Lots of my students and fellow energy healers ask me for references on animal totems. So, I decided to create a very short blog about it and give a couple of good references.

Best Animal Totem Reference

The very best source of information or reference is direct observation. Messages from animals (insects, etc) stem from their attributes and behaviors.

Native people know well the wonderful creatures with whom they share their natural environment. So, get to know the creatures who keep showing up for you. One way to do this is to directly observe them and read about them. This observation is important because animals’ actions and their attributes will capture your attention and offer messages. This is a gift of an animal totem.

Remember to be aware of what is going on in your life and be conscious of what you are thinking and feeling right at that moment when you see your animal totem. Messages are often specific to the moment and context can help reveal meaning.

Ted Andrews’s Books

Ted Andrews is probably the most well-known author on animal totems. His two most popular books are:

Animal Speak: The Spiritual and Magical Powers of Creatures Great and Small, 3rd ed (2005) published by Llewellyn Worldwide in St Paul, Minnesota, USA.

Animal-Wise: The Spirit Language and Signs of Nature (1999) published by Dragonhawk Publishing in Jackson, Tennessee, USA.

Each book goes into detail about animal behavior and typical interpretations of the totem. Both have extensive sections on birds. The content overlaps, but I still see the two books as complements. I could say that Animal Speak focuses almost exclusively on animals in North America and goes deeper into birds and the use of animal medicine or ritual. It only touches on insects and reptiles. Animal-Wise includes African and other animals and more insects and reptiles. Both are great references.

Scott Alexander King’s Book

Another good book is Scott Alexander King’s Animal Messenger: Interpreting the Symbolic Language of the World’s Animals (2006) published by New Holland Publishers in Australia.

King’s book includes lots of the more unusual animals, that is, for an American they are unusual. His description of animal attributes and behavior are sometimes different than those of Andrews. Together they provide a more comprehensive view and illustrate the point that direct observation reveals specific messages for the observer.

I hope you find these suggestions useful. Please feel free to contact me with additional resources. I’m always looking for new sources.