Totem Loss
Consulting the Creature-Teachers:
I just want to share a Bible passage wherein we are directed to interact with Totems. From Job 12:7-8: "Ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you." Whether you follow Christian teachings or a more nature-based path, the animals (their spiritual essences) will be found to be addressed somewhere. Nowhere are these creature-teachers more revered than in the shamanic teachings.
When Totems Come and Go:
Our Totems are active at different periods; however, they are always with us in the sense that they are in the foreground or background depending on the circumstances or need. They will step forward to assist us or into the background to make way for another to come forward. So in essence they go back and forth taking turns as our needs arise or our lessons are called for. When this happens, many people fear they have 'lost' a particular Totem. This is not the case. We walk with them throughout our life. It's much like a family member…they come and go about their business and sometimes live at a distance for a period of time, but they are still family, still with us, still able to be connected to with a phone call or letter…still able to come home for celebrations or visits.
We Walk With Many:
We walk with 9 Totems as a rule. One for each of the Seven Sacred Directions as our teachers for those perspectives; and 2 others, one to our left and one to our right to teach us about our feminine and masculine natures. The exception to this is going to be the individual who serves Spirit and walks a path of service to others. This would be someone in the capacity of a Shaman, Medicine Person, Holy Person, someone who would need more assistance to assist others in specific capacities and requires the deeper teachings.
Losing a Totem:
The term 'Totem' itself is loosely used to represent any creature-teacher these days, which I personally feel is misleading. To me a Totem is a creature that walks with us in and throughout life, not simply one that visits one time or a few times to deliver a message or teach a lesson. To me that's a Spirit Helper. So depending on the way you define the term, a 'Totem' can be 'lost'.
The creature-teachers, as Spirit Helpers, can be with us for a day or a period of time to assist us with a specific purpose and we will never see them again. For instance, on one occasion Octopus came to me…I had to study it's Medicine to understand it's message and then apply that Medicine to a set of circumstances I was confronting. It has come only once, for that purpose, and has not returned. I do not consider Octopus my 'Totem'. I consider it a Spirit Helper. Did I lose that Totem? No, not in my opinion, it was never 'mine' to begin with. It was a messenger telling me what Medicine would help me work through my challenges successfully.
However, there are circumstances wherein we can 'lose' a Totem. Boasting about Totems can create blockages or cause them to turn away from us. Not all of them like to be addressed publicly and it's always best to ask permission to speak of them. When spoken of respectfully most don't mind, such a situation would be a discussion with someone of like-minded beliefs. Those who are familiar with their Totems would sense when this was appropriate or not.
Bragging publicly about those we walk with to sound important or powerful is deeply frowned upon. It is insulting to the creature-teacher, and certainly not honoring them. In such an instance they have been known to withdraw or simply leave when they are disrespected. Think about it…would you stand at the side of someone who disrespected you? Honoring our Totems is so important.
Another instance might be a case where someone was abusing their knowledge and Medicine teachings. Here we would find a Totem to withdraw it's assistance due to the misuse and harm it would bring to others. These are free-thinking spirits who place their assistance at our disposal so that we can grow and touch others in good ways. Yes, you will hear of those who abuse their abilities and continue on for years doing so but eventually there comes a time where the Totem leaves or turns the tables and then leaves.
Setting a Totem aside, ignoring them when help is offered is a sign that we don't appreciate their presence and might give cause for a Totem to withdraw. Withdrawing is different than departure. It simply means they withdraw from interaction, but they can still work on our behalf quietly and usually do…much like a Guardian Spirit would. This does not mean that the abilities within us that they reflect go missing, it simply means that while we have those abilities we are not applying them.
Breaking Totemic taboos is another cause for their departure. A prime example would be eating the flesh of a Totem. This is a taboo in most cultures with one exception: sacrificial ingestion. Unless the creature is ritually slain and honored for its sacrifice before ingestion, it is a taboo. In the case of ritual sacrifice or tribal diet it is the essence of the creature that is ingested. The attributes, power and strength are then taken on and it is the Oneness that is the honoring. This might be found in say a Deer Tribe that routinely dines on venison as a mainstay of their diet and a way of honoring this spirit. Anything outside these exceptions would be cause for a Totem to get up and go.
There are countless examples of what might cause a departure but they are all based in disrespect or dishonoring or ignoring these precious spirits. In some cases they will return when our attitudes change. That decision is up to them, not us. If we again focus on them and show honor they feel it, it's like calling their name and will get their attention, but what they choose to do is based on our true intentions. So if an individual feels they've lost a Totem there is always the possibility it will return at some point…once it's convinced of the sincerity.
When Totems Die:
Totems are not going to literally die. They are comprised of pure energy, already in spirit form, they are the essence of their species with a distinct personality…like we're all humans but each of us have our own personas. They cannot die, they are eternal. However they may demonstrate their death to us for various reasons. Perhaps to show you how they lost their life if it pertains to a lesson you are receiving. They might bring you a dream or vision of their death to indicate a time has come for them to depart either to make room for another temporarily or because they have fulfilled their purpose with us.
When we dream of their deaths it's important to look at the circumstances around it. Here it's the symbology of death leading to rebirth of some sort or it reflects a new birth into a new level of understanding their Medicine. It's usually relative to our own growth and development or to circumstances in our life that we are confronting. Let me give you some examples of what I'm talking about.
If the dream depicts you killing your Totem by intent or accident it generally means that a period of severe emotional stress is before you. A time in which you will have to exert tremendous effort (akin to that which would name someone a hero/heroine) to control yourself, your temper or the actions that are called for to get through it successfully by your own efforts.
To witness a killing of your Totem indicates a time of change that may not be entirely to your liking. It can also indicate the need to return to those Medicine teachings and grow further. At such times there is usually a strong emotional reaction that rejects the slaying as either necessary or called for at all…an abhorrence to it. It can mean that there is going to be help received from friendly sources.
To witness your Totem surrender its life for you indicates that the sacrifice was made on your behalf and you are to give thanks to its spirit for doing so. Such a sacrifice is always done for the greater good of you and those around you.
The death of a Totem (symbolically through a dream or in real life) would hold the same symbolic meanings. And whether in dream or real life there is always a strong reaction to the incident.
Let me give an example of a physical experience and the symbology behind it. Deer is one of my Totems, and she doesn't mind me mentioning her in general. I have always loved these creatures for their beauty and had an appalling reaction to them being hunted. I can't stand the taste of the meat. I don't like to see them harmed in any way. These things make me physically ill. It has walked with me physically and in spirit my entire life.
On one occasion a yearling leaped off a small roadside cliff onto the highway without warning…right in front of my car and there was no reaction time to avoid hitting it. I was heartsick for it, its spine had been injured and I had to call the sheriff to come to the scene and slay it. I cried the whole time, sobbing hard and shaking. It was so young, a short life had come to an end, it seemed so wrong. I thanked it for the sacrifice apologizing repeatedly for having been the cause of its death. The sheriff shot it ending its misery, but I was shaken for days.
In the weeks that followed that sacrifice became evident as blessings did arrive, but it's not the way I would have had them come about. Now this was not something within my control, by my reaction was strong and touched me on mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual levels in a very negative way at first. It was as if a relative had suddenly passed on in a brutal fashion. I personally felt like a murderer. This was beyond the compassion one would have for seeing any animal's life taken, it felt like a part of me had been ripped out and my heart was breaking.
As this settled over me in the days that followed that blessing and the purpose became quite evident. My own spine had been injured in an auto accident, then reinjured in another, and then again a 3rd time which was at the final stages of recovery. These injuries had come over a period of years. In each instance I was stopped in traffic and rear-ended by someone. It was the rear end of the fawn that was incapacitate by being hit by my car.
I was suffering a lot of pain daily and this sacrifice showed me that a blessing would come that would allow me to cope. I had to surrender to the pain and let it go…release it's life within me, a mental aspect of releasing my attachment to it at least enough to no longer be its victim but to survive, conquer and surpass the limitations I was contending with.
I took the Medicine of Deer and put it to use, loved the pain as it reminded me I still had feeling and mobility, embraced it for what it was, then nurtured my own spirit back to reclaim it's strength. I thanked Deer for the lesson in overcoming hardship and threw away the pain pills. I adapted to my environment through the nature of Deer, doing what I could and avoiding the things I couldn't cope with...in essence leaping away from the troubles. I moderated my physical activity to adapt to the circumstances and became more active in moderate ways.
As time passed I grew stronger, and it was Deer therapy that helped me do that. I had to release my resentment for the injuries, they weren't my fault, and they weren't the fault of the individuals that brought them on…no moreso than it was my fault I hit that Deer on the road. It was an unavoidable accident, and with that realization I released. As I did this I felt the pain easing, and while it flairs up from time to time it is no longer a debilitation in my life. It is an inconvenience at times as old wounds can be, but nothing more and rest (or a good massage) is all it takes to be whole again. In all of this I came to a greater understanding of the Medicine Deer brought me. Through the experience I came to see the blessing in that sacrifice and I will ever be grateful for it.
Sometimes these things happen, and when they do there is always meaning to them. It can take awhile to see why it had to happen that way but whether in dream or in the physical sense, death plays a part and brings about the birth of something new. What's reborn will be within us in some manner, and may be as simple as a rebirth of our passion for that Medicine or a new level of understanding it that is about to begin.
It can be the rebirth of our spirit in keeping with the Totem's teachings, enhancing those attributes in our nature and bringing them out more. It can be a call to focus on that Totem and use the Medicine more at that time to make it a stronger part of our nature and bring resolution to a situation of some sort. Whatever the reason, there is purpose in these experiences and it behooves us to heed the messages when they come.
Consulting the Creature-Teachers:
I just want to share a Bible passage wherein we are directed to interact with Totems. From Job 12:7-8: "Ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you." Whether you follow Christian teachings or a more nature-based path, the animals (their spiritual essences) will be found to be addressed somewhere. Nowhere are these creature-teachers more revered than in the shamanic teachings.
When Totems Come and Go:
Our Totems are active at different periods; however, they are always with us in the sense that they are in the foreground or background depending on the circumstances or need. They will step forward to assist us or into the background to make way for another to come forward. So in essence they go back and forth taking turns as our needs arise or our lessons are called for. When this happens, many people fear they have 'lost' a particular Totem. This is not the case. We walk with them throughout our life. It's much like a family member…they come and go about their business and sometimes live at a distance for a period of time, but they are still family, still with us, still able to be connected to with a phone call or letter…still able to come home for celebrations or visits.
We Walk With Many:
We walk with 9 Totems as a rule. One for each of the Seven Sacred Directions as our teachers for those perspectives; and 2 others, one to our left and one to our right to teach us about our feminine and masculine natures. The exception to this is going to be the individual who serves Spirit and walks a path of service to others. This would be someone in the capacity of a Shaman, Medicine Person, Holy Person, someone who would need more assistance to assist others in specific capacities and requires the deeper teachings.
Losing a Totem:
The term 'Totem' itself is loosely used to represent any creature-teacher these days, which I personally feel is misleading. To me a Totem is a creature that walks with us in and throughout life, not simply one that visits one time or a few times to deliver a message or teach a lesson. To me that's a Spirit Helper. So depending on the way you define the term, a 'Totem' can be 'lost'.
The creature-teachers, as Spirit Helpers, can be with us for a day or a period of time to assist us with a specific purpose and we will never see them again. For instance, on one occasion Octopus came to me…I had to study it's Medicine to understand it's message and then apply that Medicine to a set of circumstances I was confronting. It has come only once, for that purpose, and has not returned. I do not consider Octopus my 'Totem'. I consider it a Spirit Helper. Did I lose that Totem? No, not in my opinion, it was never 'mine' to begin with. It was a messenger telling me what Medicine would help me work through my challenges successfully.
However, there are circumstances wherein we can 'lose' a Totem. Boasting about Totems can create blockages or cause them to turn away from us. Not all of them like to be addressed publicly and it's always best to ask permission to speak of them. When spoken of respectfully most don't mind, such a situation would be a discussion with someone of like-minded beliefs. Those who are familiar with their Totems would sense when this was appropriate or not.
Bragging publicly about those we walk with to sound important or powerful is deeply frowned upon. It is insulting to the creature-teacher, and certainly not honoring them. In such an instance they have been known to withdraw or simply leave when they are disrespected. Think about it…would you stand at the side of someone who disrespected you? Honoring our Totems is so important.
Another instance might be a case where someone was abusing their knowledge and Medicine teachings. Here we would find a Totem to withdraw it's assistance due to the misuse and harm it would bring to others. These are free-thinking spirits who place their assistance at our disposal so that we can grow and touch others in good ways. Yes, you will hear of those who abuse their abilities and continue on for years doing so but eventually there comes a time where the Totem leaves or turns the tables and then leaves.
Setting a Totem aside, ignoring them when help is offered is a sign that we don't appreciate their presence and might give cause for a Totem to withdraw. Withdrawing is different than departure. It simply means they withdraw from interaction, but they can still work on our behalf quietly and usually do…much like a Guardian Spirit would. This does not mean that the abilities within us that they reflect go missing, it simply means that while we have those abilities we are not applying them.
Breaking Totemic taboos is another cause for their departure. A prime example would be eating the flesh of a Totem. This is a taboo in most cultures with one exception: sacrificial ingestion. Unless the creature is ritually slain and honored for its sacrifice before ingestion, it is a taboo. In the case of ritual sacrifice or tribal diet it is the essence of the creature that is ingested. The attributes, power and strength are then taken on and it is the Oneness that is the honoring. This might be found in say a Deer Tribe that routinely dines on venison as a mainstay of their diet and a way of honoring this spirit. Anything outside these exceptions would be cause for a Totem to get up and go.
There are countless examples of what might cause a departure but they are all based in disrespect or dishonoring or ignoring these precious spirits. In some cases they will return when our attitudes change. That decision is up to them, not us. If we again focus on them and show honor they feel it, it's like calling their name and will get their attention, but what they choose to do is based on our true intentions. So if an individual feels they've lost a Totem there is always the possibility it will return at some point…once it's convinced of the sincerity.
When Totems Die:
Totems are not going to literally die. They are comprised of pure energy, already in spirit form, they are the essence of their species with a distinct personality…like we're all humans but each of us have our own personas. They cannot die, they are eternal. However they may demonstrate their death to us for various reasons. Perhaps to show you how they lost their life if it pertains to a lesson you are receiving. They might bring you a dream or vision of their death to indicate a time has come for them to depart either to make room for another temporarily or because they have fulfilled their purpose with us.
When we dream of their deaths it's important to look at the circumstances around it. Here it's the symbology of death leading to rebirth of some sort or it reflects a new birth into a new level of understanding their Medicine. It's usually relative to our own growth and development or to circumstances in our life that we are confronting. Let me give you some examples of what I'm talking about.
If the dream depicts you killing your Totem by intent or accident it generally means that a period of severe emotional stress is before you. A time in which you will have to exert tremendous effort (akin to that which would name someone a hero/heroine) to control yourself, your temper or the actions that are called for to get through it successfully by your own efforts.
To witness a killing of your Totem indicates a time of change that may not be entirely to your liking. It can also indicate the need to return to those Medicine teachings and grow further. At such times there is usually a strong emotional reaction that rejects the slaying as either necessary or called for at all…an abhorrence to it. It can mean that there is going to be help received from friendly sources.
To witness your Totem surrender its life for you indicates that the sacrifice was made on your behalf and you are to give thanks to its spirit for doing so. Such a sacrifice is always done for the greater good of you and those around you.
The death of a Totem (symbolically through a dream or in real life) would hold the same symbolic meanings. And whether in dream or real life there is always a strong reaction to the incident.
Let me give an example of a physical experience and the symbology behind it. Deer is one of my Totems, and she doesn't mind me mentioning her in general. I have always loved these creatures for their beauty and had an appalling reaction to them being hunted. I can't stand the taste of the meat. I don't like to see them harmed in any way. These things make me physically ill. It has walked with me physically and in spirit my entire life.
On one occasion a yearling leaped off a small roadside cliff onto the highway without warning…right in front of my car and there was no reaction time to avoid hitting it. I was heartsick for it, its spine had been injured and I had to call the sheriff to come to the scene and slay it. I cried the whole time, sobbing hard and shaking. It was so young, a short life had come to an end, it seemed so wrong. I thanked it for the sacrifice apologizing repeatedly for having been the cause of its death. The sheriff shot it ending its misery, but I was shaken for days.
In the weeks that followed that sacrifice became evident as blessings did arrive, but it's not the way I would have had them come about. Now this was not something within my control, by my reaction was strong and touched me on mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual levels in a very negative way at first. It was as if a relative had suddenly passed on in a brutal fashion. I personally felt like a murderer. This was beyond the compassion one would have for seeing any animal's life taken, it felt like a part of me had been ripped out and my heart was breaking.
As this settled over me in the days that followed that blessing and the purpose became quite evident. My own spine had been injured in an auto accident, then reinjured in another, and then again a 3rd time which was at the final stages of recovery. These injuries had come over a period of years. In each instance I was stopped in traffic and rear-ended by someone. It was the rear end of the fawn that was incapacitate by being hit by my car.
I was suffering a lot of pain daily and this sacrifice showed me that a blessing would come that would allow me to cope. I had to surrender to the pain and let it go…release it's life within me, a mental aspect of releasing my attachment to it at least enough to no longer be its victim but to survive, conquer and surpass the limitations I was contending with.
I took the Medicine of Deer and put it to use, loved the pain as it reminded me I still had feeling and mobility, embraced it for what it was, then nurtured my own spirit back to reclaim it's strength. I thanked Deer for the lesson in overcoming hardship and threw away the pain pills. I adapted to my environment through the nature of Deer, doing what I could and avoiding the things I couldn't cope with...in essence leaping away from the troubles. I moderated my physical activity to adapt to the circumstances and became more active in moderate ways.
As time passed I grew stronger, and it was Deer therapy that helped me do that. I had to release my resentment for the injuries, they weren't my fault, and they weren't the fault of the individuals that brought them on…no moreso than it was my fault I hit that Deer on the road. It was an unavoidable accident, and with that realization I released. As I did this I felt the pain easing, and while it flairs up from time to time it is no longer a debilitation in my life. It is an inconvenience at times as old wounds can be, but nothing more and rest (or a good massage) is all it takes to be whole again. In all of this I came to a greater understanding of the Medicine Deer brought me. Through the experience I came to see the blessing in that sacrifice and I will ever be grateful for it.
Sometimes these things happen, and when they do there is always meaning to them. It can take awhile to see why it had to happen that way but whether in dream or in the physical sense, death plays a part and brings about the birth of something new. What's reborn will be within us in some manner, and may be as simple as a rebirth of our passion for that Medicine or a new level of understanding it that is about to begin.
It can be the rebirth of our spirit in keeping with the Totem's teachings, enhancing those attributes in our nature and bringing them out more. It can be a call to focus on that Totem and use the Medicine more at that time to make it a stronger part of our nature and bring resolution to a situation of some sort. Whatever the reason, there is purpose in these experiences and it behooves us to heed the messages when they come.
