there is more than one...
but snakes and foxes figure prominently...
i learned through my brief fling with
FaLun Gong
that Snakes and Foxes are the primary animals
who can cultivate their energy...
and eventually grow powerful enough
to possess the bodies of foolish human
qigong practitioners...
so that the Fu Ti
or snake/fox spirit
can continue its practice
unto immortality.

If only i were so lucky.

cats and dragonflies, undoubtedly.

Wonderful site...thank you, Adya! (I'm not sure how to pronounce the Tibetan...or is it Sanskrit....part of your name.)

I've worked with Native American totems (seen in the Medicine Card deck by Jamie Sams and David Carson) and with my own experiences with animals. This system has different totems for different purposes:

East: The animal in the East guides you to your greatest spiritual challenges and guards your path to illumination
South: The animal in the South protects the child within and reminds you when to be humble and when to trust, so that innocence will be balanced in your personality.
West: The animal in the West leads you to your personal truth and inner answers. It also shows you the path to your goals.
North: The animal in the North gives wise counsel and reminds you when to speak and when to listen. It also reminds you to be greateful for every blessing every day.
Above: The Above animal teaches you how to honor the Great Star Nation, and reminds you that you came from the stars and to the stars you will return. This animal is also the guardian of the Dreamtime---for your personal access to other dimensions.
Below: The Below animal teaches you about the inner Earth, and how to stay grounded and on the path.
Within: The Within animal teaches you how to find your heart's joy and how to be faithful to your personal truths. It is also the protector of your Sacred Space, the place that is yours alone and is never shared except by invitation.
Right Side: This animal protects your male side and teaches you that, no matter where you turn, it will be your Father-protector within. This animal carries your courage and warrior spirit.
Left Side: This animal is the protector of your female side and teaches you that you must learn to receive abundance as well as to nurture yourself and others. This animal is also your teacher about relationships and mothering.

Here's mine:
East: Deer
South: Snake
West: Cat or Owl
North: Hawk
Above: Camel
Below: Woodpecker
Within: Porpoise
Right Side: Dog
Left Side: Horse

You can find out about this system here:
books.google.com/books

Get a Medicine Card reading here: www.medicinecards.com/

Another great Animal Totem/Friend site:

www.geocities.com/rainfores...ndex1.html

I love the site that you linked. I refer to it quite often, here is another that is a favorite of mine.

www.geocities.com/~animalsp...ndex1.html

Ravens & Lynx

principally: CAT, DRAGONFLY, and HERON

and to a lesser degree: egret, mountain lion (puma/panther/jaguar), and turtle

when I was a child: owl, elephant, turtle

In the waking world most often it is the crow, hawk, and owl. Though there is a slight change to this at times as I grow.

In the realm of dreams the transition from my coming of age to now has been black panther, sea turtles, gold fish and whales, cats, and now I rarely dream of animals but when I do it is usually something unnatural, but good.

I even had dreams about going down to my kitchen and seeing goldfish swimming around in air. I remember thinking only "I wonder if they get enough oxygen that way?". Gravity didn't register at all.

wolves and spiders.
spider has been particularly attentive to me lately, namely the black widow, that i hate. i get along great with all other spiders, love them, talk to them, play with htem, have had many pet tarrantulas, and in general just like them a lot, but black widow, for some reason i have always hated, ad have often gotten the impression that she hates me as well. dreamed the other night, as i have done a few other times in my life that she was the size of a dog and trying to eat my face, paralyzed with fear i just watched her climb over my body, and then i got angry and fought back which always seems to surprise her, she always thinks she has the upper hand when she frightens me, and then i turn the tables on her and try to kill her, or escape. this last dream is pretty disturbing to me, they alwyas come when my life is about to go through some radical change or other, and this time i was pretty pissed at her, we never talk, we just try to kill one another, i would kill her if i could, and vice versa.

ANy one know what specific message BLack widow has, what is different from her than other spiders that i get along so well with?
to me she is the epitome of sinister, dark evil intent, cruel and malicious. i have taken care of black widows before, for years, and have learned a great deal about them but my dream widow has been a part of my life from when i was a small child.i konw what is said about spider totems, and the lessons that spider grandmonhter teaches, we're old friends, but black widow is a total bitch, and i have no idea what it is that im supposed to learn from her or how im supposed to deal with her, so far im sticking with just trying to keep her from killing me and trying to kill her to get her the fuck out of my life.
SO, any ideas? what does Black Widow say to you or anyone else here? what message does she often bring?what lessons?

Hay everybody,
I feel a closeness to many animals: cats... I love cats they have such a sense of independence and playfulness (when they young). They also have a great sense of loyalty. Some people would say otherwise, but the cat at the vet i work at which i have adopted is very protective of me. And it seems most do. A client of mine had a baby and unfortunately had to give up her cat because whenever strangers would come around she would guard the baby with such a ferocity the client said it was frightening. I love cats... not to mention Mother Bast walked into my life a while ago unspected. felines have always astounded me too. When i was a little child (my mother delights in telling people this too) I use to pretend i was a cat. I also love the lion. Cybele laughs knowingly at that one.

Dogs... Yes i often make jokes at the vet and tell my clients dogs are too needy, but they are great companions and love you which such an unconditional love it is moving. I use to be afraid of them because i was attacked by a dog when i was a child. My boss who is also my freind helped me move into my god father's house (before i worked at the vet) and brought her dog along., I was so scared cause her dog was real big, but sOOOO SWEEEET and it taught me something about tenderness and forgiveness and not thinking everyone, creature the same. It opened me to compassion and love for dogs and i have had some sweet dogs come into my life through my freinds and their unconditional love has always touched me. It is so strange that i had such a fear for real live dogs but didn't really fear them when they came to me in dreams as messangers of Hekate especially.

Spiders. When i was a child my mother told me not to kill the silver ones in our house cause they brought luck. Every kind of bug freaked me out, but as i grew up and began to really research my ancestory who would appear to me, but Grandmother Spider. First as an old Native American woman, and then as Her other Self a great HUGE SPIDER! hahahahhahahaha.... Let me tell u. I love spiders. I let them live in my house and tell them "don't be biting chil cause yall know i don't like that." hahhahahahaa... And they stay off my bed and crawl around the house doing their own thing. When ever i see them I great them as Grandmother Spider. Hekate too has sent messages through spiders. I would do a work with Hekate and a spider would appear somewhere.

As far as the Black Widow... As i was reading your post about it i heard a voice like rumbling cosmos behind me saying something to the effect of (sometimes it is hard to interperet) "I am the orignal Mother. I am She who cuts the life thread of the YEar King. His life gives substance to my children. He knows his fate and i know mine. We do not weep over it, we do not cry. It is as it is for if it were not it would not be so." Then i heard a great laugh, and then a rumble, and i saw this black skinned woman with draping robes appear and become a giant spider and her skin was opal and the stars danced on the mirror of her skin, the webs behind her were blue, the universe was all aorund her and she looked at me and i looked at her and she smiled.... Then i read everybody's comments and i giggled with a wink. prehaps the way to learn about the Black Widow is to ask Grandmother Spider ( if u don't want to talk to the Widow direct). She is the Great Grandmother of the cosmos and the connector of us all, so prehaps she will tell u what u want to know or arrange some sort of meeting or something like that. Prehaps through Her you will be able to understand better Her daughter. Where there is God there are always the roads to reconcilation (and if not that at least the ability to exist cordially) : a sister of mine had a bit of a time dealing with Mother Ereshkigal (that is a story for another day), and simply inquired about it (spirtually of course), and it helped her understand alot better Ereshkigal... the hatred of the Widow is diffenently something to explore.

I also like birds when i was a child i use to feed them bread from my house and call them my children.

Alrighty everybody, have a good nite. Many blessings. peace and love.xoxoxoxox.
Love is Eternity,
Dane

Definitely, cats. Also dragons and dragonflies. Lizards often symbolize dragons for me. Strangely, I love lizards, but I am afraid of snakes and other reptiles and amphibians.

As for spiders, I have severe arachnophobia.

Domina

I have many. The first was Vulture over a decade ago.
Bear is a spirit helper to me, but also when I spend time at my property in the redwoods, he is always about showing his sign but I don't so much consider him to be a totem. (he also gives a very serious male vibe.) Also around out there (I saw her last summer even!!! A bobcat! Wow!)
I've recently moved up to Fort Bragg in Northern California. I had forgotten about how teaming this place is with animals, especially birds. (and don't get me started on the plantlife!!! Our Rosemary has been blooming all winter long!) Hanging out around my house are Red Shouldered Hawks, Ravens, Kestrels, Robins, Quail, Deer, Coyote, Vultures, Wild Turkey, etc. I always listen to what they tell me.

Ones that I have been considering my totems have been Snake and Mountain Lion. In the past month I've had two dreams. One where I had this great big pet snake in this old house I was renovating. She lived in little holes in the walls and floors. I kept trying to get her to go back into the holes but she would try to bite me and attack me when I did this. (I took this that I was wrestling with the goddess in some way.) Last week I had a dream that I was being stalked by a mountain lioness. She finally cornered me in my grandmother's barn. We wrestled and I was successful in keeping her mouth closed and away from me (as I did with the snake) until someone came and continued to struggle with her to give me a break. Then I woke up.
In the past I've had three dreams where I was bitten by a snake. (after these dreams I read that to be initiated into snake medicine it requires being bitten three times.) Two years later, I was approached by Coatlicue (whose name means "snake skirt") She told me that she has been with me since birth and is my protectress. A year ago, in one of Dr. Wesselman's shamanic workshops, a co-workshop goer journeyed on my behalf and brought back a giant serpent and placed it in me (unknowing it was one of my totems) I was also touched with Mountain Lion energy during my own journey's during the workshop.
Anyone have any insights into my recent two dreams where I'm wrestling with my totems?

Oh! I love the totem site Adya! I use it all the time (I have it printed out and in my book of shadows!) ! Thanks for starting this thread.

~ Pauline
P.S. My brother just reminded me the other day that when I was about three years old, I picked up a garter snake and kissed it, much to the dismay of all the neighborhood kids!

different animals / creaturae for different times in my life.................enduring totems exist as always and they know who they are.

but as of late, i consciously connect with butterfly and dog energy / medicine--especially the transformative and senseof belonging elements of these specific medicines. although spider has been creeping in on the sly and remaining in the corners quietly so i know i should be looking out for what is there to be seen............though i never see a web.................she waits. i see her. we shall see what comes of this.