I read totem cards using the Animal-Wise deck by Ted Andrews. Rather than a traditional Tarot spread, back in 1999 I and the deck sat down and developed a directional/elemental spread that uses five cards; it is something based on my own work with totems, rather than copying someone else's format. Each card represents a different area of the querent's life. The totem that comes up is a tertiary totem, one that the querent can approach to ask for help with issues and endeavors in that particular part of life. (This is as opposed to a primary totem, what most people think of as "your" totem, or a life totem, the main one that stays with your throughout your life--more on that in a moment.) I have been working with animal totems for over a decade, and have gotten consistently good results.

As mentioned, this is not a reading to tell you what your primary totem is! There are a number of reasons, but the two biggest are: the number of animals in the deck is very limited, so if your primary totem is not one of those animals, you won't get a correct reading; additionally, you're better off doing the work yourself, so there won't be the potential issue of someone else's interpretation mucking up the results. While tertiary totems are quite general, and you can choose from any of a number of tertiary totems for help with a specific issue, your primary totem is quite personal, and you're better off working without any intermediaries. If you want to find your primary totem, the meditation here is a good starting point.

Also, *I am not Native American nor have I ever claimed to be*. I use the term "totem" because it's commonly recognized--you can originally blame Eurocentric anthopologists in the 19th century for that. While I certainly respect and value the spiritual and cultural components of various indigenous cultures, both in the U.S. and elsewhere, I am not giving you a "Native American totem reading". (You can think of it as a "white chick neoshaman from the Midwest" reading, if you like.) All my work with totems is based on years of direct experience with them, and is rooted in my own cultural and subcultural location.

You may request a reading for a specific situation, or a more generalized reading which will highlight whatever the totems think may need the most work. The standard five-card spread will cover all five areas of your life:

Earth (physical concerns)
Air (mental, learning)
Fire (change)
Water (emotions)
Spirit (spirituality)

Or you may choose a single card reading for any one of these individual areas of your life.

Due to my schedule, please allow up to a week for online readings (this is mainly because I'm busy and occasionally may need a little leeway temporally-speaking; I'm generally a lot quicker about getting the reading done!). The results will be emailed to the address your Paypal payment came from, unless you make other arrangements; if you would like to pay by check or money order, please contact me. Your reading will be kept entirely private. In the event I will be out of town or otherwise have notice of something that will delay your reading, I will contact you through the email address provided. If you are in or near Portland and can meet me in person, this is also an option; please contact me to schedule an appointment. I am also available for reading at a limited number of events, though whether I accept will depend largely on how many readings are likely to be requested.

A one-card totem reading with Lupa is $5.00.

A five-card totem reading with Lupa is $20.00.

* I do have to mention it's "for entertainment purposes only". While I stand by the veracity of my readings, do understand that divination is a subjective art form based on psychological pattern-finding tendencies, and therefore subject to individual interpretation. My readings will not save your life, fix your relationship, get you a job, or balance the national budget. They represent my interpretation of the meaning of the symbols offered in the reading.

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