Greetings be
To spare painful amounts of text, here’s my introduction behind the cut. :3
I’ve decided to join the community for a few reasons, mostly because I’m getting tired of not being able to be a part of a reasonably well educated community that is active. Otherwise, I’m interested in talking to new people and discussing new things, although I have to admit I come off as a bit standoffish. I apologize for this if it seems to be the case. It is not my intention. I’m from upstate New York, a college graduate currently looking to find a place in life. Aren’t we all? My journal tends to be one of ranting and/or really angsty obnoxiousness given a very poor breakup I had recently. I’m still not entirely over it, so my mood is generally pretty dark from it. If you browse it, I’ll ask you to not judge me for any rants I have over various subjects. I tend to have a poor political correctness filter. I’m currently studying Northern Tradition shamanism from a Nordic/Anglo-Saxon perspective and I intend on throwing in traditional Celtic (both continental and Island) influences as they come to me. I try to stay away from eclecticism, but my blood is drawn from those areas, and I’m called because of my heritage.
I tend to have reasonable amount of blocks with meditation and visualization/trance work, but I’ve come to the conclusion for a number of my own personal and/or spiritual (there is a distinction for me, based on the type of entity) totems, based on things like similar temperament, outlooks, and honestly what “feels right” at the time. I’m of the opinion that people can adopt totems in similar ways that people receive them naturally and I’ve found that one such totem of mine happens to have made a permanent residence. I have to agree with other people who have posted here, and find that it is obnoxious when you have a lot of people claiming to have totems of the big/popular animals. But a bit about mine.
Predominately I’m going to have to go with my gryphon as my prime totem. A lot of the symbolism of the traditional gryphon iconography is fairly well represented in my personal character. I’ve known about it for a long time and it’s been known to make appearances in visitations. I have both aspects tattooed on my arms. I do use the older style, with the forelegs being that of a lion, instead of the talons of a bird.
Secondly I’d say my more traditional ethereal totem would be that of the cougar. I know, groan. “Big, powerful animal”. But I’ve had an affinity for them since I’ve been very little, including meeting and cuddling up to one when I was younger, and the cougar has a lot of medicine that I identify with. We also run in my family - my cousin’s primary totem is a cougar. I tend to actually attract a lot of larger cat-totems to me in the form of people. Two of my best friends are lion and tiger, while my ex-girlfriend was a leopard.
The aforementioned “adopted” totem I had would be my boar, who showed up after I was nominally claimed by a patron god. Most of my attitudes could be boar-ish, and again, it has a lot of good medicine for me.
Lately, Crow has been showing up - a lot. Signaling a life shapeshift, I know. When I was attending University, I would have a duo of crows that would constantly follow me around and “quork” at me in that evil crow laugh of theirs. They got quite close to me, but that could have been coincidence given how lackadaisical most animals on that campus are to humans. The skunks, for instance, would come up and nuzzle your leg. I think Crow is an under-utilized totemic messenger, given how often it is overshadowed by the more popular Raven.
Well, there we are. Time to go meet some new people.
I’ve decided to join the community for a few reasons, mostly because I’m getting tired of not being able to be a part of a reasonably well educated community that is active. Otherwise, I’m interested in talking to new people and discussing new things, although I have to admit I come off as a bit standoffish. I apologize for this if it seems to be the case. It is not my intention. I’m from upstate New York, a college graduate currently looking to find a place in life. Aren’t we all? My journal tends to be one of ranting and/or really angsty obnoxiousness given a very poor breakup I had recently. I’m still not entirely over it, so my mood is generally pretty dark from it. If you browse it, I’ll ask you to not judge me for any rants I have over various subjects. I tend to have a poor political correctness filter. I’m currently studying Northern Tradition shamanism from a Nordic/Anglo-Saxon perspective and I intend on throwing in traditional Celtic (both continental and Island) influences as they come to me. I try to stay away from eclecticism, but my blood is drawn from those areas, and I’m called because of my heritage.
I tend to have reasonable amount of blocks with meditation and visualization/trance work, but I’ve come to the conclusion for a number of my own personal and/or spiritual (there is a distinction for me, based on the type of entity) totems, based on things like similar temperament, outlooks, and honestly what “feels right” at the time. I’m of the opinion that people can adopt totems in similar ways that people receive them naturally and I’ve found that one such totem of mine happens to have made a permanent residence. I have to agree with other people who have posted here, and find that it is obnoxious when you have a lot of people claiming to have totems of the big/popular animals. But a bit about mine.
Predominately I’m going to have to go with my gryphon as my prime totem. A lot of the symbolism of the traditional gryphon iconography is fairly well represented in my personal character. I’ve known about it for a long time and it’s been known to make appearances in visitations. I have both aspects tattooed on my arms. I do use the older style, with the forelegs being that of a lion, instead of the talons of a bird.
Secondly I’d say my more traditional ethereal totem would be that of the cougar. I know, groan. “Big, powerful animal”. But I’ve had an affinity for them since I’ve been very little, including meeting and cuddling up to one when I was younger, and the cougar has a lot of medicine that I identify with. We also run in my family - my cousin’s primary totem is a cougar. I tend to actually attract a lot of larger cat-totems to me in the form of people. Two of my best friends are lion and tiger, while my ex-girlfriend was a leopard.
The aforementioned “adopted” totem I had would be my boar, who showed up after I was nominally claimed by a patron god. Most of my attitudes could be boar-ish, and again, it has a lot of good medicine for me.
Lately, Crow has been showing up - a lot. Signaling a life shapeshift, I know. When I was attending University, I would have a duo of crows that would constantly follow me around and “quork” at me in that evil crow laugh of theirs. They got quite close to me, but that could have been coincidence given how lackadaisical most animals on that campus are to humans. The skunks, for instance, would come up and nuzzle your leg. I think Crow is an under-utilized totemic messenger, given how often it is overshadowed by the more popular Raven.
Well, there we are. Time to go meet some new people.