Animal Totem Medicine

⏱️ 11 Minute Read | Also see Crystal Gem Medicine & Healing

The Medicine of Animal Guides, Totems & Symbology List

When the Earth is sick, the animals will begin to disappear,
when that happens the Warriors of the Rainbow will come to save them.
- Chief Seattle

Dear Friends,

Our animal friends remain by our side through thick and thin, come to us in our dreamtime, appear before us in visions and fill our thoughts as we re-member them from our youth as our beloved pet friends. They come in every shape and size. They are the messengers of Great Spirit/Father in Heaven/YHWH and our guides and support through phases of our lives. We are each attracted to certain animals more than others because they represent some of our strongest guides and helpers. If there are animals living around you, in your life as pets, or entering your dreamtime and visions, read through the list below of some of our animal friends and the message they may bring you.

Aho!
Deidre

• ALLIGATOR - Integration, aggression, survival, adaptability
• ANT - Patience, group-minded, worker
• ANTELOPE - Action/quick decisive/knowledgeable
• ARMADILLO - Boundaries
• BADGER - Aggressiveness/fight for what it wants
• BAT - Rebirth, guardian of the night, cleaner; knowledge to avoid obstacles, barriers, and troublesome people; undergoing a shamanistic death; releasing old habits and personality patterns;
• BEAR - Introspection/heal the sick/power/inner strength/courage/wisdom, adaptability
• BEAR, GRIZZLY - Hunter, nature's pharmacist
• BEAVER - Builder, gatherer
• BEE - Spiritual telepathic industry; solar initiation; co-disciple
• BLACKBIRD -The learning of mystic secrets while in meditation; learning trance; doing deep, purposeful meditations
• BLACK PANTHER - Embracing the unknown
• BLUE JAY - Courage, warning, eloquence; divination to check on future trouble-spots in your life
• BLUE HERON - Self-reflection
• BUFFALO - Prayer and abundance/provider and protector, sacredness, life-builder
• BUTTERFLY - Transformation, metamorphosis, carefree
• CHEETAH - Swiftness, speed, develop your self-esteem so that you move with a regalness of bearing; making events occur quicker
• COCK - The power of the word to dispel and repel negativity; building walls of protection about you, your family and friends, pets, and property; setting psychic guardians in place to warn you of problems
• COYOTE - Trickster, prankster, insight, playful
• COUGAR - Leadership, courage
• CRANE - Solitude, independence, intelligence, discipline, vigilance; magick; astral travel; learning and keeping secrets; reaching deeper mysteries and truths; learning new types of magick; astral traveling especially in search of spiritual wisdom
• CROW - Keeper of the sacred "Law", gateway to the supernatural; thief, trickery, boldness, skill, cunning, single-mindedness; a bringer of knowledge; prophecy; learn from past but don't hold onto it; swiftness, eloquence; shape-shifting; letting go of past hurts; learning to mentally shape-shift; divination
• DEER - Gentleness, flower of kindness, embrace from afar, love
• DOLPHIN - Manna/knows the unknowable/keeper of the sacred breath of life, kindness, play, bridge man to ocean
• DOG - Loyalty/serving humanity; God spelled backwards; tracking skills, ability to scent a 'trail' through conflicting or confusing situations; companionship, keen hearing, willingness to follow through; using intuition to find new ideas and solutions; seeking a teacher within by going into the silence; if seen in meditation, you will be guarded from approaching danger and threats; protection; finding out the truth
• DOVE (Egyptian Ba) or PIGEON - Communicating with friends and loved ones who are in spirit; spiritual messenger between worlds; peace, gentleness, lov
• DRAGONFLY - Illusion, flighty, carefree
• EAGLE - Connection to the Great Spirit/Divine, freedom, power, swiftness, strength, courage, wisdom, keen sight; knowledge of magick; sees hidden spiritual truths; sees overall pattern of life; rising above material in search of spiritual direction; connecting with powerful spiritual beings; creating a stronger connection with spirit guides and teachers, deitie
• ELK - Spirit helper, stamina/to find a lover/romance, strength, agility, freedom
• FALCON - Magick, astral travel, healing, releasing the soul of a dying person; sending energy and soul-healing to a dying person for an easy transition
• FOX - Quick, decisiveness, camouflage, protector of the family unit, intelligence, cunning, provider
• FROG - Cleansing, honors our tears, connection with the water element
• GOAT - Leader, inquisitiveness
• GOOSE - New beginnings, wisdom, inspiration, happiness, for a happy marriage and children
• GROUSE - Sacred spiral
• GUINEA FOWL - Protection, warning, spiritual watch-dog and protector
• HAWK - (Egyptian Bak) Messenger of the Gods/Sky, observer, clear-sightedness; far memory or recalling past lives; message from spirit, omens and dreams; overcoming problems; opportunistic; courage, defense, wisdom, illumination, new life, creativity, truth, experience
• HERON - Ability to watch patiently for results; dignity of movement; methodical procedure in matters; gaining dignity and self-confidence for facing personal problems
• HORSE - Physical and unearthly power, stamina, mobility, strength, feminine wisdom
• HUMMINGBIRD - Joy, awakens the medicine flower, feathers used for love charms, messenger, stopper of time, relaxation, non-judgmental, happiness, love
• IBIS - Magick on spiritual level; wisdom, enlightenment; learning magick and spellworking; wisdom to understand and properly use the ancient deep magicks
• JAGUAR - Integrity and impeccability
• LION - Learn to relax; don't carry the stress of one situation into another; strengthen family ties; strength, courage, energy; releasing stress and tension
• LIZARD - Dreaming, conservation, agility
• LOVEBIRD - Love, companionship, marriage; drawing a loving companion into your life
• LYNX - Secrets, keeper of the lost magic
• MAGPIE - Omens and prophecies; the mysteries of life and death; divination of any kind
• MOOSE - Self-esteem, head-strong, unstoppable, longevity
• MOUSE - Scrutiny, more to learn
• MOUNTAIN LION - Use of power in leadership
• NIGHTINGALE - Inspiration, using your talents with joy, moon magick
• OPOSSUM - Diversion, strategy
• OSTRICH - Spiritual truth, protection from troublesome spirits, exorcisms
• OTTER - Women medicine, joy for others, laughter, curiosity, mischievousness
• OWL - Clairvoyance, astral projection, magic deception and wisdom, truth, unmasking those who would deceive you, patience, guide to and from underworld, shape-shifting, secrets, and omens; moon magick; wisdom to make positive changes
• PARROT - Imitation, mockery, unintelligent repetition of something; think carefully before you speak; don't repeat gossip; guidance and wisdom to think before speaking
• PEACOCK - Dignity, warning, self-confidence; use symbol of peacock "eye" to see into the past, present, and future
• PHOENIX BIRD - (Egyptian Bennu) Rebirth, renewal; guardian, deep magic
• PIG - Purity, innocence; intelligence; luck, good fortune
• PORCUPINE - Child-like innocence and humility, protection
• PRAIRIE DOG - Retreat, family
• QUAIL - Good luck, courage, victory; for success in a project
• RABBIT - Fear, alertness, nurturing. Rabbits tend to be gentle, quiet, elegant, and alert; quick, skillful, kind, and patient; and particularly responsible. However, they might be superficial, stubborn, melancholy, and overly-discreet. Rabbits are faithful to those around them, but reluctant to reveal their minds to others, and have a tendency to escape reality. They are too cautious and conservative, which means they miss good opportunities.
• RACOON - Generous protection
• RAVEN - Magic, carries the medicine, trickster, teacher, hoarder; helps with divination; often represents the upset in life necessary to create something new; wisdom, eloquence, a change in consciousness; messages from spirit; something unforeseen but special is about to occur; magick of the Crone; divination
• ROBIN - Happiness, new beginnings; for guidance in beginning a new cycle of life
• SALMON - Wisdom, inner knowing, instinct, persistence, determinatio
• SEAGULL - Spiritual messengers; opening yourself to communication with deities
• SEAHORSE - Confidence, grace
• SHARK - Hunter, survival
• SHEEP - Loyal, good natured and kind. Introverts who can easily be overtaken by emotion. Sheep spirit animals as expression of innocence; an innocent aspect of yourself; your childhood, child-like qualities characterized by innocence, gentleness. Vulnerability with a negative meaning, weakness, vulnerability that could turn into powerlessness.Vulnerability with a positive meaning: Self-acceptance, ability to respect your own limits. A common meaning for the sheep totem is a part of yourself that tends to conform to social norms or family values.
• SKUNK - Reputation, respect yourself
• SNAKE - Transmutation, power of creation, sexuality, shrewdness, transformation
• SPARROW - Love, desire, fertility, pregnancy
• SPIDER - Weaving, creation, creative pattern of life
• SQUIRREL - Gathering
• SWALLOW: Good luck, success; changing your luck
• SWAN - Grace, balance, innocence; spiritual evolution, developing intuitive abilities, seeing into the future, divination on a spiritual level; aid with dream symbol interpretation; transitions
• TIGER - Power, energy; if action is called for, don't analyze it to death, just do it; unpleasant but necessary action only gets worse if you procrastinate; finding strength and will-power to tackle an unpleasant situation
• TURKEY - Give-away Eagle; symbol for gift is coming; asking for helpful gifts and blessings from the Gods
• TURTLE - Mother Earth/Goddess and energy, self-contained, creative source
• UNICORN - (Scotland's national animal) Magic; purity, innocence
• VULTURE - Cycle of death and rebirth; prophecy; deep love of the Mother Goddess; asking for understanding and wisdom concerning the death of a loved one
• WEASEL - Stealth
• WHALE - Record keeper, wisdom, provider, cleanser
• WILD BOAR - Confrontation
• WOLF - Teacher, family, spirit, great hunter, loyalty, success, perseverance
• WOODPECKER - Warning of approaching trouble; good luck; prophecy; divination for checking a situation for problems
• WREN - Messenger from the Gods; prophecy; living life to the fullest; protecting yourself when necessary

RESOURCES: Animal Magick by D.J. Conway; Totem Power Stones; Watch Your Dreams by Ann Ree Colton; and Deidre's personal observance and experiences