Working with TOTEM Animals: Tiger

Escaping spiritual captivity, embracing alchemy, and navigating general badassery

“I don't aspire to be a good man. I aspire to be a whole man.” -Carl Jung

As I’ve worked to slow down a bit after a very demanding year with my small business, TOTEM, I’ve been blown away by the surge of unread spiritual messages sitting in my metaphorical inbox.

One such message came, at least initially, as an intensely lucid and very shamanic dream— a dream featuring a totem animal.

Dream language

The dream began with a conversation with an apparent new roommate in our home here in Austin. He was an older man in his early 60’s, wearing a cowboy hat and shimmering with that classic Marlboro Man energy. He was appreciative that I was allowing him to house various rescued baby animals in my backyard, including a gaggle of wolves, several clouded leopards and jaguars and black panthers, and even a tiger.

At the tail end of our chat, we started to head outside to check on everyone after their first night of sleep in their new, temporary space, only to discover that all of the animals had become full-grown apex predators! I was terrified, in particular, at the prospect of what the gigantic tiger had eaten or killed or destroyed, feeling (somewhat) relieved and shocked to see all of the other animals (including our chickens) alive and well.

We immediately brought the non-homicidal animals inside, placing them in the garage and various other rooms of the house. Hilariously, even the wolves seemed appreciative for being removed from a veritable murder soup in the backyard!

When we returned to the outdoor area, I saw the tiger take a single swipe on the fence, ripping a huge hole in it. This hole revealed a woman sitting in her truck with a German Shepherd in a parking lot on the other side— and I instantly thought, “Oh no! She has no idea how close she is to danger right now! That fence is little more than sticks to that tiger! And who would expect a backyard to be housing a full-grown tiger!?!”

My new (and unlikely) roommate told me that he had organized a group to come and safely, humanely handle the tiger. He was incredibly distraught, shaking his head and looking at the ground, reeling from the exponential growth of these recently very small and very manageable animals. At one point, I said to him, “I’m not worried about the clouded leopard or the jaguars or the wolves— hell, I’d like the wolves eat food out of my mouth! But that tiger is a complete psychopath— it’s not safe to have it around humans or pets in this environment!”

Just then, his team of good old boys showed up at my front door with guns and gear and a large transport vehicle. I looked in their eyes as they entered my home, noting a strange mixture of both fear and resignation to the inevitable— kind of like the energy of the soldiers about to storm the beaches of Normandy on D Day. They were brave, these men, and I was grateful to them for trying the seeming impossible.

My roommate bowed his head, upset, and apologized to me. I took his hands, shaking one of them while saying, “You’re a good friend. It’s not your fault. You were just trying to help. You did the right thing. Whatever happens, I’m not mad at you.” He then looked up at me, a single tear falling from his right eye, nodding and working to steel his will for the effort to come.

Just then, I woke up. I knew this was a significant shamanic dream, and it’s taken me days to shake the serious, consequential feeling the tiger left.

Since the dream, I’ve spent some time reflecting on and assessing the dream language through a shamanic perspective, revealing several layers of meaning that are very typical of a Shamanic Journey, Shamanic Soul Part Recollection, and other related shamanic phenomena:

• Spirit Guide: the roommate, a classically archetypal authority figure, was clearly a new Spirit Guide, likely one that is responsible for bringing me new totem animals. He was sweet, congenial, and seemed very anxious to internalize and take accountability for the rapid growth of the tiger, which I now believe was the actually the result of me hitting the snooze button on my personal spiritual work while focusing almost entirely on my work-work. So, when I shook his hand and told him it wasn’t his fault, I was in effect taking responsibility for sleeping on this to do list. I’m going to attempt to do a Shamanic Journeying Meditation to reconnect with him and get more details like his name, his function, and so on.

• Reflection of Self: the woman with the German Shepherd sitting in the truck is obviously a representation of me and my dog, Gus. My concern for her safety— given her lack of awareness of the danger nearby— was a fear for my own “safety” as this subconscious energy rips at the fence separating the two hemispheres of my brain. In other words, it’s Tiger time, and this Totem Animal is going to penetrate the feeble structures I’ve relied upon to keep my metaphorical worlds separated. Also interesting to note: I occupied both first and third person perspectives simultaneously in this dream— a phenomenon called bilocation shifting— which is a hallmark of Shamanic Journeying and of Totem Animal work, in particular.

• Totem Animal: While there was a myriad of animals in the dream, it was immediately obvious who the star of the show was: Tiger. And while it may seem that the connotation of the Tiger was overtly negative, this is not necessarily the case with Totem Animal work. In fact, feeling the anxiety and gravity and seriousness of this particular TOTEM Animal is really just a reflection of how consequential— and impactful— this being’s presence in my energy body and my life. In shamanism, we are often shown our literal dismemberment or even consumption-by-animal as language for our alchemical fusion with this spirit guide.

Pro tip: When it comes to Totem Animal work, dreams count! But before you immediately indulge the urge to outsource your personal reflection or analysis to Google (or even the great work that Ted Andrews did in his books), it’s important to spend some time marinating in the message yourself. The more often you do this, the more familiar the architecture of this spiritual work becomes— and the more you can cultivate your own meaning.

The personal significance of Tiger Totem

And, speaking of cultivating my own meaning, this particular Totem Animal visit did not disappoint.

To start, I sat down to write out a channeled message from Tiger in the minutes after getting out of bed after this dream:

“In the last several years, many humans ran towards the cage, embracing a life in captivity. Shocked at our blasphemies, the wild spirits of place fled from us. Now the wild only dwells within a few living beings, concentrating their energies with an unmanageable intensity. These spirits have no other place, or temple, or altar. In these places, we have made graven images of our domestication. But, despite our misguided idolatry of self, the Tiger paces still against a fence made of sticks and splinters. How long can it hold him? As long as he lets it.”

Yah. That’s not intense or anything. Geez. And to think that I just wanted a chill and easy Thanksgiving holiday.

Womp womp.

And, as with all channeled messages, I honestly didn’t remember what I wrote down until I just looked back at it while writing this post. So, I’m kind of learning all of this at the same time you’re reading it;)

I’ve been reflecting on Tiger, and remembered the last time this Totem Animal had walked its way into my life. It was 14 years ago, and right when I was digging into my client-facing work through TOTEM. And, while I’m not much of a Western Astrologer, something about the 14 year cycle seemed vaguely familiar and worth researching— so I did. Here’s what I found:

“The 14-year cycle in astrology is the conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Uranus, which occurs when they meet at the same degree and sign in the sky. This event is said to mark a major shift or upheaval in life.

In 2024, the conjunction of Jupiter and Uranus will occur on April 20 in the sign of Taurus. Jupiter is associated with joy, abundance, and expansion, while Uranus represents technological advancement, unexpected surprises, and quick change. Some say that this conjunction will bring a time of new energies, liberation, and freedom, as well as a chance to explore new frontiers. Others say that it will be a time to confront and release past emotions, relationships, and beliefs.”

Well well well, what do we have here? Another major synchronicity, you say?

Intriguing.

Even more intriguing? Upon discovering this, I immediately started noodling on the number fourteen in the realm of Tarot. In my TOTEM Tarot deck, the Major Arcana card #14 is The Alchemist— corresponding to the more traditional Temperance card. As I pondered this, I remembered the image for the Temperance card from the Mary El Tarot Deck, featuring a stunning image of a tiger swimming in the ocean:

Temperance Card from the Mary El Tarot Deck

I’m going to write more about the Temperance tarot card in our upcoming Gemini Full Moon Deep Dive later this month, but my primary realization?

It’s the card that comes after the Death card.

In its own way, it’s a card of not just Alchemy and Transformation but of focused rebirth: a return to the self as a hopefully better, more complete version of you. And, after having faced the ontological dread of death itself, we can remember how to not fear— and, perhaps most importantly, how to be free.

Pro tip: when encountering a new TOTEM Animal in dream, waking reality or somewhere else altogether, it’s crucial to reflect on its presence during other times of your life. Hell, it might even be a good idea to undertake a formal Shamanic Soul Part Recollection Journey to reconnect to this prior version, leveraging an energy you once had with the focus on integrating new learnings and personal strengths. Look for the clues. Collect them. And then watch in wonder as the cohesive narrative thread emerges, giving you deeper and deeper layers of personal meaning.

The Shamanic significance of Tiger Totem

Ted Andrews, shaman and wildlife biologist, has a lot to say on the significance of Tiger as a Totem Animal:

“Tiger is reminding you that persistence is what is necessary in order to attain your goals. Be patient, use tried and true methods, repeat them is necessary, use determination to get there. You will succeed – but only through patience.

Alternatively Tiger may be letting you know that you need to do some careful planning and maneuvering to get what you desire. If the task is unpleasant he is reminding your that you do have the strength and willpower to complete the task. Don’t waste your energy with guilty procrastination. Tackle the task at hand.

If Tiger is your Animal Totem, you are a supremely confident individual that is fiercely persistent in attaining your goals. You are strong willed – and once you have made up your mind there is no changing it – however you do take the time to balance all possibilities before deciding. You enjoy quiet and solitude and are keenly observant of everything around you. You physically tend to move with lithe grace and sensuality. You enjoy being independent and rely on having a quiet place to retreat to if things get stressful. You tend to easily blend in or camouflage in social situations. Your natural charisma often draws many others to you.”

Other shamans, particularly those familiar with Chinese medicine and related practices including the I Ching and Feng Shui, also note that Tiger is distinctly yin and feminine in nature, representing the dark, the season of winter, and the advantages of receiving vs. creating, a significant insight given today’s New Moon and the official start of the month of December.

Now, it’s also worth noting that Tigers aren’t exactly known for being team players. In fact, they live lives of almost complete solitude with the exception of mating and minimal nursing of babies. They are the largest, the strongest, and the most violent of the large cats, and these attributes must be kept in mind for the human counterpart working with this totemic energy.

Looks like I’m going to find another gear on the bitch switch, guys. I know. I didn’t know there were deeper layers to this, either;)

TOTEM Animal Flower Essence

Well, this shit definitely works.

I’m serious. I started (somewhat absent-mindedly) taking our TOTEM Animal Flower Essence a week before this incredible dream— and the start of this incredible Totem Animal journey, and can’t help but think it’s more than a little connected.

Our TOTEM Animal Flower Essence is made of Cardinal Flower, and correlated to the Root Chakra via the magical, alchemical element aether. From our little booklet for the TOTEM Flower Essence Deck:

“This Flower Essence supports a magical connection to realm of totem animals, instilling an overall sense of spiritual vibrancy as you connect with and channel your spirit animal. Cardinal Flower Essence infuses the energy body with the primordial, animalistic energy of shamanic magic, enabling the redirection of primal appetites and impulses into higher, more spiritual uses.

• Positive Qualities: Harmony with the natural world; gifts with animal communication; connection to totem animals; strong chi in the energy body.

• Patterns of Imbalance: Being too “in the head”; tendency to embrace concepts in lieu of lived experience; disconnection from material reality; dysfunctional dynamics with plants, animals.”

If you want to secure your own bottle of this bad boy and meet your own furry (or feathered or finned) friend, take advantage of our 60% off holiday sale on Etsy HERE.

And, if you want to get deeper into your own practice with flower essences, plant medicines or just the Woo more broadly, please note: our TOTEM Flower Essence Deck is currently 50% off on Etsy and Amazon as a part of our holiday sale!

How to undertake Totem Animal work

If you want to learn more about TOTEM Animal work, we’ve linked to a few other posts here on Substack that should help you get up and running:

Want to go deeper? We do a lot of Totem Animal work in the TOTEM Spiritual Transformation Coaching Program, as

Laura Oxendine

shared in her recent episode on The Skeptical Shaman podcast. You can learn more about this program HERE or book a free consultation to discuss it with me HERE.

This program is all one-on-one work, so space is limited— reach out ASAP before we kick off with a new cohort in January 2025!

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Tyger Tyger burning bright

William Blake’s poem “The Tyger” really kind of nails the energy of Tiger as a Totem Animal:

“Tyger Tyger burning bright,

In the forests of the night:

What immortal hand or eye,

Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?”

Hopefully I can reconnect with my new spirit friend in a less stressful situation, moving past the shock and awe of it all and into the practical applications in my life. Every time a new Totem appears, there comes with it a whole bunch of new spiritual homework across various domains: health and wellness, work, love and romance, finances, spiritual growth, and so on.

So, this is really just the beginning, and I’m looking forward to learning what my new Tiger friend has to share with me.

Besides: as with most things shamanic, it’s not really up to me. I get my assignments from spirit and I undertake them with as much joy as I can muster. It’s not easy work but it’s meaningful work. And, if done properly, it’s always enriching, additive, and very, very necessary.

Happy New Moon!

[please note: this will be one of our last free posts before we move to a mostly paid model here on Substack in 2025. If you like our content and think friends would like it too, please consider supporting our work at TOTEM by becoming a paid subscriber or gifting a subscription to a friend or family member for the holidays!]

-Rachel