Is it possible to have more then one Totem/power main animal guide?

[Athymari]

In shamanism of no particular branch, has anyone heard of the above happening.

I would like to pick the brains of someone who knows more about this from a Shaman point of if not ask their own guide if they are unsure them selves, not just personal opinions. No offense to too anyone but I would like to get this correct and accurate and as I am starting from  a shaman path on terms of guides I am looking for certain info. (One website I looked at looked promising until the mention ' Christ (something'.)

Can you have two, one white and one black of the same type of animal?

Also in many journeys, they tell you to look for an animal appears several times to find your guide.

Well in my journey every single animal was a black sillouette in the black silouette forrest. All apart from one white animal that came out of the forrest and stood on the path infront of me and just looked mt me. I took this for the real deal as it stood out so much from the black shapes in the black trees against the white sky.

I do not want to start of on the wrong foot and I as yet have no one to turn to for advice or guidance.

So if anyone in a position can let me know I would be thankful.

[Athymari]

If anyone know of a website or other forum that covers this I would be greatful. I am having trouble on some things I have experianced and have no one to ask.

[Lexy]

Hey,

I wish I could help, its been a long time since I dabbled in shaman stuff. I can not say I am an expert that is why I didn't answer. I have had my spirit animal change, I think if you change as a person of course it will have an effect. Anyway, the only person I could think of as a shaman isn't very active on forums so much. Did you try some magic forums? They tend to hang out there. Good luck...

[personalreality]

you can have as many guides as you want. 

who's to say you can't.

when it comes down to it you might not want many more than one. 

i have one animal guide and a crystal/skull guide, but honestly i wouldn't really want any more than that. 

[DH]

Everyone's shamanic experience is personal and different.  I've had totems change over the years, and visits to the upper, middle and lower worlds have had numerous guides unique to their own "world."  Be open to who or what shows up and go with it.

http://www.shamanism.org/fssinfo/harnerbio.html

http://www.shamanscircle.com/default.asp

http://www.wicca.com/celtic/wyldkat/shmnindex.htm

Blessings, DH

[Athymari]

Its not that my guides changed.

I met my power animal during a journey but now I have two of the same species. A white female and black male. As she was my power animal I assumed he was (being the same species) Guess I could be wrong.

All the books and website i have looked at never mentioned having 2 'main' guides.

I have just picked up Michael harners book so will have a gadner at those sites!

I asked this initially as I am having a crisis in my spiritual path which I beleive I just found the method (Shamanism).

I do not want to misguide myself as I beleive this will deeply floor my self confidence and belief in myself and in this subject. Of what I experience, i do not know what parts are real. Many people say just believe, but that doesnt work for me. I do not believe in blind faith (being so new to this path and knowing near nothing I think it is a dangerous thing to do - in one 'could be' journey I was presented with water, which i refused to drink, the spirit got angery and was promptly sat on by my bear guide whilst a new guide appeared and said the water was posioned and if i had drank it))  and I do not want to misguide myself from delusions made by my own imagination simply becuase it is what I expect to happen.

I have since met 9 (possible) guides 7 animal and 2 human. One meeting I am positive about (the false awakening one) and a guide from a previous dream was also there so I can believe in the validility of that one also. One human I am sure on as i saw her physically while my eyes were still closed as clearly as i see the my keyboard. The rest....

Generally, I met them in 2 ways. Either during mediation/journeys as sillhuette images against my eyelids with some mental impressions. During this time I was very much awake and aware of my body and surrounds. Or during normal dreams. These dreams were typical dreams or once during a false awakening. I know though wonder if this false awakening is simply me awaking up into non-ordinary reality/spirit world, whichever you want to call it.

I have had no experiance with this so i have nothing to compare to. Lots of things have happened that were down right 'through her in the deep end' (which i handled amazingly - I think it was a test in the other world )so i beleive this is why more guides are appearing as I move forward, though until i can get by this doubt it is hard to trust to move forward. Was this test real? i could still feel my body, my bed the sound of the electric thingy ticking, was it just a daydream/fantasy?

i am always being open to the possibility and noting everything down, confirming to myself  when I feel something that 'might' be a spirit, talking to my guides when i 'think' i sense them. hoping that as I go the feelings will get stronger as I practice until I am 100% sure in incase it is (i dont want to down right ignore my guides when it is my fault i can not engage in a converstation

[personalreality]

they could be two complimentary aspects of one guide.

a power animal isn't just one animal.  the one that you interact with is a representation of the whole species.  beyond the physical species, they also represent the primal/archetypal energy that is characteristic of that species.  perhaps the two animals are two sides of the same coin, expressing complimentary energies of their species.

[Athymari]

they could be two complimentary aspects of one guide.

a power animal isn't just one animal.  the one that you interact with is a representation of the whole species.  beyond the physical species, they also represent the primal/archetypal energy that is characteristic of that species.  perhaps the two animals are two sides of the same coin, expressing complimentary energies of their species.

I see what you mean.

The Black one appeared to me from a fasle awakening out of a thunder and lightning storm. When the storm stopped it was in the room with me. White is powerful but serene and quiet. Whilst black is full and energy, always moving and full of fire (personality wise). I always likened White to what being what you know and Black to the mysterious.

[Athymari]

Talk about shooting a forum new comers down in flames on one of their first 5 posts. I posted about a shaman book I read on a forum i just joined and I more or less got the reply that shamanism is nothing more then hippies with mushrooms. This is on a pagan forum where I went to ask about shamanism. God I am furious. They sound more like new agers then actually pagans.

[personalreality]

Sounds like it to me.  They're probably pretend pagans who think it's cool to wear a pentacle when they go to church with their parents. 

Shamanism is THE OLDEST RELIGION IN EXISTENCE.  Literally.  Every other religion owes it's existence to shamanism.  Shamanism isn't a specific religion, it was simply the religion of the tribe.  There are no universal tenets or dogma.  There are no rules.  Shamanism is just a word to describe a whole host of indigenous religions that anthropologists couldn't fit anywhere else.  Pagans of all people ought to recognize the significance of shamanism and the role in played in the foundation of their respective religions.  I mean really.  Shamanism and Paganism go hand in hand.  Shamanism is really the father of all the pagan traditions and is also a pagan tradition in itself. 

And yes, some shamans do drink psychedelic mixtures, but anyone who knows anything about shamanism at all knows that they don't just drink it every day to trip out and "grow spiritually".  Quite the contrary.  The shaman's brew is a special ritual that is typically only ingested by an apprentice as a form of initiation or when a very intense tragedy has effected the tribe and a powerful solution needs to be found immediately (or on very special occasions).  Most of the time, shamans use non-drug induced methods to visit the other worlds.  They recognize the importance of being able to go to these otherworlds at will.  The plants are usually meant to provide a "shock" to wake the apprentice from the "auto-pilot" state of mind that most people tend to live in.  Usually, shamans use techniques such as drumming, singing, chanting, dancing, meditation, etc. to enter altered states.  Most of what they do is done through ritual though, they aren't just always tripping out in some altered state.

It's really a shame when people don't even know the history of the culture that they have adopted.  How can you really claim a tradition if you don't understand it's roots and heritage, let alone it's central focus.

[Athymari]

I attempted drumming (a CD) last night but I couldnt get anywhere. It is almost like I was blind 60% of the time. I heard water dripping and felt some wind for a few seconds but that was it. I didnt think it safe to go much further. I find it easier to see with no sound at all.

Going back to my first post. Most books I have read to only accept an animal that appears 3 times (or roughly similar). Though one of my two, only appeared once but it was the only white animal who walked out of teh forrest and stood on the path. The rest where black silhuettes in a black silhuette forrest and never came near the path. Its made me question her abit, but if its a case of whoever stands out I thought this counted.