Totems

In the shamans model of the world, the search for a totem was not to search for an object or even a symbol one could possess. The search for a totem was the quest to understand where one stood on the medicine wheel. The discovery of totems was a vital first step to giving the shaman the power to heal or strengthen you.

All existence is spirit, and there is nothing that exists that is not a spirit. The sharing of spirit was pretty much the same as the sharing of genetics. So in many cases, you didn’t have just a single totem, you had a set. Having only one totem or having a dominant totem was considered unusual. Besides discovering a totem in dreams, you could discover one in your experiences, and the shaman could see one in your behaviour.

Return to main chapter on Signs.

“You must be absolutely honest and true in the depicting of a totem for meaning is attached to every line. You must be most particular about detail and proportion.” Emily Carr (Canadian Artist and Writer, 1871-1945)

“Animal totems, like the tiger, come from the Other Side to protect us while we are away from Home.” Sylvia Browne