To understand the concept of medicine in the Native American way, one must redefine "medicine".  The medicine referred to here 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.  This medicine is also anything which brings personal power, strength, and understanding.  It is the constant living of life in a way that brings healing to the Earth Mother and to all of our associates, family, friends, and fellow creatures.  Native American medicine is an all encompassing "way of life", for it involves walking on Earth Mother in perfect harmony with the Universe.

When you call upon the power of an animal, you are asking to be drawn into complete harmony with the strength of that creature's essence.  Gaining understanding from these brothers and sisters of the animal kingdom is a healing process, and must be approached with humility and intuitiveness.  Certain aspects of the lessons given by these brothers and sisters have been chosen to reflect the lessons each spirit needs to learn.  These are the lessons of being human, being vulnerable, and seeking wholeness with all that is.  They are a part of the pathway to power.  The power lies in the wisdom and understanding of one's role in the Great Mystery, and in honoring every living thing as a teacher.  The lessons taught are eternal and they are forever forthcoming.  If the learning is over, so is the magic and the life.

In learning to call on the medicine of any person, creature or natural force, one must maintain an attitude of reverence and be willing to accept assistance.  For instance, small native children who are lost know they can call upon the medicine of their parents for assistance.  This brings the child the strength of his or her parents, even though the parents are not physically present.  The parents will feel the pull of the child's need, and oftentimes will be able to see psychically through the eyes of the child, and determine where he or she is.  This is a kind of power that comes from the idea of unity, and of each being having within itself a part of all other beings. It is the law of oneness.

It is also possible to call upon the power or medicine of an animal when one is in need of specific talents.  As all things in this universe have the same building block -- the atom -- it is relatively safe to assume that we all communicate through the common denominator of each atom, which is the creative force or Great Spirit which lives within the Great Mystery.  It is the teaching of these truths that has brought the native people to understanding, and it is these same truths that may open this door for you.

Totem animals or creature beings emulate each person's abilities, talents and challenges.  For instance, if a person is connected to Wolf as a power animal, that person is a born teacher, pathfinder, innovator and self-starter.  This does not necessarily mean that the person has acknowledged those gifts and is using them to the fullest.  It can mean that the Wolf is there to bring that person to an understanding of the talents that need developing.  If the person is ignoring those talents, you might say that Wolf would be appearing in the contrary.

To find these animals within you, you must look deep within yourself.  What animals, insects, or creatures of nature have you always been drawn to?  Which ones hold the greatest fascination for you?  Once you have looked deep, and been totally honest with yourself on which creatures draw you the most, begin to study them.  I mean really study them, not just pick up a book and skim through it, finding out basic facts.  Find out how these creatures live, what they do, where they live, etc.  Try to forge a deeper understanding of why and how they live as they do; what their purpose is in nature, and such.  I don't just mean the bigger animals, like the horse, buffalo, etc.... you may find yourself drawn to a fish, or a sparrow, or even an ant or dragonfly.  All creatures have equal importance to life on Earth; we can learn from all of them.

How can this help you in calling on them, and help you to live better on a daily basis?  Well, there are several ways you can learn to live a better life through researching and getting to know your totem animals.  By forging that deeper understanding of the creatures you are most drawn to, you will gain greater insight to their strengths and weaknesses, and thereby gain a better understanding of your own.  Learn to rely on those strengths, and accept and deal with your weaknesses, just like your totems do.

About now, you're saying "okay, but how do I call on them?"  That is even easier.  Simply concentrate on the one you wish to call on, whatever it may be.  The greater understanding you have gained by studying this creature will help you become more in tune with them, and will help you greatly in establishing a link.  Once you have established a link, the creature should be able to help you apply the knowledge gained to the problem at hand; sometimes, you can even gain advice.

How you use this knowledge and/or advice is strictly up to your own interpretation of what is being communicated to you.  Good luck!

Most of the different journeys you will take will involve something called a ‘power animal�?  Every tradition of Shamanism and earth based spiritual art over the past 5,000 years have used some sort of animal guide or another.  The Celtic Shamanic image from ancient times has a figure holding a snake in it’s hand.  The question that arises for most people new to these crafts is: how do I know what my animal guide is?  People also assume that their favorite animal is there current power animal for them.  If they like panthers, then there guide is also a panther, or wolf, or bear.  Most people pick animals of great strength and power, usually from the predator families.  Also, many people pick birds that remind them of mystery, such as the raven, the crow, the hawk, etc.  Well, the truth is that your favorite animal is obviously one of your spirit guides, but may not necessarily be your current primary one.  Most people have two or three or more power animals at a given time.  One being there long-term animal, such as the one that has always been their favorite �?and then there is one for the current situation �?and one for general time period of your life.

One of the most difficult parts of learning which is your animal guide, is listening correctly for the sign given to you.  Also, of getting past your favorite animal to see what the others may be offering to you.  Learning to stop your ego from playing a part in what you see can be harder than it sounds �?you may overlook the chipmunk telling you something important in your search for the lion.

Lets start with the easiest first �?your favorite animal.  There is a reason you have always favored this animal over others �?maybe its image reminds you of something.  Or its sleek, raw power attracted you first, in the form of awe.  Either way, do not overlook its importance �?contemplate on what it may be telling you about the big picture of your life.  What is the significance of this animals characteristics and what role have they played in your life so far?  How do I honor such a creature that has touched me so?

One of the first things to do when acquainting with a new power animal is to connect with it.  You can do this through light trance becoming the animal in your mind’s eye.  Slowly close your eyes and start with a light relaxation exercise.  After you slip into a light trance or meditation, start by picturing the view as it looks through the eyes of the animal.  Say you were connecting with the wolf �?Close your eyes and rest until the current thoughts about everyday life have faded away.  Imagine running though the forest �?but your view is from only about 3 feet from the ground.  See clearly what the view from down there looks like.  After running like this for a few minutes, start to feel as though your limbs were the same shape as the wolves�?limbs.  How do the muscles feel when you have the body of the wolf.  Feel the gallop on all four paws.  Listen through the hyper-sensitive ears of the wolf.  Smell the air in such clear precision that you are aware of the other animals that have passed through this day.  Stop running for a moment, and look, feel and listen.  You can virtually feel potential prey scurrying around on the forest floor.  The ties from your pack are strong �?you sense the pack of in the distance, and run to join them.  Now you all run together �?feel what it feels like to run with the pack �?the excitement of following the wise alpha of the pack.  Stay this way for awhile.  Get familiar with being the wolf.  The longer you do this, the easier it will be to know how the wolf thinks.

Now slowly back out of the light trance and prepare to thank the wolf for the things you have seen.  Honor the wolf by offering things to the forest in honor of the wolf, or sending energy through the smoke of the incense.  Collect wolf things, and make wolf carvings.  Any way you feel is proper, that is a good way to honor your animal.

Next, learn to use the power animal in Shamanic journey work, and in dreamtime.  Bring yourself into a light trance, and bring yourself to a forest.  In the forest you will gaze and chant into the woods, and carefully call to your animal.  This can be done verbally, through a dance, song, drumming, projecting energy, or however you choose.  Soon the animal will appear.  Connect with it for a while, run with it �?become that animal for a short while.  This will be a type of offering to the animal when you do this.  Then follow the animal to what it is going to show you �?converse and listen to what it is going to tell you.  This will be different each time you do it �?and the more often you do this, the more you’ll be able to call and use this animal’s help.

Now that you have started with your main, life-long partner, it is time to see what other animals are there with you at the current moment.  This will be the animal that pushes you in certain directions, protects you, and helps with your decisions.  These animals change frequently, depending on the energy you need at the current time.  You will also be able to call forth specific animals when you feel you need their particular energies.  One way of finding out your current animal to simply be observant for the signs through your day.  Do a quick meditation and call your main animal.  Ask it to show you throughout the day who is currently guarding you.  Then proceed your day as normal, only being observant for signs.  Sometimes these signs will be blatant, but most of the time you will have to look for them.  Say all day, you saw pictures of polar bears �?at the mall, there was a big polar-bear display for Coke-a-Cola.  You went into Hallmark to buy a card, and noticed the polar-bear display at the counter.  You see polar-bear advertisements and stuffed animals.  Your normal TV watching shows you a lot of polar bears both on the nature shows, and in prime-time viewing.  Your current animal is most likely a polar bear after an observant day such as that.  Likewise, if you saw some squirrels doing something different that catches your eye, most likely that’s a sign.  Say a squirrel ran up to you, and yelled three times, then ran off.  For the polar bear, the night that you saw all those signs go into a light trance and call for the polar bear.  Become familiar with the bear �?run with it.  Hunt and dine with the bear, as the bear.  Then step back and listen to what it is going to tell you.  Over the next few weeks, be aware of its presence with you all the time �?looking after you, showing you things.  Eventually, the animal will change, and you will need to do this all over again.  Usually the animals leave after you forget about them for a while, or don’t honor them, or if they are finished with what they are telling you, and another animal needs to tell you something.  You will always have an animal with you.  Sometimes, the animal doesn’t even exist in ordinary reality.  It may the dragon archetype, or griffin, or something like that.  Be open to them all.  Another way to discover the animals in your life is through power dreams and visions through journey.

Be aware of all the signs, especially dreams, since many times an animal will come to you with a quick message, then be gone.  It may not stay with you as a guide, but in that instance be a messenger.  There is no limit to how many guides you may get at a given time, or what kind.  There is no heritage based link necessary for any type of animal �?though certain groups may more often times see more of one thing than another.  Native Americans more often have guides like horses, fish, hawks and things, were Irish people may have more wolves and dragons and mythic creatures.

We are all connected, not just to other "two-leggeds" and the family of man, but to the animals, the trees, the wind, the earth Herself.  Like a beautiful blanket woven from many colors and textures of thread, each individual energy contributes to this Blanket of Oneness, and all are bound together.

Our thoughts, actions and deeds not only have an impact upon our own life, but like a pebble tossed into a pond, the ripples of our movement along the Web has far-reaching effects.  Thus, if we callously pollute the air of the Earth Mother, dump toxins into her streams and oceans, kill her creatures and bountiful, beautiful life, we are also destroying ourselves, for one cannot cut off their own arm and not feel the pain of the loss.  Yet we can also be a positive influence upon the lives of Others, we can tread softly upon the Earth Mother and respect her creatures of the land, ocean and sky, and in this way, also heal and nourish ourselves.

When we can look into the heavens and see the love of the Great Mystery glimmering amongst the stars, feel the Divine presence in the heartbeat of a rabbit, or see it reflected in the large tender eyes of a deer, then we are beginning to Understand the intricate bond that is shared with All Things born of the Great Mystery.  This is when we begin to understand that Allies accompany us along this Journey around the Sacred Hoop of Life, and though they may be Unseen to our mortal eyes, the bond is a beautiful and intricate thread that is ever present, all we have to do is to acknowledge their presence, offer our thanks, embrace their Wisdom and Medicine, and accept the Lessons that they Teach.