An animal totem is simply a guide or power animal that helps out an individual within their lives to guide them along a path that is best for them. These can be anything from real to mythical animals and they may have colors that are off for "normal" animals of their kind. These guides may help in any ways they see fit for your growth and development and they may appear to you in dreams, real life, meditations, etc.
Your animal totem will come to you when you are ready for them to guide you. You should try to view them with an open mind as to find out what they are without any filters of what you think they should be.
However, you should note that totems are solely a Native American concept and at it is traditionally necessary for a person to be of a First Nation tribe in order to have a totem. These are passed down through families.
Difference Between Animal Totems/Spirit Guides:
A spirit guide guides you. Sounds simple, and it is. They basically help you to learn lessons in your life. A totem is this, but also protective over you. They help you through life to learn what lessons you need to learn as well as to show you different ways. You can draw strength from their knowledge. They can be referred to as guardian angels in different beliefs. They help you more generally than familiars do. Familiars are generally physical, though they can be otherwise, and they help you out with magic(k) more specifically than growing overall.
Spirit guides can be animals or otherwise, the same as totems can be animals or otherwise.
Spirit Guide Meditation:
This is a meditation I was taught in order to find my spirit guide.
While doing this you can see it anyway you wish to. The circle isn't really needed if you don't want it there, and your forest can look any way you wish it to look. Everything is individualized.
Also take your time as they may not show up right away, and remember to be patient, it may take more than one try to do this.
Also I would like to note that the link below is good as a background music to the meditation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Xkbj8MDZXo
Close your eyes and relax, let yourself drift in a dark space. See a door within this dark space, walk to the door and open and step through it. When you step through the door on the other side is a forest. In front of you you see a path going off into the trees, follow it. As you walk along this path you cross a stream, stop in the stream and drink some of the water as this will cleanse yourself. When you feel ready to continue to walk along the path, going deeper and deeper into the forest. Now you will come upon a clearing, within this clearing there will be a circle that will be able to fit 10 people in it, this is a medicine circle on the astral. Sit next to this circle and ask that your totem reveal itself to you, wait for it to reveal itself. If it does not reveal itself to you ask the Great Spirit (concept of the universe from my understanding) to reveal it to you and wait. When it comes ask the name and species of your totem (gender you may also wish to ask). Then say goodbye and thank them and walk back the way you came, close the door behind you and open your eyes again.
Contact through Spells:
You can do a ''spell'' for them to reveal themselves to you in a dream, but the idea of that is you put out the energy for them to come to you. Basically spells are a way of calling them up and asking them to come visit you.
Contact through Dreams:
Another way to get into touch with them is to ask them to reveal themselves in your dreams right before you fall asleep. This is helpful if you can remember your dreams well. This is, once again, a way of calling them up and asking for them to visit you.
Other Notes:
I would like to add that they can show up in your life randomly without you calling them to yourself. It is possible you are ready to meet them, however you, for whatever reason, have yet to contact them first.
I had forgotten I had already posted this up until today. I think I'll spend a bit of time digging up some links to excellent places for learning about your guide's/totem's individual medicine.
