Before reading, it is important to first realize what a totem animal actually is. You won't find it based on some online personality quiz, nor is it always your favorite animal. According to numerous cultures throughout history, humans have had a deep connection to the earth and the world's natural energies, which many people believe can be channeled with the help of an animal guide. According to others still, a totem is the animal manifestation of a person's very soul, or even the form a person took in a past life, prior to being human.
The way I see it, a totem animal is whatever you make of it. I personally believe that it's a combination of all the above, though is, most prominently, an animal which is a reflection of yourself.
From a social standpoint, a totem animal says a lot about how a person lives out their life, and indeed, many behaviors which are natural to their totem animal are also displayed in the individual. As a Leopard totem, I'm pretty well-known for being an adrenaline junkie, and for biting off more than I can chew, especially if I'm caught up in the moment. On the other hand, I'm not a very social person, and prefer having just a handful of close friends instead of numerous casual acquaintances. These traits are obviously somewhat 'Leopard-like' in nature, though could also be applied to other creatures, as well. It took me many years to figure out that Leopard was speaking to me instead of Jaguar, Bear, or some similar animal.
Since then, I've been asked the same question a million and one times: "How do I find my totem animal?"
And the answer is never really clear. This is because each person is an individual, and, as a result, each person must find their totem in a way which works best for them. I found my totem, the Leopard, in a dream. I know many other people who have found their totems in dreams, as well. But even so, spontaneous dream totems are exceptionally rare, and seem to be unique to individuals who are already accomplished dreamers, with the ability to not only have the dream, but also to remember it.
For most people, the best way to find a totem is through meditation, preferably in a place further from human habitation such as in the woods, if possible. This meditation does not require a perfectly cleared mind, and you don't need to reach any state of 'higher awareness'.
All you need to be able to do is focus your brain on creating the vision of a scene: Start in a place in nature which you naturally feel most drawn to. It could be a forest, a desert, a river, the ocean, and so on.
Once your brain is there and focused on the surroundings, pay close attention to the things you see around you. Most people do not instantly incorporate animals into this early stage of the journey, as they should be more focused on the atmosphere and landmarks which make up the scene, but if you do see any, feel free to ask yourself if they have something important to teach you.
Walk about the scene; take in the feels, the smells, the sounds. And once you feel comfortable there, open your mind and focus on the living things which inhabit the area. For the purpose of this exercise, I've found it good practice to imagine yourself in an alternate plane of existence, where all animals can live in one environment despite geographical differences. This means that you have the ability to see many kinds of animals all together in one niche.
After this, it gets kind of complicated, and it's easy to lose focus, become overwhelmed, or even grow frustrated if you see no animals at all (this happens quite often, so don't feel upset if you see nothing. It just means you need to spend more time in your vision, or perhaps move on to a different environment).
The first animal you see is not always your totem, so don't become too attached unless it just feels 'right'. Each animal is there for a reason, and they all have a lesson to teach you, so try and remember which species you see and under what conditions. As with any normal nighttime dream, things you see in a vision during meditation are often manifestations of events, feelings, and thoughts you've experienced in real life.
Your totem animal may not appear to you during your first attempt at meditation. But when it does, it's something you just know. Some people say they see their animal as ghostlike, whereas other animals in the vision are normal-looking; some say that they appear to glow or simply stand out for a reason they cannot explain. Either way, I've heard it described as a very strange feeling, almost like running into an old friend in a place you least expect to see them. I felt this way in my Leopard dream.
Most people are surprised to find that their totem animals are indeed NOT what they expected to find. Just because your favorite animal is a wolf doesn't mean that's your totem. If I had chosen my totem, I believe it would have been a Snow Leopard, or at least a melanistic leopard. I'd never have expected a spotted Amur. But once it appeared to me, it seemed to make perfect sense, and I wondered why I hadn't known it all along.
Some people will turn to drugs and hallucinogens to help aid in their vision quest, and if that's what you think is best for you, then by all means, have at it. Native Americans used peyote cactus on many of their vision quests, and I've heard first-hand accounts of its use proving to be quite effective in helping people identify their totems. This is not to say I encourage drug use; I am merely stating that if you believe this is what will work for you, and you're okay with it, then go ahead. Just keep in mind that there are alternatives to drugs, and they are not a requirement for discovering your totem by any means.
Other means of aid in meditation include music (preferably music without lyrics and without a lot of background 'chaos' such as electric guitar or heavy, rapid drumming). The best kind of music to listen to is the sort of stuff that is actually written and performed for the purpose of meditation. There are also breathing exercises which help immensely in reaching a good state of meditation, as I have discovered first-hand since I began playing the Native American flute.
Perhaps one of the most profound methods of finding a totem animal is to actually hike into the wilderness and find it. I have learned many lessons from real-life animals in the woods, which are hard to pass off as mere coincidence. They've appeared at points in my life when I needed their guidance, and in times when I took their advice, I've found my life taking a turn for the better. Of course, the issue with this is that it's very hard to find wild animals, and you also need a proper understanding of wilderness survival. I've only met a handful of people who've discovered their totems in this way, and I believe that has something to do with the fact that not everyone lives on the same continent as their totem. Likewise, the chances of actually seeing a wild animal, especially one that is rare or hard to spot, are very slim. More commonly, people who venture into the woods discover an animal guide rather than a totem.
A guide and a totem are not the same thing. Guides are merely animals that you may feel a strong connection to in a vision or in real life (which is why it's important to take note of all animals you see during your meditation), which is there to teach you something and help you reach a state of spiritual or emotional balance. Every animal carries a different message. It's up to you to decide what it means.
For example, Wolverine recently entered my life when I received a box full of vintage tails from an auction I won on eBay. When I pulled the tails out of the box and held them, I felt an odd urge to see and feel a full-sized Wolverine. That night, I dreamed about the so-called Devil Bear, and realized that he had entered my life to teach me when I was being too soft on my enemies and too hard on those I loved. Though not a totem, Wolverine is one of a small handful of guides which I keep close to my heart because of the lesson he taught. My other guides include Lioness, Great Blue Heron, and Kookaburra.
There are also animals which I consider to be 'visitors', who enter our lives briefly to teach us something important, and then move on. I was visited by Black Bear in the woods one night a few months ago, and he taught me a lesson that I'll never forget: It's dangerous to let my guard down around Bears (this was ironic because, at the time, I was friends with a boy whose totem was a Grizzly Bear, who ended up hurting me profoundly). If I hadn't been so angry at the Black Bear, I'd probably have realized this sooner.
Keep in mind that there are probably a lot of other ways to discover your totem animal. The methods mentioned above are simply ones that I know to be tried and true for numerous people, whom I've talked to first-hand.
Also note that finding a totem animal may be a long and arduous journey. It took me years to figure mine out, and I'm still discovering guides and visitors as life unfurls before me. The best thing to do is not to rush it, and trust that you'll find it when you need it most.
