Ted Andrews

This month I learned one of my favorite authors died, Ted Andrews.  He was a wonderful author that helped me learn how animals speak to us and can be our teachers and guides  if we open the doors in our own minds.  It was summarized so well on the back of his Animal Wise book .

“The early shamans, priests, and priestesses were scientist as well as mystics.  They studied the plants and animals, learning their characteristics and qualities.  When we realize that our learning and guidance comes from sources other than human, our world is no longer the same. In the world around us is a myriad of wonders. Through the animal kingdoms-through the multitude of wonders found within Nature-we experience renewal. Every sojourn into Nature, every animal encournter, offers an epiphany for the heart and soul.  And if only for a little while, let us open our heart to it and see what glories unfold.”

In honor of his life I wanted to share a tradition he shared called the~ Inner Totem Pole.  Details can be found in Chapter 5, in Anmal Wise.  In the chapter he discusses the meanings of totem poles and how the actual creation is a sacred act that brought wholeness and balance to the tribe.  In some cultures, the totem pole were an actual doorway that acted as protection to the occupants living inside. 

Similar to a totem pole, our human body is similar where our head reaches for the Heavens and our feet bridge us to the Earth; and within our body is the energy center called the chakras.  By using the 7 chakras of the human body as  a starting point, you can create your own Inner Totem Pole.  To help empower the chakra center you can find the expression of energy by discovering which animal represents that chakra.  For example, if we have a groundhog at our base center, we can learn to go into altered states, and learn how ground hog uses it’s altered state to control it’s  metabolism.  The ground hog uses this form of hibernation to survive harsh times from the enviornment and we can tap into that energy by understanding how the groundhog lives and eats to survive our own changes.

Above you can see an example of how we would describe in visual form what a Inner Totem may look like if you were drawing your own Inner Totem Pole.  Ted Andrews adds an 8th element, your feet as the base totem.  This gives you the following 8 elements of the body that need an animal that represents each individual element:

1. Feet (base)
2. Root or Base (gonads and ovaries)
3. Spleen (adrenals, spleen & liver)
4. Solar Plexus (adrenals)
5. Heart (thymus)
6. Throat (thyroid)
7. Brow (pituitary)
8. Crown (top of head)

Animal Wise guides your through the process of selecting the right animal for each part of the body, making it fun and simple.  It can take anywhere from a few days to a month or more to find the right animal for your animal totems, but it is well worth the time.  It saddens me to know he’s gone from this earth but this man left us a wealth of information in his books and with them his legacy will live on.

The Mandala (Sanskrit for “circle” or “completion”) has a long history and is recognized for its deep spiritual meaning and representation of wholeness.  Buddhist, Tibetans, Native Americans, and Hindus are a few that have included the Mandala’s in their art and their lives.  

The “circle with a center” pattern is the basic structure of creation that is reflected from the micro to the macro in the world as we know it. It is a pattern found in nature and is seen in biology, geology, chemistry, physics and astronomy.

Psychoanalyst Carl Jung has called it the Mandala “a representation of the unconscious self.” The mandala is widely recognized as a meaningful reflection of its creator.  Native Americans used Mandala’s to uncover the deeper meanings of our hearts, and assists in observing our motivations in life in connection with the grander scale of the universe.  In every part of our world you can find Mandala’s as part of man-kinds history.  Is coloring a Mandala a form of unstructured therapy ?  It’s amazing if you look on the web all the pictures there are with Mandala’s.  You can incorporate them almost anywhere if you want.

Many people find meditation difficult to attain even though the benefits are well documented.  When were kids and our parents wants us to engage in a quiet activity often they would pull out the crayons and paper.  In an essence they were introducing us to Color Therapy.  When your coloring,  the focus of meditation is easily attained through the activity of coloring itself.  Coloring is a way you can quiet the mind, listen inwardly and open up to higher knowledge, bring healing into your life and tap into your creativity.  This alternative to formal meditation practices can help people of all ages in recovery,  improve coping and awareness skills through an enjoyable activity.  I wonder was this the intention when Mandala’s were being creative to have a focused activity during their meditations or was it for the artistic work ?

Don’t just stop at coloring try adding some soothing music.  I always find it interesting when coloring to take a look at the finished product and review what colors have I used.  Color itself can give us so much insight into our subconscious. 

 The next time you find you can’t pull yourself out of a bad mood or want to share in an activity with your children/or perhaps with friends pull out the markers, crayons or coloring pencils and have some fun.  This link gives you wonderful Mandala options that can be downloaded: http://www.free-printable-mandala-coloring-pages.com/free-mandalas-to-color.shtml