Build your totem with the Zoikos Animal Spirits.

The Zoikos Animal Spirits is a series of Light Code illustrations to help you connect with your totem animals.

In ancient civilisations and native cultures, a totem assembles many animals, piling up on each other to represent the strengths and qualities of spirit animals. It is a way to invite their spirit in.

There are different reasons one likes or connects with an animal. Sometimes, an animal constantly appears in one's life (in the flesh or drawings, photos, images, clouds) and calls for attention; other times, one is inclined to start with a specific animal or several animals.

You may have one lead animal totem and a bunch of helpers. I have a few close ones and a wide zoo that comes and goes depending on what I need to connect to or realise about myself or a behaviour. And as I channel, I sometimes connect with an animal spirit wanting to convey a message for a friend or a client.

How do you work with your animal spirit(s)?

You can meditate with your animal spirit image.

You can ask your animal spirit what it wants to share with you and write about it in a journal.

You can ask it to show you the way (it will often appear in many shapes and forms along your way to help you).

You can ask yourself what this animal represents for you. What are its qualities, and what are its flaws? How does it reflect you?

I remember a friend feeling frustrated when I nicknamed them squirrel, and one day I asked why. Their vision of the squirrel was that it was a mindless animal with a low attention span and erratic movements, only focused on fun and quite fearful. My vision of the squirrel was of an intelligent creature capable of doing a 90° rotation to avoid predators; therefore, a capacity to change the course of their life. I saw them as dedicated to securing their resources for themselves and their family during the winter, yet ready to enjoy a good time.

There is a bit of truth in both visions, but the question is, when you think about animals and see only their flaws or qualities, what do they say about yourself, your inner judgments, your lack of confidence, or maybe your pretension? Exploring this question before reading any message or description of an animal spirit is always interesting.