Animal Totems

Pay Attention To Your Animal Spirit Guides

Don Pierce

Jun 07, 2025

∙ Paid

Heartwood Path Axioms:

Key Assertions:

Pay attention to your Animal Spirit guides.

The “medicine” from Animal Totems comes to youin both your dreams and your waking life.

As a reflection of the variety of our moods, situations, and earth conditions, we usually experience more than one totem animal in our lives.

If mysticism is not your thing, think of the totems as psychological tools, useful to those who retain an open mind.

Photo by Jay Brand, Pixels.com.

An animal totem is a symbolic representation of an animal guide in the form of a crest, a totem pole, an emblem, a small figurine, or anything else that depicts the spirit guide for a tribe, clan, family, or individual. Your own animal guide instructs, protects, teaches, and reconnects you to your earth roots and the cycle of life. Some of the most important and powerful truth and knowledge that we can hold, the “medicine” from Animal Totems comes to you in both your dreams and your waking life.

Animal Totems lead us to our power. They deliver important life lessons. They help us to form our important sense of oneness. They do these things only if we maintain a sense of reverence and a willingness to be helped.

As a reflection of the variety of our moods, situations, and earth conditions, we usually experience more than one totem animal in our lives. Except for the Lifelong Animal Totem and the Direction-specific Animal Totem team, which usually stays with you throughout your life, Animal Totems come and go, as needed. As one Totem leaves one’s life, another steps in. These transitions occur most often during times of new tasks, new lessons, new events, and new directions.

Each and every person on earth has, or can have, Animal Totem Teams, made up of individual Totems, each having special “medicine.” By “medicine” I mean the help the totem can deliver.

Animal Totems And Their Medicine

Here are some Animal Totems that work well for me.

Alligator encourages you to develop new wisdom without being consumed by it.
Antelope helps you end your procrastination.
Badger helps you reach your objective.
Bat helps you move forward while staying balanced in the present.
Beaver helps you to develop your ingenuity and resolve.
Bee helps you communicate effectively and stay in touch with your loved ones.
Great Blue Heron helps you know who or what to follow.
Canada Goose helps you honor your roots and honor those who have helped you.
Cougar helps you with self-confidence and accomplishing your dreams.
Jaguar helps you move on your plan.
Cricket helps you stay positive.
Groundhog helps you get to the root of the matter.
Falcon helps you with research and planning.
Lizard helps you with intuition and higher knowledge.
Manatee helps you choose peace instead of struggle.
Otter helps you remember that life can be fun with the right attitude.
Owl helps you listen to your inner voice and to recognize deception.
Dolphin reminds you to take time to play.
Fox helps you to use seen and unseen resources.
Panda helps you accept others for who they are and to expect the same for yourself.
Raccoon helps you live for the moment.
Redwing Blackbird helps you admit your true feelings to yourself.
Seal helps you with creativity.
Turtle helps you recognize abundance in the world.
Whale helps you honor your Soul’s purpose.
Woodpecker helps you continue to hammer away at your project.
Yorkshire Terrier helps you to accept whatever is and to laugh when you step on wet spots on the floor.

One can but need not imbue magical powers on your Animal Totems. If this helps, do it. If magic gets in your way, you can still benefit from your Animal Totems. The correlations being the animals typical behaviors and their offered “medicines” will be instructive, guiding, and healing. If mysticism is not your thing, think of the totems as psychological tools, useful to those who retain an open mind. By having a team of Animal Spirits at your disposal, rather than just one Lifelong Animal Totem, you will surround yourself with experienced advisors, skilled healers, diligent protectors, and like-minded fellow clan members.

Pre-established Totems

Some Animal Totems are already established for you. These include the Quarter Guardians, the totems for your Birth Clan, and your Direction-specific Animal Totem Team.

Quarter Guardians

Some animals are associated with the quarters (the four Elements) and can be called upon to activate the powers of the North, the East, the South, and the West. These powers come from the associated Elements (each quarter is composed of the Cardinal Direction stone and the next three Moon Stones moving clockwise around the Native American Medicine Wheel, which will be described in detail subsequently), and the Associated Cardinal Direction Animal Totem, which together bring forth the characteristics or states one can solicit to address a situation or solve a problem.

The North quarter affects and is affected by the Earth element, is pertinent to situations and problems having to do with riches, and has as Animal Totem Quarter Guardian the Buffalo.

The East quarter affects and is affected by the Air element, is pertinent to situations and problems having to do with desire and love, and has as its Quarter Guardian the Golden Eagle.

The South quarter affects and is affected by the Fire element, is pertinent to situations and problems having to do with liberty movement, dreaming, profoundness, and freedom, and has as its Quarter Guardian the Coyote.

The West quarter affects and is affected by the Water element, is pertinent to situations and problems having to do with softness and repose, and has as its Quarter Guardian the Grizzly Bear.

Clans
Butterfly Clan

If you were born between the Rest and Cleansing Moon (Jan 20 to Feb 28), the Corn Planting Moon (May 21 to June 20), or the Ducks Fly Moon (Sep 23rd to Oct 23rd), you are a member of the Butterfly Clan. You are ruled by the element of Air. The Butterfly Clan is composed of people who live in the moment and tend to explore, wander, and look for what is new.

Condor (The Thunderbird) Clan

If you were born between the Budding Trees Moon (Mar 21 to Apr 19), the Ripe Berries Moon, (Jul 23 to Aug 22), or the Long Snows Moon (Nov 22 to Dec 21), you are a member of the Thunderbird Clan. You are ruled by the element of Fire. Some members of the Thunderbird Clan seem to be people of paradox. At one moment they are warm and helpful, but they can suddenly turn into a dominating, hyperactive individual.

Frog Clan

If you were born between the Big Winds Moon (Feb 19 to Mar 20), the Strong Sun Moon (Jun 21 to Jul 22), or the Freeze Up Moon (Oct 24 to Nov 21), you are a member of the Frog Clan. You are ruled by the element of Water.

Turtle Clan

If you were born between the Harvest Moon (Aug 23 to Sep 22), the Frogs Return Moon (April 20 to May 20), or the Earth Renewal Moon (Dec 22 to Jan 19), you are a member of the Turtle Clan. You are ruled by the element of Earth.

The Turtle Clan, the Clan of Earth, is filled with stable, practical, and grounded people with an appreciation of the Earth and its elemental energy.

Nine-member Direction-specific Animal Totem Team

As you proceed down the Heartwood Path or other pathways of growth, keep in mind the seven directions surrounding your physical body: East, South, West, North, Above, Below, and Within. The direction called Within exists inside of you, but also exists outside of you, since the entire universe is inside your awareness. The other two animals, which make up your nine totems are the ones which are walking at each side of you at all times, and which may possibly have been coming to you for years in your dreams.

Each of us have a totem animal associated with each of the nine directions. Spend some time learning the lessons of these directions. When any animal presents itself to you in some way that stands out in your mind, whether in a dream or while you are awake, study its Medicine—it’s message for you!

East

The animal in the East — Coyote—guides you to your greatest spiritual challenges and guards your path to illumination.

South

The animal in the South —Butterfly—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—Great Blue Heron—leads you to your personal truth and inner answers. It also shows you the path to your goals.

North

The North animal—Skunk— gives wise counsel and reminds you when to speak and when to listen. It also reminds you to be grateful for every blessing every day.

Above

The Above animal—Owl—is the guardian of the dreaming time and your personal access to the other dimensions.

Below

The Below animal—Turkey—teaches you about the inner World and how to stay grounded and on your path.

Within

The Within animal—Moose—teaches you how to find your heart’s joy and how to be faithful to your personal truths.

Right Side

This animal—Eagle— protects your masculine side and teaches you that, no matter where you turn, you will have the courage and spirit of a warrior.

Left Side

This animal—Turtle— is the protector of your feminine side and teaches you that you must learn to receive abundance as well as to nurture yourself and others.

(Sams and Carson, Medicine Cards)

HumaNatureConnect Activity

Chosen Animal Spirit Teams

Based on their medicine and your attraction to them, create a team of specially-tailored Animal Totems. Regularly call on them for assistance. This calling can be as simple as asking a question and going for a walk in nature, or as complicated as a full ritual to acknowledge a specific power animal. In either case, it is important to open yourself up to the natural world.

Remember to always show gratitude to a departing totem. Give both thanks and blessings to them when you become aware that their energy is moving away from you.

Healers

Many animals have unique resistance to certain diseases. Snakes that shed their old skin, for example, are symbols of transformation. Sharks, being largely cancer-free, are symbols of healing. Study the ways animals keep themselves healthy and align with their energy whenever you need to be healed physically or psychologically.

Advisors

Animal spirits are also great advisors and can be called on for help in particular situations. Whale, beaver, or any of those listed under the “Animal Totems And Their Medicine” section above can help you with quests, journeys, quandaries, situations, choices, decisions, and activities.

Protectors

Animal Spirits are also protectors, and can be called upon to give you extra energy for preventative purposes. You are well advised to pay attention to the Animal Spirits that appear in your life. Listen to their messages of warning. Some Animal Totems that have proven to be protective for me include Opossum, Owl, Dog, and Armadillo.

To Receive Guidance From Animal Totems…

HumaNatureConnect Activity

If this is not a day when you prefer to spend time in nature without an agenda, do the following activity:

Start-up Protocol

Read The Text — Use your literary sense, your mind sense, and your reason sense to read your way towards happiness and sustainability but do not just be an arm-chair traveler. Use your other natural senses as you also spend healthful, fun, and productive time in nature on your way to Gladandgreen Junction.
Attractive Natural Being — With pen and journal in hand, go to a natural area and look around to find a natural being that is attractive to you.
Appreciation and Gratefulness — While admiring your chosen being, appreciate it with your inhalations and give it gratitude with your exhalations.
Consent — Once you find an aspect of nature that is attractive to you continuously for at least ten seconds, think of your continued attraction as your consent to have a connection experience that will lead to your optimal functioning.
The Natural Senses — After gaining consent to enter into a connection experience with the natural being, have available the list of Natural Senses. Mix it up by using at least one radiation sense, one feeling sense, one chemical sense, and one mental sense, to widen your perception, and add variety to your experience.
HumaNatureConnect Activity — After reading the text, finding a natural being, appreciating it, gaining its consent, and scanning the list of natural senses, use your heightened awareness and nature-induced optimal functioning to do the following activity and engage in as many follow-up components as you see fit.

Identifying Your Animal Totems,

Both Life-long And Intermittent

When in the presence of your attractive natural being, look around the natural setting or scan your memories of animals, pick an animal that is “speaking” strongly to you (dominant in your awareness), that you feel drawn to, that keeps cropping up randomly in your life, or that you need to acknowledge. Doing so will assist your subconscious in being more open to the energy of the Animal Totem, allow messages and wisdom to flow to you from your Animal Totem more easily, and enable the energy of the Animal Totem to be welcome in your space.

If no obvious animal totem comes to mind, ask yourself the.the following questions (which cannot be answered wrongly and are best answered when you are intuitive and relaxed):

What animal, bird, or insect do you feel most drawn to?
When you go to a nature reserve, park, or zoo, what animal are you most interested in seeing?
What animal do you most often see (in nature and in your ordinary surroundings – contemplate any interaction, whether images, sounds, or the actual animal)?
What animal are you currently interested in learning more about?
What animal most frightens you, intrigues you, or makes you feel “out of your comfort zone”?
Have you ever been bitten, scratched, or attacked by an animal?
Do you ever have recurring dreams about a particular animal?
Are you drawn to figurines or pictures of a specific animal?
Are you the king of the jungle, like a lion (and 1.8 percent of human population)?j
Are you charming and clever, like a macaw (and 3.2 percent of human population)?
Are you strict and aggressive, like a wolf (and 8.7 percent of human population)?
Are you subtle and opportunistic, like a hyena (and 4.3 percent of human population)?
Are you loyal and affectionate, like a dog (and 2.5 percent of human population)?
Are you spontaneous and creative, like an orangutan (and 8.1 percent of human population)?
Are you gentle and caring, like an elephant (and 12.3 percent of human population)?
Are you fun and entertaining, like a dolphin (and 8.5 percent of human population)?
Are you a solitary hunter, like a tiger (and 2.1 percent of human population)?
Are you wise and calm, like an owl (and 3.3 percent of human population)?
Are you slow but tough, like a snapping turtle (and 11.6 percent of human population)?
Are you secretive and unpredictable, like a snake (and 5.4 percent of human population)?
Are you rare and fascinating, like a panda (and 1.5 percent of human population)?
Are you free spirited and kind, like an otter (and 4.4 percent of human population)?
Are you territorial and protective, like a rhinoceros (and 13.8 percent of human population)? Or
Are you harmless and sensitive, like a kitten (and 8.8 percent of human population)?

(Care2.com) & (myersbriggs.org)

If in answering these questions no Lifelong Animal Totem emerges, try the following:

Make a list of animals that have drawn your interest or have left a deep impression on you.
Keep a journal of the animals present in your dreams or that you encounter through the day for the next month.
Find a place where you can be alone to meditate and ask your Animal Spirits for assistance.

From the information and answers you assembled above, fill in the appropriate characteristics and Animal Questions in the blanks below:

Choose your Life-long Animal, if it had not already chosen you.

My Life-long Animal Totem is _________________________.

Choose your Task-oriented Animal Totem Team. Change it respectfully whenever you see fit.

My current Animal Totem Healer is _____________________________.

My current Animal Totem Protector is___________________________.

My current Animal Totem Advisor is____________________________.

Photo by Siegfried Poepperl, Pexels.com.

Follow-up Protocol

Natural Systems Reflection Process

For best results, write down your impressions of this activity in your journal using as many of the following components as you see fit, afterwards, share your interpretations with others.

Journal Components

General Description — writing a general description of how you did the activity and what happened.
Freeform — writing, in freeform, what you found attractive about your natural being.
Three Qualities — writing down three qualities you found most attractive about your natural being.
Three Learnings — writing down three things you learned from this activity.
Self-esteem & Trust — writing down how, if at all, this activity changed your self-esteem or trustfulness of Nature.
Changes To Self — writing down what aspects of your self, if any, were changed by this activity.
Honor Yourself — praising yourself and your commitment to making another stop along the Heartwood Path good for yourself and the world.
I’m A Person Who . . . — writing down three different so-called “G/G Statements” using the following format: “This connection experience tells me that I am a person who__________.”
Feelings If Activity Taken — writing down a sentence about how you would feel if you lost your ability to experience this connection.
Nature Compared To Self — creating a sentence that reads: “I love this (insert words that identify the attractive natural being) because it is (insert words that refer to the qualities you like about the natural being).” Then, creating a parallel sentence that reads: “I love (insert the word “myself”) because I am (insert the same qualities as before).” If only one follow-up component can be done at any one waypoint, do this one. It reveals a lot about the participant quickly. In group settings it is a very good way to get pertinent conversation underway.
Ride The Green Wave — determining whether you understand and agree with all of the Ten Green Wave Validation Statements. In your journal, give yourself a plus sign (+) if you do agree and a minus sign (-) if you do not agree. Do not worry if you do not give yourself a plus sign (+). These notations are merely for your own information. Regardless of your own plus or minus assessments, you are always free to move on; or, if you are attracted to do so, you can always revisit the waypoint, ask for Guidance, and/or redo the activity.
Two-Word Summary — writing down two words that summarize your response to this activity.

The Heartwood Path Exchange:

Swap Your Ideas, Impressions, Photos, And News With Others

Post your impressions and photos in the Comments at the bottom of the page
Engage with others in your Heartwood Path course or salon
Create your own salon that meets regularly online, by phone, or in person
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