TOTEMS

Each totem has it's own unique triats and wisdom to impart. None are greater then the others as they all contribute to the whole and they are all important to the ecosystem. What follows is a brief description of some of the more common totems. I'm simply going off of my experiences in this matter so not all are represented.

WOLF:Wolf is the great teacher, the pathfinder and trailblazer. Wolves have a strong sense of family and loyalty and each wolf places the needs of the pack before their own. They are also individuals however and this enables them to stand strong and take risks for the good of their family. Wolf medicine is what empowers us to reach out and help guide others in their earth walk. It is what urges us to share our wisdom with others, teach them to look within themselves and find their own wisdom. Traditionally it has always been shamans of the wolf clan who have been responsible for teaching their medicine, passing their knowledge to future generations and showing their people how to blaze their own paths. Wolf teaches us that wisdom comes in many different forms and not all of them are found in books. Wisdom comes from within us, from our experiences and from observing the cycles of nature.
BEAR: The gift of bear is the power of introspection. It is the ability to look within oneself and find the truth there. The bear represents the great void, the place where all the answers exist along with all the questions. The bear has also traditionally been the symbol of healing because of it's close connection to mother earth. It hibernates every winter, retreating to the womb of the earth to renew itself and meditate upon it's experiences.
EAGLE: Eagle is the power of the Great Spirit and represents our connection to the divine. It teaches us to look within ourselves and identify the areas in our psyche that need work. It reminds us that even in our darkest times, we are never alone for the Great Spirit is always present. Eagle also shows us how to see the bigger picture, to conquer our fear and nuture our spirit as well as our bodies. Acknowledging the shadow as well as the light brings illumination.
COYOTE:Coyote is the trickster supreme and a powerful totem. In observing his folly we recognize our own foolishness. He is the master at self sabotage and yet his actions teach us what we are doing to hold ourselves back. Coyote represents all the whimsical things in life and shows us how to laugh not only at our own stupidity but at the funny things that come up on our path. Coyote shows us that if we take ourselves and our failures too seriously then we have forgotten part of the point of living and that is to not only learn from our mistakes and accept them but find the humor in everything. There is much wisdom to be gained in humor and traditionally coyote would deliberately play tricks on humans so that they would grow and learn.
RAVEN:Raven is the medicine of magick. It's color is black, the color of the void which is the place where all creation is birthed from. Raven is the messenger of the void and guides us to seek out the great mysteries with courage. Raven is also the guardian of ceremonial magick and carries the energy from the ceremony to the void and then back. It is the power to seek your own answers and the true magick is the ability to bring your answers from the void into the light. Traditionally those who feared raven were those who had been dabbling in areas they have no knowledge of and was a sign that they had to face their inner fears and demons before they could pass on to the next level of spiritual awareness.
BUFFALO:In indian tradition it was the White Buffalo Calf Woman who brought the sacred pipe to the people and taught them to pray. The bowl of the pipe represented the womb of the female and the stem represented the male energies entering the female and bringing life. The tobacco itself contained both male and female energies and pipe was a sacred symbol of the joining of male and female and their connection with the divine. The appearance of a white buffalo was seen as a sign that their prayers were being answered and a harbinger of abundance and prosperity. So it was that the buffalo came to represent prayer which was the connection to the divine and the abundance that came from it. Buffalos are honored because they sacrifice themselves to provide sustenance to the people. It is accepting that abundance and honoring all living things for their sacrifices. It is the strength and humbleness to ask for help and the grace to accept what you get.
BAT:Bat is the symbol of rebirth. It is ritual death, the discarding of your former life and your rebirth into a new one. In ancient indian rituals, the shamanistic initiation revolved around the breaking down of all notions of self, the pushing of the initiates endurance and reducing the initiate to their most basic self, like wiping clean a chalk board. After the initiation the student would be buried in the earth for one day and left to the womb of mother earth. In this way the initiate is forced to face their inner selves and give up what is no longer needed. The next morning they are taken from the "grave" and are reborn.

These are merely some examples of the many totems there are. I would suggest you pick up the medicine cards by Jamie Sams and David Carson, published by Bear & Co. They come with a beautiful deck of cards and an informative book.
We should all take the time to enter the silence and listen to what the animals have to teach us, their wisdom has been serving them for thousands of years and I personally think they know a lot more about living in harmony with nature then we do :) May you find the wisdom you seek!