The Mythopoetic Totem

One of my favorite movies is The Emerald Forest. In it the boy who is the secondary main character has an animal spirit guide which is an eagle. When the boy goes into a drug induced trance the eagle shows him places where he can find what he is looking for. The eagle can also call upon other members of the animal kingdom, such as frogs, to help the boy and his tribe.

A long time ago I knew a Native American who lived in an A-frame house he built himself out in the country. He and his wife and their son lived there without any conncetion to the grid. They had no electric or phone lines. They had well water and a septic tank. They did have a diesel powered generator they used a few hours a day. But they had no TV or radio or stereo. They also had a real teepee they lived in before they got their house built.

On evening I was invited to their home for a very special event. Their son's sixth birthday had arrived, and it was time for him to discover his totem: his animal spirit guide. The event was held in the teepee. There were twelve invited guests, and we all sat comfortably on the ground in a circle in the teepee. There was a small fire in the center of the teepee. The man was on his knees with his back to the opening and his son in front of him facing the fire and all the guests. The father explained the importance of the totem, and then asked the Great Father to make his presance know to his son and reveal his totem. Just a few moments later the fire suddenly got much more intense with a large redish orange flame shooting almost all the up to the top of the opening in the teepee. The boy's eyes grew wide and his face lit up. The crowd of guests had the same reaction. Then the father said that the Great Father had revealed that the son's totem was a lion. After that the father offered a prayer, and then we all went into the house for birthday cake.

When I was sixteen years old I became fascinated with elephants. I began to collect all things elephant. Elephant figurines; elephant candles; elephant cuff links; elephant key chains; elephant pictures. After the experience in the teepee I began to realize that the elephant was really my totem, my animal spirit guide. And not just any elephant, but a particular type of elephant. The rogue bull elephant. A large male elephant that does not hang with a herd, but travels alone. Somehow he knows when a herd needs his help and joins them for a specific task, and then returns to his solitary life. He is independent, self-reliant, bold, and can be quite intimidating if he wants to be.

Even though I never talk about it, the rogue elephant is still a good symbol for my inner spirit. Although I now have the Holy Spirit as my spirit guide, I still have a large painting hanging on the wall across from the foot of my bed depicting a large bull elephant leading a herd out of a river and a dense forrest behind them. For me, that is still the way I see myself. That bull elephant leading the herd to safety is how I like to see myself. And when the herd is safe, I return to my solitary, rogue life. That is the way I am.