As with most things, the process of identifying your totem animal is a personal one. It is a process of opening yourself up, being patient, and understanding the qualities of said animals. There are no "right" or "wrong" answers in this process. Others may "read" your totem animals for you, but in the end you are the only one who can identify for certain which animals you afflilate yourself with. Animal totems are symbolic and are used to help a person understand qualities found within these animals that are also in themselves.
**Here is a link to the various animals: http://www.spellsofmagic.com/read_post.html?post=358262**
Some ways to identify them:
Much like a dream journal, start a "totem journal". After meditation, write down and record experiences related to this. Come up with a list of questions that you seek to answer. Here are some examples of questions you might ask:
Which types of animals do I feel drawn to?
What animals do I find myself interested in?
Do any of these animals reoccur in my dreams?
Take a piece of paper and write out qualities/traits you have (and be HONEST). You may ask your friends/family to list a view things as well. Once you have a fair amount- you may look for animals that share these traits.
Meditate. Find a quiet and relaxing environment. Set a direction, or goal, in your subconscious to seek your totem animal. Focus on your intention.
In your dreams or meditations, pay attention to detail:
What did the animal look like?
What was it doing?
What type of environment was it in?
Don't give up or quit if you see nothing the first few times, sometimes it takes repeated effort.
Set aside time for reflection and observation. On both yourself and the animals you are interested in. Research or invest time into diving into studying your animals. The more you look into these things, the more they may become clear to you. Again, it may take time. Patience, here, is key as it varies from individual to individual.
Suggested Books:
"The Druid Animal Oracle: Working with the Sacred Animals of the Druid Tradition" by Phillip and Steph. Carr-Gomm
"The Once Unknown Familiar" by Timothy Roderick
"How to Meet and Work With Spirit Guides" by Ted Andrews
Here is a link that can teach you more about a particular animal if you like. The site also has a test for your Totem animal. Mine was the owl, and I definitely agree!
Actually the term 'totem' was derived from the Algonquian word - Ototema or sometimes - Nto'tem or Odoodem which means kin or sibling. In many Algonquian dialects it refers to a particular animal or supernatural being/creature associated with a tribe, clan, or band. This Ototema is often thought as an ancestor, family member, old friend and most definitely a protector or ally.
These Algonquian Ototemas go far back to the tribe's, clan's or band's origins. Totems cannot be chosen randomly or due to an individual's affection or admiration of a particular animal. Information regarding Ototemas is much less guarded than personal spirit helpers and guardian spirits and are often displayed in art.
There's nothing really preventing people from choosing what they believe to be totem and spirit animals, but quite often some do so in ignorance of the tribal cultures associated with such.
