Protector

“Totemism, system of belief in which humans are said to have kinship or a mystical relationship with a spirit-being, such as an animal or plant. The entity, or totem, is thought to interact with a given kin group or an individual and to serve as their emblem or symbol.” – Encyclopædia Britannica 

All of us have a human protector, but do any of us have a sense of non-human protector/Guide/angel/ guardian?  Typically, it will be the animal that you have been drawn to all your life.  My maiden last name was Woolf, going back to De Voe and back to Anglo Saxon and French spellings of Wolf, Wulf, so as lands were taken over and people mixed, the name changed from French to German, to English and even in English, the name changed, but became know as Woolf.  It was adopted so I became a Woolf.  My father had a pet wolf, and we have photos of the youngest son of his first marriage with the wolf.   I was given a beautiful tanned and felted barren lands, long legged, wolf hide and head as an honor gift when I left the furthest Northern community, I worked in.  It is absolutely beautiful and my daughter has it.  I have always identified with the wolf, of course, and my nickname, given me by my closest childhood, teenaged friend, Shirley, of “Ralph” – little did we know that that actually is one of the Germanic spellings of Wolf.  As I learned more, researched and studied Native American symbolism, the Wolf was my personal choice of life paths to follow and learned the teachings of the wolf to make it part of who I am.  It is my chosen animal guide and I can apply the teachings of the wolf to everything I do.  And, yes, I exhibit two wolves within and the one I feed is the one that will thrive. I regard the wolf physically, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually.  As well, I have one tattoo that I got as a gift to myself on my 50^th birthday.  It is a traditional tattoo and is a wolf howling at the Northern Lights. I had to have the tattoo blessed, first, before having it done, and given permission to have one because, if it was not, I could not enter certain ceremonies.  

Have you, since childhood, been drawn to certain animals?  Have you had recurring dreams of that animal?  Is there an animal you are drawn to appeared in nature?  ( Two wolves ran across Highway 97 just out of Vernon, and trotted gracefully up towards the higher hills, last winter when we were driving south.  It was amazing and very uncommon to see, but all three of us saw them and wondered.  I did not wonder.  I knew.         

  

It does not mean that a plant, a bird, an insect, any living thing cannot be your totem.  Just note, if one fits the above questions, IT CHOSE YOU, you did not choose it. If your answers to the above questions fit, then it behooves us to seek out traditional, ancient, common symbolisms and teachings of that which chose you.  

I suggest that you begin to paint, to write about, to study, to make some sort of representation of the totem that chose you.  The people of the west coast of Canada build beautiful totem poles of the animal guardians of their family /tribe/ band/ personal groups.  There are stories that go back to ancient times when the animal became the people’s totem.  Could you draw, paint, create a crest?  Could you incorporate your totem into figures, on wood, stone, paper?  Try to do a painting that includes your totem.

My painting shows the protection that I sense by having the wolf as my totem.

Drawing the wolf, first, because I figured it would challenge me most, I used pencil, lightly, then I used charcoal and did not seal it because I wanted it to become part of the shadowing in the painting.  I, then moved down to draw in the face.

Then I started using burnt sienna mixed with cream to start in on the underpainting.

I kept layering until I felt I needed to quit before I wrecked it.  I used my liquid chalk with its circular sponge to make the circles.  Then I added the corona’s in orange to make it all pop.  The corona virus is something around us all, but sometimes, a relationship is a virus as well.  The wolf helped me ferret that out and solve the issue in a dignified way. 

 

Do you see how the wolf could be my teacher, my protector, even from myself?  This is how a totem works/ a guardian works.  

Blessed Be!

©Carol Desjarlais 5.4.20