feather... obviously in Australia it may be difficult
to find bear or buffalo fur, but as we are in
Australia, dont be surprised either if your totem
turns out to be one of our own native animals. A
kangaroo or wombat.. even a kookaburra can be a most
valid totem for you.

Go to your place of meditation. If possible a natural,
outside place where you feel close to nature. Once you
are settled and relaxed, simply let yourself be! You
may like to use a chant (youll find the basis in your
MEDICINEPATH handouts... "Prayer to Grandmother
Earth"). On the repeating "chorus", use words such as:

"Come, Totem,
Come from the world beyond.
Come and reach to me
Come and teach me."
(If you are trying to contact a particular totem, use
its name, instead of just "totem".)

On calling your totem, be attentive to your feelings,
trusting your intuition. You may not "see" your
totem.. it may simply be a sensation, a glimpse, or a
"knowing."

Once you have "identified" your totem, call it closer,
and closer. Closer still, so that you feel you are
merging with it... becoming it. Become the animal, or
bird, or plant. Make the noises and movements of your
totem. Perceive the physical world through the eyes of
your totem, with your totems senses.

Do the things your totem does: sway in the wind, flap
your wings, howl at the moon. Live where your totem
lives: in the forest, in the sea, among the tall
trees, in a cave. Experience life as your totem does:
eat, sleep, hunt, kill, heal, breathe, sense, as your
totem senses. Use your powers of imagery to BECOME
your totem. Proceed with this imagery until you feel
you have achieved a one-ness with the totem. This may
not happen in one session.

It is important to end the meditation with a
re-awakening process for both mind and body. You must
UN-become the totem, returning to yourself. When back
in your body in essence and form, thank your totem,
remembering the experience. You may even like to
record your experience in a journal. Re-living the
total experience.

Honouring your totem by keeping photographs, or even
claws, or feathers, or fur, about you and your home,
can deepen the connection. Call upon your totem in
times of trouble, and in times of thanksgiving.

There are many different ways of calling and
contacting your totem/s. By practice youll find the
ways that work best for you.