Totems are as subjective as anything else in the world of Shamanism. I know many Aboriginals who believe that those who are not Native but claim to have Totems in the Native American fashion are mocking their beliefs. I know others, however, who believe that Totems are no different than Gods - who go to those who need them, regardless of who or what that person is.
I hold with the latter half, though I have an immense amount of respect for the former and certainly see no need to pick a fight with those who hold with the former themselves.
In terms of Totems, there are a number of beliefs about how many one can have. Some people insist that nine is the magic number here, while others are a little more uncertain. Additionally, there are different types of Totems.
The four types which I am aware of are Life, Journey, Messenger, and Shadow.
A Life Totem is a Totem which walks with your throughout your lifetime, perhaps fading in and out in terms of immediate influence but ultimately always present. Typically, your Life Totem represents an aspect of your spiritual nature, as well.
A Journey Totem shows up in your life for a period of time - be it weeks, months, or years. They don't stay with you for your entire lifespan, but they do remain with you for a significant amount of time (not just a few days or hours) and they guide you onto your path.
A Messenger Totem is a Totem who appears very briefly to draw your attention to something and then they take their leave of you. They show up for a much shorter period of time than a Journey Totem would, and usually their arrival leaves a distinct impression. They sort of grab you by the face and make you look at an issue or situation that you might otherwise have missed or ignored, if need be, or they alert you to some change that you need to make.
A Shadow Totem represents your fears, or some aspect of yourself which you must learn to accept and overcome. Until you do so, that Totem will work against you. Should you manage to accept and overcome this Totem, however, that will change dramatically and your Shadow Totem will be as helpful as any other Totem in your life.
My Totems are as follows:
Wolf (Life, since early childhood)
Crow (Life)
Coyote (Life? Could be Journey as well.)
Moth (Journey)
Spider (Messenger)
Turtle (Messenger)
Badger (Messenger)
Jaguar (Messenger)
Eel (Shadow)
WOLF:
Ever since I can remember, Wolf has been a part of my life. As I child, I frequently encountered wolves in the wild. In one particularly memorable incident, I came very close to a local pack of wolves. I had escaped the house, being the insufferable child I was, and had wandered outside in the middle of a cold winter evening. I had wandered several yards from the house, which was in the country, when a pack of lowland wolves wandered across our property. The alpha wandered away from the pack to look at me, whereupon my parents appeared on the backyard porch and nearly had synchronised heart attacks, looked over at my parents, and then returned to his pack and went on his merry way.
I frequently dream about wolves, and often sing with them when I dream-walk (somewhat out of character for me in the waking world; I'm very self-conscious) - and, when I don't dream walk, I am often the recipient of wolf-related gifts, or stumble across a number of wolf-related items.
CROW:
Crow has been with me for quite some time as well, both when I dream-walk and otherwise. I actually find it disconcerting to be somewhere where I don't hear any crows, now, and typically become much more alert and aware of my surroundings in their absence. I don't see Crow in my dreams as often as I see Wolf, but when I do it's usually memorable. Once, I even managed to convince Crow to sing with Coyote and I when I was dream-walking. I am always attracted to anything involving these birds, especially their feathers, and always make a point of greeting them when I see them.
COYOTE:
Coyote is a bit ambiguous, as most Tricksters are. I can't quite tell if he's a Life Totem or a Journey Totem, but he has appeared in conjunction with Crow on occasion. While dream-walking, Coyote showed up in a park-like area and we played and wrestled (to my horror, I may have baby-voiced and call him a puppy) and sang, whereupon Crow joined us. He's ultimately very playful whenever I encounter him.
MOTH:
I see Moth quite a bit, on and off, and am rather fond of Moth as a Totem. Moth shows up in my life for a few different reasons, but usually bears a personal message of some sort.
SPIDER:
I don't like spiders, as I've mentioned in another post, but the ones I encounter while dream-walking typically don't cause me any distress. They're often a source of mild confusion or curiosity, then, and typically indicate, for me at least, that I'm about to have a bout of creativity.
TURTLE:
Turtle served to make the introductions between Hermes and I when Hermes began to appear in my life, both acting as a Messenger Totem and representing the God - which is rather fitting, as Hermes is a messenger himself. In one particularly odd dream, I remember "waking up" in my dorm room to find a turtle lying on the edge of my bed. I was worried the turtle would fall off the edge, so I picked it up and moved it over to the side of the bed that was up against the wall - whereupon Turtle bit me. I thought that was very unfair, particularly since I couldn't bite Turtle back due to his shell, and apparently decided the best course of action would be to hold Turtle up to my face and shout, "RAWR!"
I woke up when Turtle giggled, and the only thing that I could think was, '...Turtles don't giggle.'
BADGER & JAGUAR:
These two showed up at the same time, and I admit, I still have no idea what they wanted from me. I've always liked Jaguars - and seem to have somehow accumulated a number of jaguar-related items without paying attention- but Badger was a bit of a surprise. I only saw them once, however.
EEL:
I don't like eels. I mean, they're tasty in tempura, but that's as far as I'll go. I find them creepy for multiple reasons, and I've only ever encountered this Totem in one dream. As far as I know, I was not judged to be ready to accept Eel in my life in that encounter.
OTHER:
I've had other Totems appear, usually in dreams, but usually as very fleeting Messengers, such as Owl, Swan, Eagle, and Cat.
I fully expect more Totems to wander in and out of my life, as I need them or as they feel the need to share something with me.
As usual, I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have!
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