What Animal....

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 28 Mar 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

amyel	28 Mar 2002
...do you think is your "spirit guide" or what animal would you like to think is, if you aren't sure? For many, many years, Ravens and really large, black birds are wherever I am. Even in Australia, it seemed like wherever I went, magpies (related to North American ravens/crows/blackbirds) were sure to be found. It was such a phenom, even my very non-spiritual step-mum commented on it. And when I was in Londaon & we went the "Tower" - I was drawn to the raven area. I sat down on a bench at one point, waiting for hubs to finish his tour of some armoury, and two of the ravens came up behind me, one near each shoulder. This made the keepers rather nervous, but delighted the tourists with their cameras. And here at home, our neighbors have said they have never seen so many crows around as they have seen in the last three years. Guess when hubs & I moved in? 3 years ago. Even one of my art history papers was on raven and his depiction in NW Coast art and myths! Now, I am well aware that many folk dislike the big black birds, but I really like them. They are smart. They bond for life. Did you know you can teach them to speak and that they are are from the same family as parrots? Did you know that their young stay with the family unit for the first 5 years of their lives? So I have really come to identify with these wonderful birds. My mom is drawn to bears. She believes she was once a part of a native tribe which had the bear as their totem, and/or the bear was her spirit totem. How 'bout you?

truthsayer	28 Mar 2002
herons and egrets seem to be drawn to me when i go to rural areas. i like squirrels and our yard is full of them. i had a vision once where bear came to me as my spirit guide. i really love cats--felines of all kinds. the domesticated kind always seem to recognize me as a sucker when they see me!! ;)

kayne	29 Mar 2002
Hey, great idea for a post Amyel. I have always thought of an ocean fish, usually the Salmon, as my totem animal. (Hence the signature...) I think it came from the idea that I was one half of Pisces, with my twin sister... The Celts thought of the Salmon as representative of wisdom. There was a time when every painting I did turned into Salmons... This one used my grandma's extra bathroom tiles for the background. It was a gift from me for my twin sister's 21st birthday...

Malachite	29 Mar 2002
Definetly crows here... It started with two last year... There's now a population of at least twenty in my town... I always feel that they're slightly smarter than the average bird.. ;-)

Maan	29 Mar 2002
Mine is a black panther I was kindda surprised when it turned up in a dream and i thought it was there to help me for a while. ( i didn't feel so panther like )But after three years she is still with me. The funny thing is that she is always wearing a read collar with a bell around here neck. (The people in my shamanism class still think it's funny:) )

Kaz	29 Mar 2002
i havent got a clue which animal is my spirit guide, as i never met my guides. it might be a wolf, as i really like those animals. kaz

Bella	29 Mar 2002
An eagle came to my as my spirit guide during a shamanic journey--an occurrence immediately after the journey ended further confirmed this. One of my secondary guides is the coyote (interesting-the "trickster" of animals). I have also always been drawn to turtles and rabbits (and keep both as pets).

New River	29 Mar 2002
i love discussing totem animals. i feel that any animal i see is there to bring me a message. in my meditations my totems are tiger, monarch butterfly and bluebird. i thought it was interesting that the coloration on the tiger and monarch were so much alike. then i realized that they were representing the light/dark aspects of the scorpio personality. it's usually either black or white with me. not much gray area. the bluebird will always represent happiness to me. altho i never run into tigers in real life, thank goodness, LOL, i have monarchs and bluebirds turn up quite frequently and in odd places. they don't have to be 'real' either. they always get my attention and put me back in touch with my spiritual side. love, light, and hope, New River

jade	29 Mar 2002
ah totem animals. i just love mine :) tiger and blue heron. :) strength and spirituality. (to shorten my meanings down) aaahhhh, in light, jade

Geenius at Wrok	29 Mar 2002
My totem animal is Mr. Peabody.

amyel	29 Mar 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Geenius at Wrok My totem animal is Mr. Peabody. Tee Hee...I loved Mr.Peabody when I was little. I think all these high tech, 3D cartoons kids see today have nuthin' on those old Bullwinkle & Fractured Fairy Tales styled cartoons! Ok...back on topic....

Kiama	29 Mar 2002
The first totem animal that I was aware of being with me was the Black Panther, and I realise now that it was with me at that particular time to help me through my very irrational fear of the unknown and death. Now, the one that I am aware of is the Horse. I am guessing it is with me to help me with accepting my more feminine-powerful aspects, and to help me bond more with my Mother, who has always been a big horse lover. Kiama

Kiama	29 Mar 2002
Oh yeah, nearly forgot: As a child, the totem that helped me was the Butterfly. It helped me through the hard times when I was going through so much change, and when I needed to accept myself for who I was. I think the Butterfly stayed with me until I finished going through puberty. Kiama

lunalafey	30 Mar 2002
I too...I should say..my truck has a connection with Ravens. The first night I went to work in my new BLACK truck, a Raven hopped around on my tailgate for quite a while, and just this winter I had two together on my truck. Every where I've lived I seem to have an Owl out side of my bedroom, he speakes up when I'm troubled.

nexyjo	30 Mar 2002
the butterfly, spider, and bee.

jade	30 Mar 2002
nexy, you are SO a butterfly! :) jade

Rhiannon	30 Mar 2002
we've had this discussion before and I liked it then too! LOL To my left is the Crow, to my right is the Coyote. Law and Laughter. :D Rhiannon :)

kayne	31 Mar 2002
I thought yours might be the horse Rhiannon! Wasn't Rhiannon a goddess of horses to the Celts in Wales?

imperium	31 Mar 2002
Living in quite a suburban area, there are a hell of a lot of red foxes. Whenever I drive home late at night, a fox will cross the road in front of me and I always feel it is a sign that I am protected. Let me give you another example - one night I was sitting in the car at a McDonalds restaurant and casually glanced out of the window beside the car. A lovely red fox sat there, about two feet away looking up at me. I asked for a name and I was tole 'Thessus'. I have not as yet been able to find the origins or meaning of this name but I remember being in love with a childrens' novel about foxes when I was a child. I think crows and ravens are a favourite with many spiritually minded people as they are assoicated with many deities from many traditions such as Hekate or Odin for example. Also there was a lot of superstitions around these birds in medieval times. They are indeed wonderful. bb

Pollux	31 Mar 2002
:( I don't know if I have any, and I really hope that in the future I'll be helped to detect them (I am actually thinking of an Aeclectic Convention...;)) However, I have always loved pets, but cats in particular. I am crazy for them. I also manage to caress wild ones, you know! And I have noticed I tend to stay with and learn a lot from people whose face and physic is cat-like (don't laugh! It's true! :() - for example, Leslie, my former mother-tongue English teacher. In addition, I know almost all of the lyrics of "Cats - The Musical" by heart, and read the book when I was a kitten almost (old anglophile aunties gone by, alas...:)). I definitely couldn't live without cats! And I could be likened to a cat too. When you'll see me you'll gimme credit. ;) In addition, recently I have noticed that, even though I am scared a lot, serpents are always around me. There's always something showing one, and when I draw doodles it's mostly cats or serpents or swords with snakes around it. I keep a small drawing of a six-winged sword with a serpent around it. I sticked it to my desk, it's lovely! :) Maybe I'll come to meet them more and more in my studies of Medicine... ;)

Kiama	31 Mar 2002
Quote: Originally posted by kayne I thought yours might be the horse Rhiannon! Wasn't Rhiannon a goddess of horses to the Celts in Wales? Yep. She appears in the story of Pwyll, Prince fo Dyved in the Mabinogion. The story goes that Rhiannon is an immortal Goddess, and has fallen in love with Pwyll, a mortal man. She is also betrothed to a man she doesn't want to marry, and unless she is accepted by Pwyll, she will have to go through with the marriage. So, she manages to appear to Pwyll, riding a horse, and there's a really cool bit in the story which seems to be a metaphor for the love-chase: Pwyll tries to catch up with her on his horse, but the faster he rides, the faster she seems to go even though her horse doesn't look like it goes beyond a trot. She only stops for him when he calls out to her... Then, she explains everything to him, and he accepts her. In exactly a year, they are married, and at their wedding feast. Now, the Welsh Celts had a tradition whereby any guests who wished to do so, could ask for a 'boon', a gift from the married couple. One such guest wished to do so, and Pwyll replied to him: "I shall give you whatever you want if it is in my power"... The guest was actually the man Rhiannon was originally betrothed to, and he asks for Pwyll to give him Rhiannon as a boon, and Pwyll, thoroughly ashamed, has to do so! (This seem to me to be a warning to watch what you say, cuz once its out, you can't take it back..) So, in exactly a year, Rhiannon and Gwaal (Her original fiance) are married, and at their weddng feast. Pwyll arrives for a boon, disguised as a peasant farmer. When he is asked what he wants, he holds open a sack, and asks only that the sack be filled with food for his journey home. So, Gwaal obliges. But no matter how much food is put in the sack, it isn't filled! Pwyll then tells the court that the sack can only be filled if a noble, courageous man, with wit, intellience, beauty, and riches, steps into the bag and stamps the food down. This is basically a challenge, so Rhiannon urges Gwaal to do it. He does so, but as soon as his feet are in the sack, Pwyl pushes him in, ties it up, and gets people to beat the bag with sticks... He refuses to let him out unless he is given Rhiannon once more. So, Gwaal gives him Rhiannon, and they live happily ever after! Well, until the next part of legend, in which Rhannon takes on the responsibility and burdens of a horse, after being falseley accused and conviced of murdering and eating her first born son... But that's another tale entirly.... Oh, nearly forgot: As a price for her marriage to Pwyll, Rhiannon has to give up her immortality. Now there's devotion! There, some pointless yet interesting information for you! Enjoy! Kiama

kayne	01 Apr 2002
Thanks for the retell :D I read that ages ago (when I was going through my everything celtic phase...) I forgot how much I enjoyed those old tales :) But we are getting off topic... Pollux: Cats and Serpents sound like great totems! Especially in light of what you said :)

Diana	01 Apr 2002
I'm not surprised so many people here have crows and ravens as their totem animal. Crows and ravens are the bringers of magic.

Pollux	01 Apr 2002
You know what? A friend make me think that actually cats and especially serpents have also a sexual meaning... This makes a lot of sense to me!!! *ROFLMAO*

Kiama	01 Apr 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Pollux You know what? A friend make me think that actually cats and especially serpents have also a sexual meaning... I can understand why the snake would be a sexual symbol but why the cat? Kiama

Malachite	01 Apr 2002
Pet name for a cat?. Or their feminine aspect....

Pollux	02 Apr 2002
As for the cat/sex, I leave it at that... maybe it is just my intuition. I hear that the egyptian goddess Bast, from which Oestara is thought to derive, is represented as a cat. Rituals in her honour included homosexual intercourses among Her priestesses, and "comunitary performances" that concerned the clergy, the royals and the people themselves... They surely were not lazy days... ;) Come to that, WHY REALLY did the two of us relate cats to sex? :confused:

Malachite	02 Apr 2002
Well... the cat is associated with the Norse Goddess Freyja, as well, in a feminine sexuality thing... So its in there somewhere...;)

Mystick Dragon	02 Apr 2002
Off the astral plane, I have most definately dragons. As for real animals, there has been this gorgeous silver-black wolf with red eyes appearing in dreams. My dog looks like a wolf, so I most definately think that it's the wolf, and the lady bug. And now I think the Bluejay because one made a nest outside my window. I've also been seeing little sparrows all over the place. --Dragon

isthmus nekoi	02 Apr 2002
Incidently, snakes and cats are very important to me as well (nekoi=cat). They have their similarities - they both share the same prey (mice), both have slit pupils, both hiss, both like to bask in the sun, both signify immortality (shedding skin/9 lives)... I find cat is also very sexual in a very Feminine way, I guess in her secretive and private nature. I find snake is less gendered. Granted, I lean more to the snake side, cat's a little more recent. Spider's coming up right now too. Fishes, snails, dogs and birds are always around but I don't find them to be so ah... major... or maybe they're just not as scary?...

Liliana	02 Apr 2002
mine are squirrel, snow owl, eagle, and fox. Squirrel has been around my whole life,I adore the little dears, especially the kind not native to my area but native to Toronto that are black. Im not sure how Owl came about, its silly but I think it came through a roleplaying game. I was playing a Priestess of the God of Good whose symbol happened to be a white owl with blue eyes.Ever since this owl has been with me in the astral. I married into Eagle, its the guardian of my husbands family, every year at Christmas my Father-in-Law gives his sons anitem with an eagle,and they usually give an eagle item in return. Usually the females dont get eagles (its been butterflies before) but this past year he gave us a gorgeous eagle candle holder that hasa snowglobe with adorable baby eagles in it, and a matching cinnamon bun candle.I love it :) Fox was a surprise to me, last time i called my animals together in meditation he showed up, neverseeing a real fox my mind said red dog, after talking to some people they said foxes look like red dogs, and I realized it was fox

Rhiannon	03 Apr 2002
Quote: Originally posted by kayne I thought yours might be the horse Rhiannon! Wasn't Rhiannon a goddess of horses to the Celts in Wales? As Kiama so nicely and thoughtfully typed up for us ( thanks Kiama for saving me all that WORK! ;) ) Rhiannon was a horse Goddess. She was a later version of Epona, I think or Epona was a later version of her.... something like that. She was also associated with songbirds. But again, we digress.... The horse represents power, of which I have very little ;) . At least right now anyway. Someday maybe the horse will come for me, but not yet. I'm ok with that, I don't want to be in charge! The coyote has always been with me, I think, even though I didn't realize it. I'm always playing jokes. And when they turn around and the joke is on me, I just throw up my hands and laugh! He gets me in trouble, but I love him just the same. The crow I just figured out recently. He is more secretive, he whispers. There are TONS of crows in the area where I live now. It makes sense though, my last name is pronounced "crow" even though it has a different spelling. You'd think that would have been a big enough clue! LOL Rhiannon :)

springfish	03 Apr 2002
Without a doubt, fish. No particular kind though I am partial to the Puffer. I feel my life force is very similar because I constantly feel like I'm fighting a current, either external or internal. I find much peace while near water...but extrodinary rage when it's polluted. During times of drought I find myself with headaches more often and in a state of depression. I like to jump...on a bike, on foot, on skis...doesn't matter really. Just the feeling of weightlessness for no matter how long brings me great joy.

floracove	02 May 2002
I haven't explored this, but I tend to think the dolphin, because a few years back I was at Marine Life in Biloxi, Mississippi with my nephews field trip. And when we got to the dophin tank there was this one dolphin that followed me all around the tank, he would come up on the side of the tank and sing to me I reached down and stroked him a little and when we were leaving he came to the bottom glass and tapped his nose to it while I was there...Of course I thought to him... Wish I could have understood what he was saying...

wavebreaker	03 May 2002
Interesting thread... :) I don't know what my totem animal is, but I'm sure it's a marine creature, because the only place where I can experience real peace and quiet is under water, when I'm diving. Might be a dolphin. I've dived and swam with them on several occassions and I think they are wonderful creatures. But I have this fascination with sharks, so I'm inclined to think it's a shark. Whereas other people would run from the water when you'd call "Shark!", I'd probably jump in... :) Sharks are considered gods in some cultures, for example in Hawaii and on several islands in the Pacific. In some places they are considered to be the spirits of the ancestors. To me, they are the most impressive animals I've ever met.

Red raven	04 May 2002
Jackals. I love jackals. I'm a big fan of wild dogs in general, but they're my favourite. and... for my own added weirdness... Jackal supposedly has ties with the constelation Orion. The Gisa pyramids were layed out to mirror Orion's belt. The egyptians also had a Jackal god associated with burial and embalming. I've got a line of three marks on my arm that mirror Orion's belt perfectly. Maybe It's meaningful, maybe I've just got too much spare time on my hands ;)

Phoenix	25 May 2002
I think mine is definately the Phoenix. As for real life animals, I don't really know.

Faerie Lin	25 May 2002
I think mine is the Elephant (or what they were in ancient times Wholly Mammonth) I have always loved these animals and I remember in 1st grade in Germany, my class took a fieldtrip to the zoo. I remember being close to one of the elephants (must have been a baby 'cause it was kinda level with me) and it grabbed my arm with its trunk and put it in its mouth and bit down on it lol. It wasn't that hard though, but I sure did feel it. Everyone who visits me, looks around and says "You sure do like elephants huh?" Because I collect them, tables, carvings ect. I think the elephant may be my baby neice's also, because when my sister took her to the zoo in Germany when she was a little baby, one of the elephants followed her back and forth along the edge of its confinement, paying close attention to the baby in my sister's arms. Or maybe its just a Germany Elephant thing! lol Lin

Sam	26 May 2002
i think my spirit guide is a tiger!

jema	26 May 2002
close by me always is a mouse. above me is a great horned owl those have names. then there is the polarbear behind me and under me is the orca a caribou on my left i have worked with these animals a long time, the polarbear i once brought to my therapist and by some kind of miracle she understood it all. i can't go into it all on a forum like this though...

The What Animal.... thread was originally posted on 28 Mar 2002 in the Chat board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Chat, or read more archived threads.