The Animal Within

Animal Within

By RavenDreamer

Published By Corvid Media at Smashwords

Copyright 2011 Corvid Media

Cover Art by: Andre R. Lacelle

Edited by: J. Megan Dingle

http://www.corvidmedia.com

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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Chapter 1: Totems, Totems Everywhere!

"Life is life—whether in a cat, or dog or man. There is no difference there between a cat or a man. The idea of difference is a human conception for man's own advantage."

—Sri Aurobindo

There are currently many books available on the subject of animal totems for those readers looking for a quick reference regarding different totem animals and their respective traits. This book is not one of these. The premise of this book is centered upon an age-old analogy: give a man a fish and he can eat for a day; but teach that man to fish and he can eat always. In the same regard, rather than inundate you with mere listings of totem animals, this book will teach you to research, and apply this research, to totem animals. It will show you how your totem affects your everyday life: from business to love to parenting; and will help you become aware of how others' totems can aid you in fulfilling your goals. Ultimately, it will guide you towards your own totem discovery, and thus enable you to use this knowledge for self-empowerment.

What is a Totem?

Before diving into the world of totems, we must first understand the meaning of the word. While many definitions for totems exist, this book follows the Spiric model. This model is based upon global research from various cultures that view animal archetypes as integral to their spirituality and mythology. Each of these cultures had its own terminology for totemic practices, and the Spiric model merely categorizes each into four distinct realms: The Soul Totem, The Shadow Totem, The Helper Totem, and the Message Totem. The base definition of Totem for all of these is simply ‘archetypal animal energy’. While this definition may disappoint some, it covers that which is shared between the four categories.

It should be noted that totems can be analyzed on many levels: for simple self-interest, as a useful tool for understanding one's own mind and behaviour when interacting with others, or for deeper spiritual purpose in which the totem is honoured and revered on a divine level. Many approaches fall in between these extremes. Pretty much, any way you wish to approach totem analysis works well for it will provide you with increased knowledge, and thus, better tools for living in our world.

The Soul Totem

When people speak of a person’s 'Totem', they are often referring to what is called a 'Soul Totem'. A Soul Totem is an animal archetype that resonates with the soul of the individual in question. This person will share many traits, skills, and perhaps even appearance, with his Soul Totem. This similarity in traits is key: if you are an introverted person, while your chosen Soul Totem reflects a very social creature, then you have most likely chosen an incorrect Totem. If your Soul Totem does not share your own personal traits, then it cannot resonant with you. Often people may choose an animal as their Soul Totem because it is a perceived 'cool' animal, and not because it resonates with their own persona. This is foolish, as the exercise of discovering one's totem is one of learning about and accepting oneself. Thus, if you choose an animal you like on its own rather that an animal which correctly matches your personal make-up, your choice will negate the deeper enlightenment and self-discovery that goes along with the process of totem selection.

Does this mean that a person with a Soul Totem is that animal at heart? Not at all. Each person is a human first and foremost; their thoughts and actions reflect this. Think of a Totem as a secondary animal that drives your inner desires and makeup as much as being a human does.

If you were to pick a secondary animal to describe yourself, which animal would that be? Keep in mind that your choice does not have to be an animal who is deemed ‘better’ in our 'bigger is better' Western world. Each animal has its own skillful adaptations and hindrances. The Bear, Cougar and Wolf, for example, are not the only 'good totems' to have. All animals are equal in this regard. The Mouse, the Ladybug, and the Sparrow are equally as powerful as any other. If these animals did not have beneficial and interesting adaptations, they would have died out long ago. In the end, those who carry the Mouse, Ladybug, or Sparrow Totems will benefit just as well from their own animal's adaptations as one who truthfully carries a Bear Totem.

A Soul Totem will often be one that shows itself, or interacts with you within dreams or within the real world. A dream interaction may take the form of you dreaming of the animal in question or dreaming that you are that animal. For example, a person with a Wolf Totem may dream of herself transforming into a Wolf. This may frighten her a little, as it seems a bit like the werewolf mythos of classical Hollywood. But in reality, this is healthy totemic dream interaction.

As mentioned earlier, often animals are overlooked as Soul Totem choices due to society's preconceived notions of what constitutes a good and bad animal. Magpies, for example, are regarded in the Western world as evil because they eat other birds' eggs. I need not remind the reader, however, that humans also eat eggs. Likewise, vultures and sea gulls as viewed as 'bad' because of their truly useful – but misunderstood – roles as scavengers. Skunks, similarly, are seen as bad because they emit an odor. All of these animals' misperceived traits are not, in fact, ‘bad’, but are instead marvelous adaptations that these animals use to their advantage in their environments. Thus, ‘bad’ animals are in fact ingenious creatures with well-adapted traits, much like humans interacting in their own specific environments. Ultimately, the point here is that if an animal shows itself to you in a dream or in the waking world, do not discount it based on societies’ perceptions.

You might wonder if it is possible to have more than one Soul Totem. It actually is possible, but to further understand the notion of multiple Soul Totems, we must first better understand the Spiric soul model as it relates to totem animals.

Within Spira, there is a belief that a soul reincarnates through many lifetimes. Between each lifetime, the soul has the opportunity to split into two or more new souls, or merge with another soul. For more information on this splitting and merging, read 'The Essence of Spira', written by RavenDreamer. A Soul Totem is essentially attached to a soul throughout lifetimes, but the behaviour changes depending on this splitting and merging. When a soul splits, its Totem is transferred to each new soul. However, when souls merge, an interesting thing happens: the newly merged soul receives both Totems. One might think that two Soul Totems would be better than one, but this is not the case. If you have one Soul Totem you receive 100% of the benefits from that totem. Conversely, if you hold two, the benefits are divided 50% from each. Furthermore, maintaining two totems in your person can often leave one feeling divided, as though you are of 'two minds' for any issue.

Interestingly, it is possible for a person to have three Soul Totems if a soul merges twice in succession. However, even though you can create multiple totems in a person through soul blending, eventually after a few lifetimes, one of those totems will emerge as dominant and the others will be left by the wayside. As disappointing as this loss may seem, in reality, one should be grateful not to have the alternative: holding a virtual zoo within your head would leave your mind so fractured that functioning in everyday life would be an impossibility. Just imagine having 20 or so Soul Totems, with some totemic parts of your psyche literally acting as predators on other parts of your psyche, and those in turn falling prey to still more parts of your psyche. Madness would ensue.

There is much discussion in the New-Age community as to whether you choose a Soul Totem or a Soul Totem chooses you. The answer is neither. Your totem simply is you, much like your hair colour is you. In fact, you are way more capable of changing your hair colour than you are of changing your Soul Totem(s). A Soul Totem is not something that you choose like some sort of fashion. A Soul Totem is more of a window revealing who you are inside. If you try to choose your totem as opposed to discovering it, all those around you will know it for false for they will be able to see with every word, gesture, and look that your totem does not resonate with you properly. When you finally discover your true Soul Totem everyone will know it for true. As previously mentioned, you will share certain traits with your totem. Your Soul Totem may be sociable like you. Perhaps it is nocturnal, as are you. Perhaps your totem is, like you, associated with luck in business. Beyond this, your Soul Totem is so much a part of you that all of your mannerisms will remind people of your animal. Perhaps you roar like a Lion when you are angry. Perhaps you look ready to charge like a Rhino when you are threatened. Or perhaps it is subtler, such as the ability to hold secrets like a Lynx. Regardless, when the real Soul Totem is discovered, people will say that a person’s actions and looks are a true reflection of the animal. You cannot ‘acquire ‘a Soul Totem (as you already have one or more), you can only ‘discover’ it.

A Soul Totem animal may seem like a pest in the waking world as it interacts with you frequently, and it may be overlooked in that way. For example, if every time you sat down for lunch pigeons swarmed you, you may overlook it based on the fact that it is bothering you. The bothering is simply a way of making you take note. A Soul Totem may also be overlooked from a lack of interaction. For example if a person had a Salmon Totem, he or she may not have much interaction with it in real life as people are hardly ever in salmon habitat.

In essence, a Soul Totem is an animal archetype that resonates with a person's entire being, sharing similar traits and remaining with that person through many lifetimes. It cannot be chosen, but must be discovered through honest introspection and research (see Chapter 2). It may share a soul with another Soul Totem, or stand alone, and it does not carry the same social stigmas with it that we as humans project upon animals. It simply is, in all of its marvelous adaptation.

Shadow Totem

A Shadow Totem is nearly the polar opposite of a Soul Totem. It is similar to a Soul Totem in that it stays with an individual throughout lifetimes, and is also affected by a soul's splitting and merging. Beyond this, however, a Shadow Totem differs completely. Where a Soul Totem resonates with an individual's personality, the Shadow Totem is discordant: where the Soul Totem shares similar traits with the individual, the Shadow Totem maintains opposing traits. It is the flip side of the Soul Totem, you might say.

Often the Shadow Totem is seen as scary, creepy, or monstrous to the individual, but this is quite simply an inner contrast between the Shadow Totem and the Soul Totem. No animal is truly monstrous. While it is true that many animals can be scary to us, none are truly evil. Animals simply act in ways that better their own chance of survival.

Nevertheless, it is natural to fear your Shadow Totem for we are predisposed to fear certain animals. Realize, though, that if you cease to fear it, it really has no effect on you in terms of your shadow totem, whatsoever. We must take this into account when trying to discover our shadows. Many, when they think of animals that they fear, immediately think that the Spider, Snake, or Rat is perhaps their Shadow Totem. While this may be true, it may also just be programmed genetically, or socially, and thus be a false Shadow totem. On the other hand, if a person has a complete fear of Rabbits, it may certainly indicate a Shadow Totem, as humans are not preprogrammed to fear cute little bunnies.

What, then, is the purpose of a Shadow Totem if all we do is fear it? The answer is that the Shadow Totem is not just fear. The fear merely reveals parts of ourselves that are weaker, or those parts of ourselves that we fear developing. Our Shadow Totems are actually working for us, so that we may recognize these weaknesses in ourselves. They function in a contrary manner to get us where we need to go. This may take the form of a nightmare involving the animal, or a scary or weird interaction with the animal in the waking world. For example, if a Squirrel mauled you in the park, you may take that interaction as ‘weird’. Either way, even though the interactions make us uneasy, they are for our own good. Most often they are like a metaphorical 'slap in the face' to get us to either see something or do something that will help us.

It should be noted that the manifestation of a Shadow Totem is not always fear-based. Although they always possess traits that are directly opposite to a person’s Soul Totem, sometimes the individual will see these shadow traits with desire, not fear. They will see these traits as ones that they wish they themselves held. A meek person may see the trait of aggression as desirable, and therefore view his Shadow Totem as desirable.

It may even go as far as the individual actually seeing himself possessing those traits in some fantasy world. In these cases, the individual will often mistake his Shadow Totem for his Soul Totem. Those around the person will undoubtedly know this for a falsehood, but never the less it happens. A person must be brutally honest with himself to properly discern a Shadow Totem from a Soul Totem. Remember, just because our current society upholds certain traits above others, it does not make those traits better than others in the grand scheme of things.

To sum up, a Shadow Totem is an animal archetype that is disharmonious with the individual and possesses traits in direct opposite to the individual. It, too, remains with the individual throughout lifetimes.

Helper Totem

Helper Totems differ from Soul Totems and Shadow Totems by the level of attachment they have to the individual. Helper Totems are not attached to the soul throughout lifetimes, and as such, they can be with a person for an hour, a week, or an entire lifetime. Helper Totems exist as guidance to an individual through particular events. They do not resonate with or against an individual, and may or may not share traits with the individual's Soul Totem.

Anything can trigger the formation of a Helper Totem: for example, a loved one may pass away, and suddenly the bereaved starts to dream of Snakes. This person may then have random encounters with Snakes over the next few months. This phenomenon, while resembling coincidence, is really a Helper Totem trying to aid that person's soul through a troubling event. A difficult business decision looms and the Wren appears in either the dream world or in waking life for someone. This too is the translation of a Helper Totem. Perhaps a situation causes a person's increased aggression; thus the Badger may appear in your nightmares to prod you into the right course of action. Perhaps the Deer appears in your dreams -- or waking life – to quietly push you onto the path of gentleness for a specific course of action. Again, this is the Helper Totem stepping in. Depending on the crisis, the Helper Totem can be with you anywhere from an hour to a lifetime.

Unlike with Soul or Shadow Totems, Helpers can be called upon or chosen. With a Helper Totem, if you require assistance for some life matter, you can actually call to a specific animal for help. The Helper may not always come to your aid, but often they will. You will begin to see them manifest in your life in many ways.

Furthermore, not only can you call on Helpers for yourself, but also with enough Totem knowledge, you can call them to help other individuals or groups, much like a Catholic calling upon patron saints to guide people in need. Many cultures have historically used this process for members of their communities, often calling upon Helper Totems to guide their tribes or clans against adversity. While these are often labeled clan Helper Totems or group Helper Totems, in the Spiric model, they are just a form of Helper Totem. This call is renewed every so often for such purposes, as it is known to these people that Helpers do not exist eternally. In general, though, when calling for a Helper, it is usually better not to call to a specific animal, but to just call for any animal to help. The reason for this is that the animal archetypal energies may know the proper animal for the job with more wisdom than you do.

It is always wise to investigate any animal interactions with oneself, be it in your dreams or waking world, as these interactions can have significance. From the smallest insect to the great blue whale, any animal has the possibility of meaning something quite different when it comes to helping you in overcome and obstacle or reach a goal in your life. Whether using this book, another totem catalogue, or simply your gut instinct, be sure not to let that totemic interaction go unexamined. It’s not that leaving it unexamined will lead to dire consequences, but an unexamined interaction may result in that animals’ wisdom being lost. And if it is ignored consistently, why send you messages at all? Some interactions may simply be life happening instead of a grand totemic experience, but it never hurts to examine it.

To sum up, the Helper Totem is an animal archetype that can be with you for an unspecified amount of time to help you through a certain obstacle or goal. Helper Totems will hold traits that may or may not match your Soul Totem, but they will generally not be a perfect match, nor in perfect opposition.

Message Totems

A Message Totem is the ‘Sticky Note’ of the totemic world. It is an instant interaction with an animal that is meant to convey a message, after which the animal disappears. It is similar to a Helper Totem in that it is meant to aid you, but it differs on several levels. First is the length of time it stays with you. While a Helper Totem remains with you for some time -- even if only for a minute, a Message Totem appears instantly, and in the same moment, vanishes. Where a Helper Totem acts like a guide to help you through an obstacle or goal, a Message Totem is more of a signpost. For those of you that are Internet savvy, a Message Totem is much like getting an instant message from the totemic world

While places in our modern world still enact the practice of watching for Message Totems, or Augury, in times past, this process was common all over the ancient world. Augury is the practice of divination through watching animal appearance and movement. For example, if an Eagle passes east to west over your cornfield, it may mean that your crops will be plentiful. Perhaps it means safe travel if you see a Raven pass overhead when you begin a journey. Your house could be blessed if a Sparrow builds a nest in your roof. Many examples of Augury survive in folk tales, rhymes and so called 'old wives' tales,' such as the superstition of it being bad luck for a black cat to cross your path -- an echo of an Augury rule from the distant past. There is an old wives' tale that if a young maiden looks up on Valentine’s Day and sees a Robin, she will marry a sailor. If it is a Sparrow, her husband will be poor but she will be happy. If it is a Goldfinch, she will marry a millionaire. Many examples of Augury have been passed down into the modern world by way of folklore. For example, an old Magpie rhyme prophesying future events based on the number of Magpies seen in one occurrence reads as follows:

Ones for sorrow,

Two for mirth,

Three for a wedding,

Four for a birth,

Five for silver,

Six for gold,

And seven for a secret to go untold.

This little rhyme is a simple prophetic device depending on the number of Magpie’s seen at any given time. You can see from this rhyme the power that Message Totems once held for the lay people.

What is interesting about Message Totems is that they have survived into our modern era. In ancient times we had nothing but animals and plants to show us signs in our environment. In the modern world, however, we are literally drowned in signs every day. There are street signs, advertisements, billboards, warning labels, logos; the list goes on. For the first time in history, a Message Totem need not be in animal form to get its message to you. In fact, given our ever-increasing distance from Nature, it works better when the Message Totem does not arrive in animal form because it is at less cryptic that way.

Through Message Totems a message is propagating through the web of life to reach you. It should be noted, when utilizing Message Totems from billboards and signs that it is not what is said on the billboard that is important, but what you read. Message Totems are simply an instant way for the totemic world to give you a sign along your way in life. They are with you only for a moment and are only there to convey a signal or feeling in you to alert you to a much larger issue.

Super-organism Totems

A super-organism is defined as an organism that is made up of other organisms. Take your family for instance: it is a super-organism that is made up of individual family members. This super-organism has no body except for that of its members, but it retains a will, consciousness, and action of its own which benefits itself as one single organism; its actions may not benefit every member within the family, but the family as a whole. Just about any group can be viewed as a super-organism: family, city, province, state, country, etc. At the more spiritual level, these super-organisms are classified on the level of the divine; Gods, for example, can be viewed as super-organisms.

This notion of divinity has direct meaning and consequences to the totemic world. As the super-organism gives rise to consciousness, it also gives rise to applicable Soul and Shadow Totems: each super-organism in which you reside has Soul and Shadow Totems, which define that super-organism. This includes your family, your job, and your country. Honouring these totems is a way of honouring and connecting with these groups in your life.

You can often see these totems honoured, even in our modern world. Animals are often depicted on country flags. Corporations often use animal imagery in their names and logos. Native American tribes often have animals associated with a whole tribe. Clan Totems are easily identifiable examples of the super-organism totem. Some pantheons, like the Egyptian pantheon, had their deities depicted with animal heads. In others, the gods were