Hi everyone.
can anyone be of some help to me. I want to know how I go about finding my totem. I am new at this stuff. I am trying to figure some things out that have been happening to me. For instance I am seeing 333 all the time, and dragonflies are really intriguing me. I don't know if they anything to do with each other. All I know is that I have to figure this out. I have been searching for a couple years now and no one seems to have any answers.
hopefully someone can help me with this.
Zena
finding my totem
ohhh this sounds like a job for Comus!
Totem is an interesting concept, and one that I do not personally follow, but I did know a lady once who had an extremely strong connection to cats, and considered them her 'totem'. Basically totem is a word that has come from various indigenous cultures and has different meanings in tose cultures. It can be the symbol of a clan or family group, or the first animal an indigenous person's parents saw when they were born. But for a magickal practitioner of today 'totem' must have a different resonance, take on a mew meaning, because it is inappropriate to 'hijack' a tem from another culture and appropriate its meaning.
So:
1: Think about what this term means to you, how it might aid you in your magical practices and link you to your earthly existence. How would an animal symbol/relationship help you? What would you want to learn form it? It could serve as a reminder of the balance of life and the interconnectedess of all beings.
2: Here is an old ritual, common in indigneous communities, but I have adjusted it for modern times. You should fast for a day: I.e. drink only water or fruit juice, then spend an entire night awake near a fire in a natural place. If you can't manage this, inside in your bedroom with alighted candle will suffice. Close your eyes and wait for imagery to come to you. You will see an animal and this will be your totem.
As a final note, research the significance of dragonflies! I believe they have a lot of symbolism for native Americans.
Totem is an interesting concept, and one that I do not personally follow, but I did know a lady once who had an extremely strong connection to cats, and considered them her 'totem'. Basically totem is a word that has come from various indigenous cultures and has different meanings in tose cultures. It can be the symbol of a clan or family group, or the first animal an indigenous person's parents saw when they were born. But for a magickal practitioner of today 'totem' must have a different resonance, take on a mew meaning, because it is inappropriate to 'hijack' a tem from another culture and appropriate its meaning.
So:
1: Think about what this term means to you, how it might aid you in your magical practices and link you to your earthly existence. How would an animal symbol/relationship help you? What would you want to learn form it? It could serve as a reminder of the balance of life and the interconnectedess of all beings.
2: Here is an old ritual, common in indigneous communities, but I have adjusted it for modern times. You should fast for a day: I.e. drink only water or fruit juice, then spend an entire night awake near a fire in a natural place. If you can't manage this, inside in your bedroom with alighted candle will suffice. Close your eyes and wait for imagery to come to you. You will see an animal and this will be your totem.
As a final note, research the significance of dragonflies! I believe they have a lot of symbolism for native Americans.
Idz qaala