+ Reply to Thread
Results 1 to 9 of 9

Thread: Are You Paying Attention? Messages From Our Animal Totems & Spirit Guides

  1. Link to Post #1
    Avalon Member dynamo's Avatar
    Join Date
    13th March 2013
    Location
    Cosmic Messenger
    Posts
    624
    Thanks
    4,865
    Thanked 4,972 times in 595 posts

    Default Are You Paying Attention? Messages From Our Animal Totems & Spirit Guides


    July 1, 2018
    By
    Alanna Ketler




    In Brief

    • The Facts:We are all connected, including the members of the animal kingdom. If we pay attention to these spirits, they may be able to provide us with insight and guidance to assist us on our path.
    • Reflect On:By simply observing the nature of any particular animal that comes into your awareness, you can learn something from its pure presence. What qualities does this animal have and what can they teach you?

    All of the beings on this planet are connected in some way or another. The trees provide us with the oxygen we need to breathe. The fruit that is given to nourish and heal our bodies, the rain and sun to hydrate and feed our forests and of course our little animal friends that keep the entire ecosystem functioning.
    advertisement - learn more

    Throughout history, many cultures have regarded animals as messengers from the Universe, from which we can gain insight and guidance from a particular animal at a particular time. If you’ve been seeing a certain animal cross your path frequently, pay attention, it might have a message for you.


    Animal Totems

    Webster’s Dictionary defines a totem as: “A natural object, usually an animal that serves as a distinctive, often venerated emblem or symbol. A means of personal or spiritual identity.
    By simply observing the characteristics of the animal that is entering your life, you may be able to intuitively feel the message this animal is trying to show you. You may be thinking well, yeah, I see animals all the time — of course, but sometimes a specific animal comes into our reality continuously, especially if it has a message for us. I was recently seeing robins, everywhere I went, they were literally flying back across the street and back again as I was walking, I looked up the Robin Animal Totem, and was pleasantly surprised to see that the message of the robin was exactly in alignment with something I needed to hear.
    Everything is energy — vibration, and nothing happens by chance, it’s no surprise that you might attract in the animal that is most serving to you at a specific time. Or perhaps, the animals can sense the vibration of others and instinctively know where to go.
    Perhaps we are so drawn to animals in the first place because they represent the total and complete present, they just are. They are content with just being, they aren’t thinking about tomorrow or 10 years ago, they exist, right here right now. We can learn a lot from this alone, by observing the animals in our lives, but each animal does have unique qualities and gifts to offer us if we choose to pay attention. The following is a list of the top 5 animal totems that you might be seeing frequently and what they could represent in your life. The information below comes from spiritanimal.info


    Butterfly

    Magical Butterfly


    The butterfly is one of the most emblematic totem animals symbolizing personal transformation. If you see the butterfly as your totem or spirit animal, pay attention to the areas in your life or personality that are in need of profound change or transformation. Perhaps, this animal totem guides you to be sensitive to your personal cycles of expansion and growth, as well as the beauty of life’s continuous unfolding. An important message carried by the spirit of the butterfly is about the ability to go through important changes with grace and lightness.
    What is the meaning of the butterfly? This animal totem is primarily associated with the symbolism of change and transformation.
    • Powerful transformation, metamorphosis in your life, personality
    • Moving through different life cycles
    • Renewal, rebirth
    • The lightness of being, playfulness
    • Elevation from earthly matters, tuning into emotional or spiritual
    • The world of the soul, the psyche
    A secondary meaning of the butterfly is about finding joy in life and lightness of being. Read more.


    Raven

    Badass Raven


    When a Raven totem has flown into your life, it signifies that magic is at play. Raven ignites the energies of magic allowing it to become one with our intentions and will. Great changes can be achieved at this time and dreams can become a reality. The Raven will show you how to walk into the dark corners of your inner conflicts buried deep within, opening the doors to the deepest power of healing to be within our grasp.
    The Raven is a member of the same family as the Crow and the Magpie, known as the Corvids family. While they are considered different species, the only real difference is that the Raven is considerably larger than the Crow. Since the Raven and the Crow are so similar, it is encouraged to also read The Crow Spirit Animal. Although they are quite similar, there are meanings that are unique to the Raven.
    The raven animal totem is sometimes called the “Keeper of Secrets” and like all birds is a messenger between the heavens and the Earth. The raven encourages us to dive deeper and to look within to seek the answers to put in motion the much-needed change. Often times these messages may be difficult, but soaring over hurdles and obstacles is how we grow most. Here are a few common meanings for this power animal.
    • Introspection
    • courage
    • self-knowledge
    • magic
    • healing
    • creation
    • rebirth and renewal
    • rebirth without fear
    • being able to tear down and rebuild
    • master magician
    • shapeshifter
    • mysticism
    • transformation of difficulties into blessings
    • being able to find light within the darkness
    • Courage for self-reflection
    • Being comfortable with yourself
    • Connecting with the crone
    • Omens
    • Playful aspects
    • Stir life without fear
    • Sexuality
    • Honoring ancestors
    • Divination
    • Change in consciousness
    • New occurrences
    • Eloquence
    • Power of thought
    Read more.


    Frog

    Chill frog

    The frog as spirit animal or totem reminds us of the transient nature of our lives. As a symbol of transition and transformation, this spirit animal supports us in times of change. Strongly associated with the water element, it connects us with the world of emotions and feminine energies, as well as the process of cleansing, whether it’s physical, emotional, or more spiritual or energetic.
    The symbolism of the frog appears in many traditions around the globe. This animal is generally associated with the water element and its cleansing attributes. The frog is symbolic of:
    • Cleansing
    • Renewal, rebirth
    • Fertility, abundance
    • Transformation, metamorphosis
    • Life mysteries and ancient wisdom
    Read more.


    Deer

    Good Deer

    When you have the deer as spirit animal, you are highly sensitive and have a strong intuition. By affinity with this animal, you have the power to deal with challenges with grace. You master the art of being both determined and gentle in your approach. The deer totem wisdom imparts those with a special connection with this animal with the ability to be vigilant, move quickly, and trust their instincts to get out the trickiest situations.


    What is the meaning of the deer totem?
    The meanings associated with the deer combine both soft, gentle qualities with strength and determination:
    • Gentleness
    • Ability to move through life and obstacles with grace
    • Being in touch with the inner child, innocence
    • Being sensitive and intuitive
    • Vigilance, ability to change directions quickly
    • Magical ability to regenerate, being in touch with life’s mysteries
    Read more.



    Rabbit

    Nice bunny.

    The rabbit spirit animal carries many complex meanings. It is associated with fear because of the rabbit’s timid nature, but also with fertility and creativity. The rabbit totem is a symbol of luck in many cultures and is also a symbol of abundance. People who feel connected to the rabbit spirit animal are clever and creative, but maybe working to overcome fear and anxiety.
    The rabbit has a diverse nature and can symbolize many things, including:
    • Fear, shyness, and anxiety
    • Fertility
    • Abundance and wealth
    • Cleverness and creativity
    • Spontaneity
    Read more.
    As you can see, each animal represents a different set of traits and qualities that can guide us on our journey if we choose to pay attention. And these were only 5 out of a vast number. If you are repeatedly seeing the same animal come into your awareness, pay attention, chances are that animal has a message for you.
    Much Love

  2. The Following 8 Users Say Thank You to dynamo For This Post:

    DNA (1st July 2018), Foxie Loxie (1st July 2018), Mercedes (2nd July 2018), Michelle Marie (1st July 2018), onawah (1st July 2018), Star Tsar (1st July 2018), Valerie Villars (1st July 2018), william r sanford72 (1st July 2018)

  3. Link to Post #2
    Avalon Member Star Tsar's Avatar
    Join Date
    10th December 2011
    Location
    Orion Arm
    Language
    Interlac
    Posts
    15,126
    Thanks
    28,818
    Thanked 38,690 times in 13,806 posts

    Default Re: Are You Paying Attention? Messages From Our Animal Totems & Spirit Guides

    How about the Grey Heron? The other week I felt the urge to look out the window, And had one adjacent to my window, @ first I thought it was plastic until it moved after a few minutes.

    https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wi...-z/grey-heron/


    I for one will join in with anyone, I don't care what color you are as long as you want to change this miserable condition that exists on this Earth - Malcolm X / Tsar Of The Star

  4. The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to Star Tsar For This Post:

    DNA (1st July 2018), dynamo (1st July 2018), Foxie Loxie (1st July 2018), Michelle Marie (1st July 2018), Valerie Villars (1st July 2018), william r sanford72 (1st July 2018)

  5. Link to Post #3
    Avalon Member dynamo's Avatar
    Join Date
    13th March 2013
    Location
    Cosmic Messenger
    Posts
    624
    Thanks
    4,865
    Thanked 4,972 times in 595 posts

    Default Re: Are You Paying Attention? Messages From Our Animal Totems & Spirit Guides

    Quote Posted by Star Tsar (here)
    How about the Grey Heron? The other week I felt the urge to look out the window, And had one adjacent to my window, @ first I thought it was plastic until it moved after a few minutes.

    https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wi...-z/grey-heron/


    Star Tsar, I do not see a Grey Heron here:
    http://www.spiritanimal.info/animal-meanings/
    but I believe all earthly creatures are trying to communicate with us in one way or another.

  6. The Following 7 Users Say Thank You to dynamo For This Post:

    DNA (1st July 2018), Foxie Loxie (1st July 2018), Mercedes (2nd July 2018), Michelle Marie (1st July 2018), Star Tsar (1st July 2018), Valerie Villars (1st July 2018), william r sanford72 (1st July 2018)

  7. Link to Post #4
    United States Avalon Member DNA's Avatar
    Join Date
    8th May 2011
    Location
    S.W. Missouri
    Language
    English
    Age
    51
    Posts
    4,599
    Thanks
    34,064
    Thanked 27,733 times in 4,313 posts

    Default Re: Are You Paying Attention? Messages From Our Animal Totems & Spirit Guides

    Are animal totems automatically positive?



    I had an experience a few years back where a person had told me that they "knew" for a fact that they were "saved" so to speak by an animal totem that had merged with them. This experience was quite powerful for I felt at the time, and I still do that this animal totem this person spoke of either itself or one like it tried to merge with me.
    This is not a fuzzy feel good story for it seems although this animal totem gave certain protections to their host they seemed to seek to feed on the energy of those around the host and as such turn the host into a sort of vampire.

    This is an experience where I feel an astral entity attempted to form a symbiotic bond with me.
    I began a correspondence with Jonathan Zap (e-mail) at the end of 2003. At the time I was heavily into this idea of there being a non-organic, non-physical energy oriented life forms. Zap did a show with Jonathan Grey on this subject on coast to coast in 06.
    Zap is a very cerebral guy, and he was very influential in helping me explore/understand and categorize this phenomenon. Zap has some excellent first hand experience with energy parasites including an encounter with a parasite possessed human, making that human a vampire, found here Mind Parasites,Energy Parasites and Vampires.

    So now I will tell my story which I feel was the attempt of a fourth dimensional astral entity attempting to make an attachment with me and thus turn me into a form of vampire.
    So, I started working at this call center/phone modem tech, temp company in march of 07. I was in a training class, and as training classes go, you make friends hang out at lunch, that kind of thing.

    I made an aquaintance, and,in so far as the story goes, I believe Darren, was home to a parasite of greater strength, tenacity and permanence than I'm used to encountering.

    He (Darren) was quite the character, he was like a guy from the wrong time period, he wore long black riding boots, had long lustrous hair, he wore non-collared long sleeve white cotton button shirts that gave him a bit of a pirate look. He was muscular about 6'2 and looked like he could take care of himself in a fight.
    As a guy you can't help but to gauge these kinds of things.

    Darren lacked the ability to engage, and I know that sounds weird, but, in a conversation, I tend to value those who can engage, and though we had lots in common, and we talked quite a bit, he never really engaged with me, or if you will, in a Celestine Prophecy esque meaning, he never opened up energetically.

    Zap states in his personal encounters with people like this, that folks tend to tell you if they are a vampire, you just have to listen and believe them when they let you know. Now on this note I could tell you that Darren went on and on about playing this vampire RPG game called Kindrid the Gathering, and that is a little clue I feel Darren was giving me about who he was. Darren would become amazingly animated (much more so than normal) when telling the tales of his RPG game, and it was almost as if he felt like he was allowed to express that he really, identified with being a vampire.

    On our last day of class, we were all coming back from our last break of the day, and getting ready to take the last test of the training class, the instructor was late coming back and I was talking to Darren which turned into a very engaging conversation.
    He asked me about a turtle necklace I was wearing.
    I told him it was my animal totem, joking I thought. He became serious, and for the first time, rather engaging. He asked if I believe in animal totems. I told him that thousands of years of shamanic practice lend some backing in my opinion.

    He then went into this rant, when people want to tell a story, I have no problem with giving them my energy via attention, and I even have this cool ability to zero in on a place in the aura where the memories being shared are stored and focus in on that area, embuing this area in the aura with more energy and thus giving the story more energy to be told. Giving the story teller more energy and ability to tell their story.
    In hindsight I now think I was also giving a certain entity dwelling in Darren my energy and this entity noticed me and was soon to give me a personal visit.



    Darren told me about how he believed he had an animal totem, a cat or panther like totem. He said he felt it had saved him from the same fate as his siblings. He said without it, he knew he would have went the way of his two brothers and two sisters, who were drug addicted and homeless or in prison.

    Darren and his siblings were the victims of horrible physical and sexual abuse from their father. Darren told me things that were truly terrible, beatings that would break bones and sexual abuse that he admitted he had received as well as his brothers and sisters.
    Darren acknowledged this as the reason for his siblings having their problems, and stated he was repeating their exact behavior until one fateful day when he was approached by what he termed a panther like entity.

    He said he felt a force or living being asking to live in him (he was very adamant about it), and he said "yes" to the entity asking to live in him, then feeling an indwelling force that he cited had changed him and continues to change him to this day. This indwelling force, made him feel stronger, more focused, he said he no longer felt the same craving for drugs and alcohol like his brothers and sisters did.
    By now we were in the class, given notes for the test and given time to study.


    Darren had worked there before, and he didn't need to study.
    And he wouldn't stop talking about this subject.
    I say he wouldn't stop because I needed to study and told him so trying in a polite manner to get him to shut up.
    But he went on and on, saying this cat like totem lived on in him, and that he never wanted drugs again or needed to drink again.
    He said his addictive vices were gone.
    Now I could see part of the problem was that he was getting kind of high on the energy I had given him and I tried to pull back now, but he seemed to not want to let me.

    So the test ends and I go home, that night I had this dream.
    In the dream I received a call from Jonathan Zap and I answered it on an outside payphone, he was telling me that someone was coming I thought this meant that he had a friend who needed a place to stay. He was telling me about a traveling circus that was coming to my town and someone from the circus was going to come to my apartment. This traveling circus was complete with caged animals, circus performers and all the workers who make an event like this possible. One of the accompanying performers was going to be paying me a visit.

    I took it that this was Jonathon Zap's friend, and I told him any friend of his was welcome to stay at my place, Jonathon was breaking up on the phone but I was sure that this must be why he was calling so I yelled into the receiver that his friend was welcome at my place.
    He then told me I should be careful of who I allow to stay in my place and that I should really think it over.
    I took this as him being to shy to ask for his friend and told him nonsense, his friend could stay with me.
    He again protested, and I told him I had to go.

    I was then in my apartment, answering a knock on the door, and it was a young thirty year old man with a dufflebag, he was a sturdy thin gentleman, wearing warm baggy clothes with short black curly hair, he looked Greek or Roman, but very contemporary.

    I invited him in, and told him to make himself at home.
    I told him I had some errands I had to run and I left him in the apartment.
    This is all still a dream and I then returned to my apartment some time later.

    When I came back in, I saw the man with two children bound in a chair, this man was torturing these children with a drill. He was removing their teeth with no anesthetic while they were awake.
    I was in horror. I was in shock. I mean for a dream, I was really feeling the impact of this horror. It was as if this was all really happening, and the children were as alive and important as any child I would see while waking.
    As I stood, not knowing what to do, the man nodded to me, as if he would be done in a second, and for me to just wait a minute and watch.

    I screamed obscenities at him, due to the adrenaline dump I was experiencing I was not making much sense but I demanded him to leave.
    He stopped what he was doing, and told me he was doing this for me.
    I failed to articulate a response and motioned for him to leave and then I told him again to leave.
    He stopped what he was doing and seemed to understand, he then looked me in the eye and said that I would be better off if I allowed him to continue. He had this knowing look in his eyes he looked very genuine. His eyes had a knowing in them and empathy, it was weird that a person engaged in such psychopathic behavior would be capable of showing engaging empathy at a time like this, but he did.

    I then knew what he meant.
    The apartment represented me, the apartment we were in was my body and my energy field. The children represented lesser parasites attached to me, these children wished to appear to me in a manner that would trigger the strongest emotional reaction so as to defend them.
    The man in my apartment told me in my mind that he couldn't kill the parasites, but he could torture them until they decided to leave on their own.
    He was a Rex parasite or King parasite if you will, basically he would rid the host of all other energy parasites but I knew not what HIS DEMANDS or tax would be.
    He genuinely seemed to believe his presence would benefit me.
    He told me to think about it.
    I don't know why he appeared to me to be human and appeared to Darren as a cat like creature.
    I was crying at this point in the dream and told him to leave. And he did.
    Next thing, I was on the outside pay phone with Jonathan Zap and he was chastising me for letting this guy in my apartment when he had warned me against doing so. And though I was going to blame him for the whole thing, I realized then that he(Jonathan Zap) had tried to warn me.
    I woke up from the dream with tears on my face, very strange for tears in a dream to correspond to actual tears going down my actual face.
    I woke up with the sense that there was a presence in the bed room with me. A powerful presence was in my room. Had the animal totem/energy parasite of Darren followed me home from work and attempted to make a new home, a new home of myself or had a creature like it been told of me and this creature found me in the astral plane as I slept?

    I did not accept the deal offered, to exchange lesser parasites feeding on my energy for a Rex or King parasite that would protect my being and energy field but probably feed on the others around me.
    What would you have done?


    .



    Is this the deal of animal totems?

    Do animal totems help the person they are connected with at the expense of others?

    Or was this something different, something ancient and turning the human into more of a vampire?
    Last edited by DNA; 1st July 2018 at 19:45.

  8. The Following 14 Users Say Thank You to DNA For This Post:

    Baby Steps (2nd July 2018), Bill Ryan (1st July 2018), Debra (3rd July 2018), dynamo (1st July 2018), Foxie Loxie (1st July 2018), Hervé (1st July 2018), Mare (2nd July 2018), Mercedes (2nd July 2018), Mike (2nd July 2018), onawah (1st July 2018), Orph (2nd July 2018), Star Tsar (1st July 2018), Valerie Villars (2nd July 2018), william r sanford72 (1st July 2018)

  9. Link to Post #5
    United States Avalon Member Foxie Loxie's Avatar
    Join Date
    20th September 2015
    Location
    Central NY
    Age
    79
    Posts
    3,078
    Thanks
    67,683
    Thanked 17,639 times in 2,960 posts

    Default Re: Are You Paying Attention? Messages From Our Animal Totems & Spirit Guides

    Good Grief, DNA!! What a story.....this is why I like to hear others' experiences as it helps unfold a bigger picture of what is going on around us! Hope someone else weighs in on this!

  10. The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to Foxie Loxie For This Post:

    Baby Steps (2nd July 2018), Bill Ryan (1st July 2018), DNA (1st July 2018), dynamo (1st July 2018), Mercedes (2nd July 2018), william r sanford72 (1st July 2018)

  11. Link to Post #6
    United States Avalon Member onawah's Avatar
    Join Date
    28th March 2010
    Language
    English
    Posts
    22,209
    Thanks
    47,682
    Thanked 116,099 times in 20,640 posts

    Default Re: Are You Paying Attention? Messages From Our Animal Totems & Spirit Guides

    I posted some accounts of personal experiences I've had with animal medicine here:

    https://projectavalon.net/forum4/show...l=1#post688854

    https://projectavalon.net/forum4/show...l=1#post819429

    There are more relevant posts on that older thread
    Each breath a gift...
    _____________

  12. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to onawah For This Post:

    DNA (1st July 2018), dynamo (1st July 2018), william r sanford72 (1st July 2018)

  13. Link to Post #7
    United States Avalon Member william r sanford72's Avatar
    Join Date
    17th February 2013
    Location
    rural southcentral iowa
    Age
    51
    Posts
    2,944
    Thanks
    68,409
    Thanked 11,586 times in 2,838 posts

    Default Re: Are You Paying Attention? Messages From Our Animal Totems & Spirit Guides

    DNA..Totems are like tools and an animal totem would never ask to merge with a host...if it asked..then the question itself is the answer...as far as totems go...it is not and never was a totem..My op..

    William.
    TRUTH and BALANCE

  14. The Following 7 Users Say Thank You to william r sanford72 For This Post:

    DNA (1st July 2018), dynamo (1st July 2018), Hervé (1st July 2018), Mercedes (2nd July 2018), onawah (1st July 2018), Ron Mauer Sr (2nd July 2018), Star Tsar (1st July 2018)

  15. Link to Post #8
    United States Avalon Member DNA's Avatar
    Join Date
    8th May 2011
    Location
    S.W. Missouri
    Language
    English
    Age
    51
    Posts
    4,599
    Thanks
    34,064
    Thanked 27,733 times in 4,313 posts

    Default Re: Are You Paying Attention? Messages From Our Animal Totems & Spirit Guides

    Quote Posted by william r sanford72 (here)
    DNA..Totems are like tools and an animal totem would never ask to merge with a host...if it asked..then the question itself is the answer...as far as totems go...it is not and never was a totem..My op..

    William.
    I hear what you are saying and I appreciate the response.
    In so far as what an animal totem is I feel that there are quite a few assumptions.

    Do we really know what an animal totem is? Are all animal totems the same? Are we to assume an automatically benevolent role for all animal totems? Do animal totems have the mind of an animal or do they have more of a human intelligence?

    Do animal totems have free will?

    If they have freewill shouldn't we assume there would be variations in their objectives?

  16. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to DNA For This Post:

    dynamo (2nd July 2018), william r sanford72 (2nd July 2018)

  17. Link to Post #9
    United States Avalon Member onawah's Avatar
    Join Date
    28th March 2010
    Language
    English
    Posts
    22,209
    Thanks
    47,682
    Thanked 116,099 times in 20,640 posts

    Default Re: Are You Paying Attention? Messages From Our Animal Totems & Spirit Guides

    I think that only direct experience with totems can answer those questions, but from my experience totem energy is clean, inimitable (neither animal nor human), and absolutely non-invasive.

    Placing a value judgement on totem experiences is inadvisable, as it's a relative matter.

    For example, one of my totems is BlueJay, which is dominating, tenacious and tends to get what it wants, so a negative connotation could be projected onto it, but for someone who tends to be passive and easily manipulated, that energy can actually be quite helpful and balancing.

    Quote Posted by DNA (here)
    Quote Posted by william r sanford72 (here)
    DNA..Totems are like tools and an animal totem would never ask to merge with a host...if it asked..then the question itself is the answer...as far as totems go...it is not and never was a totem..My op..

    William.
    I hear what you are saying and I appreciate the response.
    In so far as what an animal totem is I feel that there are quite a few assumptions.

    Do we really know what an animal totem is? Are all animal totems the same? Are we to assume an automatically benevolent role for all animal totems? Do animal totems have the mind of an animal or do they have more of a human intelligence?

    Do animal totems have free will?

    If they have freewill shouldn't we assume there would be variations in their objectives?
    Each breath a gift...
    _____________

  18. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to onawah For This Post:

    DNA (2nd July 2018), dynamo (2nd July 2018), Valerie Villars (2nd July 2018), william r sanford72 (2nd July 2018)

+ Reply to Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts