Finding your personal totem is a spiritual project. Ask yourself what animal you are most attracted to or want to learn about. Don't limit your thoughts to cats and dogs, but consider any animals that have influenced your life. Think about insects, such as a ladybug, dragonfly or even wasp; wild animals as diverse as a lynx, sloth or raccoon; and birds, such as a raven, puffin or hummingbird. Some people's totems are animals that they fear or that have attacked them. If you are uncertain which animal is your totem, your project might be to meditate quietly until the animal makes itself known to you. Look up the animal connected to your Chinese astrological sign and then learn the characteristics of the sign to help you to understand your personality.
Painting your animal totems will help you to connect with the assistance that the animal provides, especially if you hang them where you can see them regularly. Many pictorials represent the animals in an outline form that might be simple to stencil on walls or curtains in a pleasing, imaginative pattern. Gather pictures of animals to call upon in times of need. For example, if you are going to be involved in a risk-taking venture, call on the giraffe or kangaroo to help you get through it. If you are involved in a project that requires mental dexterity, you might call upon the roadrunner totem for guidance.
Make a totem pole to identify your family, as a memorial pole, or to tell a story or legend like those that Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest and Alaskan Indians create. You can carve or paint the animal pictures on a wooden pole, one above the other. Colors used on the pole have different meanings, such as blue for water, yellow for sun, red for blood, purple for reverent symbols and green for hills and trees. The lowest animal on the pole might represent the oldest history of the person or family. Higher depictions up the pole might indicate animals that are involved in the story, or the animal totem of a particular person whose deeds are to be revered on the pole. The top of the pole might indicate the status of the family or the outcome of the story.
Use totem charms to string with beads for a necklace or bracelet, or to wire for earrings. You can buy the charms or make them out of fired clay. Wearing the animal totem might provide protection and promote well-being.