May 30, 2004
In the Native American Zodiac, the different animals represent the same
things as the signs in the Greco-Roman version, and correspond to the
almost exact same timespans as their Greco-Roman counterparts.
Aries=Falcon (March 21-April 19/20)
Taurus=Beaver (April 20/21-May 20/21)
Gemini=Deer (May 21/22-June 20/21)
Cancer=Woodpecker (June 21/22-July 21/22)
Leo=Salmon (July 22/23-August 21/23)
Virgo=Brown Bear (August 22-September 21/22)
Libra=Crow (September 22/24-October 22/23)
Scorpio=Snake (October 23/24-November 22)
Sagittarius=Owl (November 23-December 21)
Capricorn=Goose (December 22-January 19/20)
Aquarius=Otter (January 20/21-February 18/19)
Pisces=Wolf (February 19/20-March 20)
OK, Im an aquarius, so that would make me an Otter. So, according to this:
“Birth Dates: January 20th – February 18th
Earth Influence: The Cleansing time
Influencing Wind: The North wind
Totem: Buffalo
Direction: North
Element: Air
Elemental: Butterfly (air) Clan
Function: To Carry through
Birth & Animal Totem: Otter
Plant Totem: Fern
Stone Totem: Turquoise
Polarity Totem: Salmon
Affinity Color: Silver
Musical Vibration: E Natural an octave above Deer
Personality: Friendly, unconventional, independent, & dynamic
Feelings: Detached
Intention: Imagination
Nature: Humanitarian
Positive Traits: Inventive, reforming, & perceptive
Negative Traits: Unpredictable, rebellious, tactless & eccentric
Sex Drive: Hot & Cold
Compatibility’s: Crows, Falcons & Deer
Conscious Aim: Knowledge
Subconscious Desire: Wisdom
Life Path: Creative Strength
Spiritual Alchemy: Yin Predominates
Should Cultivate: Inventiveness, Tolerance, Courage
Should Avoid: Rebelliousness & eccentricity”
OK, so my totem is the Otter.
I was wondering if i was otterlike in personality, so I asked a friend
of mine. She said, nah, I was definately a snow leopard kinda person.
Rather, she said, a totem is something which should serve as your
guide, the thing which teaches you the necessary things which you lack.
Well, if youre a friend of mine, you know that I have a tendency to
passionately ramble on about several things. So I was doing the same
with my friend one night, and it was about p2p file-sharing and how
they throw subpoenas at everybody because file-sharing is supposed to
infringe on the rights of artists as defined by the music industry. But
I wont go into any (further) detail about that issue.
I was ranting about it, and she told me to calm down since I sounded
particularly angry about it, so I just calmed down (*inhhhhale,
exxxhale*), and i was like, ok, im cool. She told me that the otter
would make a perfect totem for me.
She gave me a lesson from Otter: “relax, just be. life is a game, not a chore.”
I was like, “remind me of that the next time I go swimming, lol.”
Aquarius Otter says:
whenever i swim, i cant. i try to relax, because thats one of the essentials of swimming, right?
but when i try to relax, i can barely stay afloat. my own fears, my own
doubts, my own tension just keeps me from being able to swim, period. i
stand in the water, but i cant swim, i cant relax. its so annoying to
me.
My friend says:
hm. i cant flaot, , but i can swim. i just always have to be moving.
Aquarius Otter says:
heh, the only thing i can do in the water is stand in it
Aquarius Otter says:
cant even float
My friend says:
see.. i cant float,, but i can swim.
Aquarius Otter says:
i know that. im just saying that i cant do either.
Aquarius Otter says:
you have an advantage over me, lol
My friend says:
i know. i just dont know how to advise you.
Aquarius Otter says:
well, the advice i always get if im in the water is exactly what you told me, that lesson from otter
My friend says:
ah.
Aquarius Otter says:
thats what led me to mention the whole swimming thing. i need to apply that to me in more ways than you can imagine.
My friend says:
figures… thats why hes your totem.
Aquarius Otter says:
i cant relax easily, i dont let things flow (for underlying reasons),
and i see life alot like i see swimming, as something i have to do, but
wish i didnt have to go through unless i knew how to do it in the first
place.
Aquarius Otter says:
and furthermore, i see life like that because i have an unhealthy fear
of pros and cons, like, if ive seen patterns that surrounded an event
that has happened before, and i witness that event happen again, i dont
waste my energy and long-run-hurt myself by involving myself in the
drama. (aquarius thing to do that with pattern perceptions and stuff)
Aquarius Otter says:
so its basically the same with swimming: i have a fear of drowning, of suffocating, i cant even open my eyes in water.
My friend says:
hm well id tell you to relax. but…..
Aquarius Otter says:
sorry, im ranting again. 
My friend says:
no… theres a difference… your working it thru.
Well, now I realize that I need to learn more from the otter than I
expected. I mean, I have reason to be the way I am, but if I want to be
more well-rounded in terms of personality, I would want to learn from
the otter and his ways.
I mean, when I read about otters and their spiritual significance in
terms of totems, I often read that otters remind people of their
playful, more innocently trusting side.
Something which I lack as a person.
As I said, I cant float or swim in water. And in reference to the otter, I sure as hell cant float on my back!
I mean, whenever I have tried doing that when in the water, I usually
have a strong, biting fear of sinking and being unable to paddle my
arms to get back up, and then probably getting that feeling that you
just sniffed something into the far back of your nose and you cant
snort it out, and that may distract me while drowning.
As a result, I just dont do that when in the water.
I cant trust myself and the waters beneath me, theyre just, i dont
know, the thing that I want to face without knowing what a problem
looks like, but dont have the courage or self-assurance to.
And such waters remind me of how I view life. Life hasnt been kind to
me, so I cant trust it to hold me up. I have an uneasy expectation of
the water letting me go under, but never letting me get back up, which
I fear the most. And thinking of that, I cant relax, I cant just be, I
fear taking life as a game, which I would most likely not win.
That’s what I want to change.
I want to be able to, both realistically and metaphorically, float on my back in the water without worrying about drowning.
I also want to be able to survive and enjoy being under the water, even open my eyes in the water as well.
But of course, I dont know how or have that necessary ability to do any of that.
Which is why I would want and need the otter as my teacher, my guide, my totem.
