TOTEMS, Part II    BY LILLY Imaginary totems: I am reminded when I was a child in grade school, and the teacher would tell us all to "put on our thinking caps now" and figure something out for her--usually a math problem.  I remember imagining just what she told us about this "thinking cap" that made our minds "sharper".  It was a teaching technique at the time, but you can see that this would make us focus on our minds for clarity of thought.   I heard this phrase throughout my grade school years, but you can sense that the mentioning of this also is a type of "invisible totem" that we were doing, as we had been told this so often that we really felt it worked, and I know for a fact that when I did this mental visualization as a child, I really felt more alert and keener of mind.  So basically, with having that type of "invisible totem" we do have better results if we are influenced by this type of creative visualization.  Modern times we still do have "totems" of sorts - symbols.  How often have we seen a crucifix hanging from someone's rear-view mirror, or a rabbit's foot which was quite popular in the last generation?  I know when I was around 8 years old I received a rabbit's-foot key chain.  Even though I was quite little, I just never believed that this cut-off foot of a rabbit could bring "luck" to me, as I felt it didn't bring any so-called luck to it's prior owner--the rabbit. It bothered me to hold it and I got rid of it, but it was a common thing to see hanging on cars' rear-view mirrors when I was a child.  What about symbols, how are they considered totems as such?  It depends on your own attitude while you are wearing it. For example, what about wearing a cross around your neck?  Do you feel when you wear this cross that you will be protected from all harm, or do you wear it to display your faith openly?  Do you get a feeling of inner peace just from the wearing of it, regardless of whether or not you will be protected?  I know personally I like wearing my cross.  It makes me feel reminded of God's love and protection, so there again I have that same vibration showing inside my Auric Field; however, I have still had many a problem crop up in life while wearing my cross.   But the point of these questions is to ascertain whether you derive a certain comforting feeling from wearing a cross?   People often feel just by sensing their cross around their neck a kind of reminder of God's eternal love and protection.  Even though they are not constantly thinking about their cross, they just know that it gives them this good feeling and that carries them throughout the day with this warm, loving,  protected feeling.  Again the person is feeling better with having the cross on, and subconsciously there is this knowingness of that they are connected even more with God as they have a cross around their neck.  With this giving the person a reaction on both the conscious and the subconscious levels, the benefits are even greater.  I know this is a debatable subject, but just sense that when a person wears some symbol displaying their faith  no matter what religion it is,  it reinforces their commitment and that reflects in their Auric Field. Totems, whether they are religious medals, crosses, or totem medicine pouches, all represent "that which is outside ourselves influencing that which is  inside ourselves, our character and our personalities".  So it is the attitude one takes with the whole situation of cause and effect.  If  by wearing your cross you feel at peace, or carrying a totem, each seems to do something to your Auric energy, thereby causing you to feel better, soothed, comforted, loved and/or protected.  We may be guided to symbolic emblems along life's path and you can see that they are but teaching tools, aids for us to grow in Spirit, in inner strength, and support, ultimately reaching the end of your spiritual path.  In essence, it is God's Divine Will that will bring forth the total Oneness of Spirit linking Himself to you and that is the ultimate conclusion of your spiritual path towards Enlightenment.              Related Article:  SIGNS www.geocities.com/hopefrombeyond/signs   © Copyright 2003, 2005 - All Rights Reserved