Working with TOTEM Animals: Coyote

Dreamtime and daytime visits make this spirit animal an undeniable reality

So, I’ve lived in Austin for almost three years now, and I’ve never, ever, not even once seen a coyote until today. And I saw it on three separate occasions, all within a block of my house, located smack dab in the middle of a residential neighborhood. Why wouldn’t the coyote run off into the nearby woods or prairie? Aren't they social animals, typically rolling around with a crew? Hmmm…

And, even more strange, my large German Shepherd/ wolf hybrid didn’t bat an eye when he came snout to snout with this very wild canine. In fact, during the last visitation just now on our late afternoon walk, the Coyote and Gus Gus just made pleasant, steady eye contact with each other, sitting and seeming to communicate telepathically.

Considering my dog loses his mind when he sees a cat or squirrel, and has even been known to bark at a firefly, his calm and collected behavior is an indicator of some high strangeness.

What’s more: these “real life” visits from this magical totem animal have come on the heels of an intense Shamanic Soul Part Recollection dream I had over the break. This dream featured a coyote instead of the more typical dog or horse, and has some other intriguing elements. So intriguing, in fact, that I was just writing about it on another Substack post when my coyote friend made an in-person visit.

Shamanic Soul Part Recollection

I had many, many shamanic dreams over my two weeks away from work during the holidays. Several of these dreams were what we call Shamanic Soul Part Recollections: specific moments of energetic recollection, calling back the bits of the energy body that have been damaged, cleaved off, or gone dormant as a result of various traumas.

So, what exactly are soul parts?

The basic premise of soul recollection is rooted in the shamanic understanding that the energy body is as complex and multidimensional as the physical body. As the physical body is comprised of billions of cells, tissues, organs and systems, so the soul is comprised of billions of energetic “cells”, tissues, organs and systems. When we refer to a soul part, we refer to this wide range of elements- from small soul parts (cells or bits of tissue) to large soul parts (energtic “organs” or systems).

And what exactly are the causes of soul part loss? Soul part loss can occur as a result of emotional trauma (break up, divorce, loss of a loved one and even a fight with a friend) and physical trauma (traumatic injury, illness or any form of surgery- even planned procedures). The “symptoms” of soul part loss can include disconnection from self, from the body, and from one’s passions in life. Sometimes, it can become so severe that depression, anxiety and even physical illness set in, a literal indicator of the “dis-ease” percolating in the energy body.

We can reclaim and integrate these lost soul parts through Shamanic Soul Part Recollection Journeys, which occur either via a formal meditative undertaking or spontaneously, during dreams.

Whether in a meditation or a dream, the format of a Shamanic Soul Part Recollection follows a consistent architecture, with nuanced differences or details to indicate the nature of the soul part and it’s initial trauma:

• The journey or dream starts with the discovery of a sick, dead, injured or slumbering animal, most commonly a horse or a dog. The general feeling when this animal is discovered is deep sadness, despair and disappointment, and sometimes even shock and anger at its treatment. Some journeyers find themselves crying spontaneously or being overwhelmed by the intensity of the emotion. There is typically an overwhelming urge to help the animal and reverse its condition.

• There is often a moment of clarity around the identity of the individual or group responsible for this “animal’s” condition. You may notice clues in the journey that indicate not only who is responsible for the trauma, but when and where it occurred: vignettes from a childhood home, elementary school, office, etc.

• An authority figure, like a police officer or school principal, often emerges to reassure us and ensure that we are given proper “ownership” of the animal to take home and nurture.

Generally, the journey or dream concludes with taking the now-healthy and happy animal home, representing the recollection of the lost soul part.

The Dream (and the Coyote)

So, my recent coyote-themed Shamanic Soul Part Recollection dream started with me walking up to what appeared to be a memorial service at a kind of outdoor mausoleum.

There was a framed, in-glass photo of a younger brunette woman, which I now I think might have been meant to represent me at the age of 13 or 14 years old. The area behind the this framed photo was roped off, and within the ropes were several rose bushes. But, as I noted, the rose bushes didn’t look like they had room to grow, nor did they appear to be very deeply rooted or particularly healthy.

So, as one does, I grabbed a shovel, went behind the ropes, and started to dig up the earth, gently setting the rose bushes to the side. I quickly discovered a shallow, secret chamber, and upon opening its metal lid found a perfectly healthy coyote looking back up at me.

I was upset that someone had locked this sweet wild animal up in a metal box beneath the ground, and worked to quickly help the little guy up and out of the earth. It ran away, ecstatic with its freedom, and I was left wondering who the culprit was that did this horrible thing.

In the context of Shamanic Soul Part Recollection, the symbolism of this dream becomes instantly obvious.

One of my soul parts was declared “dead” around the age of 13-14, and this soul part was notably more feral than others (coyote vs. pet dog). This soul part would also naturally embody the qualities associated with coyote as a totem animal.

According to Ted Andrews and his incredible book Animal Speak, the coyote represents adaptability, strong survival instincts, trickster energy, the importance of play, monogamy, humor, and resilience in the face of shifting conditions. More specifically, Ted writes of coyote totem animal:

“Coyote’s medicine includes understanding that all things are sacred and that yet nothing is sacred, teaching us that only when all masks have fallen will we connect with the source, illumination, stealth, intelligence, singing humans into being, childhood trust in truth, teaching us how to raise our young, they bring rain, give one the ability to laugh at one’s own mistakes, placing the North Star, shape-shifting, teaching balance between risk and safety, trickster, devilment, cunning, wisdom, folly.

Amongst some native tribes, coyote is referred to as the trickster and there are many tales about the coyote. They are known as the great one and the foolish one – they don’t consciously try and trick us, rather they reflect back to us our own capacity for being clever and stupidity.

When we are being too serious about life, Coyote may appear to teach us to laugh at ourselves and life’s ironies. Be prepared for your sense of humour to arise in full force in line with what is happening around you and to you. They also remind us that whatever we do to others will be done to us. You get back what you give out…

The Coyote teaches how wisdom and folly go together. In others mistakes we see our own foolishness and can learn from their mistakes.

The coyote’s energy is linked to simplicity and trust, spurring renewed innocence and a childlike wisdom in the world. Coyote’s howl touches your soul, reminding you of your primal connections. People with this power animal adapt easily to new situations. They also usually have close families, especially when children are involved. Coyotes normally mate for life. They reside in the sides of hills or in underground dens where their family is pretty much safe. Coyote people will sometimes go to extremes to protect and nurture family members. Sharp cutting words that hurt another should be avoided. Energy bursts are common if this is your power animal, balanced action is necessary for overall well being. Coyote medicine people often put other peoples needs before their own – remember to give to yourself equally.

Although they prefer open grassland and thinly wooded brush, they are able to adapt to almost any environment. This means that they have been able to survive and flourish, growing in numbers – in spite of humans interference who for a long time have been trying to wipe out coyotes by trapping, shooting or poisoning them.”

Soul Part Specifics

To me, the symbolism of coyote as a soul part that went dormant when I was about 13 or 14 years old rings true— and in a deep and palpable way. I think I always felt a bit ashamed of growing up poor alongside the specters of domestic violence, mental illness, and drug use. It’s very likely I worked to “declare dead” the part of myself associated with these early experiences, even if those experiences ultimately generated positive outputs like resourcefulness, cleverness, adaptability, resilience and so on.

I also largely stopped playing competitive sports around this age, opting instead to get a work permit signed by my parents so that I could get multiple summer jobs in the hopes that I could get my own apartment as soon as possible. This, of course, would impede any adolescent trickster energy or sense of play, putting a multi-decade moratorium on activities that weren’t associated with professional or academic achievement— or, more fundamentally, survival.

In other words, the burial of this coyote soul part would usher in the epoch of all work and no play makes Rach a workaholic girl;)

We don’t always get to attend our own funeral, whether it be in a dream or Shamanic Journeying Meditation or in actual reality. I look at this recent dream— and connected Soul Part Recollection— as an opportunity to take back some of what was lost in the past, repealing the death sentence and bringing this coyote part of me back to life.

TOTEM Tarot Card: Coyote

And the symbolic potency of coyote doesn’t stop there.

After all, we featured the Native American creator deity Coyote as the Fool card in our TOTEM Tarot Deck. As many of you may know, the Fool card— particularly our version, Coyote— is all about the Spiritual Scavenger Hunt: the effort to collect clues as we meander through life, ultimately culminating in a clear picture of the how, why and when of our soul’s purpose.

What’s more: our Coyote card is all about radical self-acceptance, representing that which we are before we are born and after we die. The less we plan or rationalize or explain— and the more we do simply because we impulsively feel like doing— the faster we self-actualize and receive our destiny.

Oddly enough, our Coyote TOTEM Tarot Card is also a recommendation to pursue the messages in dreams, meditations and that come to us via intuition at this time. The crazier and more “out of nowhere”, the better. Coyote is an indication that the world of spirit is going to be speaking loudly to us through symbols and synchronicities and confluences.

It’s up to us to “listen”.

Navel Chakra Work

It’s also worth noting that, during my time away from work, I put a lot of intentional work into healing and nurturing my navel chakra. Given this, I’m not so sure that the “spontaneous” soul part recollections that followed were really that spontaneous— and I think it’s worth sharing a bit of my navel chakra routine should you want to undertake a similar self-care effort (and recollect some lost soul parts).

First, I didn’t work. Like I actually didn’t look at emails or bottle flower essences or do much of anything work related. As a big part of this, I took a substantial digital detox, avoiding social media (except for a few previously scheduled posts) and the exponential drain it has on my energy body.

I also started taking a different mixture of TOTEM Flower Essences geared more for the navel chakra, starting with the aptly named Navel Chakra premium blend. I also took Inner Child, Liquid Sunshine, Reclaim Yourself, and Muse, all with the intention of nurturing my navel chakra and filling my tanks back up after a very long and very hard push on the work front.

I didn’t push myself to exercise rigorously, and I didn’t place any limits on my diet or sleep. I just kind of let myself be, returning my energy body to the state of free flowing curiosity and joy of childhood. The key? Move gently and without urgency or restriction.

Crazy as it seems, it really worked. These Soul Part Recollections— of which coyote is only one— have been intensely transformative in every area of my life.

Ask. Believe. And receive.

And take two weeks off and eat a bunch of chocolate and stuff;)

In-Person Events and Energy Sessions

If you’re interested in Shamanic Soul Part Recollections, Shamanic Journeying Meditation, and Totem Animal work more broadly, please join me at Within Center for a rotating series of immersive workshops!

We kick off on February 9th, and will be offering three in-person workshops a month (every other month) for the rest of this year. You can learn more or get details on our website’s Events Page HERE.

I’m also offering TOTEM Shamanic Energy Work Session packages for the first time in TOTEM history, giving clients a discount for investing in their sustained self-care throughout 2024. These Shamanic Energy Work Sessions can be done in-person (at our space here in Austin) or remotely, and they largely center on Soul Part Recollection and energetic clearing/ integration. You can learn more about these sessions and packages on our website HERE.

Very excited to dive into the deep end of the Woo with my new friend, Coyote. I’ll keep you all posted about the trickster’s influence in the days and weeks to come!

-Rachel