Tracking Your Totem Animals
By Cinnamon Moon
© Cinnamon Moon
When EZboards underwent the hacking we lost several articles in the libraries and one of them dealt with understanding the influences of direction when it comes to Totem animals. Celestial Star wrote asking me about this and so I decided to do another article. I hope it clarifies matters for members who may be confused about Totem wanderings or wanting to deepen their understanding of how the animals speak to us.
When our Totem animals and creature-teachers come to us they tend to move in different directions. It's not only the things they say and do, their body language, the looks in their eyes, the tone of their voices, but the directions they come from and go toward. So I'm sharing insights in the hopes of helping you to understand what those directions bring to us....the method of tracking and mapping in the spiritual realms at least initially.
Let me begin by saying that the direction any creature-teacher has their back to is representative of the perspective they are holding. The "view" they are coming from. Secondly, the direction they face or move toward is the approach to resolving the issue you are examining. If you have a question in mind, this applies to working within the Medicine Wheel journey or Dance as well. If your Totem or some creature-teacher or other Guide comes to you then the issue they are addressing will pertain to the direction they are coming from in relation to some prominant issue in your life or spiritual development as a factor you are contending with.
For example, let's say you enter into a journey seeking enlightenment or understanding of how you can open your Third Eye to trigger clairvoyant perceptions...to become a Seer. Point A takes you into point B....but...it's point B that needs to be applied to resolve the issue raised in point A. A Guide would come from the East and move to the South. Why? Because the concept of the Higher Sight begins in the East, the realm of illumination and the light of understanding, and it would then take the explorations into the South to come to that through experience. Point A to point B. With the Guide or Totem opening your Third Eye for you on this occasion, you would then be guided to learn to do this for yourself by experience...South...experience, passion, growth and development, nurturing, honing skills.
You will find that sometimes our Totems wander in various directions, entering into the cross-quarters where influences merge or clash and change takes place. In these wanderings they map the way of discovery for us to follow and we need to track their movements to understand what they are saying to us. Understanding the Seven Sacred Directions (there are articles on this in the Main Library and the Medicine Wheel Library) will take you deeper into the significance of each direction and what it has to offer. What I'm able to share here is how this interacts with the visions and journeys we make with our Totems and how we can track their intentions of the moment....essentially creating a map to pinpoint important aspects we need to employ in our studies beyond the journey itself.
Influence of the East:
Should an animal come from the East, that perspective is going to be the influence or tone of the messages they bring. In the East we find the element of Air, the Life Principle, and activation of our sense of conception. It rules the Spring and Vernal Equinox, a time of birthing. Add to that the traditional astrological symbology of the zodiac signs: Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius, or the Native American zodiac with the Butterfly Clan which brings in the teachings of Otter, Deer, and Raven. The Spirit Keeper here is Eagle. The entities in this realm are acclaimed differently by various cultures and here are some examples: Sylphs ruled by King Paralda; Nymphs ruled by Pan; Toth or Hermes, the Messenger of the Gods. Christianity adheres that it is a realm ruled by the ArchAngel Raphael who is served by the Cherubs. The Angel of the Vernal Equinox is Aldebaran, the ruler of the Muses. The Wind is Eurus. Any or all of these entities may accompany us in visions along with the creature-teachers and Totems that come forward. In these teachings alone are a wealth of understanding and knowledge but they all weave into this perception on some level. To the seasoned student there will be more depth in what that means to them, but for general purposes I'm going to list some of the attributes of this elemental force.
As the realm of abstract learning, we delve into chaos where activity swirls to combine various elements that give manifest form and merge the spiritual nature with the physical nature in a seeding. As they come into balance we find we tap into the higher creative energies that awaken our senses, communication, concentration, consciousness, and the cosmic link opens us to clairvoyance...we SEE things that are beyond the physical reality here, the Mind's Eye opens. So the animal that comes from this direction is telling you to open your mind to possibilities, to concepts, to see beyond the perspectives you hold at the moment and watch what comes into being so that you can be inspired. It's asking you to think about something from a detached perspective, to remove your emotional bias or attachments to the issue and look at it logically. This is the realm of dawning conception, of higher learning, you're asked to walk with the great teachers, the philosophers, mystics, sages and scholars through gateways that will lead to growth and higher learning. This is the realm of imagination, imaging, instruction, integrity, intelligence, and it inspires us to see further so we can act to bring forth form in our lives on some level.
When the tracks of your Totem come from the East all this and more will be tied to that influence and perspective. Depending on the question you ask or the issue it is addressing to you, these things need to be considered. It's a lot to remember, so if you start by recognizing that an animal coming from the East is going to hold the intent to enlighten you based on conceptual presentations, on new beginnings or the birth of some attribute within you or your life, you have a good start. Tracking that animal, let's move to the South with it and see what that would do to influence the "concept", and let's say that the concept is understanding spiritual map-making...the influence of tracking and where it leads. As we move through the Seven Sacred Directions we add to our knowledge base of that particular concept. From the East we know that we are to open our mind and map out (track) this animal as it makes its way on its journey...we're to follow it, but the map is necessary to find our way back out or our way back in again at some later day so we can delve deeper into exploration of this issue should we feel the need.
Influence of the South:
The elemental force of the South is Fire, we move from the dawn of first light in the East to the light of high noon in the South. Everything has moved out of early morning shadows into the full light of day so that our understanding can grow through the experience of exploring our environment. The heat of day heats up the essences of that environment and in this respect we find our sense of smell activating...smell the smoke, where there's smoke there's fire, where there's fire there's passion, where there's smoke the unseen becomes seen. Fire burns as passion but it also burns away the illusions and it easily entraps us if it's a wildfire so there is caution needed as we explore in this realm so we are not "burned". This elemental force can burn us mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It's not to be played with, but respected.
The principle of Light is present here, and this realm rules the season of Summer, the Summer Solstice, or Beltane. Zodiac associations are: Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. Native Americans teach it is the Thunderbird Clan, influenced by the teachings of Red-Tail Hawk, Sturgeon or Salmon, and Elk. The Spirit Keeper is Mouse. Cultural entities that inhabit this region are the Salamanders, Firedrakes, Children of the Fire Mist, the Geinies ruled by King Djinn; the goddess Diana. In the Christian view we have the ArchAngel Michael; the Angel of the Summer Solstice is Regulus and the Wind is Notus.
It is the element of Fire that teaches us about actions, arrogance, awareness, change, communication, combustion, compulsion, confidence, consumption, control, courage, dispelling doubt, ego, empathy, energy, it is the realm where our faith is tested...trials by fire, tests of faith that go to the marrow of our bones. It is the realm where we face our fears through experience, where in that process we receive Gifts of Life as we grow to understand it better. This is the realm of the heart, humility as our illusions shatter to reveal the reality before us. Innocence, that of childhood, resides here, and with it the pain, passion, perception, playfulness, that it holds. It is here we find our psychic ability manifesting to give us the awareness of the tools within our capabilities. As we explore them we explore the risks, sacredness, severity, spontaneity within us and come to understand the concept of our inner spirit, our soul...what stirs our passions to guide us through life. This realm is definitely a double-edged sword of duality, temper, transformation, trust, truth, unreliability, what works or doesn't work and the balance of understanding that strengthens our willpower.
Since we've come questioning how to hone our skill with opening our Third Eye or crown chakra, the experiences here would lead to guided visualization, meditation, perhaps the study of various forms of divination which would have been indicated as a course to explore from the perspective of the East. This is the realm of the hands on aspects. Here we would confront our bias or traditional beliefs and either adjust them or denounce them through the experiences we encounter that alter our reality. We may enter the School of Hard Knocks in this realm, for it is here we learn by trial and error, we make our mistakes and we correct them or grow from them.
But our Totem may take us elsewhere, it may head into a different direction and that would change the approach we take to understanding how to proceed with our lesson on the opening of our Third Eye.
Influence of the West:
The elemental force of Water is felt in this direction, and it is based on the principle of Love, it wets our appetite for deeper understanding of relationships...to self or others. Ruling the season of Autumn and the Autumn Equinox, the zodiac influences of Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces natures are felt. In Native American teachings this is the Clan of Frog where the teachings of Cougar, Flicker, and Snake are employed. The Spirit Keeper is Bear. Culturally there are the entities known as the Undines ruled by King Nixa; the goddess Hecate. In the Christian view it is ruled by ArchAngel Gabriel; the Angel of the Autumn Equinox is Antares and the Wind is Zephyrus.
Going in this direction we face our insecurities, our blockages, and make bold strides through introspection. Deep changes take place and we explore our emotional reactions to issues or situations. So in the sense of the Third Eye opening it's going to address what we need to see through journeys in regard to our relationship to ourself and from there with others. This may mean we have to undergo some form of cleansing or purging of negative issues that block our progress or lead to healing so that we are balanced again. In that experience we learn compassion often through confrontation. We learn courage and cunning as we breakthrough our barriers and dare to enter into the inner darkness, dare to face our self-deception, and become devoted to the truths within us. This is the realm of dreams, and so in exploring the Third Eye we would thus explore the Lucid Dreams or Dreamwalking or what is called the Dream Lodge. As we do this we experience our emotions and the empathy or errantness that needs to be balanced through understanding and we heal misconceptions or mistakes of the past so that we can move past them. The insight...in-sight...that the Third Eye brings into focus allows this to happen and we then harvest that knowledge. It is here we explore initiation, inner voice, inquisitiveness, interference, introspection, intuition, receptivity, rites of passage, levels of awareness, and the things that trigger them. This is the twilight hour, where the border of day into night is crossed and inner warnings are recognized...where through honing our Third Eye we see through the mists of evening or the fog that would otherwise cloud our vision.
Influence of the North:
Here we have the elemental aspect of Earth, the principle of Law (mundane and cosmic in balance), and through the experiences we've touched in life comes the understanding of how to apply that knowledge and transform that action to wise action...to our wisdom as we SEE when to share or do something. This direction rules the season of Winter, and Winter Solstice; the zodiac associations are Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn. The teachings of Native American ways address this as the Turtle Clan where the teachers are Snow Goose, Beaver, and Brown Bear. The Spirit Keeper is Buffalo. Cultural entities are Gnomes ruled by King Ghob; Herne, Kernunnos, Mother Earth, Mother Nature, the Great White Goddess, and Spirits of Place. In the Christian view the ArchAngel Auriel or Uriel rules this direction. The Wind is known as Boreas, Opheon, or Aquillo.
Lessons taught here have to do with abundance, sustenance, community, sharing, changes brought by cycles that end. It is the direction where the importance of centering, character, conscience, consistency, destiny, dignity, diligence, and doing are explored. The earthiness, easiness, and employment of our enlightenment are brought forth to achieve material gains. Here we learn the value of giving or sharing that gain, and the loss that we encounter should we let greed rule. The results of hard work, the honor we walk with, humbleness of our experiences, humility of mistakes. Knowledge applied with wisdom that leads to manifestation in the material sense. We learn moderation in pacing ourselves, the importance of oneness in community, and patience of knowing when to act and when not to take action. Here we come to understand the plodding efforts it takes to achieve successful outcomes and our Third Eye would show us this through its discretion. Perhaps we would journey and through that in-sight we would SEE how to practice tapping into resources respectfully. Those resources would be of the Earth...rocks, roots, runes, secrets hidden within the Earth. We might be shown the sustenance and inner wisdom found in the womb.
Influence of the Above World:
The entities of this realm are those of the Sky Nation; Sky People; Guardians, Protectors, Spirit Teachers. It is a realm of the future and what is coming into being...foresight is enhanced with the activity of the Third Eye, and we see further out. Associations and lessons taught here are those of altered states of consciousness, attentiveness, awareness, change, channeling, cosmic mystery and the big picture. It's here we go to understand the aspects of creation, destiny, dimensions, discipline, and experience ephiphany. It is the realm where evolution reveals itself within the existence beyond time and space. Here we understand the meaning of grace, perceive the Great Mystery, and enter into the humbleness of Oneness. This is the macrocosm of purpose, the bigger reality, spirituality and synthesis of thought, time travel, time warps, and the transcendence of physical life into the eternal. Here the universal mind/consciousness unites within the Web of Life.
Influence of the Below World:
The entities of this realm are the Ancestors, Ancient Ones, Elders, and Totems--personal, family, or tribal. It represents the past and history, religion, ceremony, rites of passage, rituals, and the place we go to find lost knowledge. Here we tap into our sense of Knowing, learn of our abilities (mastery of), benefits of the Gifts of Spirit when we receive our Songs, Dances, or Ceremonies and the permission to use them. We come to understand boundaries, discrimination, energy fields, energy signatures, free will, grounding, heredity and ancestral links. We can thus use our Third Eye to see into our past lives, pathways, patterns, physical restraints, and understand the polarity of what they bring or project into this present life. We can see the progression and relationships to past allowing us to release or overcome old patterns that do not serve us in this lifetime, to work out karmic issues, and reveal our path of destiny through understanding where we've been. That allows us to gain self-control, undergo soul-retrievals to gain strength, understand the tangibility of our transformations and transmutation of our evolutionary path.
Influence of the Middle World:
The entities found here are Self and all life-forms...All Our Relations. The time aspect is The Now, where we are presently in the moment. We gain the sense of Presence/Self, and associated lessons taught here are those that deal with abidance, acceptance, attention, attunement, awareness, balance, blending, centering, and the clarity of choice/free will. This is the physical reality of containment, control, currents, cycles, definition, deflection, and equality. Here the essence is one of expansion, harmony, honor, humbleness, impeccability, individuality, intent, life on molecular levels, and the unity found as multidimensionality...learning to walk between the worlds. It is a mundane presence that merges with mysticism, and the Third Eye will help us uncover the patterns, perception, perspectives, and presence of mind that brings peace among these aspects of life itself. The reality, realization, and rightness fill our senses as a combined whole forming the stability to perceive our synthesis of time. Centered here and opening our Third Eye we find tolerance, tranquility, understanding our role and interfacing with All Our Relations...the whole comes into view.
I know that this is a brief overview of the directions and what they bring to understanding the messages our Totems convey. I do hope it helps you to explore their insights deeper and gain clarity as to how you can take a concept, question, or issue and map the course of resolution you need. Coming from any of these perspectives we have the focus we need to take in approaching that matter and the course of action we need to take is depicted in the direction the Totem takes us. If it wanders through various directions it is telling us to observe the pattern of wandering, the various aspects we need to take as steps in an ongoing process. In this way we see the time involved, the effort that will be required, we come to trust our process and the journey we are taking to undergo that particular lesson. Sometimes (and usually in initial contact) our Totems do take us from point A to point B. They like to keep it simple at first, but as we grow they will wander about more, take us deeper into things. On the surface, when they appear and move about we have an initial mapping of what they are telling us. Their own Medicine plays into that as well, and it addresses what it is within us we need to bring forth as a tool/ability to either employ or hone.
If a Totem comes forward of it's own accord to address us in this way it's Medicine will be the focus of what we need to explore and the path it takes that we map for ourselves is the course we need to follow to gain that understanding. The direction it comes from will thus give us the initial perspective on which aspect of it's nature we are looking into and the rest will unfold as it guides us through the process. Please feel free to post your own experiences with these influences so that others may see how varied the applications are.
By Cinnamon Moon
© Cinnamon Moon
When EZboards underwent the hacking we lost several articles in the libraries and one of them dealt with understanding the influences of direction when it comes to Totem animals. Celestial Star wrote asking me about this and so I decided to do another article. I hope it clarifies matters for members who may be confused about Totem wanderings or wanting to deepen their understanding of how the animals speak to us.
When our Totem animals and creature-teachers come to us they tend to move in different directions. It's not only the things they say and do, their body language, the looks in their eyes, the tone of their voices, but the directions they come from and go toward. So I'm sharing insights in the hopes of helping you to understand what those directions bring to us....the method of tracking and mapping in the spiritual realms at least initially.
Let me begin by saying that the direction any creature-teacher has their back to is representative of the perspective they are holding. The "view" they are coming from. Secondly, the direction they face or move toward is the approach to resolving the issue you are examining. If you have a question in mind, this applies to working within the Medicine Wheel journey or Dance as well. If your Totem or some creature-teacher or other Guide comes to you then the issue they are addressing will pertain to the direction they are coming from in relation to some prominant issue in your life or spiritual development as a factor you are contending with.
For example, let's say you enter into a journey seeking enlightenment or understanding of how you can open your Third Eye to trigger clairvoyant perceptions...to become a Seer. Point A takes you into point B....but...it's point B that needs to be applied to resolve the issue raised in point A. A Guide would come from the East and move to the South. Why? Because the concept of the Higher Sight begins in the East, the realm of illumination and the light of understanding, and it would then take the explorations into the South to come to that through experience. Point A to point B. With the Guide or Totem opening your Third Eye for you on this occasion, you would then be guided to learn to do this for yourself by experience...South...experience, passion, growth and development, nurturing, honing skills.
You will find that sometimes our Totems wander in various directions, entering into the cross-quarters where influences merge or clash and change takes place. In these wanderings they map the way of discovery for us to follow and we need to track their movements to understand what they are saying to us. Understanding the Seven Sacred Directions (there are articles on this in the Main Library and the Medicine Wheel Library) will take you deeper into the significance of each direction and what it has to offer. What I'm able to share here is how this interacts with the visions and journeys we make with our Totems and how we can track their intentions of the moment....essentially creating a map to pinpoint important aspects we need to employ in our studies beyond the journey itself.
Influence of the East:
Should an animal come from the East, that perspective is going to be the influence or tone of the messages they bring. In the East we find the element of Air, the Life Principle, and activation of our sense of conception. It rules the Spring and Vernal Equinox, a time of birthing. Add to that the traditional astrological symbology of the zodiac signs: Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius, or the Native American zodiac with the Butterfly Clan which brings in the teachings of Otter, Deer, and Raven. The Spirit Keeper here is Eagle. The entities in this realm are acclaimed differently by various cultures and here are some examples: Sylphs ruled by King Paralda; Nymphs ruled by Pan; Toth or Hermes, the Messenger of the Gods. Christianity adheres that it is a realm ruled by the ArchAngel Raphael who is served by the Cherubs. The Angel of the Vernal Equinox is Aldebaran, the ruler of the Muses. The Wind is Eurus. Any or all of these entities may accompany us in visions along with the creature-teachers and Totems that come forward. In these teachings alone are a wealth of understanding and knowledge but they all weave into this perception on some level. To the seasoned student there will be more depth in what that means to them, but for general purposes I'm going to list some of the attributes of this elemental force.
As the realm of abstract learning, we delve into chaos where activity swirls to combine various elements that give manifest form and merge the spiritual nature with the physical nature in a seeding. As they come into balance we find we tap into the higher creative energies that awaken our senses, communication, concentration, consciousness, and the cosmic link opens us to clairvoyance...we SEE things that are beyond the physical reality here, the Mind's Eye opens. So the animal that comes from this direction is telling you to open your mind to possibilities, to concepts, to see beyond the perspectives you hold at the moment and watch what comes into being so that you can be inspired. It's asking you to think about something from a detached perspective, to remove your emotional bias or attachments to the issue and look at it logically. This is the realm of dawning conception, of higher learning, you're asked to walk with the great teachers, the philosophers, mystics, sages and scholars through gateways that will lead to growth and higher learning. This is the realm of imagination, imaging, instruction, integrity, intelligence, and it inspires us to see further so we can act to bring forth form in our lives on some level.
When the tracks of your Totem come from the East all this and more will be tied to that influence and perspective. Depending on the question you ask or the issue it is addressing to you, these things need to be considered. It's a lot to remember, so if you start by recognizing that an animal coming from the East is going to hold the intent to enlighten you based on conceptual presentations, on new beginnings or the birth of some attribute within you or your life, you have a good start. Tracking that animal, let's move to the South with it and see what that would do to influence the "concept", and let's say that the concept is understanding spiritual map-making...the influence of tracking and where it leads. As we move through the Seven Sacred Directions we add to our knowledge base of that particular concept. From the East we know that we are to open our mind and map out (track) this animal as it makes its way on its journey...we're to follow it, but the map is necessary to find our way back out or our way back in again at some later day so we can delve deeper into exploration of this issue should we feel the need.
Influence of the South:
The elemental force of the South is Fire, we move from the dawn of first light in the East to the light of high noon in the South. Everything has moved out of early morning shadows into the full light of day so that our understanding can grow through the experience of exploring our environment. The heat of day heats up the essences of that environment and in this respect we find our sense of smell activating...smell the smoke, where there's smoke there's fire, where there's fire there's passion, where there's smoke the unseen becomes seen. Fire burns as passion but it also burns away the illusions and it easily entraps us if it's a wildfire so there is caution needed as we explore in this realm so we are not "burned". This elemental force can burn us mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It's not to be played with, but respected.
The principle of Light is present here, and this realm rules the season of Summer, the Summer Solstice, or Beltane. Zodiac associations are: Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. Native Americans teach it is the Thunderbird Clan, influenced by the teachings of Red-Tail Hawk, Sturgeon or Salmon, and Elk. The Spirit Keeper is Mouse. Cultural entities that inhabit this region are the Salamanders, Firedrakes, Children of the Fire Mist, the Geinies ruled by King Djinn; the goddess Diana. In the Christian view we have the ArchAngel Michael; the Angel of the Summer Solstice is Regulus and the Wind is Notus.
It is the element of Fire that teaches us about actions, arrogance, awareness, change, communication, combustion, compulsion, confidence, consumption, control, courage, dispelling doubt, ego, empathy, energy, it is the realm where our faith is tested...trials by fire, tests of faith that go to the marrow of our bones. It is the realm where we face our fears through experience, where in that process we receive Gifts of Life as we grow to understand it better. This is the realm of the heart, humility as our illusions shatter to reveal the reality before us. Innocence, that of childhood, resides here, and with it the pain, passion, perception, playfulness, that it holds. It is here we find our psychic ability manifesting to give us the awareness of the tools within our capabilities. As we explore them we explore the risks, sacredness, severity, spontaneity within us and come to understand the concept of our inner spirit, our soul...what stirs our passions to guide us through life. This realm is definitely a double-edged sword of duality, temper, transformation, trust, truth, unreliability, what works or doesn't work and the balance of understanding that strengthens our willpower.
Since we've come questioning how to hone our skill with opening our Third Eye or crown chakra, the experiences here would lead to guided visualization, meditation, perhaps the study of various forms of divination which would have been indicated as a course to explore from the perspective of the East. This is the realm of the hands on aspects. Here we would confront our bias or traditional beliefs and either adjust them or denounce them through the experiences we encounter that alter our reality. We may enter the School of Hard Knocks in this realm, for it is here we learn by trial and error, we make our mistakes and we correct them or grow from them.
But our Totem may take us elsewhere, it may head into a different direction and that would change the approach we take to understanding how to proceed with our lesson on the opening of our Third Eye.
Influence of the West:
The elemental force of Water is felt in this direction, and it is based on the principle of Love, it wets our appetite for deeper understanding of relationships...to self or others. Ruling the season of Autumn and the Autumn Equinox, the zodiac influences of Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces natures are felt. In Native American teachings this is the Clan of Frog where the teachings of Cougar, Flicker, and Snake are employed. The Spirit Keeper is Bear. Culturally there are the entities known as the Undines ruled by King Nixa; the goddess Hecate. In the Christian view it is ruled by ArchAngel Gabriel; the Angel of the Autumn Equinox is Antares and the Wind is Zephyrus.
Going in this direction we face our insecurities, our blockages, and make bold strides through introspection. Deep changes take place and we explore our emotional reactions to issues or situations. So in the sense of the Third Eye opening it's going to address what we need to see through journeys in regard to our relationship to ourself and from there with others. This may mean we have to undergo some form of cleansing or purging of negative issues that block our progress or lead to healing so that we are balanced again. In that experience we learn compassion often through confrontation. We learn courage and cunning as we breakthrough our barriers and dare to enter into the inner darkness, dare to face our self-deception, and become devoted to the truths within us. This is the realm of dreams, and so in exploring the Third Eye we would thus explore the Lucid Dreams or Dreamwalking or what is called the Dream Lodge. As we do this we experience our emotions and the empathy or errantness that needs to be balanced through understanding and we heal misconceptions or mistakes of the past so that we can move past them. The insight...in-sight...that the Third Eye brings into focus allows this to happen and we then harvest that knowledge. It is here we explore initiation, inner voice, inquisitiveness, interference, introspection, intuition, receptivity, rites of passage, levels of awareness, and the things that trigger them. This is the twilight hour, where the border of day into night is crossed and inner warnings are recognized...where through honing our Third Eye we see through the mists of evening or the fog that would otherwise cloud our vision.
Influence of the North:
Here we have the elemental aspect of Earth, the principle of Law (mundane and cosmic in balance), and through the experiences we've touched in life comes the understanding of how to apply that knowledge and transform that action to wise action...to our wisdom as we SEE when to share or do something. This direction rules the season of Winter, and Winter Solstice; the zodiac associations are Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn. The teachings of Native American ways address this as the Turtle Clan where the teachers are Snow Goose, Beaver, and Brown Bear. The Spirit Keeper is Buffalo. Cultural entities are Gnomes ruled by King Ghob; Herne, Kernunnos, Mother Earth, Mother Nature, the Great White Goddess, and Spirits of Place. In the Christian view the ArchAngel Auriel or Uriel rules this direction. The Wind is known as Boreas, Opheon, or Aquillo.
Lessons taught here have to do with abundance, sustenance, community, sharing, changes brought by cycles that end. It is the direction where the importance of centering, character, conscience, consistency, destiny, dignity, diligence, and doing are explored. The earthiness, easiness, and employment of our enlightenment are brought forth to achieve material gains. Here we learn the value of giving or sharing that gain, and the loss that we encounter should we let greed rule. The results of hard work, the honor we walk with, humbleness of our experiences, humility of mistakes. Knowledge applied with wisdom that leads to manifestation in the material sense. We learn moderation in pacing ourselves, the importance of oneness in community, and patience of knowing when to act and when not to take action. Here we come to understand the plodding efforts it takes to achieve successful outcomes and our Third Eye would show us this through its discretion. Perhaps we would journey and through that in-sight we would SEE how to practice tapping into resources respectfully. Those resources would be of the Earth...rocks, roots, runes, secrets hidden within the Earth. We might be shown the sustenance and inner wisdom found in the womb.
Influence of the Above World:
The entities of this realm are those of the Sky Nation; Sky People; Guardians, Protectors, Spirit Teachers. It is a realm of the future and what is coming into being...foresight is enhanced with the activity of the Third Eye, and we see further out. Associations and lessons taught here are those of altered states of consciousness, attentiveness, awareness, change, channeling, cosmic mystery and the big picture. It's here we go to understand the aspects of creation, destiny, dimensions, discipline, and experience ephiphany. It is the realm where evolution reveals itself within the existence beyond time and space. Here we understand the meaning of grace, perceive the Great Mystery, and enter into the humbleness of Oneness. This is the macrocosm of purpose, the bigger reality, spirituality and synthesis of thought, time travel, time warps, and the transcendence of physical life into the eternal. Here the universal mind/consciousness unites within the Web of Life.
Influence of the Below World:
The entities of this realm are the Ancestors, Ancient Ones, Elders, and Totems--personal, family, or tribal. It represents the past and history, religion, ceremony, rites of passage, rituals, and the place we go to find lost knowledge. Here we tap into our sense of Knowing, learn of our abilities (mastery of), benefits of the Gifts of Spirit when we receive our Songs, Dances, or Ceremonies and the permission to use them. We come to understand boundaries, discrimination, energy fields, energy signatures, free will, grounding, heredity and ancestral links. We can thus use our Third Eye to see into our past lives, pathways, patterns, physical restraints, and understand the polarity of what they bring or project into this present life. We can see the progression and relationships to past allowing us to release or overcome old patterns that do not serve us in this lifetime, to work out karmic issues, and reveal our path of destiny through understanding where we've been. That allows us to gain self-control, undergo soul-retrievals to gain strength, understand the tangibility of our transformations and transmutation of our evolutionary path.
Influence of the Middle World:
The entities found here are Self and all life-forms...All Our Relations. The time aspect is The Now, where we are presently in the moment. We gain the sense of Presence/Self, and associated lessons taught here are those that deal with abidance, acceptance, attention, attunement, awareness, balance, blending, centering, and the clarity of choice/free will. This is the physical reality of containment, control, currents, cycles, definition, deflection, and equality. Here the essence is one of expansion, harmony, honor, humbleness, impeccability, individuality, intent, life on molecular levels, and the unity found as multidimensionality...learning to walk between the worlds. It is a mundane presence that merges with mysticism, and the Third Eye will help us uncover the patterns, perception, perspectives, and presence of mind that brings peace among these aspects of life itself. The reality, realization, and rightness fill our senses as a combined whole forming the stability to perceive our synthesis of time. Centered here and opening our Third Eye we find tolerance, tranquility, understanding our role and interfacing with All Our Relations...the whole comes into view.
I know that this is a brief overview of the directions and what they bring to understanding the messages our Totems convey. I do hope it helps you to explore their insights deeper and gain clarity as to how you can take a concept, question, or issue and map the course of resolution you need. Coming from any of these perspectives we have the focus we need to take in approaching that matter and the course of action we need to take is depicted in the direction the Totem takes us. If it wanders through various directions it is telling us to observe the pattern of wandering, the various aspects we need to take as steps in an ongoing process. In this way we see the time involved, the effort that will be required, we come to trust our process and the journey we are taking to undergo that particular lesson. Sometimes (and usually in initial contact) our Totems do take us from point A to point B. They like to keep it simple at first, but as we grow they will wander about more, take us deeper into things. On the surface, when they appear and move about we have an initial mapping of what they are telling us. Their own Medicine plays into that as well, and it addresses what it is within us we need to bring forth as a tool/ability to either employ or hone.
If a Totem comes forward of it's own accord to address us in this way it's Medicine will be the focus of what we need to explore and the path it takes that we map for ourselves is the course we need to follow to gain that understanding. The direction it comes from will thus give us the initial perspective on which aspect of it's nature we are looking into and the rest will unfold as it guides us through the process. Please feel free to post your own experiences with these influences so that others may see how varied the applications are.
