Since its inception, man has used the animal figure as a sign of powerwith which it has also been represented and identified many times, so it is not surprising that the concept of totem is present in various cultures around the world since the dawn of humanity when our species lived more closely with nature and he needed animals even more as a source of food, shelter or inspiration.
The idea of the totem is really exciting, because it has not survived over the centuries to the present for nothing. From Asian cultures, such as European ethnic groups from before the Roman Empire, through pre-Hispanic civilizations throughout America, the shamans, priests or spiritual guides of each of these societies have been the promoters of its use and respect, recognizing the energy of each person with an affinity for each animal of the environment in which they inhabited.
Clearly the attributes of each animal were considered when determining which was the guide or source of power for each person, since their representation in carved figures, amulets or linked garments could not be taken lightly for this purpose.
The meaning of an eagle or condor could not be the same as that of a bear or a jaguar, clearly depending on the culture to which we are referring, and therefore, anyone could not represent a specific person, since this should be able to be recognized as a totem of the member of the tribe, not only by himself, but by others , depending on the attributes that each of these animals could represent in these cultures.
Beyond the fact of what type of animal best represented the gifts or traits of a person, which could well be a hunter, warrior, healer or others, one must become aware that it is capable of giving help to its bearer or represented. In Native American cultures it is considered that as a species evolveseverything learned and contributed by her, remains in the form of energy available to the universe, so according to her shamans, it is possible to summon it in our favor when we need it to face a difficulty or situation.
It is important to note that in this same belief system, there are also people who are born and are chosen by a totem to sponsor or represent them, innately providing this intrinsic energy of the animal of power that has to accompany and guide them for a time or forever.
Current shamanism also recognizes that a person can have several totem animals throughout their lives, because between experiences and challenges, these can be altered according to the needs of each stage, so we all still have time to discover what they are. our power animals, in order to ask them for support and guidance with their energy in our day to day.