Last Updated on February 24, 2023 by Avia

How To Identify Animal Totems

How-To Tips to Identify Animal Totems: There are many ways to identify animal totems. In fact, there are as many ways to discover animal totems as there are beliefs surrounding them. Due to the variety of methods and beliefs, determining your animal symbol can be confusing and sometimes a discouraging process.

These pages will give you tips to identify animal totems, characteristics associated with your animal, and working with your animal totems.

Native American animal totems are identified in dreams, meditation, or through purposeful observation to surroundings. Other cultures use similar methods to determining an animal symbol.

knowing your animal totem — Knowing your animal totem

A word of advice about how to identify animal totems

Rule #1 – Relax!

The practice of animal totem identification is a personal one. There’s no right or wrong answer. I talk about the dangers of pat answers when identifying animal totems (or allowing others to assign totems for you) on my blog. Here’s the link: The Dangers of Totem-Assignment.

Identifying your totem is a personal process, and occurs when you open your inner self to the natural and spiritual realms. This can only be achieved by relaxing, and being patient with yourself.

Also, understanding the qualities of an animal, and how these qualities relate to you is and your reality is key.

With that said, understand that the following guidelines to determining your kindred animal spirit are just suggestions. Ultimately, you will be the one to determine your animal symbol based on a mutual connection with the animal energies the resonate with you.

Long-story-short…your bond with your totem is kind of like a marriage. It takes time, communication, patience, understanding to forge a meaningful connection with your animal guides.

Below, are some links to assist you in your exploration of animal meanings and identifying animal totems.

“Watch any animal and let it teach you acceptance of what is, surrender to the Now. Let it teach you Being.
Let it teach you integrity – which means to be one, to be yourself, to be real.”
~Eckhart Tolle

In-Site Links to Help Identify Animal Totems
and Animal Totem Meanings

Working With Animal Totems:
Thoughts about dreaming and meditation for enhancing totemic work. Includes an eight-step technique to assist in connecting with your animal counterparts. Click for full article.

Thoughts on Identifying Animal Totems:
Thoughts on identifying your animal counterparts by observation and thoughtfulness. Also addresses how our native forefathers and mothers connected with their animal affiliates. Click for full article.

Identifying Meaning from Animal Tracks:
Crossing paths with bears, ravens and elephants? Find out what that means on a symbolic level. Click here for more about identifying animal tracks and the symbolic meaning behind them.

Animal Totem Meanings:
A summary, breaking up snap-shot meanings of animals according to a simple categorization system. Provide links to individual animal totem meanings. Click for full article about animal totem meaning here.

Tips to Knowing Your Totem Animals:
One of my favorite pages, includes thoughtful insight on how to let our animal affiliates into our awareness easily. Read more about knowing your totem animal here.

Chakra Animal Symbols:
Chakra animal symbols combine two amazingly effective symbolic languages to help us in growth and higher understanding. Read full article here.

I hope you enjoy browsing through these pages on identifying your animal totems, and insights into animal symbolism/animal totem meanings. I’ve offered more informative links at the end of this page, should you be interested in further totem research.

May all your connections to the animal kingdom (and queendom) be enlightening and roaring with joy! Thanks for reading!

Mighty brightly,