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Totem Magic: Dance of the Shapeshifter
"Inside of each of us an animal lies in wait, ready to be revealed and explored. As humans we share the earth with many magnificent creatures, and through Pagan magic we can connect with the animal kingdom and with our individual animal spirits, or totems. In TOTEM MAGIC, author Yasmine Galenorn-whose soul is part panther, boa, and peacock-shows you how to uncover the animal spirits who guide and guard you in your life'¬?s journey. Drawing on Pagan shamanism, she offers guidelines, spellwork, and rituals for connecting with your totems for strength, protection, and empowerment. Through the ancient mystical practice of totem magic, you can discover your animal within while exploring new, exciting paths in your spiritual development.
224 pages, Paperback
First published April 21, 2004
8 people are currently reading
570 people want to read
About the author
Yasmine Galenorn
246 books3,471 followersNOTE: I SELDOM visit Goodreads and do very little here. Please see my website for more information on my work: https://galenorn.com
New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance, and is the author of over 80 books & numerous series, including the Wild Hunt Series, the Moonshadow Bay Series, the Fury Unbound Series, the Otherworld Series, the Bewitching Bedlam Series, and more. She wrote for trad publishers for 20 years until she went indie in 2016.
She’s also written nonfiction metaphysical books. She is the 2011 Career Achievement Award Winner in Urban Fantasy, given by RT Magazine. Yasmine has been in the Craft since 1980, is a shamanic witch and High Priestess. She describes her life as a blend of teacups and tattoos. She lives in Kirkland, WA, with her husband Samwise and their cats. Yasmine can be reached via her web site at Galenorn.com. Sign up for her newsletter at: http://galenorn.com/newsletter/
NOTE: ALWAYS check the website and blog, and please sign up for her newsletter there to keep current with new and upcoming releases. Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter are NOT viable places to find out all this information.
New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance, and is the author of over 80 books & numerous series, including the Wild Hunt Series, the Moonshadow Bay Series, the Fury Unbound Series, the Otherworld Series, the Bewitching Bedlam Series, and more. She wrote for trad publishers for 20 years until she went indie in 2016.
She’s also written nonfiction metaphysical books. She is the 2011 Career Achievement Award Winner in Urban Fantasy, given by RT Magazine. Yasmine has been in the Craft since 1980, is a shamanic witch and High Priestess. She describes her life as a blend of teacups and tattoos. She lives in Kirkland, WA, with her husband Samwise and their cats. Yasmine can be reached via her web site at Galenorn.com. Sign up for her newsletter at: http://galenorn.com/newsletter/
NOTE: ALWAYS check the website and blog, and please sign up for her newsletter there to keep current with new and upcoming releases. Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter are NOT viable places to find out all this information.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 20, 2011
Totem Magic by Yasmine Galenorn has become such an influence in my life, and how i go on to perceive the world. This book was very enlightening in the way Gelenorn goes on to describe her viewpoint on Animal spirits, guides, totems and her personal experience in the practice. Within the book, detailed and complicated recipes for invoking totem magic fill each and every chapter, even specifically focusing on certain animal types. For example a bird, any type belongs to the Air totem family, and Gelenorn spends efficient amount of time connecting to specific areas.Gelenorn also offers and describes different techniques to contact your animal totem. She employs methods of Dance, Drumming, Meditating, Dream work, and Spiritual journeys to unlock what deep with in you. I can't attribute any spells effectively working because as i said the recipes are very detailed and specific, and i have not found the time to gather up these tools and i would not try without. I would have enjoyed more practical magic throughout the book such as the shape shifting, but the section working with dreams to connect with your inner animal spirit, sustained my fit, and intrigues me to attempt some of the dream spells. Now when I say spells i'd like to clarify this could involve creating a mixture of oils, anoint the candles with oils, and recite some binding words in chant to gain some effect. This book and author focus on natural magic, disowning the traditional white vs dark.
July 9, 2013
I have read many different books about totems and spirit guides. This book is different in that it is not simply an A to Z of animals and what they represent, the author 'uses intuition rather than intellect" and the information she imparts is wonderful, including how to discover your totem, how to work with them and how to learn from.
The author, herself, has a panther as a primary totem with green boa and peacock as secondary totems and she explains how she came to learn these facts, came to work with and honor them, and how they are truly a part of her everyday life.
Anyone who is interested in spirit animals--and is fed up with A to Z dictionaries of animal correspondences and abilities--should definitely read this book!
The author, herself, has a panther as a primary totem with green boa and peacock as secondary totems and she explains how she came to learn these facts, came to work with and honor them, and how they are truly a part of her everyday life.
Anyone who is interested in spirit animals--and is fed up with A to Z dictionaries of animal correspondences and abilities--should definitely read this book!
August 26, 2013
I've already read some books about this subject, most of them by Ted Andrews.
For Yasmine, a totem is much more than an animal guide, and she differentiates between totems, animal guides and guardians.
This book holds our attention and gives an insight into the world of the shapeshifter and animal totem symbols.
Whether we know it or not, we each house the spirits and essences of animals. Through this book we can grow a closer relationship with them and learn also how different Totems can enter and leave our lives as the years progress and our lives change.
This book does not lists animals and their attributes. It's a mind opening and magical book about totem knoledge. If you are a shaman, witch, pagan, or if you just like animals, buy this book.
For Yasmine, a totem is much more than an animal guide, and she differentiates between totems, animal guides and guardians.
This book holds our attention and gives an insight into the world of the shapeshifter and animal totem symbols.
Whether we know it or not, we each house the spirits and essences of animals. Through this book we can grow a closer relationship with them and learn also how different Totems can enter and leave our lives as the years progress and our lives change.
This book does not lists animals and their attributes. It's a mind opening and magical book about totem knoledge. If you are a shaman, witch, pagan, or if you just like animals, buy this book.
August 19, 2023
I thought there would be more information on animal totems, so that was a little disappointing. This book is more geared towards paganism practices, but I found it very informative, nonetheless.
August 1, 2015
I felt that Totem Magic focused far too much on the outer trappings of ritual rather than the internal changes that are the goal of spiritual development. Yasmine spends much time in this writing out the recipes for oils, mixtures of herbs, and the appropriate time to do this chant or place that statue. Now, though subconscious cues do assist the mind, too much reliance on them can sow its own seeds of failure by creating the expectation for external/physical shifts in reality. If those external changes do not occur, then what. Did I mix the herbs wrong, did I wave the wand left rather than right at that one point... it becomes an endless debate over procedure when, I feel, the correct answer is: external changes/real life changes aren't what one should be looking for.
Do I really think that putting a person's picture in a box, writing certain runes on it, and then sealing it with smoke will physically keep them away from me? No. Could all sorts of preparations and then the emotional excitement of a ritual itself perhaps convince me that I'm serious in my intention to stay away from this person and therefore I will change my activities to reflect this new ideal after the fact? Yes. I felt that Yasmine believed more in the process rather than the spirit behind it. However, she is not alone in this belief- do this ritual/spell/whatever and then x,y,z will occur. I'm just not a part of that crowd.
The animal spirit part of this book went into more depth than I've read in other texts. Also, Yasmine described some ancient methods for touching your subconscious mind such as guided meditations, drumming, ecstatic dancing, and vision quests. But again, even those bits were bogged down by the recipes for tonics and incense.
The valuable part of this book for me was towards the end when she went into a brief discussion about "Working in the Dreamtime" pg 169. I think that this is the first Wiccan/Pagan interpretation that I've ever read about the sphere of the moon, Yesod to the Kabbalists. I'm always looking through these new age books for the threads the bind different beliefs and mythologies together. If nothing else, I thank Yasmine for those 15 or so pages. She says something interesting that echoed a sentiment that I first read in Israel Regardie's work: "We are not dabbling in theory here, but with an energy space that can alter reality, that can shift the nature of events" pg 171. I wish she had finished that thought with- by changing the mind from which reality is perceived. But, she doesn't.
If you like Totem Magic, or even if you don't, I'd recommend reading The Flying Witches of Veracruz: A Shaman's True Story of Indigenous Witchcraft, Devil's Weed, and Trance Healing in Aztec Brujeria by James Endredy. He doesn't go into the specifics of ritual accoutrements like Yasmine but you get to experience an authentic, shamanistic journey through the mind and it's filtered reality. Prepare yourself though, it's quite a ride.
Do I really think that putting a person's picture in a box, writing certain runes on it, and then sealing it with smoke will physically keep them away from me? No. Could all sorts of preparations and then the emotional excitement of a ritual itself perhaps convince me that I'm serious in my intention to stay away from this person and therefore I will change my activities to reflect this new ideal after the fact? Yes. I felt that Yasmine believed more in the process rather than the spirit behind it. However, she is not alone in this belief- do this ritual/spell/whatever and then x,y,z will occur. I'm just not a part of that crowd.
The animal spirit part of this book went into more depth than I've read in other texts. Also, Yasmine described some ancient methods for touching your subconscious mind such as guided meditations, drumming, ecstatic dancing, and vision quests. But again, even those bits were bogged down by the recipes for tonics and incense.
The valuable part of this book for me was towards the end when she went into a brief discussion about "Working in the Dreamtime" pg 169. I think that this is the first Wiccan/Pagan interpretation that I've ever read about the sphere of the moon, Yesod to the Kabbalists. I'm always looking through these new age books for the threads the bind different beliefs and mythologies together. If nothing else, I thank Yasmine for those 15 or so pages. She says something interesting that echoed a sentiment that I first read in Israel Regardie's work: "We are not dabbling in theory here, but with an energy space that can alter reality, that can shift the nature of events" pg 171. I wish she had finished that thought with- by changing the mind from which reality is perceived. But, she doesn't.
If you like Totem Magic, or even if you don't, I'd recommend reading The Flying Witches of Veracruz: A Shaman's True Story of Indigenous Witchcraft, Devil's Weed, and Trance Healing in Aztec Brujeria by James Endredy. He doesn't go into the specifics of ritual accoutrements like Yasmine but you get to experience an authentic, shamanistic journey through the mind and it's filtered reality. Prepare yourself though, it's quite a ride.
February 12, 2017
I have the first printing of this book from 2004. This book is a different take on animal magick/totems/guides etc. The book also has some interesting rituals and spells, along with recipes and exercises you can implement into your daily life. From dream work to summoning your guides, this book is a little powerhouse of information. Never regretted adding it to my magickal collection.
August 27, 2008
I enjoyed the discussion of totems and agreed in many ways. The spells weren't useful to me because I don't cast spells (or consider myself pagan). But it was nice to read and helped clarify some similar feelings/ideas I have.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews