DIY wooden totem. How to create your own deck of totem animal cards? Step-by-step Algorithm of Traveling in Spirit for your Totem

This is the first article in the “My Totem” series, created at the request of our readers with the goal of understanding this concept, identifying your totem and receiving its power (consciously).

He who knows his totem knows himself. The characteristic features of totem animals can tell us a lot about our inherent abilities and talents, point out our strengths and weaknesses, and clarify for us the reasons for our strengths and weaknesses. Overall, the totem clarifies the inner potential of a person, awakening him to self-expression for the benefit of all.

Learning how your totem adapts to its environment to survive can help you cope with difficult circumstances in your own life. In addition, understanding your totem expands your sphere of perception, which makes it possible to connect to its energy and draw strength. A person understands his totem not so much when he knows its distinctive features, but when, by studying it and communicating with it, he sees its manifestations in himself, he connects with it consciously.

A totem can unite people. Often the same totem can be found among people connected by close relationships. Such a totem protects relationships and helps make them stronger and more harmonious. More often than pairs, totems are used by groups of people; they choose one totem animal, which determines the direction of their activities (for example, the well-known bear logo of the United Russia party).

Determining your totem will be useful not only for self-knowledge, but also for magical development. After all, a totem is our connection with the invisible worlds. Every creation of nature is a manifestation of some properties of divine intelligence or power. And through these manifestations of nature we can communicate with higher powers. This is a privilege not only for a narrow circle of dedicated people - priests and shamans. If desired, each person is able to come into contact with them, including through his totem.

The image of your totem is not a separate individual, not some, for example, a separate animal, it is a manifestation of a certain force, according to which the appearance and behavior of living beings is formed. Interacting with such power opens doors to other worlds. All forms of life are connected, so if we learn to interact with our totem, we can interact with representatives of the other three levels of existence. As American Indian culture researcher K. Meadows writes: “Totems serve as “connecting devices” between different levels of perception in the human, animal, plant and mineral kingdoms.” All these kingdoms are interconnected and interdependent, one kingdom exists and develops at the expense of another, and this process is closed in a cycle. And thanks to this connection, we have the opportunity to tune into other levels of being. All this helps to expand our perception and deepen our understanding of the laws of Nature. And Nature is a storehouse of Magic.

Through his totem, the shaman reconnects with the natural world and the realm of spirits. Using the image of an animal, he goes beyond the limits of his consciousness and plunges into a trance. Thus, the shaman can tune into invisible worlds and entities. Imitating his animal totem, the shaman dresses in a special ritual robe and imitates its movements in dance. This is necessary in order to use its power in the material world. When a shaman turns to his totem and pays homage to it, the archetypal energies hidden in it become part of his life.

Anyone who knows their totem and has acquired the skills to connect with it can turn to its energy. With the help of an animal, the shaman comes into contact with special primordial forces and comprehends himself and his life from angles that are inaccessible to ordinary people. Showing respect for the totem, he also honors the essence hidden in it - a special spiritual substance that uses the image and form of the animal to communicate with it.

Having gained access to the power of his totem, the shaman comprehends the language of nature and opens his consciousness towards its secrets.

The question should sound exactly like this, because a person cannot choose his totem. After all, it is given from birth as some kind of inseparable essence. A person behaves and builds his life based on this meta-image - and this is a fact. Just how does one person get the totem that he has? (What do you think? Tell us about it in the comments below the article.) Several hypotheses can be presented in this regard.

The word itself "totem" of Indian origin, it means clan, ancestor. North American Indians believed that they were united and protected by the spirit of the tribe's ancestor, for example, the Cherokee tribe had such an ancestor totem - the wolf. Indian tribes wore a coat of arms depicting their totem animal (plant, stone, object or natural phenomenon). From this we can assume that the totem of a person (and his family, like the Indian tribe) comes from his distant ancestor, who, for example, like the Cherokee Indians, can be a wolf or some other creature.

There is another explanation for this issue. A totem is one of man’s past incarnations in the animal kingdom (as well as in the plant and mineral kingdoms), in which he lived his life most vividly and fully.

A person’s totem may appear during the period of his creative or other realization. That's true. When a person understands who he is in this world, his place in it and his purpose, he meets his totem.

There are two options for how to find out your totem. A totem can itself come into your life when you need it: it will appear in your dreams, come in meditations, and manifest itself in your actions. At the same time, the more self-awareness you have, the more accurately you will be able to take advantage of its power. In other words, if you know what totem is manifested in you, you know its qualities, you can receive its power.

You can figure this out yourself or contact a specialist. But don't try to find out your totem animal by your date of birth. It's unlikely you'll get it right. You can independently find out “who you are” through meditation and personal observation of the characteristic signs of your totem and how much these qualities have a place in you. We will talk about this in more detail in the next article. I’ll say finally that there can really only be one totem: one from the Lower World, and... :)

WikiHow works like a wiki, which means that many of our articles are written by multiple authors. This article was produced by 11 people, including anonymously, to edit and improve it.

Totems are long pieces of wood carved with images of people and animals that appear to be piled on top of each other. For many years, Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest made totems as a way to tell their family stories, commemorate events, or symbolically illustrate a pact. Creating a totem is a unique way to tell your own story or celebrate a special event such as an important birthday, anniversary or graduation. You can also make a totem as a creative way to tell a story for a school project. If you want to learn how to make a totem pole, read on.

Steps

Choosing a Story and Symbols for a Totem Pole

Decide what story you want to tell. Some people believed that totems were originally used in religious ceremonies, but the truth is that they were created as a way to preserve and illustrate history. Think of a totem pole that you want to make as a timeline of sorts, or a story about a particular family or one person's life. What story do you want to tell?

You can tell the story of one person's adventures, or depict your family's story by adding a symbol for each family member. You can tell the story of a city, a battle, or a relationship. Get creative!
Think about the most important elements of the story. Make a list of every event, personality trait, family member, or other factor you want to include in your totem pole. The more elements you include, the larger your totem will be. Make at least 5 plot elements on your totem pole.

Decide what symbols to use to tell your story. Now that you have a list of elements to include, what symbol do you want to represent each of them with? Traditional totems typically feature animal carvings as a way to tell their stories. You can take this classic plot or choose symbols that have personal meaning to you.
- If you want to feature animals on your totem pole, you can choose ones that are important to you, like your spirit animal, or choose animals that are classically used by totem artists and seem to fit your story. Here are a few animals that are often depicted on traditional totem poles:
  - Petrel. This mythical creature has the ability to cause thunder, lightning and strong gusts of wind. You can use it to symbolize a time in your history when chaos reigned.
  - Bear. This beloved creature comes to the aid of other people in times of need. Use the bear as a symbol of a caring person or help that arrived in time.
  - Owl. The wise owl is a symbol of souls that have left us. An owl can represent the past itself or a person in your life who has died.
  - Crow. This cunning, cunning bird is used to symbolize intelligence.
  - Wolf. Wolves are a symbol of power and loyalty.
  - Frog. Frogs are said to bring great happiness, so use this symbol to represent a time of wealth and abundance.
- You can also create your own non-animal characters. People's faces, buildings in a city, a sword, a spear, and other symbols can be used to help tell your story.
Determine the order of the symbols. Your story doesn't need to be told in chronological order. On a totem pole, the most important symbols or figures are at the bottom of the pole because this is how they are best seen by people standing on the ground. Look at the symbols you use and rank them in order of importance, placing the most important ones at the bottom of the pillar.

Making a totem pole
1. Gather crafting materials. Traditional totems are hand carved from red or yellow cedar. If you want to make a totem pole that is close to the real thing, you can find a large, long piece of this type of wood and carve your symbols in a row on the face of it. However, you can make a nice totem pole for yourself or a school project with some simple craft supplies. Here's what you'll need:
  - One cylindrical container for each symbol per totem pole. You can use old oatmeal tins, coffee cans, or any other container.
  - Brown craft paper.
  - Scissors.
  - Ruler.
  - Pencil.
  - Tempura or acrylic paints.
  - Hot glue or craft glue.
2. Measure and cut your craft paper. Each jar will be covered with a piece of paper. Measure the height and circumference of one of your jars, then use a ruler to transfer the measurements onto a piece of craft paper. Cut a measured piece of paper and wrap it around the jar to make sure it fits. Then cut several sheets of the same size, one for each jar you have.
3. Draw your characters. Draw one of your symbols on each piece of craft paper. Use a pencil to create outlines of the animals, people, or other symbols you decide to use to tell the story. Keep in mind, you will be coloring over the drawings.
  - Look at photos of authentic totems on the Internet to get an idea of the style you might want to use. The symbols are generally simple but distinct.
  - Many animals are traditionally depicted in profile. Sometimes only the head of an animal or person is depicted, and sometimes the entire body is depicted.

It has always been difficult for a person to cope with life’s difficulties alone. Therefore, he often turned to higher powers for help. The ancient religion of totemism claims that each of us has our own patron animal, a source of internal energy and strength. It is called totemic. How to recognize your totem animal, establish a connection with it and become happy - all these questions are asked by people in need of help and protection.

Totem - symbol of a sacred animal

In the cultures of different nations there is a cult of animals. Man, according to the beliefs of many peoples, descended from the so-called “lesser brothers”, who in fact are not them. The animal is taller than man, stronger and wiser than him, since he has abilities that man has lost over time, the advent of civilization and due to the destruction of nature.

All totems are divided into two types: Lunar and Solar. Totem animals are not divided into male and female. But there is an opinion that a woman, due to her sensitivity and developed intuition, can acquire any totem. Each sacred assistant has his own talents and abilities, strengths and preferences. In endowing a person with these characteristics, the interaction between them occurs.

In most cultures, a person cannot choose a totem for himself. The symbolic animal makes its own choice. Moreover, this can happen at any moment: both at birth and during a difficult period of life. A person only needs to go to meet his totem animal.

One totem can protect both your entire life and a certain period. Much depends on the level of spiritual development of a person and the changes occurring in his inner world. A totem can not only protect and help: constant spiritual practice and work on oneself can lead to the next level of interaction with the patron beast. This happens when a person discovers in himself new possibilities and character traits that he needs at the moment: nobility, enterprise, courage, charisma, etc.

Some are protected by two or three totems. But not everyone is so lucky; most are protected by only one.

It is very important to decide: you will be the one who can recognize your totem animal. Success and quality of life depend on this. When choosing any path to search for a totem, you need to remember important rules: never joke about your protector, do not offend his physical representatives, do not keep his stuffed animal in the house, do not eat his meat. A respectful attitude is necessary, otherwise the totem will leave and leave its owner without vital protection.

In total, there are three main ways to find out your totem animal:

Meditative.
Calendar-numerical.
Analytical (general).

Meditative way

In order to determine your totem, you need to dive into the subconscious. Meditation is a way to hear the inner “I” and bring your patron into contact.

First, calm down, don't talk for a few minutes, dim the lights and sit comfortably. Try to choose a time when no one can disturb or interfere. Try to breathe slowly in the same rhythm. The heart chakra will open to interact with energy flows.
Close your eyes and try to ask the Higher Powers to help you find your sacred protector. Mentally feel the warmth and golden light that pours from the sky. Imagine yourself in the place where you feel most comfortable being: in the mountains, forest, near a lake, etc. Listen to the sounds of nature and try to feel the silence and a moment of complete solitude. Go for a mental walk.
Wait a moment. The totem itself will appear in front of you. Notice the place where he came from. A hole, a tree, the thick of the forest - everything has a symbolic meaning and in the future can become a sign for making a decision.
Get in touch with your totem. Ask him or wait for his action. Stroke, contact the sacred animal. By its energy message you will immediately understand whether this is your totem or not.
Thank the animal and wait until it goes away on its own. In the next three days you should expect signs or messages from him.

During meditation, you should never fantasize or engage in thinking. Everything should happen harmoniously and gradually.

If meditation fails, dreams can help. It is necessary to remember which animal or bird most often appeared in his dreams. Was the animal trying to communicate or warn something, where was it going and what did it look like.

Making friends with a totem is very simple.

Calendar-numeric method

According to the oldest astrological totem calendars, found in ancient cemeteries of ancient peoples, depending on the date and year of birth, each person is protected by his own totem. This opinion was held by the Celts, Zoroastrians and Turks.

Year of birth Totem Characteristics of the year

1938, 1970, 2002 – Deer (noble, a strong creative principle and bright thoughts prevail).
1939, 1971, 2003 – Ram (stubborn, submissive to superiors, efficient and hardworking).
1940, 1972, 2004 – Mongoose (capable of self-sacrifice, brave and altruistic).
1941, 1973, 2005 – Wolf (talented in military affairs, secretive, stern and cruel).
1942, 1974, 2006 – Stork (developed intuition, great willpower and ability to work).
1943, 1975, 2007 – Spider (intellectual origin predominates, great teaching abilities).
1944, 1976, 2008 – Snake (Uzh) (the main thing is knowledge of the world and oneself, spiritual growth and the constant accumulation of experience of ancestors).
1945, 1977, 2009 – Beaver (jack of all trades, lucky and cunning).
1946, 1978, 2010 – Turtle (contemplative, talented, secretive, usually long-lived).
1947, 1979, 2011 – Soroka (talkative, selfish, idle talker).
1948, 1980, 2012 – Belka (easy-going, restless, smart and attentive).
1949, 1981, 2013 – Raven (proud, with inner and outer beauty and fortitude).
1950, 1982, 2014 - Rooster (lazy, the desire to show off and stand out, selfishness, love of love prevails).
1951, 1983, 2015 – Tour (Bull) (able-bodied, reliable, knows how to be a friend and is able to attract money).
1952, 1984, 2016 – Badger (lucky, thrifty, rich).
1953, 1985, 2017 – Camel (hardy and strong, strives for self-restraint, knows how to work and earn money).
1954, 1986, 2018 – Hedgehog (Sensitive, kind, sympathetic, reliable friend).
1955, 1987, 2019 – Lan (honest, has a quick reaction and the ability to make decisions at lightning speed, with heightened intuition, a sense of taste and style).
1956, 1988, 2020 – Elephant (reliable, often rich, achieving great success in any endeavor, but often sick and in poor health).
1957, 1989, 2021 – Horse (brave, honest, in constant movement and action).
1958,1990, 2022 – Cheetah (graceful, fair, excellent family man and parent).
1959, 1991, 2023 – Peacock (politician, ambitious and stern).
1960, 1992, 2024 – Swan (closed, faithful, seducer and hypocrite).
1961, 1993, 2025 – Lynx (prefers solitude, diplomat and strategist).
1935, 1967, 1999 – Boar (passionate, loving, energetic and resourceful).
1936, 1968, 2000 – Owl (wise, intelligent, sensitive and strong).
1937, 1969, 2001 – Falcon (freedom-loving, physically developed, capable of heroic deeds, usually chooses heroic professions).

Analytical method (method of general information collection)

Some of us were connected to our totem while still in the womb. This gives away their appearance: facial features, behavior or other subtle signs resemble some kind of animal or bird. There is no need to panic or have a complex about this: being under the invisible protection of your sacred friend, a person receives limitless possibilities. Listen to the opinions of others. Perhaps someone has already said: “You walk like a cat!” or compared the gaze to that of an eagle.

A totem animal can also be passed on by inheritance from deceased ancestors. Then they talk about a family or family totem. An analogy can be drawn with the family coat of arms, which depicted the symbols of the clan. If you manage to find out about such a hereditary totem and begin to honor it, then finding your patron will become easier. But the main thing you can do for the family totem in gratitude for its work is to preserve the memory of it and tell other members of the family about its miraculous power.

In special cases, you need to act on the contrary. If the rational principle is very strong in a person, then he will begin to fear and push away his totem. This is how people are afraid of wolves, spiders and other animals. But only panic can be considered as a signal that a protector and patron has been found.

This master class will be even more saturated with pictures than the previous one, and I want to tell you about how I did it
recently Raven Totem to order. Usually I make totem animals in the form of yavars (palm sticks), this time
the customer wished to receive the Raven totem in the form of a figurine.

So, to create the Raven totem we will need:

a block of wood (in our case it is cedar);
symbol (in our case it is a silver “Valknut”);
shungite stone 3-4 mm ball (to create the eyes of a raven);
wood cutters;
ink for graphic works / ink (for painting black);
wood preservatives (oil, wax, varnish);
composure (because “big” products require a “big” attitude - it took me about 60 days).

By tradition, I divide the story into chapters, and by tradition, you should not hesitate to click the “Like!” button. Let's fly!

Stage 0. Making a sketch
I'll start the story with the most interesting thing - with the sketches. I don’t make them every time, but I try – in interesting and new orders.
At first the introduction was like this: a raven made of wood + a valknut. The following options were obtained:

The option on the left was not invented by me (it was suggested to the customer after I received the go-ahead from the authors - the Ruyan Workshop).
We reviewed these options and settled on this: Raven sits on a stone (rock) into which a “Valknut” is inserted.

Since I started with sketches, I’ll show you what crows were like before (there were 2 of them):
The first is a simple “Raven” java, but with a “living” hematite look.

The second is a larger yawara "Raven-2", also with a "hematite" look and more detailed feathers. Eye hole
and the smile were made not by me, but by Mother Nature: these are cracks in the rock. Since the wood material is pear root (very hard, however), it is not a fact that I could even make the indentations under the eyes myself. As they say, he successfully “got attached to the area.”

Now it’s the third Raven’s turn! Let's see how it turned out and, most importantly, how! Ka-a-ar! Let's take off!

Stage 1. Cut out the outline of the figure

See how fast! And everything is clear :) In fact, there is nothing complicated here: they applied the drawing to a wooden block and sharpened
roll the block along the contour of the drawing. You can also sniff the shavings as a sign of completion of the initial stage - cedar is very fragrant
tree! I’ve been putting all the shavings from my products in a separate bag for a long time in the hope of getting out to the dacha and, without rushing anywhere,
Consign it all to the fire, enjoying the aroma of different wood shavings! But dreams are dreams, but for now photographs:

Stage 2. Working on the feathers
We work out the feathers of the wings, back, chest and tail + outline the paws + make a recess in the base for the symbol.
The process is labor-intensive, so 10 approaches every day or two. But the result, of course, is pleasantly pleasing to the eye. See for yourself:

Stage 3. Cutting through everything else
We cut the second wing of the Raven + finish the tail:

We detail the paws, making them more birdlike + giving the base rock the effect of a hewn stone with chips:

We work on the second wing + the space between the wings and the body of the Raven (below):

All! The raven is cut through, we applaud ourselves, turn on our favorite music, and dance.
Oh, I almost forgot! We take the Raven to work, show it to our colleagues, and learn from them that “the feathers are classy, but the head is not a crow,”
we return home, continue to create, forgetting what they told us there!

Stage 4. “Trying on” the eyes
Using a semicircular stomes of a suitable size, we cut out recesses for the eye-stones.

We do a “try-on” of the eyes.

The stones are suitable. We remove them from the eye sockets, turn on the music, and take out the abrasive skins.

Stage 5. Sanding the surface of the figure
We remove unevenness with sandpaper and grind the burrs:

Stage 5. Painting or “dancing with a tambourine”
Now we need to paint our Raven black. The easiest way would be to find a hardware store in
which sells non-aqueous (spiral) black stain, but because: firstly, such a store is not so easy to find,
and secondly, we are not looking for easy ways - we do the following:

We buy black ink at the stationery store and cover the Crow with it using a brush.

I think I covered it twice (2 layers = 2 approaches), I don’t remember anymore. But the problem is that the surface got dirty - that we
not satisfied at all. This is where the “dancing with a tambourine” began. But before you take out your tambourine and dance, let’s look at the color pictures - Although the raven gets dirty, it’s already beautiful!

I covered it with wax and it still gets dirty. Walk, walk like that - I take out something recently purchased and actively praised by experts
for the manufacture of wooden handles for knives, the finishing coating is Danish oil.

I covered only one wing with it to compare the resulting shade with ink. The result is obvious: the color has become “thicker”, more saturated! Just what we need.

Covered Raven entirely with Danish oil. It gets dirty less, but it still gets dirty. Probably, if I had time, I would have coated the figure a couple more times with oil, but it takes 5-6 hours to dry and there is no time for that. I'm running to the store for nail polish.
(a good reason to buy new materials) and (oh, miracle!) I find an odorless, quick-drying varnish specifically for wood.
I apply it in one layer and put the tambourine under the table. All! The dancing is over! We paint the base rock with dark brown paint -
stain and insert stone eyes into it (we insert it without glue, lately I have been able to do this more and more often).
Raven Totem is ready!
Unfortunately, there are no photos of the final version of the Raven (by color I mean), so I am attaching a photo of the Raven with ink coating.

It was an interesting order, which turned out to be a powerful master class, I think. Thank you for your attention!
I look forward to your comments. All the best to you!

Sincerely yours, Oleg Shamanovich Totemov.
Workshop "7I*Shaman"

Report to moderator