Meditation - Spirit Animal (Totem)

I have always had a great interest in animal spirit guides, also known as Totems.
I think at different stages of our life different totems will come into play to guide and aid us.

I remembered this meditation from a while ago that I used to try and help me find my spirit animal, it may be altered slightly as it was a long time ago I did this.

1. Begin by breathing slowly. Some people find this difficult, if you are one of these people try breathing in and counting to four, hold you breath for one second, then breathe out for 4 seconds. In time you will learn to pick this up naturally.

2. Empty your head. Doing this meditation you are probably already thinking about which animal could be yours. Try to get rid of these thoughts, a cat may be your favourite animal but it may not be the animal chosen to guide you at this point. Also, try to forget the pile of laundry you need to fold or any other mundan tasks. If it helps do them before so nothing is troubling you when you begin to meditate.

3. Begin by picturing a river and a bridge. Walk onto the bridge. If you still have some troubles on your mind, you can mentally picture dropping these troubles into the river and watching them flow away.

4. On the other side of the bridge there is a forest with a path running through it.You walk this path until you reach a clearing. As you walk this path you may hear the scuffling of leaves or the sound of your animal.

5. In the clearing there is a small calm pool. You kneel down and lean over the pool. You will see your reflection staring back at you. Look past your reflection and gaze into the pool. You may see an animal peer over your shoulder. Or you may even see an animal in the water.
Your totem will choose the best way to present itself to you.

6. Once you see your animal maybe ask it a question that is troubling you. This could be to do with a decision. Or simply thank and ask the totem to continuously guide you through your life.

7. Once you feel ready, thank your totem again and begin to walk back through the forest. Your totem may walk with you to the bridge. When you get to the bridge walk slowly over it remembering what you have spoken of with your totem.

8. Carefully allow yourself to become conscious again. Take your time, letting your breathing become regular again. Give yourself a few minutes before wriggling your toes and fingers and slowly sitting up.

9. A good way to record your experience would be to keep a diary. Then if you ever go back, you can see if your animal has changed. Or you can see what animal appears when you ask a particular question.

I hope you enjoyed and found this meditation useful. Please comment here if you would like to ask me any questions or share your experience.