Each year I draw an animal totem from the deck of 52 cards that come with Medicine Cards. This animal becomes a ‘theme’ for my year and it’s fun to see how this ‘medicine’ can guide and inspire me as I look forward or how it can help me gain a healthier perspective on events that have taken place. I ask the universe and Great Spirit to assist me in my journey to build the life of my dreams and to send me the animal from which I can learn a needed lesson or draw inspiration from over the course of the year.

The foundation that I am working from when I look to animal medicine is based in our common humanity and in the recognition that we are all connected, “I am you and you are me.” Separateness is but an illusion created by our physical form and abusive power structures. In Native American philosophy as described by Jamie Sams & David Carson in Medicine Cards, “[t]he medicine referred to . . . is anything that improves one’s connection to the Great Mystery and to all life. This would include the healing of body, mind, and of spirit (Medicine Cards, p13).”

Animal guides connect me with nature and with the truth deep within to help reveal how my life experiences have affected or may be affecting my perceptions in life. These perceptions can dictate what kind of story I tell myself about what has happened, what is happening and what may happen.

Our stories can lead us toward joy or toward suffering. The choice is ours to make. The journey awaits. 

Ahoy mates!

Coyote Christina