What is an Animal Totem?

Nowadays when I see a wild animal, I do not simply see an animal; I try to understand the spiritual significance of that animal.  To me, this is what Animal Totem means.  According to my favorite website on animal totems,

"The animals express the spirit nature of that species and exemplify qualities we can learn from. They are psychological and spiritual symbols that convey to us qualities we are needing or lacking in our daily lives. They are a mirror of us reflecting our own innate qualities to help ourselves better understand our connection to all things."

If you pay attention to nature or simply look around, there are animals everywhere.  When you see the same animal over and over again, you need to pay attention this.  There is a message for you.  If you have an unusual sighting of an animal, pay attention to that too.  I look up that animal or insect at this site http://www.starstuffs.com/animal_totems/index.html. 

Last week I found a large centipede hiding under a paper cup in my basement bathroom.  To be honest, I am not over fond of bugs especially if they end up inside my home.  So I ran the water over it but it was too big to go down the drain.  So I continued to run the water and captured it in a cup and tossed it outside.  Hey, at least I didn’t kill it!  I quickly looked up what a centipede meant here it said,

“Movement into new psychic connections and relationships. Protection against psychic deceptions. Balance, coordination, ability to survive stress, the beauty of coordinated movement.”

So what do I do with this piece of information?  I try to understand how this animal sighting is significant in my life now.  Sometimes it doesn't make sense right away, so I file it away and take a look at it later.  That’s the way Spirit works, you have to pay attention, make note of it and eventually it will make sense.  Like putting puzzles pieces together. 

Today I had the privilege of meeting my animal totem, a black bear.  I was doing a guided meditation as part of an online course called Find Your Calling in the Akashics (you can find this course on the www.dailyom.com).  My animal totem was supposed to appear out of the forest and there it was, a black bear.  I asked the bear its name and it said Mario.  He told me that he is my animal totem because he is a combination of ferociousness and nurturing.  Do I know exactly what this means?  Not really.  Could it be referring to me?  Possibly.  According to my animal totem website, a bear represents:

“Sub/Unconscious mind, strength, grounding, inner energy of soul to find answers, judgments, are you too critical or not critical enough, inner power to taste the honey of life. Bear teaches caution, quiet of the mind and silence within. There is great power in introspection which awakens insights and opportunities. Bears teach leadership, natural healing abilities and defending when necessary. Are you eating a balanced diet? Utilizing your intuition? Being cautious? Brown, black or white, what does the color say to you? Bear will show how to balance and express oneself.”

Isn't it amazing how one animal can represent so many things and deliver such a detailed message?  So pay attention to the animals that appear in your life, look up their significance and learn from the messages they are giving you!