In Native American cultures, and probably indigenous cultures worldwide, animals play a large role in instructing human beings. They teach us how to live justly and within our means. They teach us how to honor Turtle Island (Mother Earth) and ourselves. Animals teach us how to be wary and cautious (Fox), how to manage our resources whether food, money, or other things (Squirrel and Mouse). They instruct how to listen to our inner voice and go within to learn the great lessons there (Bear). But animals also teach us how to laugh at ourselves and to not take life so seriously (Coyote).
Totem animals are those beings that come to you either as a lifetime guide or a temporary one. For example, my spiritual path began when I was a new Marine in California. I had a dream in which a black wolf came to me. I dreamed that I was in a hut in the desert (just as I really was in my waking life) and that the wolf came to the door. I sat up in my cot and looked at the wolf, who was watching me. Then I blinked and when I opened my eyes, I saw through the wolf’s eyes and I walked away. I shape-shifted—in my dream—into the black wolf and have never been apart from it since. Now, when I see the wolf in my dreams, it is always walking with me or is me. I never, ever follow the wolf. In a sense, we are one and the same being.
Other animals come into your life to help you through certain situations, challenges, or life lessons. These may be brief instances (like daily lessons), or may last longer. For example, I know that Bear walks with me now, and has since my daughter was born four years ago. (I guess it’s true what they say about that “Mama Bear” syndrome.) Bear feels especially close to me and urges me frequently to go within and listen to the silence of the cave. She teaches me to be patient, careful, strong, wise, spiritual, and swift.
Many of you who are parents might very well be walking with Bear at this phase in your lives. Think of the comparison: Bear cubs live with their mothers for many years, relying upon her to show them all they need to know about being a bear to be successful when they finally go out on their own. In many ways this is the same for human mothers and fathers. It is our job (as parents) to teach our little ones how to live right, to honor themselves and each other. We must teach them the difference between right and wrong in everything they do because their survival depends upon it. Bear medicine is strong medicine to walk in, but we must not abuse that power- raging about and being generally vicious. Remember, bears only really attack if they feel they, or their cubs, are threatened.
Each animal has a teaching associated with it. Of course, these teachings may vary depending upon the Native culture. For example, in many Native American cultures, Coyote is the trickster. (No big surprise there.) But Native peoples also refer to the coyote as “wise little brother.” Most people don’t know that it is Coyote who is alleged to place the stars in the sky and started the world. Wolf, as many people already suspect, is a teacher in many cultures. Her life lessons include family, spirituality, oneness, unity, teamwork, and strength. There is a time for song and a time for silence, and she teaches both. However, many animals have dual roles. Raven, for example, is both a trickster and the keeper of magic.
Determining your totem animal is pretty simple. For some of us, they come to us in dramatic ways (such as in dreams). Others feel a very strong pull or kinship to a particular animal. I’ve always and forever loved horses, so I know that Horse is one of my totems. (Yes, you can have more than one. Typically, there are two main guides; one may be more “dominant” so to speak than the other. They usually walk with you your whole life and teach you the lessons of their ways.) I have a friend who has a great affection for frogs, so Frog is his totem. My aunt, on the other hand, not only loves owls, but the owls come to her constantly—even during the day! That’s the other clue: Your main totem animals (main life guides) aren’t simply ones you like, they also come to you. I don’t live in an area where wolves are indigenous anymore, so the only way Wolf can come to me is through a dream. But horses abound on farms and such, and I’ve always had a unique way with them. Other animals, such as most birds, apparently despise me (though I’ve never hurt one).
If you aren’t certain of your lifelong totem animal, ask it to reveal itself to you (just as you would your spirit guide). These animals want to work with you, but they’re not human, so they don’t follow human laws. You can insult them too, and then they may go away. So remember to be respectful when addressing it.
Again, your life guide is one you have always felt especially close to or one that always seems to find a way into your life. Maybe you have always admired the mouse and even kept some as pets. Or maybe you are an otter person and have always loved the playful nature of these creatures.
Do not get wrapped up in the ego side of things. What I mean to say is: bigger and stronger, faster, meaner, “cooler” animals aren’t any more “special” than the small, “meek,” less ostentatious ones. Snake medicine, for example, is very powerful medicine and few people walk with it. These tend to be shamans and/or medicine people. Wolf medicine, as it turns out, is much more common.
Carrying very powerful medicine, such as Snake, also has its levels of sacrifice and/or discomfort. Sometimes “wishing” for a powerful animal, isn’t really what people want or need. Do you want to be a leader when, in fact, you aren’t very outgoing or extroverted? Or maybe you’re just the opposite. For example, Cougar is a powerful cat but it is also solitary most of its life. Maybe you’d like to have Cougar medicine, but you’re not much of an introvert and the message doesn’t really resonate with you. Or maybe you want to have Wolf as your guide because it seems “cool,” but you aren’t really much for instructing, teaching, or family. Maybe the ways of Wolf don’t resonate with you either, but Whale—the keeper of knowledge—does. These animals are ones that work with you because you share a kinship—a certain way of being. Your life totem comes to you because they sense that you share this kinship; don’t push it away simply because Ego wants something “better.” You wouldn’t do that to your human spirit guide, definitely don’t do it to your animal totem. As I said, they don’t operate by human laws and can be gone for good.
Since one animal isn’t better than another, what about good and bad? We’ve all heard that old wives tale about owls being bad omens, or omens of impending doom, but are there bad animals out there? First, we must try to understand that, in Native teachings, bad doesn’t mean “evil” as we tend to think of it. “Bad” and “good” aren’t necessarily black and white in Native teachings, so there truly are no “bad” totems. (This is a tough concept to understand, I know.) Many raptors in Native cultures are considered to be a “bad omen.” Hawk, the Messenger, typically carries prayers to Great Spirit. But Hawk also acts as a warning, frequently letting people know of danger up ahead (such as traffic accidents, etc.) and to be cautious in proceeding. Pay close attention to the direction of Hawk’s flight, for example. It may indicate which side of the road trouble is on. At any rate, it never hurts to proceed with caution if Hawk flies over your vehicle, or crosses your path. Owl gets its reputation because Native teachings state that it has the ability to see into both worlds—the living and the dead. Owl medicine is one of clairvoyance (though not all clairvoyants, myself included, carry Owl medicine). Thus, Owl has long since been thought to be able to foretell death and hearing or seeing an owl was considered a bad omen.
Remember, animal messages come to us usually daily; we just need to take notice of them. These are the animals that pass quickest through our lives. 
A couple of times in my life I have been hiking through a field when Mouse has run up to me and literally rubbed against, or stood on, my foot. Mouse’s teaching is that of scrutiny, and I had to spend some time reflecting on that. I’ve also—rarely—had (bald) Eagle come to me when I have been in the woods reflecting and asking deeply spiritual questions. This has only been when I have been called—or compelled—to go to the woods with such urgency that I couldn’t ignore it. Eagle is the symbol of Great Spirit, and thus it was a powerful message to me.
For animals moving in and through your present situation (whether daily or for a finite period of time) close your eyes and sense which creature you feel interacting most with you. 
Maybe you keep thinking of Elk. For whatever reason, it just pops into your thoughts. Use those clues and look into what the Native teachings have to say about Elk medicine. Jamie Sams and David Carson put together a wonderful collection of animal totem information in their book Medicine Cards (yes it comes with cards). I love this as a reference and refer to it frequently when I see or sense an animal moving through my day or life and need a better understanding of the lessons it is trying to teach. Their collection isn’t the be-all-end-all, but it is an excellent start. Look, too, at the natural way of the animal. How do they behave? What do they do in their lives? Do they hibernate or live through the winter hunting, fishing, etc.? What is their natural habitat like and how do they interact with it? Search what you can on the natural ways of the animal for even greater understandings. After all, this is how the Natives built their understandings of the animal teachers.
Some of you may be wondering why I capitalize the names of the animals when I refer to them. The answer is quite simple: Native cultures believe that there are different kinds of “people”: the four-leggeds, two-leggeds, sky people (birds, etc), and swimming people (fish, aquatic life). Think of that Disney movie Pocahontas when she sings “Colors of the Wind”. There is a line where she says, “You think the only people who are people, are the people who look and think like you…” This is the idea she is referencing. (By the way, admittedly, I love that song.)
The point is there are many “people” on this planet from which we learn. In order to truly embrace ourselves as part of the Great Spiral, we need to understand that we are all connected. We know much when we realize that we don’t know much. We have a world full of teachers, and not just the human kind. Remember, we survived as a species for millions of years not by sitting in classrooms or checking emails, but by being a part of the world around us. We watched, learned, and frequently mimicked our animal teachers—look at paintings of Native Americans as they hunted bison. Many of them donned wolf skins not simply to disguise themselves, but to draw on Wolf’s spirit and infuse themselves with the power, stamina, cooperation, and success of Wolf as hunters.
So welcome into your world your animal teachers, both life guides and those transient ones that pass through. Embrace your inner Ant, Badger, Moose, Elk, Wolf, Bear, Whale, Heron, Otter, and Fox. Learn from your teachers and pass the message on. Our goal should be to live honorably and in harmony with each other and the world around us. By listening to the messages our animals (living and spiritual) send, we can get there. Most importantly: Welcome to the world of totems!
My Spirit Path 