Working With Contrary Totem Medicine
Have you ever considered that it's quite possible to work with Contrary Medicine? It's an interesting topic that too few people stop to explore, afterall, Contrary Medicine is something to avoid isn't it? Who wants to walk around demonstrating that? The thing is we do demonstrate it, especially when we don't realize we're doing it. Unfortunately, many people head straight for the positive traits of their Totems, the strengths and the power they represent, after all, our Totems reflect aspects of us and we certainly don't want to see flaws in ourselves when these exciting creature-teachers make their appearance-we want all the good stuff.
While our strengths most certainly deserve our attention so do our weaknesses, it's the only way that we're going to be able to balance ourselves with our abilities and bring them under our control. Seeing the flaws allows us to make changes, to turn those weaknesses into strengths but it takes a willingness to do that. I want to encourage those of you coming to learn about Totems, and those who walk with them knowingly, to look deeper at Contrary Medicine with a more positive outlook, to see what it is in that Contrary Medicine, that when harnessed becomes a strength.
Yes, we all have a Shadow Side in our nature and if we honor it we work with it to bring it into balance and maintain neutrality with it until there is call to summon that within us. Both sides of our traits need to be honored for what they bring to us and it's not always easy looking into the Shadows. Contrary Medicine, untamed and ignored, enhances our Shadow nature but in negative ways. However, when brought under control it undergoes transmutation and becomes a source of strength to call upon in times of need. We don't unleash it without reason, but we need to know it's there.
So how do we go about understanding it? Well we need to do some reading up on it that's for sure, and as we do we come to see that in learning how your Totem preys upon others, how it hunts, and what it hunts to nurture and sustain itself tells you a lot about the Contrary Medicine being put to good use. How does it slay the prey it hunts? And in a figurative way how do you demonstrate that same trait with others in your life? When an animal hunts for joy kill it is a rogue, it has let the primal Contrary nature rule. We're capable of the same thing and if we don't study these aspects in ourselves how will we learn when and where we've displayed them and why? Aren't we really short-changing ourselves ignoring our own Contrary Medicine? By seeing when we behave in these manners, we can see what needs control, what can be a strength, and when or when not to apply it.
Sometimes Totems will present themselves from this perspective to initiate us to those changes. It's easy not to notice that at first, it's usually an almost instinctive reaction, something we do that surprises us or seems out of character. Sometimes it's an emotional reaction we impulsively responded to without thinking. Most of us don't see these things when we're not familiar with the Totems we walk with…and if we are familiar with them we choose to ignore the 'bad stuff'. Learning what traits are showing, how to track them to the creature they pertain to, getting a feel for the energy signature of Contrary Medicine in the first place, Stars it can be confusing. I think the simplest way to learn to recognize when Contrary Medicine is at play is to look at one of your Totems. Any Totem you wish will do for starters, and one by one you can go through those who walk with you. (For those of you wanting to make an initial introduction to your Totems please look at the articles in the Totem Library on that subject.) Once you know at least one Totem to explore personally you will begin a very intimate course of study through their Contrary Medicine and in that come to understand your own nature so much more. It helps us to define ourselves, to make changes for the better, and to harness energy that needs to be controlled and transformed into a more positive outlet.
Begin by reading all you can about their Contrary nature. You will learn about that in many places when you begin to study them. Their weaknesses, their primal instincts, their rogue behaviors and the motivating factors around expressing them all tell you a great deal about the Medicine when it is untamed. In that we learn how much damage we can leave in our wake if we don't tame ourselves, we see the destructive nature (self or towards others) and 'why' we need to tame it. Learning how they hunt and kill will tell you about their primal strength and how damaging it can be to others when it is unleashed without reason or unjustly. Gather information about their Contrary side, the pretty stuff that all the books want to talk about is one thing, but there's much more to learn in what they don't focus on…Contrary Medicine doesn't sell well so study them and their habits any way you can. Our Totem Library brings some of that to light but keep going. Look into a Nature Atlas, encyclopedias, online resources, go to the zoo and observe, see how the animals interact. Pay attention to the superstitions about them, the lore and myth…what are the traits that give rise to fears or admiration?
When you have done that it's time to look at yourself. When have you behaved in like manner? When do you act from a primal state? What sets that off in you? How do you go about hunting insights and slaying them with answers, or hunting issues to find the solutions? When have you acted out of character in a negative manner and hurt another's feelings what was it that brought that on? Stay with the Contrary traits of the animal you are focusing on. Learn the pattern of transmuting the negative into a neutral energy with understanding and then explore yourself to see how that can become a strength. Then, when you're done with one Totem move onto the next; but make sure you understand both the positive and negative traits, the things they teach and the abilities involved with those teachings from both sides as they pertain to you and your life.
Totems are not just constrained to the spirit worlds and we need to look at how we walk with those abilities and traits ourselves every single day. We'd do better walking with them if we understand them.
Each Totem we walk with reflects many patterns in our behavior, and depending on which Totem is active with us at the time (or perhaps more than one) learning what their energy feels like creates a signature for us to know. Knowing that energy signature we can quickly reflect on the Medicine it carries and instantly know how to respond and what measures of control we need to bring into play in any given situation. However if all we study is the strength how will we recognize the Contrary when it rises up in us, or how can we control it? Stuff it? Let it loose and when it's spent apologize or walk away? That doesn't serve anyone.
I walk with a few Big Cats and when my whiskers start to twitch I go on alert. First I have to identify the energy signature of which Big Cat it is and they all have their unique feel to them. Each takes a position with me and based on that feel (if they're not showing themselves visually) I know who is stirring. Sometimes there's more than one present and when they position I know who's where and what they're up to based on having explored their instinctive traits and personalities intimately. I begin to hold myself in Silence instantly, stilling my mind and opening it, I slowly start stalking things to see why I have received that sensation. I begin to connect with them, hunt in the way the Totem hunts until the matter is found and then I choose how I will respond to the situation. I can feel them moving with me, my spirit stirring accordingly, there's a shift of focus internally to feel the muscles and the nature that's rising to come forward. Learn to do this.
Now it would be just as easy to give into the more primal nature, feel the twitch and pounce on the first thing that crosses my path but that's not very observant and it's giving sway to letting myself get out of control. It's better to stalk, to lay back and see what's coming into view first, keep my strengths and abilities neutral for the time being and then choose logically what I need to bring into play. In that way the Contrary Medicine is harnessed in a positive way, it's kept under control, and if the situation calls for that approach the focus is correct when it's released.
Totems, when they first come to us, bring lessons with them. When they appear it does indicate that we carry that Medicine but it also indicates that we need to study those aspects of ourselves before we go throwing them around. If we let our primal nature sweep us away our egos will become involved, and that leads to arrogance, or misuse of the Medicine in some way. At those times you can bet a Totem will use Contrary Medicine to teach us a lesson in humility and about our flaws. When that happens it's by circumstance, we're suddenly finding ourselves in an awkward position. They do this to get our attention-especially when we're blindsided as to the use of the Medicine they bring us into. This happens through our actions and the things we do, stirring our senses we start to slip into a primal mode. If there's a need for experience to bring a lesson forward you can bet your Totems will be working to do just that and they often put us in a Contrary position.
We can see it happening but it's usually in hindsight as the negative traits of our Totem reflect back to us. "Oh yeah, I'm capable of that behavior, I remember when ________ happened, Stars did I cut off my nose to spite my face that time!" Well why not avoid that mistake in the future by raising your awareness of the fact and transforming that primal energy into something useful? When the Contrary Medicine hits us unaware it's easily at a time we tend to prefer to overlook or ignore that nature altogether. If we study the primal nature of any creature we see where that is called for, in what situations it is used, how it's applied and in this way it brings us to a new understanding…a strength. We can see when a rogue animal abuses that primal nature as well indicating misuse and what that results in for us. We are equivalent to the rogue animals until we learn to tame it in ourselves. When the intent is for the higher good discretion brings clarity as to how it's used. We have a primal nature within us too, we tame it as children, we let it out to play at times or in fits of temper, but we are taught early on by our parents to keep it under control and learn when to shut it off.
Awareness of this more primal nature within ourselves is often brought to light through unnoticed introductions to our Totems. Learning to tame that nature, to raise the primal to a more cosmic level of conscious awareness brings the control we're looking for. Contrary Medicine at its best is achieved when the primal nature is taken from carnal to cosmic through transmutation. Contrary Medicine resides in our nature; it spills over into our abilities and how we learn to use them as well as how we carry ourselves. I know it's hard to take a serious look at what we would consider our weaknesses or failings, we all tend to focus on our strengths when we strive to grow…we look for the positive and weakness tends to be seen as a negative. So does the term "Contrary Medicine"-neither of which have to be seen that way when understood from their Contrary perspective in teaching us things. Contrary Medicine, once recognized, can be tamed within ourselves, brought under control and used with discretion when we know how to do that…it often becomes a great strength that others will recognize and strive to emulate too.
It will help those of you who are confronting experiences along these lines to remember that if a Totem is introducing itself and we are unaware of its presence, don't know how to sense the spiritual connection as it takes a stronger hold with us, that we are essentially blindsided to unusual behaviors-those things that seem out of character for us. Unaware at the time we often discover we exhibited a bit of the primal nature before anything else, like something just itching to be released and hitting a point where you 'have to blow'. For example…perhaps you were introduced to Big Cat Medicine and took a swipe at someone verbally ripping their head off, or you went for the jugular in some spontaneous way. Maybe it was Snake and you found yourself spewing venom and later wondering why you took that attitude, weren't more composed, you just struck. If introduced to a bird of prey we can feel our fingers flexing like talons, we grasp at items quickly, perhaps ripping things out of others hands. Maybe we begin to peck at things with our beak (mouth) and can rip and tear with that. An individual coming to be aware of Turtle might pull in their shell for a time, withdraw and appear to be reclusive. Perhaps they feel life has knocked them on their back and like Turtle, they can't flip over easily, can't get back up and they feel helpless so they snap and claw at anything that comes close to bring harm, or they go into their shell until someone comes along and kicks them over. So many different ways of behavior can indicate the presence of a Totem stepping forward and it's funny how the traits start to surface and take us by surprise at first.
When new to totemic interaction we tend to overlook them; after all, they're spontaineous moments but minor ones…aren't they? Perhaps we've apologized for the way we handled things and the moment is behind us so we easily dismiss it…afterall, it was just that one time, odd but not so odd it can't brushed it off. Well, okay, it happened 3-4 times but it's nothing and on we go dismissing things that would otherwise be very obvious.
These Contrary behaviors that are exhibited point to our weaknesses or issues we may not like to delve into but should. Contrary Medicine is not always a bad thing and I want to point out that by coming to understand it we can often turn it around, turning weakness into strength by doing so; there are times that Contrary Medicine serves a purpose and is called for. The Contrary aspect is only Contrary when we do not heed it and see it for what it is, it becomes an untamed primal nature then. But we can embrace it and work with it too and if a totemic introduction is including a lesson it's apt to be through Contrary Medicine that certainly will stand out and get our attention. It's a choice to learn to see it this way and it means we have to choose to really look at ourselves to delve deep enough to find the things inside us that need to be touched upon. We have to see where we behave with that primal nature to put a finger on it, to re-recognize the energy signature. And when we see it in ourselves we can then see what kind of instinctive reaction it brings to bear.
I've mentioned that initially we tend to look at our Totems seeing their strengths, but we don't always meet them that way, and it's much more comfortable if we don't ignore the primal natures so we're not hit upside the head with a proverbially invisible 2 x 4. We don't initially see the value of study there because we're bent on self-improvement, on growth and walking as best we can. Delving into the strengths and positive aspects we want to understand, we're sometimes simply not ready to look at our weaknesses. Many of us are dealing with enough vulnerability at the time. However, when do that we're actually devaluing Contrary Medicine. We can't grasp that it's a very powerful aspect of the Medicine we each carry. When we look for just the strong points we do ourselves a disservice.
So many people gravitate to the creature-teachers that represent power and strength because it makes them feel that way themselves to claim them. They create their Totems thinking "I want to be seen as Bear" or Eagle or Panther or some other powerful creature as a means of off-setting their weaknesses they don't want to look at. Often that's part of our lesson in learning that we don't choose our Totems, they come to us because we carry their traits and they reflect those traits to us teaching us how to walk with them appropriately. We don't 'choose' our Totems, we open to receiving them and they begin to show themselves to us…often taking us by surprise at who is actually showing up. There is no shame in any Totem, none whatsoever.
If we can see that the creature-teachers all hold great power, from the tiny Ant to the huge Elephant, there is power and life force within them all so we don't have to guess at who we want to walk with. At that insight alone we can open and receive those who may wish to step forward no matter who it is. I don't believe in selling the idea of someone's Totem to themselves, it only leads to confusion and I feel it's more important if the individual can let their Totems emerge and see it as a path of discovery through themselves and their behavior. Sometimes that behavior, when presenting in a Contrary manner to get our attention, has us acting totally out of character and emphasizing a negative trait so we do see it and will take the necessary steps to correct it.
Contrary Medicine is important to understand as we come to totemic study and it's important to recognize when we begin to exhibit it. As strong as the positive traits are, the Contrary Medicine is just as strong and when one knows how to make use of it things really start to change. I want to take you into the Contrary Medicine because it represents weaknesses until it's understood, then it becomes a tactical strength when we can see how and when to use it. Learn when to be the predator, when to defend being prey, when to summon the primal aspect of both and why. The gist of this is learning the pattern of introduction by Contrary Medicine. Strength is something that takes getting used to and Contrary Medicine tends to challenge us to find our inner strength, courage, and conviction. Those weaknesses stand out at first but once understood they become powerful attributes. We don't always realize when our primal nature starts to surface, we simply slip into a primal mode often triggered by a defensive emotional response. We don't always recognize when we're flexing those muscles (contrary or positive) and when that happens around others we can at times overwhelm them not to mention shocking ourselves. So let's talk about the primal nature for a bit.
How do you learn to recognize the primal side of yourself? Well that's pretty simple, it rises like a seething desire to bite someone's head off, to take a swipe at someone, to pounce, to flex your proverbial claws tearing someone or something to shreds or ripping away at things. Anger, well sometimes it is anger, sometimes it's resentment, it can be born of frustration or exasperation, triggered by pressure or emotions that are on the surface but we don't see that at the time, it makes us feel impulsive and we simply react when it goes out of control. As an example, someone with Snake Medicine being used in a detrimental primal manner will spew venom in their words toward anyone who does not act in accord with their way of thinking. Behaving like this makes someone berate, belittle, and intimidate others this way and rarely are they capable of seeing it for what it is. It's just there, a part of them, and they act impulsively with it.
Now in a situation where firm control is called for, perhaps leadership that must take on a daunting task, that same primal energy can weave into words that strengthen and encourage, or cut to the bottom line of truth when it's called for. The venom becomes the passion in the force behind those words and it motivates, empowering others to act. We all know that in small doses venom can bring healing to someone infected by a Snakebite. Contrary Snake is going to teach us some things about that primal energy if we're learning by trial and error and we may find we've been biting our own tail in the process (ouch) or biting those we love without thinking. But if we see it for what it is and when it's appropriate for that venom (a cause to fight for perhaps or any issue for the higher good for that matter) then it serves a purpose, it comes across in a controlled way moving and motivating us. We can draw forth the primal energy to work with and fuel our passion yet contain it enough so we're able to effectively bring forth the needed changes.
When we come to see it as our own you can bet the transformative process is us before it's anything else. And anyone can call on Snake to help them whether it's their Totem or not. We have to change ourselves first. Uninformed we're not going to see that, we cover up the need to change with the spewing of venom trying to make others seem as if it's them that need to change. "There's nothing wrong with me or my point of view, it's the rest of the world that's crazy!" We deny our fear that it may be us, after all change is not very comfortable is it? Not usually.
The comfort zone we're in is safe, it may be a rut, but we know the rut well and have gone complacent, so we demand that others change so we don't have to. It's not pretty. I'm using Snake as an example because it represents change and changing primal energy through raising our awareness is part of the transformation process. If we learn to recognize it and work with it we transform it from a weakness into a strength. So let's look at the example of Snake a little further.
When Snake grows it sheds it's old skin and that's exactly what we need to do to turn the Contrary Medicine from a weakness into a strength. But in the process that means we do it in context with Snake's nature. A film will grow over Snake's eyes (essentially we are blind to the process of transformation and seeing what's changing, we simply pass through it by experience) to protect it from the hazards it will encounter as it challenges itself to shed. You see, Snake puts itself through an obstacle course of underbrush and rough ground that will aid it to tear the dead skin away and allow the new skin to emerge and breathe. Snake's sensations guide it through the transformative process and it must pay attention to the feel of the soft underbelly where those sensations reside.
If we're being introduced to the Contrary Medicine of Snake and spewing venom at everyone or anything in our way we're not paying attention to the shedding we need to do. We're not paying attention to what aspects of our being are falling away or need to so that we can grow. If we see it for what it is and bring it under control we center ourselves; we start attuning to the sensations, the primal trigger points that send us into a knee-jerk reaction, into our blind spots. The sensations running through us tell us many things…why we do or don't find things to our liking…and then we can change our reaction to those things, see where to avoid them, perhaps to tolerate that not everyone is going to see or feel the same as we do and tolerance is the first lesson. We'd need to find tolerance with ourselves while we were changing too….things we'd be forgetting until we were humbled enough times to remember. Once? Twice? Six times? How attentive are we? That will determine how many times we have to repeat the Contrary lesson.
When Contrary Snake is inaction and unheeded that blindness works against someone. They can't see the obstacles coming at them, they're not feeling things they're moving through but they are feeling the frustration of encounters and they start to spew that venom. By recognizing the Contrary aspects and working with them changes begin to take place. Using the strength of Snake and understanding that to be in various aspects of our nature, we see that we may be able to use that blindness to focus internally, privately, on our needs. Instead of watching everything going on around us it may just be time to be alone and at different periods during the day, taking the time to our advantage by raising our conscious awareness of our sensory impressions…about ourselves. Or perhaps when that primal energy rears within us we stop what we're doing, close our eyes, see what's making us feel that way and focus inward instead of outward toward others.
What does that feel like? Why are we responding to it the way we do and what can we change to make things better? Seeing what needs to change it's then a choice in how we respond, we can still use that primal energy if we need to, and being this is Snake the sensations and our reaction to them will come 'strikingly fast'. Feeling with our senses we see the challenges to the changes as we encounter them and we use that feeling to bring us through them in a better way…growing out of the old skin we're shedding and turning things around by letting the new skin breath…responding to others in a more appropriate way, tasting the air with our proverbial sensory tongues and seeking new knowledge in what we prey upon.
At this point the strike is at our weakness, the change is transforming it to a strength, and the strike is fast. The primal energy that is the more base aspect of Contrary Medicine begins to change into the primal energy used to infuse our Higher Awareness and grow into a stronger more sensitive individual that attracts others to us rather than repels them.
What we prey upon begins to be our own traits, we become more selective, what we hunger for we feel the need to feed, and we explore the effects we bring about when we use our venom in a more appropriate way. We have to hunt the food within us first…we have to change ourselves so what aspects stand out that need to be changed. Snake dwells both above ground (in the world) and below ground (within itself). We're not out joy killing others to make ourselves feel more powerful and better about the path we walk in life, we begin instead to use that venom to heal situations, and bite into those that need healing…and we begin doing that with ourselves.
We learn in this way to help others who struggle with the same challenges we've experienced. Our senses tell us, guidance tells us, we attune to those silent voices that guide us through the obstacle courses in life. Is it any wonder that Snake is so much a symbol of the medical profession in their caduceus with the entwined serpents? A little venom has the power to heal, a lot can kill…or at the very least cause a whole lot of discomfort to those exposed to it.
No matter what totemic animal you are working with, a good look at the Contrary Medicine will point you toward issues to address in yourself and give you your initial homework. Ask yourself how you might use the positive aspects to bring yourself through the process of change. By raising your conscious awareness to the positive attributes of change your own abilities turn from that weakness becoming a well honed and functional muscle adding strength and the endurance needed to face challenges when they're encountered.
Transformation through choice has begun. Snake will let you feel your senses and guide you through this in an effortless manner when you learn from this creature-teacher…it will show you how to maneuver the obstacles through that sensory information. You will begin to taste what nourishes you and hunt that as prey…you feed the hunger to know more about Snake and therefore yourself and all the beauty that resides in the transformation process starts to lift you up and through it.
Snake is a an excellent example of going with the flow, and in this it shows us how to do the same.
There is a rhythmic movement in Snake's undulations…it moves through the senses checking each one out for what it can convey. It's body moves in the way a master dancer moves, fluidly, up, under, around and through the obstacles in the best manner to fit the need of the situation. It bites into the food that nourishes it and bites repeatedly; quickly devouring it whole, the prey is taken in, digested and nourishment results. Learning how to use this Contrary Medicine in the same way, being willing to accept that our actions had us eating away at ourselves and/or others, we start to feed on the positive uses and bring about change as we grow into a new skin that transforms all other outer relationships.
If we spill venom with others we know there must be call for it and how it's used to avoid the effects of backlash. We temper, hone, and apply that as we move in that rhythmic undulation of sensory impression. Contrary Medicine has served a great purpose there. Is it any different (the pattern of change through Contrary Medicine) with any other totemic creature? Absolutely not. By understanding that we use it in times of need rather than to control others, we bring ourselves under control. We use it with discernment turning a weak and careless nature into a strong and composed one. We transmute that weakness into a strength and turn the Contrary Medicine into Good Medicine that serves the greater good and brings about right intent.
We move through the Medicine teachings with integrity this way, and tame the primal ego that wants to feed the self any way it can. It's not about controlling others, it's about controlling ourselves.
Since Snake has been our primary example I want to point out that part of its Medicine is about the initiation process of transformation which takes us into the life, death and rebirth cycles. The life led to the point of awareness where the Contrary Medicine is a conscious matter must then die to undergo the rebirth process. Snake at times must put itself through the shedding process to grow and that means we have to let go of our old ways and embrace the new in-sights our senses are bringing to bear about ourselves. In this we embrace the new skin, we take on the new sensations that allows-and then we can move rhythmically through life with them. When the Snake has completed its shedding process its eyes shed the filmy veil that has protected them during that dangerous time. No longer blind it has come through the experience enlightened, and it sees again as it makes its way through the world…it sees in a whole new way.
There are many ways to spew venom in the Contrary Medicine one exudes. Mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, sometimes in a variety of these ways. That can do a lot of damage to others but think of the damage it does to the individual too. Others shun those who bite the vulnerable areas of their being, they back away from those that bring this kind of danger to them, they avoid them altogether if possible. How many true friends does someone like this have? And why would we do this to ourselves? What we do to others we do to our Self. We are all a part of the Web of Life and what we do along our strand reverberates through the entire web. We are either going to attract that which we need or we're going to repel it. This is the power of creation, of co-creation, of evolution at its best…the power to take that Contrary Medicine and put it to good use bringing about positive results and healing or evolving. It's definitely raising our conscious awareness and helping us to continue to evolve in that manner too.
Dismissing Contrary Medicine regardless of what totemic creature we're looking at is not a good thing. What is good is to study and understand it and learn to use it properly instead of improperly. In order to do that we have to be willing to look at ourselves and see when we use it, how we use it and what those results have brought us. At that point, seeing what needs to change stands out in a more logical than emotional way.
The logic helps us see the need to change and it's easy to make that choice. We're able to see that our Contrary state of refusing to change has caused so much suffering no only to us but to others. The emotional regret of having taken so long to see it, and perhaps the damage in the wake of that, the venom spewed at others and how that hurt or injured them instead of bringing a healing serum their way…well those things are things we don't forget, but they do serve to add to our strength by giving us the conviction to never do them again without just cause and then with great thought. We no longer respond in the impulsive way, that changes to instinct and our defenses are no longer a weak point but one of strength that maintains itself. We simply change and shed the old ways for the new.
We can all do this rhythmic dance with life in a new and less confined manner, willingly without resistance, we listen to the soft voices that guide us and we effect change in positive ways…within ourselves and others. We have lifted our conscious awareness to a higher state of mind and our actions will be in accordance to that. So will the results they bring. Contrary Medicine holds purpose.
When I started this article I mentioned that we usually confront the Contrary Medicine first…we don't understand what benefits it holds and see it as a negative in the first place. When it comes to the attributes we carry, it's often very hard to look at our short comings so the initiating experiences will be challenging us to do so. If we can see the value in Contrary Medicine we begin to see from an advantage point. Turning that around calls for courage to face whatever challenges are in us and you can bet that if you're walking with Contrary Medicine first the experience will be one of exposure.
It can often be quite embarrassing to be exposed, vulnerabilities we hide from weaken us, confronting them calls for turning them into strengths in some fashion and you will run into a mirror somewhere that will expose this part of your nature. It means setting boundaries that will allow you to use that to create a safe place to do your examination. Those boundaries begin within you.
If I'm coming out with my claws showing I can rip someone's head off quite effectively. It doesn't happen often, I keep that under control until there's a reason to use it, picking my battles. I can feel when my Totems are moving within me, my senses tell me who is coming forward in my own behaviors and I know what Medicine I'm working with when I feel the primal energy signature. Learning how the contrary Medicine of a Totem works you can see how it can work to your advantage as a strength when called for and how it can work against you if you're not controlling the primal nature. In battles where strength is called for we call up that primal nature to draw that energy into our actions and if under control we use it well. I encourage you to learn what your Contrary Medicines are and how to use them.
Have you ever considered that it's quite possible to work with Contrary Medicine? It's an interesting topic that too few people stop to explore, afterall, Contrary Medicine is something to avoid isn't it? Who wants to walk around demonstrating that? The thing is we do demonstrate it, especially when we don't realize we're doing it. Unfortunately, many people head straight for the positive traits of their Totems, the strengths and the power they represent, after all, our Totems reflect aspects of us and we certainly don't want to see flaws in ourselves when these exciting creature-teachers make their appearance-we want all the good stuff.
While our strengths most certainly deserve our attention so do our weaknesses, it's the only way that we're going to be able to balance ourselves with our abilities and bring them under our control. Seeing the flaws allows us to make changes, to turn those weaknesses into strengths but it takes a willingness to do that. I want to encourage those of you coming to learn about Totems, and those who walk with them knowingly, to look deeper at Contrary Medicine with a more positive outlook, to see what it is in that Contrary Medicine, that when harnessed becomes a strength.
Yes, we all have a Shadow Side in our nature and if we honor it we work with it to bring it into balance and maintain neutrality with it until there is call to summon that within us. Both sides of our traits need to be honored for what they bring to us and it's not always easy looking into the Shadows. Contrary Medicine, untamed and ignored, enhances our Shadow nature but in negative ways. However, when brought under control it undergoes transmutation and becomes a source of strength to call upon in times of need. We don't unleash it without reason, but we need to know it's there.
So how do we go about understanding it? Well we need to do some reading up on it that's for sure, and as we do we come to see that in learning how your Totem preys upon others, how it hunts, and what it hunts to nurture and sustain itself tells you a lot about the Contrary Medicine being put to good use. How does it slay the prey it hunts? And in a figurative way how do you demonstrate that same trait with others in your life? When an animal hunts for joy kill it is a rogue, it has let the primal Contrary nature rule. We're capable of the same thing and if we don't study these aspects in ourselves how will we learn when and where we've displayed them and why? Aren't we really short-changing ourselves ignoring our own Contrary Medicine? By seeing when we behave in these manners, we can see what needs control, what can be a strength, and when or when not to apply it.
Sometimes Totems will present themselves from this perspective to initiate us to those changes. It's easy not to notice that at first, it's usually an almost instinctive reaction, something we do that surprises us or seems out of character. Sometimes it's an emotional reaction we impulsively responded to without thinking. Most of us don't see these things when we're not familiar with the Totems we walk with…and if we are familiar with them we choose to ignore the 'bad stuff'. Learning what traits are showing, how to track them to the creature they pertain to, getting a feel for the energy signature of Contrary Medicine in the first place, Stars it can be confusing. I think the simplest way to learn to recognize when Contrary Medicine is at play is to look at one of your Totems. Any Totem you wish will do for starters, and one by one you can go through those who walk with you. (For those of you wanting to make an initial introduction to your Totems please look at the articles in the Totem Library on that subject.) Once you know at least one Totem to explore personally you will begin a very intimate course of study through their Contrary Medicine and in that come to understand your own nature so much more. It helps us to define ourselves, to make changes for the better, and to harness energy that needs to be controlled and transformed into a more positive outlet.
Begin by reading all you can about their Contrary nature. You will learn about that in many places when you begin to study them. Their weaknesses, their primal instincts, their rogue behaviors and the motivating factors around expressing them all tell you a great deal about the Medicine when it is untamed. In that we learn how much damage we can leave in our wake if we don't tame ourselves, we see the destructive nature (self or towards others) and 'why' we need to tame it. Learning how they hunt and kill will tell you about their primal strength and how damaging it can be to others when it is unleashed without reason or unjustly. Gather information about their Contrary side, the pretty stuff that all the books want to talk about is one thing, but there's much more to learn in what they don't focus on…Contrary Medicine doesn't sell well so study them and their habits any way you can. Our Totem Library brings some of that to light but keep going. Look into a Nature Atlas, encyclopedias, online resources, go to the zoo and observe, see how the animals interact. Pay attention to the superstitions about them, the lore and myth…what are the traits that give rise to fears or admiration?
When you have done that it's time to look at yourself. When have you behaved in like manner? When do you act from a primal state? What sets that off in you? How do you go about hunting insights and slaying them with answers, or hunting issues to find the solutions? When have you acted out of character in a negative manner and hurt another's feelings what was it that brought that on? Stay with the Contrary traits of the animal you are focusing on. Learn the pattern of transmuting the negative into a neutral energy with understanding and then explore yourself to see how that can become a strength. Then, when you're done with one Totem move onto the next; but make sure you understand both the positive and negative traits, the things they teach and the abilities involved with those teachings from both sides as they pertain to you and your life.
Totems are not just constrained to the spirit worlds and we need to look at how we walk with those abilities and traits ourselves every single day. We'd do better walking with them if we understand them.
Each Totem we walk with reflects many patterns in our behavior, and depending on which Totem is active with us at the time (or perhaps more than one) learning what their energy feels like creates a signature for us to know. Knowing that energy signature we can quickly reflect on the Medicine it carries and instantly know how to respond and what measures of control we need to bring into play in any given situation. However if all we study is the strength how will we recognize the Contrary when it rises up in us, or how can we control it? Stuff it? Let it loose and when it's spent apologize or walk away? That doesn't serve anyone.
I walk with a few Big Cats and when my whiskers start to twitch I go on alert. First I have to identify the energy signature of which Big Cat it is and they all have their unique feel to them. Each takes a position with me and based on that feel (if they're not showing themselves visually) I know who is stirring. Sometimes there's more than one present and when they position I know who's where and what they're up to based on having explored their instinctive traits and personalities intimately. I begin to hold myself in Silence instantly, stilling my mind and opening it, I slowly start stalking things to see why I have received that sensation. I begin to connect with them, hunt in the way the Totem hunts until the matter is found and then I choose how I will respond to the situation. I can feel them moving with me, my spirit stirring accordingly, there's a shift of focus internally to feel the muscles and the nature that's rising to come forward. Learn to do this.
Now it would be just as easy to give into the more primal nature, feel the twitch and pounce on the first thing that crosses my path but that's not very observant and it's giving sway to letting myself get out of control. It's better to stalk, to lay back and see what's coming into view first, keep my strengths and abilities neutral for the time being and then choose logically what I need to bring into play. In that way the Contrary Medicine is harnessed in a positive way, it's kept under control, and if the situation calls for that approach the focus is correct when it's released.
Totems, when they first come to us, bring lessons with them. When they appear it does indicate that we carry that Medicine but it also indicates that we need to study those aspects of ourselves before we go throwing them around. If we let our primal nature sweep us away our egos will become involved, and that leads to arrogance, or misuse of the Medicine in some way. At those times you can bet a Totem will use Contrary Medicine to teach us a lesson in humility and about our flaws. When that happens it's by circumstance, we're suddenly finding ourselves in an awkward position. They do this to get our attention-especially when we're blindsided as to the use of the Medicine they bring us into. This happens through our actions and the things we do, stirring our senses we start to slip into a primal mode. If there's a need for experience to bring a lesson forward you can bet your Totems will be working to do just that and they often put us in a Contrary position.
We can see it happening but it's usually in hindsight as the negative traits of our Totem reflect back to us. "Oh yeah, I'm capable of that behavior, I remember when ________ happened, Stars did I cut off my nose to spite my face that time!" Well why not avoid that mistake in the future by raising your awareness of the fact and transforming that primal energy into something useful? When the Contrary Medicine hits us unaware it's easily at a time we tend to prefer to overlook or ignore that nature altogether. If we study the primal nature of any creature we see where that is called for, in what situations it is used, how it's applied and in this way it brings us to a new understanding…a strength. We can see when a rogue animal abuses that primal nature as well indicating misuse and what that results in for us. We are equivalent to the rogue animals until we learn to tame it in ourselves. When the intent is for the higher good discretion brings clarity as to how it's used. We have a primal nature within us too, we tame it as children, we let it out to play at times or in fits of temper, but we are taught early on by our parents to keep it under control and learn when to shut it off.
Awareness of this more primal nature within ourselves is often brought to light through unnoticed introductions to our Totems. Learning to tame that nature, to raise the primal to a more cosmic level of conscious awareness brings the control we're looking for. Contrary Medicine at its best is achieved when the primal nature is taken from carnal to cosmic through transmutation. Contrary Medicine resides in our nature; it spills over into our abilities and how we learn to use them as well as how we carry ourselves. I know it's hard to take a serious look at what we would consider our weaknesses or failings, we all tend to focus on our strengths when we strive to grow…we look for the positive and weakness tends to be seen as a negative. So does the term "Contrary Medicine"-neither of which have to be seen that way when understood from their Contrary perspective in teaching us things. Contrary Medicine, once recognized, can be tamed within ourselves, brought under control and used with discretion when we know how to do that…it often becomes a great strength that others will recognize and strive to emulate too.
It will help those of you who are confronting experiences along these lines to remember that if a Totem is introducing itself and we are unaware of its presence, don't know how to sense the spiritual connection as it takes a stronger hold with us, that we are essentially blindsided to unusual behaviors-those things that seem out of character for us. Unaware at the time we often discover we exhibited a bit of the primal nature before anything else, like something just itching to be released and hitting a point where you 'have to blow'. For example…perhaps you were introduced to Big Cat Medicine and took a swipe at someone verbally ripping their head off, or you went for the jugular in some spontaneous way. Maybe it was Snake and you found yourself spewing venom and later wondering why you took that attitude, weren't more composed, you just struck. If introduced to a bird of prey we can feel our fingers flexing like talons, we grasp at items quickly, perhaps ripping things out of others hands. Maybe we begin to peck at things with our beak (mouth) and can rip and tear with that. An individual coming to be aware of Turtle might pull in their shell for a time, withdraw and appear to be reclusive. Perhaps they feel life has knocked them on their back and like Turtle, they can't flip over easily, can't get back up and they feel helpless so they snap and claw at anything that comes close to bring harm, or they go into their shell until someone comes along and kicks them over. So many different ways of behavior can indicate the presence of a Totem stepping forward and it's funny how the traits start to surface and take us by surprise at first.
When new to totemic interaction we tend to overlook them; after all, they're spontaineous moments but minor ones…aren't they? Perhaps we've apologized for the way we handled things and the moment is behind us so we easily dismiss it…afterall, it was just that one time, odd but not so odd it can't brushed it off. Well, okay, it happened 3-4 times but it's nothing and on we go dismissing things that would otherwise be very obvious.
These Contrary behaviors that are exhibited point to our weaknesses or issues we may not like to delve into but should. Contrary Medicine is not always a bad thing and I want to point out that by coming to understand it we can often turn it around, turning weakness into strength by doing so; there are times that Contrary Medicine serves a purpose and is called for. The Contrary aspect is only Contrary when we do not heed it and see it for what it is, it becomes an untamed primal nature then. But we can embrace it and work with it too and if a totemic introduction is including a lesson it's apt to be through Contrary Medicine that certainly will stand out and get our attention. It's a choice to learn to see it this way and it means we have to choose to really look at ourselves to delve deep enough to find the things inside us that need to be touched upon. We have to see where we behave with that primal nature to put a finger on it, to re-recognize the energy signature. And when we see it in ourselves we can then see what kind of instinctive reaction it brings to bear.
I've mentioned that initially we tend to look at our Totems seeing their strengths, but we don't always meet them that way, and it's much more comfortable if we don't ignore the primal natures so we're not hit upside the head with a proverbially invisible 2 x 4. We don't initially see the value of study there because we're bent on self-improvement, on growth and walking as best we can. Delving into the strengths and positive aspects we want to understand, we're sometimes simply not ready to look at our weaknesses. Many of us are dealing with enough vulnerability at the time. However, when do that we're actually devaluing Contrary Medicine. We can't grasp that it's a very powerful aspect of the Medicine we each carry. When we look for just the strong points we do ourselves a disservice.
So many people gravitate to the creature-teachers that represent power and strength because it makes them feel that way themselves to claim them. They create their Totems thinking "I want to be seen as Bear" or Eagle or Panther or some other powerful creature as a means of off-setting their weaknesses they don't want to look at. Often that's part of our lesson in learning that we don't choose our Totems, they come to us because we carry their traits and they reflect those traits to us teaching us how to walk with them appropriately. We don't 'choose' our Totems, we open to receiving them and they begin to show themselves to us…often taking us by surprise at who is actually showing up. There is no shame in any Totem, none whatsoever.
If we can see that the creature-teachers all hold great power, from the tiny Ant to the huge Elephant, there is power and life force within them all so we don't have to guess at who we want to walk with. At that insight alone we can open and receive those who may wish to step forward no matter who it is. I don't believe in selling the idea of someone's Totem to themselves, it only leads to confusion and I feel it's more important if the individual can let their Totems emerge and see it as a path of discovery through themselves and their behavior. Sometimes that behavior, when presenting in a Contrary manner to get our attention, has us acting totally out of character and emphasizing a negative trait so we do see it and will take the necessary steps to correct it.
Contrary Medicine is important to understand as we come to totemic study and it's important to recognize when we begin to exhibit it. As strong as the positive traits are, the Contrary Medicine is just as strong and when one knows how to make use of it things really start to change. I want to take you into the Contrary Medicine because it represents weaknesses until it's understood, then it becomes a tactical strength when we can see how and when to use it. Learn when to be the predator, when to defend being prey, when to summon the primal aspect of both and why. The gist of this is learning the pattern of introduction by Contrary Medicine. Strength is something that takes getting used to and Contrary Medicine tends to challenge us to find our inner strength, courage, and conviction. Those weaknesses stand out at first but once understood they become powerful attributes. We don't always realize when our primal nature starts to surface, we simply slip into a primal mode often triggered by a defensive emotional response. We don't always recognize when we're flexing those muscles (contrary or positive) and when that happens around others we can at times overwhelm them not to mention shocking ourselves. So let's talk about the primal nature for a bit.
How do you learn to recognize the primal side of yourself? Well that's pretty simple, it rises like a seething desire to bite someone's head off, to take a swipe at someone, to pounce, to flex your proverbial claws tearing someone or something to shreds or ripping away at things. Anger, well sometimes it is anger, sometimes it's resentment, it can be born of frustration or exasperation, triggered by pressure or emotions that are on the surface but we don't see that at the time, it makes us feel impulsive and we simply react when it goes out of control. As an example, someone with Snake Medicine being used in a detrimental primal manner will spew venom in their words toward anyone who does not act in accord with their way of thinking. Behaving like this makes someone berate, belittle, and intimidate others this way and rarely are they capable of seeing it for what it is. It's just there, a part of them, and they act impulsively with it.
Now in a situation where firm control is called for, perhaps leadership that must take on a daunting task, that same primal energy can weave into words that strengthen and encourage, or cut to the bottom line of truth when it's called for. The venom becomes the passion in the force behind those words and it motivates, empowering others to act. We all know that in small doses venom can bring healing to someone infected by a Snakebite. Contrary Snake is going to teach us some things about that primal energy if we're learning by trial and error and we may find we've been biting our own tail in the process (ouch) or biting those we love without thinking. But if we see it for what it is and when it's appropriate for that venom (a cause to fight for perhaps or any issue for the higher good for that matter) then it serves a purpose, it comes across in a controlled way moving and motivating us. We can draw forth the primal energy to work with and fuel our passion yet contain it enough so we're able to effectively bring forth the needed changes.
When we come to see it as our own you can bet the transformative process is us before it's anything else. And anyone can call on Snake to help them whether it's their Totem or not. We have to change ourselves first. Uninformed we're not going to see that, we cover up the need to change with the spewing of venom trying to make others seem as if it's them that need to change. "There's nothing wrong with me or my point of view, it's the rest of the world that's crazy!" We deny our fear that it may be us, after all change is not very comfortable is it? Not usually.
The comfort zone we're in is safe, it may be a rut, but we know the rut well and have gone complacent, so we demand that others change so we don't have to. It's not pretty. I'm using Snake as an example because it represents change and changing primal energy through raising our awareness is part of the transformation process. If we learn to recognize it and work with it we transform it from a weakness into a strength. So let's look at the example of Snake a little further.
When Snake grows it sheds it's old skin and that's exactly what we need to do to turn the Contrary Medicine from a weakness into a strength. But in the process that means we do it in context with Snake's nature. A film will grow over Snake's eyes (essentially we are blind to the process of transformation and seeing what's changing, we simply pass through it by experience) to protect it from the hazards it will encounter as it challenges itself to shed. You see, Snake puts itself through an obstacle course of underbrush and rough ground that will aid it to tear the dead skin away and allow the new skin to emerge and breathe. Snake's sensations guide it through the transformative process and it must pay attention to the feel of the soft underbelly where those sensations reside.
If we're being introduced to the Contrary Medicine of Snake and spewing venom at everyone or anything in our way we're not paying attention to the shedding we need to do. We're not paying attention to what aspects of our being are falling away or need to so that we can grow. If we see it for what it is and bring it under control we center ourselves; we start attuning to the sensations, the primal trigger points that send us into a knee-jerk reaction, into our blind spots. The sensations running through us tell us many things…why we do or don't find things to our liking…and then we can change our reaction to those things, see where to avoid them, perhaps to tolerate that not everyone is going to see or feel the same as we do and tolerance is the first lesson. We'd need to find tolerance with ourselves while we were changing too….things we'd be forgetting until we were humbled enough times to remember. Once? Twice? Six times? How attentive are we? That will determine how many times we have to repeat the Contrary lesson.
When Contrary Snake is inaction and unheeded that blindness works against someone. They can't see the obstacles coming at them, they're not feeling things they're moving through but they are feeling the frustration of encounters and they start to spew that venom. By recognizing the Contrary aspects and working with them changes begin to take place. Using the strength of Snake and understanding that to be in various aspects of our nature, we see that we may be able to use that blindness to focus internally, privately, on our needs. Instead of watching everything going on around us it may just be time to be alone and at different periods during the day, taking the time to our advantage by raising our conscious awareness of our sensory impressions…about ourselves. Or perhaps when that primal energy rears within us we stop what we're doing, close our eyes, see what's making us feel that way and focus inward instead of outward toward others.
What does that feel like? Why are we responding to it the way we do and what can we change to make things better? Seeing what needs to change it's then a choice in how we respond, we can still use that primal energy if we need to, and being this is Snake the sensations and our reaction to them will come 'strikingly fast'. Feeling with our senses we see the challenges to the changes as we encounter them and we use that feeling to bring us through them in a better way…growing out of the old skin we're shedding and turning things around by letting the new skin breath…responding to others in a more appropriate way, tasting the air with our proverbial sensory tongues and seeking new knowledge in what we prey upon.
At this point the strike is at our weakness, the change is transforming it to a strength, and the strike is fast. The primal energy that is the more base aspect of Contrary Medicine begins to change into the primal energy used to infuse our Higher Awareness and grow into a stronger more sensitive individual that attracts others to us rather than repels them.
What we prey upon begins to be our own traits, we become more selective, what we hunger for we feel the need to feed, and we explore the effects we bring about when we use our venom in a more appropriate way. We have to hunt the food within us first…we have to change ourselves so what aspects stand out that need to be changed. Snake dwells both above ground (in the world) and below ground (within itself). We're not out joy killing others to make ourselves feel more powerful and better about the path we walk in life, we begin instead to use that venom to heal situations, and bite into those that need healing…and we begin doing that with ourselves.
We learn in this way to help others who struggle with the same challenges we've experienced. Our senses tell us, guidance tells us, we attune to those silent voices that guide us through the obstacle courses in life. Is it any wonder that Snake is so much a symbol of the medical profession in their caduceus with the entwined serpents? A little venom has the power to heal, a lot can kill…or at the very least cause a whole lot of discomfort to those exposed to it.
No matter what totemic animal you are working with, a good look at the Contrary Medicine will point you toward issues to address in yourself and give you your initial homework. Ask yourself how you might use the positive aspects to bring yourself through the process of change. By raising your conscious awareness to the positive attributes of change your own abilities turn from that weakness becoming a well honed and functional muscle adding strength and the endurance needed to face challenges when they're encountered.
Transformation through choice has begun. Snake will let you feel your senses and guide you through this in an effortless manner when you learn from this creature-teacher…it will show you how to maneuver the obstacles through that sensory information. You will begin to taste what nourishes you and hunt that as prey…you feed the hunger to know more about Snake and therefore yourself and all the beauty that resides in the transformation process starts to lift you up and through it.
Snake is a an excellent example of going with the flow, and in this it shows us how to do the same.
There is a rhythmic movement in Snake's undulations…it moves through the senses checking each one out for what it can convey. It's body moves in the way a master dancer moves, fluidly, up, under, around and through the obstacles in the best manner to fit the need of the situation. It bites into the food that nourishes it and bites repeatedly; quickly devouring it whole, the prey is taken in, digested and nourishment results. Learning how to use this Contrary Medicine in the same way, being willing to accept that our actions had us eating away at ourselves and/or others, we start to feed on the positive uses and bring about change as we grow into a new skin that transforms all other outer relationships.
If we spill venom with others we know there must be call for it and how it's used to avoid the effects of backlash. We temper, hone, and apply that as we move in that rhythmic undulation of sensory impression. Contrary Medicine has served a great purpose there. Is it any different (the pattern of change through Contrary Medicine) with any other totemic creature? Absolutely not. By understanding that we use it in times of need rather than to control others, we bring ourselves under control. We use it with discernment turning a weak and careless nature into a strong and composed one. We transmute that weakness into a strength and turn the Contrary Medicine into Good Medicine that serves the greater good and brings about right intent.
We move through the Medicine teachings with integrity this way, and tame the primal ego that wants to feed the self any way it can. It's not about controlling others, it's about controlling ourselves.
Since Snake has been our primary example I want to point out that part of its Medicine is about the initiation process of transformation which takes us into the life, death and rebirth cycles. The life led to the point of awareness where the Contrary Medicine is a conscious matter must then die to undergo the rebirth process. Snake at times must put itself through the shedding process to grow and that means we have to let go of our old ways and embrace the new in-sights our senses are bringing to bear about ourselves. In this we embrace the new skin, we take on the new sensations that allows-and then we can move rhythmically through life with them. When the Snake has completed its shedding process its eyes shed the filmy veil that has protected them during that dangerous time. No longer blind it has come through the experience enlightened, and it sees again as it makes its way through the world…it sees in a whole new way.
There are many ways to spew venom in the Contrary Medicine one exudes. Mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, sometimes in a variety of these ways. That can do a lot of damage to others but think of the damage it does to the individual too. Others shun those who bite the vulnerable areas of their being, they back away from those that bring this kind of danger to them, they avoid them altogether if possible. How many true friends does someone like this have? And why would we do this to ourselves? What we do to others we do to our Self. We are all a part of the Web of Life and what we do along our strand reverberates through the entire web. We are either going to attract that which we need or we're going to repel it. This is the power of creation, of co-creation, of evolution at its best…the power to take that Contrary Medicine and put it to good use bringing about positive results and healing or evolving. It's definitely raising our conscious awareness and helping us to continue to evolve in that manner too.
Dismissing Contrary Medicine regardless of what totemic creature we're looking at is not a good thing. What is good is to study and understand it and learn to use it properly instead of improperly. In order to do that we have to be willing to look at ourselves and see when we use it, how we use it and what those results have brought us. At that point, seeing what needs to change stands out in a more logical than emotional way.
The logic helps us see the need to change and it's easy to make that choice. We're able to see that our Contrary state of refusing to change has caused so much suffering no only to us but to others. The emotional regret of having taken so long to see it, and perhaps the damage in the wake of that, the venom spewed at others and how that hurt or injured them instead of bringing a healing serum their way…well those things are things we don't forget, but they do serve to add to our strength by giving us the conviction to never do them again without just cause and then with great thought. We no longer respond in the impulsive way, that changes to instinct and our defenses are no longer a weak point but one of strength that maintains itself. We simply change and shed the old ways for the new.
We can all do this rhythmic dance with life in a new and less confined manner, willingly without resistance, we listen to the soft voices that guide us and we effect change in positive ways…within ourselves and others. We have lifted our conscious awareness to a higher state of mind and our actions will be in accordance to that. So will the results they bring. Contrary Medicine holds purpose.
When I started this article I mentioned that we usually confront the Contrary Medicine first…we don't understand what benefits it holds and see it as a negative in the first place. When it comes to the attributes we carry, it's often very hard to look at our short comings so the initiating experiences will be challenging us to do so. If we can see the value in Contrary Medicine we begin to see from an advantage point. Turning that around calls for courage to face whatever challenges are in us and you can bet that if you're walking with Contrary Medicine first the experience will be one of exposure.
It can often be quite embarrassing to be exposed, vulnerabilities we hide from weaken us, confronting them calls for turning them into strengths in some fashion and you will run into a mirror somewhere that will expose this part of your nature. It means setting boundaries that will allow you to use that to create a safe place to do your examination. Those boundaries begin within you.
If I'm coming out with my claws showing I can rip someone's head off quite effectively. It doesn't happen often, I keep that under control until there's a reason to use it, picking my battles. I can feel when my Totems are moving within me, my senses tell me who is coming forward in my own behaviors and I know what Medicine I'm working with when I feel the primal energy signature. Learning how the contrary Medicine of a Totem works you can see how it can work to your advantage as a strength when called for and how it can work against you if you're not controlling the primal nature. In battles where strength is called for we call up that primal nature to draw that energy into our actions and if under control we use it well. I encourage you to learn what your Contrary Medicines are and how to use them.
