Spirit Lodge - Totem Animals - Page 193 - WORKING WITH CONTRARY TOTEM MEDICINE

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Bear Medicine	Birth Totems	Coyote Medicine	Dragon Ranks	Dragonfly Medicine	Eagle Medicine	Four Animal Helpers	Grey Wolf Medicine	Hawk
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WORKING WITH CONTRARY TOTEM MEDICINE
By CinnamonMoon

Have you ever considered that it's quite possible to work with Contrary Medicine? It's an
interesting topic that too few people stop to explore, after all, Contrary Medicine is something to
avoid isn't it? Who wants to walk around demonstrating that? The thing is we do demonstrate it,
especially when we don't realize we're doing it. Unfortunately, many people head straight for the
positive traits of their Totems, the strengths and the power they represent, after all, our Totems
reflect aspects of us and we certainly don't want to see flaws in ourselves when these exciting
creature-teachers make their appearance-we want all the good stuff.

While our strengths most certainly deserve our attention so do our weaknesses, it's the only way
that we're going to be able to balance ourselves with our abilities and bring them under our
control. Seeing the flaws allows us to make changes, to turn those weaknesses into strengths but
it takes a willingness to do that. I want to encourage those of you coming to learn about Totems,
and those who walk with them knowingly, to look deeper at Contrary Medicine with a more
positive outlook, to see what it is in that Contrary Medicine, that when harnessed becomes a
strength.

Yes, we all have a Shadow Side in our nature and if we honor it we work with it to bring it into
balance and maintain neutrality with it until there is call to summon that within us. Both sides of
our traits need to be honored for what they bring to us and it's not always easy looking into the
Shadows. Contrary Medicine, untamed and ignored, enhances our Shadow nature but in negative
ways. However, when brought under control it undergoes transmutation and becomes a source of
strength to call upon in times of need. We don't unleash it without reason, but we need to know
it's there.

So how do we go about understanding it? Well we need to do some reading up on it that's for
sure, and as we do we come to see that in learning how your Totem preys upon others, how it
hunts, and what it hunts to nurture and sustain itself tells you a lot about the Contrary Medicine
being put to good use. How does it slay the prey it hunts? And in a figurative way how do you
demonstrate that same trait with others in your life? When an animal hunts for joy kill it is a
rogue, it has let the primal Contrary nature rule. We're capable of the same thing and if we don't
study these aspects in ourselves how will we learn when and where we've displayed them and
why? Aren't we really short-changing ourselves ignoring our own Contrary Medicine? By seeing
when we behave in these manners, we can see what needs control, what can be a strength, and
when or when not to apply it.

Sometimes Totems will present themselves from this perspective to initiate us to those changes.
It's easy not to notice that at first, it's usually an almost instinctive reaction, something we do that
surprises us or seems out of character. Sometimes it's an emotional reaction we impulsively
responded to without thinking. Most of us don't see these things when we're not familiar with the
Totems we walk with…and if we are familiar with them we choose to ignore the 'bad stuff'.
Learning what traits are showing, how to track them to the creature they pertain to, getting a feel
for the energy signature of Contrary Medicine in the first place, Stars it can be confusing. I think
the simplest way to learn to recognize when Contrary Medicine is at play is to look at one of
your Totems. Any Totem you wish will do for starters, and one by one you can go through those
who walk with you. (For those of you wanting to make an initial introduction to your Totems
please look at the articles in the Totem Library on that subject.) Once you know at least one
Totem to explore personally you will begin a very intimate course of study through their
Contrary Medicine and in that come to understand your own nature so much more. It helps us to
define ourselves, to make changes for the better, and to harness energy that needs to be
controlled and transformed into a more positive outlet.

Begin by reading all you can about their Contrary nature. You will learn about that in many
places when you begin to study them. Their weaknesses, their primal instincts, their rogue
behaviors and the motivating factors around expressing them all tell you a great deal about the
Medicine when it is untamed. In that we learn how much damage we can leave in our wake if we
don't tame ourselves, we see the destructive nature (self or towards others) and 'why' we need to
tame it. Learning how they hunt and kill will tell you about their primal strength and how
damaging it can be to others when it is unleashed without reason or unjustly. Gather information
about their Contrary side, the pretty stuff that all the books want to talk about is one thing, but
there's much more to learn in what they don't focus on…Contrary Medicine doesn't sell well so
study them and their habits any way you can. Our Totem Library brings some of that to light but
keep going. Look into a Nature Atlas, encyclopedias, online resources, go to the zoo and
observe, see how the animals interact. Pay attention to the superstitions about them, the lore and
myth…what are the traits that give rise to fears or admiration?

When you have done that it's time to look at yourself. When have you behaved in like manner?
When do you act from a primal state? What sets that off in you? How do you go about hunting
insights and slaying them with answers, or hunting issues to find the solutions? When have you
acted out of character in a negative manner and hurt another's feelings what was it that brought
that on? Stay with the Contrary traits of the animal you are focusing on. Learn the pattern of
transmuting the negative into a neutral energy with understanding and then explore yourself to
see how that can become a strength. Then, when you're done with one Totem move onto the
next; but make sure you understand both the positive and negative traits, the things they teach
and the abilities involved with those teachings from both sides as they pertain to you and your life.

Totems are not just constrained to the spirit worlds and we need to look at how we walk with
those abilities and traits ourselves every single day. We'd do better walking with them if we
understand them. Each Totem we walk with reflects many patterns in our behavior, and
depending on which Totem is active with us at the time (or perhaps more than one) learning what
their energy feels like creates a signature for us to know. Knowing that energy signature we can
quickly reflect on the Medicine it carries and instantly know how to respond and what measures
of control we need to bring into play in any given situation. However if all we study is the
strength how will we recognize the Contrary when it rises up in us, or how can we control it?
Stuff it? Let it loose and when it's spent apologize or walk away? That doesn't serve anyone.
I walk with a few Big Cats and when my whiskers start to twitch I go on alert. First I have to
identify the energy signature of which Big Cat it is and they all have their unique feel to them.
Each takes a position with me and based on that feel (if they're not showing themselves visually)
I know who is stirring. Sometimes there's more than one present and when they position I know
who's where and what they're up to when based on having explored their instinctive traits and
personalities intimately. I begin to hold myself in Silence instantly, stilling my mind and opening
it, I slowly start stalking things to see why I have received that sensation. I begin to connect with
them, hunt in the way the Totem hunts until the matter is found and then I choose how I will
respond to the situation. I can feel them moving with me, my spirit stirring accordingly, there's a
shift of focus internally to feel the muscles and the nature that's rising to come forward. Learn to
do this.

Now it would be just as easy to give into the more primal nature, feel the twitch and pounce on
the first thing that crosses my path but that's not very observant and it's giving sway to letting
myself get out of control. It's better to stalk, to lay back and see what's coming into view first,
keep my strengths and abilities neutral for the time being and then choose logically what I need
to bring into play. In that way the Contrary Medicine is harnessed in a positive way, it's kept
under control, and if the situation calls for that approach the focus is correct when it's released.
Totems, when they first come to us, bring lessons with them. When they appear it does indicate
that we carry that Medicine but it also indicates that we need to study those aspects of ourselves
before we go throwing them around. If we let our primal nature sweep us away our egos will
become involved, and that leads to arrogance, or misuse of the Medicine in some way. At those
times you can bet a Totem will use Contrary Medicine to teach us a lesson in humility and about
our flaws. When that happens it's by circumstance, we're suddenly finding ourselves in an
awkward position. They do this to get our attention-especially when we're blindsided as to the
use of the Medicine they bring us into. This happens through our actions and the things we do,
stirring our senses we start to slip into a primal mode. If there's a need for experience to bring a
lesson forward you can bet your Totems will be working to do just that and they often put us in a
Contrary position.

We can see it happening but it's usually in hindsight as the negative traits of our Totem reflect
back to us. "Oh yeah, I'm capable of that behavior, I remember when ________ happened, Stars
did I cut off my nose to spite my face that time!" Well why not avoid that mistake in the future
by raising your awareness of the fact and transforming that primal energy into something useful?
When the Contrary Medicine hits us unaware it's easily at a time we tend to prefer to overlook or
ignore that nature altogether. If we study the primal nature of any creature we see where that is
called for, in what situations it is used, how it's applied and in this way it brings us to a new
understanding…a strength. We can see when a rogue animal abuses that primal nature as well
indicating misuse and what that results in for us. We are equivalent to the rogue animals until we
learn to tame it in ourselves. When the intent is for the higher good discretion brings clarity as to
how it's used. We have a primal nature within us too, we may tame it as children, we may let it
out to play at times or in fits of temper, but we are taught early on by our parents to keep it under
control and learn when to shut it off.

Awareness of this more primal nature within ourselves is often brought to light through
unnoticed introductions to our Totems. Learning to tame that nature, to raise the primal to a more
cosmic level of conscious awareness brings the control we're looking for. Contrary Medicine at
its best is achieved when the primal nature is taken from carnal to cosmic through transmutation.
Contrary Medicine resides in our nature; it spills over into our abilities and how we learn to use
them as well as how we carry ourselves. I know it's hard to take a serious look at what we would
consider our weaknesses or failings, we all tend to focus on our strengths when we strive to
grow…we look for the positive and weakness tends to be seen as a negative. So does the term
"Contrary Medicine"-neither of which have to be seen that way when understood from their
Contrary perspective in teaching us things. Contrary Medicine, once recognized, can be tamed
within ourselves, brought under control and used with discretion when we know how to do
that…it often becomes a great strength that others will recognize and strive to emulate too.

It will help those of you who are confronting experiences along these lines to remember that if a
Totem is introducing itself and we are unaware of its presence, don't know how to sense the
spiritual connection as it takes a stronger hold with us, that we are essentially blindsided to
unusual behaviors-those things that seem out of character for us. Unaware at the time we often
discover we exhibited a bit of the primal nature before anything else, like something just itching
to be released and hitting a point where you 'have to blow'. For example…perhaps you were
introduced to Big Cat Medicine and took a swipe at someone verbally ripping their head off, or
you went for the jugular in some spontaneous way. Maybe it was Snake and you found yourself
spewing venom and later wondering why you took that attitude, weren't more composed, you
just struck. If introduced to a bird of prey we can feel our fingers flexing like talons, we grasp at
items quickly, perhaps ripping things out of others hands. Maybe we begin to peck at things with
our beak (mouth) and can rip and tear with that. An individual coming to be aware of Turtle
might pull in their shell for a time, withdraw and appear to be reclusive. Perhaps they feel life
has knocked them on their back and like Turtle, they can't flip over easily, can't get back up and
they feel helpless so they snap and claw at anything that comes close to bring harm, or they go
into their shell until someone comes along and kicks them over. So many different ways of
behavior can indicate the presence of a Totem stepping forward and it's funny how the traits start
to surface and take us by surprise at first.

When new to totemic interaction we tend to overlook them; after all, they're spontaneous
moments but minor ones…aren't they? Perhaps we've apologized for the way we handled things
and the moment is behind us so we easily dismiss it…after all, it was just that one time, odd but
not so odd it can't brushed it off. Well, okay, it happened 3-4 times but it's nothing and on we go
dismissing things that would otherwise be very obvious.

These Contrary behaviors that are exhibited point to our weaknesses or issues we may not like to
delve into but should. Contrary Medicine is not always a bad thing and I want to point out that by
coming to understand it we can often turn it around, turning weakness into strength by doing so;
there are times that Contrary Medicine serves a purpose and is called for. The Contrary aspect is
only Contrary when we do not heed it and see it for what it is, it becomes an untamed primal
nature then. But we can embrace it and work with it too and if a totemic introduction is including
a lesson it's apt to be through Contrary Medicine that certainly will stand out and get our
attention. It's a choice to learn to see it this way and it means we have to choose to really look at
ourselves to delve deep enough to find the things inside us that need to be touched upon. We
have to see where we behave with that primal nature to put a finger on it, to re-recognize the
energy signature. And when we see it in ourselves we can then see what kind of instinctive
reaction it brings to bear.

I've mentioned that initially we tend to look at our Totems seeing their strengths, but we don't
always meet them that way, and it's much more comfortable if we don't ignore the primal natures
so we're not hit upside the head with a proverbially invisible 2 x 4. We don't initially see the
value of study there because we're bent on self-improvement, on growth and walking as best we
can. Delving into the strengths and positive aspects we want to understand, we're sometimes
simply not ready to look at our weaknesses. Many of us are dealing with enough vulnerability at
the time. However, when do that we're actually devaluing Contrary Medicine. We can't grasp
that it's a very powerful aspect of the Medicine we each carry. When we look for just the strong
points we do ourselves a disservice.

So many people gravitate to the creature-teachers that represent power and strength because it
makes them feel that way themselves to claim them. They create their Totems thinking "I want to
be seen as Bear" or Eagle or Panther or some other powerful creature as a means of off-setting
their weaknesses they don't want to look at. Often that's part of our lesson in learning that we
don't choose our Totems, they come to us because we carry their traits and they reflect those
traits to us teaching us how to walk with them appropriately. We don't 'choose' our Totems, we
open to receiving them and they begin to show themselves to us…often taking us by surprise at
who is actually showing up. There is no shame in any Totem, none whatsoever.

If we can see that the creature-teachers all hold great power, from the tiny Ant to the huge
Elephant, there is power and life force within them all so we don't have to guess at who we want
to walk with. At that insight alone we can open and receive those who may wish to step forward
no matter who it is. I don't believe in selling the idea of someone's Totem to themselves, it only
leads to confusion and I feel it's more important if the individual can let their Totems emerge and
see it as a path of discovery through themselves and their behavior. Sometimes that behavior,
when presenting in a Contrary manner to get our attention, has us acting totally out of character
and emphasizing a negative trait so we do see it and will take the necessary steps to correct it.

Contrary Medicine is important to understand as we come to totemic study and it's important to
recognize when we begin to exhibit it. As strong as the positive traits are, the Contrary Medicine
is just as strong and when one knows how to make use of it things really start to change. I want
to take you into the Contrary Medicine because it represents weaknesses until it's understood,
then it becomes a tactical strength when we can see how and when to use it. Learn when to be
the predator, when to defend being prey, when to summon the primal aspect of both and why.
The gist of this is learning the pattern of introduction by Contrary Medicine. Strength is
something that takes getting used to and Contrary Medicine tends to challenge us to find our
inner strength, courage, and conviction. Those weaknesses stand out at first but once understood
they become powerful attributes. We don't always realize when our primal nature starts to
surface, we simply slip into a primal mode often triggered by a defensive emotional response.
We don't always recognize when we're flexing those muscles (contrary or positive) and when
that happens around others we can at times overwhelm them not to mention shocking ourselves.
So let's talk about the primal nature for a bit.

How do you learn to recognize the primal side of yourself? Well that's pretty simple, it rises like
a seething desire to bite someone's head off, to take a swipe at someone, to pounce, to flex your
proverbial claws tearing someone or something to shreds or ripping away at things. Anger, well
sometimes it is anger, sometimes it's resentment, it can be born of frustration or exasperation,
triggered by pressure or emotions that are on the surface but we don't see that at the time, it
makes us feel impulsive and we simply react when it goes out of control. As an example,
someone with Snake Medicine being used in a detrimental primal manner will spew venom in
their words toward anyone who does not act in accord with their way of thinking. Behaving like
this makes someone berate, belittle, and intimidate others this way and rarely are they capable of
seeing it for what it is. It's just there, a part of them, and they act impulsively with it.

Now in a situation where firm control is called for, perhaps leadership that must take on a
daunting task, that same primal energy can weave into words that strengthen and encourage, or
cut to the bottom line of truth when it's called for. The venom becomes the passion in the force
behind those words and it motivates, empowering others to act. We all know that in small doses
venom can bring healing to someone infected by a Snakebite. Contrary Snake is going to teach
us some things about that primal energy if we're learning by trial and error and we may find
we've been biting our own tail in the process (ouch) or biting those we love without thinking. But
if we see it for what it is and when it's appropriate for that venom (a cause to fight for perhaps or
any issue for the higher good for that matter) then it serves a purpose, it comes across in a
controlled way moving and motivating us. We can draw forth the primal energy to work with
and fuel our passion yet contain it enough so we're able to effectively bring forth the needed changes.

When we come to see it as our own you can bet the transformative process is us before it's
anything else. And anyone can call on Snake to help them whether it's their Totem or not. We
have to change ourselves first. Uninformed we're not going to see that, we cover up the need to
change with the spewing of venom trying to make others seem as if it's them that need to change.
"There's nothing wrong with me or my point of view, it's the rest of the world that's crazy!" We
deny our fear that it may be us, after all change is not very comfortable is it? Not usually.

The comfort zone we're in is safe, it may be a rut, but we know the rut well and have gone
complacent, so we demand that others change so we don't have to. It's not pretty. I'm using Snake
as an example because it represents change and changing primal energy through raising our
awareness is part of the transformation process. If we learn to recognize it and work with it we
transform it from a weakness into a strength. So let's look at the example of Snake a little further.
When Snake grows it sheds it's old skin and that's exactly what we need to do to turn the
Contrary Medicine from a weakness into a strength. But in the process that means we do it in
context with Snake's nature. A film will grow over Snake's eyes (essentially we are blind to the
process of transformation and seeing what's changing, we simply pass through it by experience)
to protect it from the hazards it will encounter as it challenges itself to shed. You see, Snake puts
itself through an obstacle course of underbrush and rough ground that will aid it to tear the dead
skin away and allow the new skin to emerge and breathe. Snake's sensations guide it through the
transformative process and it must pay attention to the feel of the soft underbelly where those
sensations reside.

If we're being introduced to the Contrary Medicine of Snake and spewing venom at everyone or
anything in our way we're not paying attention to the shedding we need to do. We're not paying
attention to what aspects of our being are falling away or need to so that we can grow. If we see
it for what it is and bring it under control we center ourselves; we start attuning to the sensations,
the primal trigger points that send us into a knee-jerk reaction, into our blind spots. The
sensations running through us tell us many things…why we do or don't find things to our
liking…and then we can change our reaction to those things, see where to avoid them, perhaps to
tolerate that not everyone is going to see or feel the same as we do and tolerance is the first
lesson. We'd need to find tolerance with ourselves while we were changing too….things we'd be
forgetting until we were humbled enough times to remember. Once? Twice? Six times? How
attentive are we? That will determine how many times we have to repeat the Contrary lesson.

When Contrary Snake is inaction and unheeded that blindness works against someone. They
can't see the obstacles coming at them, they're not feeling things they're moving through but they
are feeling the frustration of encounters and they start to spew that venom. By recognizing the
Contrary aspects and working with them changes begin to take place. Using the strength of
Snake and understanding that to be in various aspects of our nature, we see that we may be able
to use that blindness to focus internally, privately, on our needs. Instead of watching everything
going on around us it may just be time to be alone and at different periods during the day, taking
the time to our advantage by raising our conscious awareness of our sensory impressions…about
ourselves. Or perhaps when that primal energy rears within us we stop what we're doing, close
our eyes, see what's making us feel that way and focus inward instead of outward toward others.
What does that feel like? Why are we responding to it the way we do and what can we change to
make things better? Seeing what needs to change it's then a choice in how we respond, we can
still use that primal energy if we need to, and being this is Snake the sensations and our reaction
to them will come 'strikingly fast'. Feeling with our senses we see the challenges to the changes
as we encounter them and we use that feeling to bring us through them in a better way…growing
out of the old skin we're shedding and turning things around by letting the new skin
breath…responding to others in a more appropriate way, tasting the air with our proverbial
sensory tongues and seeking new knowledge in what we prey upon.

At this point the strike is at our weakness, the change is transforming it to a strength, and the
strike is fast. The primal energy that is the more base aspect of Contrary Medicine begins to
change into the primal energy used to infuse our Higher Awareness and grow into a stronger
more sensitive individual that attracts others to us rather than repels them.

What we prey upon begins to be our own traits, we become more selective, what we hunger for
we feel the need to feed, and we explore the effects we bring about when we use our venom in a
more appropriate way. We have to hunt the food within us first…we have to change ourselves so
what aspects stand out that need to be changed. Snake dwells both above ground (in the world)
and below ground (within itself). We're not out joy killing others to make ourselves feel more
powerful and better about the path we walk in life, we begin instead to use that venom to heal
situations, and bite into those that need healing…and we begin doing that with ourselves.
We learn in this way to help others who struggle with the same challenges we've experienced.

Our senses tell us, guidance tells us, we attune to those silent voices that guide us through the
obstacle courses in life. Is it any wonder that Snake is so much a symbol of the medical
profession in their caduceus with the entwined serpents? A little venom has the power to heal, a
lot can kill…or at the very least cause a whole lot of discomfort to those exposed to it.
No matter what totemic animal you are working with, a good look at the Contrary Medicine will
point you toward issues to address in yourself and give you your initial homework. Ask yourself
how you might use the positive aspects to bring yourself through the process of change. By
raising your conscious awareness to the positive attributes of change your own abilities turn from
that weakness becoming a well-honed and functional muscle adding strength and the endurance
needed to face challenges when they're encountered.

Transformation through choice has begun. Snake will let you feel your senses and guide you
through this in an effortless manner when you learn from this creature-teacher…it will show you
how to maneuver the obstacles through that sensory information. You will begin to taste what
nourishes you and hunt that as prey…you feed the hunger to know more about Snake and
therefore yourself and all the beauty that resides in the transformation process starts to lift you up
and through it.

Snake is a an excellent example of going with the flow, and in this it shows us how to do the same.

There is a rhythmic movement in Snake's undulations…it moves through the senses checking
each one out for what it can convey. It's body moves in the way a master dancer moves, fluidly,
up, under, around and through the obstacles in the best manner to fit the need of the situation. It
bites into the food that nourishes it and bites repeatedly; quickly devouring it whole, the prey is
taken in, digested and nourishment results. Learning how to use this Contrary Medicine in the
same way, being willing to accept that our actions had us eating away at ourselves and/or others,
we start to feed on the positive uses and bring about change as we grow into a new skin that
transforms all other outer relationships.

If we spill venom with others we know there must be call for it and how it's used to avoid the
effects of backlash. We temper, hone, and apply that as we move in that rhythmic undulation of
sensory impression. Contrary Medicine has served a great purpose there. Is it any different (the
pattern of change through Contrary Medicine) with any other totemic creature? Absolutely not.
By understanding that we use it in times of need rather than to control others, we bring ourselves
under control. We use it with discernment turning a weak and careless nature into a strong and
composed one. We transmute that weakness into a strength and turn the Contrary Medicine into
Good Medicine that serves the greater good and brings about right intent.

We move through the Medicine teachings with integrity this way, and tame the primal ego that
wants to feed the self any way it can. It's not about controlling others, it's about controlling ourselves.

Since Snake has been our primary example I want to point out that part of its Medicine is about
the initiation process of transformation which takes us into the life, death and rebirth cycles. The
life led to the point of awareness where the Contrary Medicine is a conscious matter must then
die to undergo the rebirth process. Snake at times must put itself through the shedding process to
grow and that means we have to let go of our old ways and embrace the new in-sights our senses
are bringing to bear about ourselves. In this we embrace the new skin, we take on the new
sensations that allows-and then we can move rhythmically through life with them. When the
Snake has completed its shedding process its eyes shed the filmy veil that has protected them
during that dangerous time. No longer blind it has come through the experience enlightened, and
it sees again as it makes its way through the world…it sees in a whole new way.

There are many ways to spew venom in the Contrary Medicine one exudes. Mentally,
emotionally, physically, spiritually, sometimes in a variety of these ways. That can do a lot of
damage to others but think of the damage it does to the individual too. Others shun those who
bite the vulnerable areas of their being, they back away from those that bring this kind of danger
to them, they avoid them altogether if possible. How many true friends does someone like this
have? And why would we do this to ourselves? What we do to others we do to our Self. We are
all a part of the Web of Life and what we do along our strand reverberates through the entire
web. We are either going to attract that which we need or we're going to repel it. This is the
power of creation, of co-creation, of evolution at its best…the power to take that Contrary
Medicine and put it to good use bringing about positive results and healing or evolving. It's
definitely raising our conscious awareness and helping us to continue to evolve in that manner
too.

Dismissing Contrary Medicine regardless of what totemic creature we're looking at is not a good
thing. What is good is to study and understand it and learn to use it properly instead of
improperly. In order to do that we have to be willing to look at ourselves and see when we use it,
how we use it and what those results have brought us. At that point, seeing what needs to change
stands out in a more logical than emotional way.

The logic helps us see the need to change and it's easy to make that choice. We're able to see that
our Contrary state of refusing to change has caused so much suffering no only to us but to others.
The emotional regret of having taken so long to see it, and perhaps the damage in the wake of
that, the venom spewed at others and how that hurt or injured them instead of bringing a healing
serum their way…well those things are things we don't forget, but they do serve to add to our
strength by giving us the conviction to never do them again without just cause and then with
great thought. We no longer respond in the impulsive way, that changes to instinct and our
defenses are no longer a weak point but one of strength that maintains itself. We simply change
and shed the old ways for the new.

We can all do this rhythmic dance with life in a new and less confined manner, willingly without
resistance, we listen to the soft voices that guide us and we effect change in positive
ways…within ourselves and others. We have lifted our conscious awareness to a higher state of
mind and our actions will be in accordance to that. So will the results they bring. Contrary
Medicine holds purpose.

When I started this article I mentioned that we usually confront the Contrary Medicine first…we
don't understand what benefits it holds and see it as a negative in the first place. When it comes
to the attributes we carry, it's often very hard to look at our short comings so the initiating
experiences will be challenging us to do so. If we can see the value in Contrary Medicine we
begin to see from an advantage point. Turning that around calls for courage to face whatever
challenges are in us and you can bet that if you're walking with Contrary Medicine first the
experience will be one of exposure.

It can often be quite embarrassing to be exposed, vulnerabilities we hide from weaken us,
confronting them calls for turning them into strengths in some fashion and you will run into a
mirror somewhere that will expose this part of your nature. It means setting boundaries that will
allow you to use that to create a safe place to do your examination. Those boundaries begin
within you.

If I'm coming out with my claws showing I can rip someone's head off quite effectively. It
doesn't happen often, I keep that under control until there's a reason to use it, picking my battles.
I can feel when my Totems are moving within me, my senses tell me who is coming forward in
my own behaviors and I know what Medicine I'm working with when I feel the primal energy
signature. Learning how the contrary Medicine of a Totem works you can see how it can work to
your advantage as a strength when called for and how it can work against you if you're not
controlling the primal nature. In battles where strength is called for we call up that primal nature
to draw that energy into our actions and if under control we use it well. I encourage you to learn
what your Contrary Medicines are and how to use them.