I had a dream last night that had me confused. One of my totem animals is a snake. In the dream I was walking around my dorm room with a cobra following me. I wasn't scared of it and it wasn't attacking me. It seemed like we were friends. Then suddenly I took out a hatchet and killed the snake, cut it up into pieces and placed it in the trash. Does this mean that the snake is no longer my totem aninal? And even if it doesn't mean that, can you lose a totem animal?

Well, there are no hard and fast rules on this.

If you want a snake to be your totem animal, it is. If you don't want a snake to be your totem animal, it isn't.

Can you lose a totem animal? Who knows? How would you even know it if you did?

Does it make any difference?

Maybe it's just that your totem animal isn't a cobra. Can you have a totem animal that isn't native to the Americas?

Most people today believe that the use of totem animals belongs to Native American beliefs. Unfortunately, many people including Witches have difficulty understanding that the Native Americans do not hold sole claim to working with totemic energies. Silver Raven Wolf points out that since the proto-Celtic peoples emerged in Europe, our Craft shamans have used totmic thoughtforms.
We link totem animals with archetypal energies as well as elements. You can use the energies that you already posses, or you can devise new ones that suit your personality better. This takes a good deal of research so that you can gain the most of the energies you choose to draw from. Totemic work falls in the category of primal energies, where you can actually reach into the soul of the animal spirit and feel the totality of being.
Although I could not find a cobra in any of my research, I did find out that the snake is a symbol of power; life force; and sexual potency. Your dream could have many meanings which you will need to explore on your own. Since you killed the snake - have you recently become ill, lost an argument, or perhaps lost a lover? It might be as simple as you being angry at a lover and you are "cutting" them off.
When I am puzzled I like to sit in a dark, quiet room with a white candle for energy and meditate on what I've seen. Things usually become clearer then. I don't think that you have lost your totem spirit, I think that it is just trying to communicate with you.
Blessed Be.

This - Celtic Pagan FAQ - is the most sensible thing I've read on modern 'Celtic' religions. For example:

"First, I must stress that the Celtic Paganism discussed in this FAQ is a *Modern* religion and not a direct representation of the religion practiced by the ancient Celts. Properly, modern Celtic Pagans should refer to themselves as Neo-Celts or Modern Celts and their religion and practices as Neo-Celtic Paganism or Modern Celtic Paganism or Celtic Reconstructionalists. However, it is generally understood that when someone calls themselves a Celtic Pagan, they understand that they are not practicing the *original* religion of the Celts, but rather a modern version of it... ...there are bound to be gaps in our knowledge and differences in opinion as we simply cannot know *exactly* how the ancient Celts practiced their religion."

Although, of course, everyone is free to reconstruct Celtic religions as they like, it's difficult to see how totem animals (and particularly cobras) would have fitted in.

Cobras (I think) are found in India, Africa and a few other places, like the Philipppines. If you are drawn to the idea of a cobra as a 'totem', it might be best to follow an ancient or lost religion originating in those parts of the world.

I think, maybe, the dream is pushing you to be more specific. The idea 'snake' is too vague - you need to narrow it down to one species at least (which implies cutting out the others); just as a mixture of notions from various - imagined or reconstructed - spiritual traditions is kinda vague.

quote:

---

Originally posted by newnickname:
Although, of course, everyone is free to reconstruct Celtic religions as they like, it's difficult to see how totem animals (and particularly cobras) would have fitted in.

---

I do not follow a Celtic religion, I was using it as a comparison. And how do you not see totem animals not fitting in? There have been animals walking this earth as long (if not longer) than humans. They have been held in high regard in every religion known to man since the beginning of time. It only makes perfect sense that the Celts and other European religions acknowledge these spirits.

(Not every religion holds animals in high regard. In many, Christianity for example, animals can take second place to people in every way.)

I guess we need to define 'totem animal'. What does that mean? Is it a historically documented concept from a previously existing religion? Is it a new idea? Does it vaguely signify any animal - or its spirit - anyone might feel drawn to, or helped by, in any way?

What does it mean to 'acknowledge a spirit'? That seems to be such a broad and infinitely interpretable phrase that of course you could apply it to any people or religion.

Whe you say 'Silver Raven Wolf points out that since the proto-Celtic peoples emerged in Europe, our Craft shamans have used totemic thoughtforms' how many religious traditions are you referring to? I see three, at least.

Of course cobras and totem animals could fit in anywhere and anytime if you are vague enough about concepts and spiritual ideas. It seems so vague to me, however, that's it's meaningless. Hence the need for some cutting and defining.

Totem or Spirit Familiars are (usually) the ones that pick you. AKA Spirit Guide/ Spirit Teacher/ Watcher/ Protector, etc. You don't "pick" one out of the blue.

Could you anger one and make it leave? Yes. Can you just reach out and take one for your own? No. Can you walk away from them? I don't think so - we may delude ourselves into not sensing them, but they remain.

Dreams are tricky things. If you are not a Dream Walker by "profession" or if you are new to the Dream Walk the message(s) can be confusing (at best).

What is interesting is that you leap to "This snake(Cobra) is my Totem Animal because I have a snake as a Totem." Granted Cobra is a snake, but not all snakes are Cobra. This means that though your Totem may be a snake it necessarily does not have to be Cobra or even this Cobra.

But you make this intuitive leap, I must wonder what emotions are at play to cause you to make that leap. Emotions are the key facilities of intuition.

Traditionally spirit animals are not really the animal they are represented as, instead they are facets of certain symbols or "powers" that a particular animal form represents or is a manifestation of. This means that Snake may represent a facet of ourselves or a certain power or ability (skill, talent, nature within) not necessarily be a "snake". Totem are spirit guides/teachers which are understood to be more than just the animal form that they take. Though traditionally we respect the animal forms in life due to their connection to the Spiritual Manifestation of its Form.

Different snakes have different symbolics attached to them thus it is very possible that this dream is more along the nature of your "attacking" a particular aspect or tendency (facet of self) that Cobra represents, not the totem itself.

Though you confess you were not scared, you did not delve into the emotions that were guiding your need to cut up the cobra, you didn't say what feelings this caused you to feel during and after the chopping. Dreams are much more than just visual/audio "stories" they are also emotive, meaning the images, sounds, smells cause us to experience emotions - those emotions are most often the "real deal" or the reason why the dream is had to begin with.

The emotions you felt in the dream may hold more answers than the visual aspects or the story line - both which are most likely to be the instruments used to cause those emotions in dream state.

I would suggest meditating on the "feelings" not just the "story line" but the feeling evoked by the dream, see if these emotions connect to something in the waking world. It is possible that the emotions you felt in dream caused by the dream are very similar to emotions you are feeling in normal life. If you can make a connection on the emotional level, you may puzzle out the message of the dream.

David

That's interesting. Here's some more on Native Americans and totem animals:

'The idea of totem animals in the Native American tradition has been made famous from years of less than accurate books and movies. Classically everyone is a wolf or an eagle or some other noble beast and the idea of totem animals seems to be fraught with superstition. However, the idea has its own basis in being similar to not only being provided with guides, similar in a sense to angels, but also in being guided or taught lessons. In addition we see similarities to astrology with its use of animal symbolism, as well as animal symbolism woven through many religions and spiritual systems. Perhaps most shocking to the modern mind is the Jungian idea of Archetypes, universal symbols that can to a degree be looked at in conjunction with totem animal symbolism. Totems are a part of the spiritual path but also represent far more in their value for understanding cultural heritage as well as personality types, once totem animals were agreed upon.

First and foremost some common misconceptions about totem animals should be addressed. The idea that everyone is an eagle or a wolf or a bear, a mighty animal with the most wonderful of traits, animals that the person can choose for themselves based on their own opinions, is not part of the actual belief system. Numerous animals are considered a part of the system of totem animals and also may be dependent on the tribe or geographical area or tradition. Animals means different things to different tribes additionally. However for the sake of explanation whether it is a bear or an otter or a dog the animal that is most appropriate is actually thought to choose the person, not the other way around. Traditionally (once again depending on tribe or tradition) the person starts to see what appear to be coincidences or signs or omens concerning what animal is their appropriate animal. In the modern world this could be the sighting of a stag (deer) followed, by reading a magazine with a striking picture of a stag, followed by seeing a billboard with a stag displayed upon it. The animal in question may have qualities the person has or needs. However once that person is convinced this is the chose animal totem, as a guide it has great power and significance. In point of fact psychologically the person would of course start to make traditional associations with that animal and might start to act in the forms attributed. Wise as an owl or a fox might be a modern interpretation. While the bear, as bears do follow the same path over and over again, symbolizing a person with key patterns, as well as possible might and strength and more. Wolves are considered social creatures. The Raven is the wise trickster, although the Coyote also can play that role.'

I guess the Jungian idea might be a way to universalize them, but the writer clearly has 'totem animals' as part of Native American tradition. On the web, there are others who have broadened the term 'totem animal' to cover any reference to animals in any tradition. However, what is described here - Celtic Totem Animals - for example, does not seem to have anything to do with animals and what they represent as personal guides and teachers, but is simply animal symbolism.

If you understand the phrase 'totem animal' as broadly as that, then it seems, as Garcolga said, that it's up to you. You're making up the rules as you feel best anyway.

If you are talking about 'totem animals' in the context of an actual (pre-Christian or Pre-Colombian) European or American spiritual tradition, then you have the problem that, looking for an authoritative answer to your question, you'd get the reply from any (magically summoned) ancient High Priest/Shaman/Top Banana of such traditions "What's a cobra?".

On the other hand, maybe you just assumed the cobra specifically was your totem animal. Maybe what we have here is good old Freudian dream symbolism. Maybe you don't need to feel guilty about a death-wish directed at your totem animal. Maybe you need to feel anxious about something else entirely.