What does the 1998 Olympic champion Picabo Street in the Super G skiing event have in common with native healing practices throughout the world? The answer: look at her racing helmets. In the newspapers during the time of the Olympics, she was pictured with a helmet of a ram and on the day that she won her Olympic Gold Medal, she wore the helmet that depicted a tiger. Since the beginning of time, people have associated various characteristics, attributes and even some healing properties to the animals that were native to their particular area. Picabo Street is certainly not unique in her use of identifying animal totems to perhaps influence her thinking and concentration in influencing the achievement of her athleticism. We identify our sports teams with all types of animals and unfortunately sometimes other symbols which may not be appropriate according to your point of view. However, our use of animal totems and then the use of power animals can be an extremely important and influential aspect of our own personal healing. 

We build relationships with our animal totems and they seem to come and go. The attributes and the characteristics of a particular animal can certainly be very helpful over a period of time. For example, we might become aware that there is tremendous transformation going on in our life at this point in time. With that conscious awareness and our knowledge of the animal kingdom, we would perhaps select the butterfly to be our animal totem during that period of time. The butterfly is certainly suited for transformation because it goes through very evident and symbolic stages of development. It starts of course with the egg stage and then the larvae stage which is about how I make decisions. And then it goes into cocoon stage, the time when you are developing and doing something about making your reality come true. And finally there is the rebirth stage where you come out of the cocoon and you spread your wings and you fly and you do something, perhaps that you've never done before. Furthermore, you are able to do it with great sincerity and integrity because you have gone through the transformation process. Animal totems are very important in that they bring us a sense of power and facilitate our own personal growth.

The selection or receiving the gift of a power animal is perhaps even a more impactful experience. Power animals tend to stay with us for long periods of time. We tend to honor them and try to live our lives with the characteristics and the healing medicine that each of these animals presents to us. Power animals are generally given to us by a shaman or spiritual healer. The shaman will do a journey into the lower world and retrieve the power animal for that patient. When the shaman returns from the journey, the animal is generally blown into the chakra center that has been opened to receive this power animal. Often times the power animal that has been received by the patient is an animal that has not been a totem for that person in the past. They go on to have a relationship with that animal that will allow them to continue to heal and to increase power in their lives. 

For an example of a power animal, we look to the owl. Owl medicine is about clairvoyance and astral-projection, magic. In the book, Medicine Cards, the authors speak about how the owl is called the night eagle. It hunts at night and can accurately pinpoint and identify any sound . When you enter into a power animal relationship with owl, you are getting in touch with your own intuitive abilities. You become aware and you engage your own personal inner life. The owl energy is also about developing your own intuition powers so that you can give that to others. The owl is about the truth, the truth of your own enlightenment and the owl can guide you through the many corridors of the lower world so that you can discover your own truth.  Power animals do journey with you. Whenever you go on a Shamanic journey, you always go with your power animals as they protect you and guide you and bring clarification to the experience. 

The medicine of having a relationship with animal totems and power animals cannot be over-emphasized. Whether that is supporting your local team by wearing their animal mascot logo or as Picabo did, wearing a helmet that depicts a powerful tiger energy so that she can charge down a snowy mountain towards a gold medal at the end. Or journeying deep into the lower world of our soul to understand how we can continue to heal ourselves and provide service to others. So choose your animal totems intuitively and wisely. Respect them and honor them. When you are gifted with a power animal, develop a relationship with that animal so that your personal medicine will continue to grow and you will be more powerful.

written by Paul Sivert