My Animal Totems

Freeway. Medicine Hat Gelding.

Since the early beginnings of my Pagan path I've known that horses are a permanent animal totem of mine. They simply have had such a huge impact on my life that I don't think they could not be a totem. Freeway was one such horse who had a major impact on my life. Though I had him in my life for less than a year, he embodies everything I sought for in a horse.

However there have been others totems over the years to come in and out of my life.Totems do not have to be a permanent one. There are times in your life when a certain animals lesson is important.

The Tigress taught me how to be more assertive in my life. She also taught me how to reserve my energy for the most important matters and when to exert my energy. For any new witch, learning to control ones energy is a major lesson.

At the beginning of motherhood the turtle fascinated me. This was a time of grounding with mother earth and seeking out her bounty so it makes sense that I would need turtle energy. This is also a time when our finances was careening out of control. Turtle taught me to slow down, get a hold of our credit and spend less and live more simply.

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Lately I have been drawn to the Dragonfly. Though this creature is often overlooked because of its small size and the fact that it's an insect, it's message is no less important. Dragonflies teach us to see things from a different angle. It takes two years for a dragonfly to reach maturity so whatever plans we have in motion may take that long to reach fruition. This makes a lot of sense right now to me because its been about 1 yr and 7 months since we made the move to Ohio. If I've calculated correctly, it will take another 5-7 months to save enough money to move out of MIL's home making our transition almost or just over 2 years. That seems like such a long time. Certainly more than the few months I originally thought it would take!

 What have been your animal totems over the years and the lessons they brought you?

PBP: Animal Totems

Pagan Blog Prompt asks:

Animals can teach us a lot about ourselves and the world around us....

Do you have a totem animal? What is it teaching you?

What have the animals taught you in the past? 

 I really can't believe I've never wrote a post on animal totems before! Great blog prompt PBP! Usually when  meditating the animals that most often come to me are horses, snakes, deer, wolf, and some kind of feline (Domestic or Feral). Each has their own individual lesson for me.

Horses, I've written about them recently. They represent freedom. I have a history of being a little too reserved. They remind me to let go and have a little fun horsing around sometimes. 

Snakes, I've always been afraid of. So they represent conquering my fear and transformation. I'm a person who hates change, so when snake enters my life I know I just have to suck it up and get over it!

Deer is my husbands totem more than mine. But to me deer represents abundance, grace, beauty and love. When deer enter my life it's a reminder to look around and see the beauty in my life. With our lives going by so fast, sometimes we forget to appreciate the little things and give thanks for the abundance in our life.

Wolf, also another totem of my husbands. Wolf represents family togetherness and loyalty to me. I know if  a wolf enters my life I can have trust in his wisdom.

Felines represent intuition and deity. They are a very feminine totem that gives off a sexual energy to represent the power of ones self. Felines are associated with moon power and passion.

What have the animals taught you in the past? 

Butterfly

 

Though I do not consider them a totem, butterflies taught me a wonderful lesson as a child that I will never forget. If you notice the banner on my blog, I recently changed it and added a butterfly background. This is to remind me of the lesson of butterflies. 

When I was a child (maybe 5 or 6 years old) I was playing with my best friend, Joey, when we saw a butterfly struggling to fly. It was obviously about to die. It landed hard on the ground and when we went to investigate, we saw that its wings were torn. I picked the butterfly up and though it was still alive, it wouldn't be for long. So Joey and I cupped our hands over it, and we sent energy to it. We didn't know what we were doing at the time. We just thought we were praying for it to live. I don't remember what I said but it was to the effect of "Deity, help me to heal this wounded creature." (I was always a a bit magickal even as a witch-let. *wink*) So after our prayer I put it in a safe place to live or die as the Gods willed it. Within about 45 minutes we saw the same butterfly flying just in front of us. It dipped and rose for a few minutes just staying in the same place. I felt it was thanking us. I said allowed, "Your welcome" and it flew off. 

The butterfly taught me that I could do great things. It taught me magick is real and all it takes is the love I had in my heart for the most gentlest of creatures. How many kids wouldn't have noticed a butterfly dying? Or worst yet, notice and wouldn't have cared? When I began my Pagan path, I didn't need someone to tell me spells work, because I had already lived it.