Mi’kmaq medium Shawn Leonard’s dream of seven polar bears protecting him from seven shadow figures helped inspire the idea for his second book.
After the success of his 2020 title, Spirit Talker: Indigenous Stories and Teachings from a Mi’kmaq Psychic Medium, publisher Hay House asked him to write another.
“They said, ‘Give us seven ideas,’” the host of APTN’s Spirit Talker recalled during an October phone conversation. “And I did, and they looked through them and went, ‘We see you have this one at the top of your list, but we like the spirit animal book.’”
That suggestion led to Walking with Your Spirit Totem Animals: Discovering the Four Animals That Guide You Through Life, which hit bookstores Oct. 21.
A spirit totem is a sacred animal that represents a connection for a family, clan, community or individual. These animals embody specific qualities and provide guidance, strength and wisdom. They’re tied to the medicine wheel, representing the four directions — north, east, south and west.
It was the aforementioned dream about polar bears that first connected Leonard to one of his spirit totem animals, a story he shared with Hay House vice president and publisher Patty Gift.
“It’s written about in Spirit Talker, but it actually turned into its own book in a sense,” he said. “The bear connected to me through a dream.”
In the dream, Leonard was running from a threat. Seven shadow figures were chasing him when seven polar bears appeared ahead, charging toward him.
“I’m like, ‘What the hell are polar bears doing here?’” Leonard recalled with a laugh. “Now I have to outrun seven shadow people and seven polar bears.”
Realizing escape was futile, he dropped to his knees in a field and bowed his head. The bears ran past him toward the shadows.
“They pounced on each of the shadows, and they just disintegrated. There were no gory details or anything,” he said. “Then all the bears turned around and merged into one great bear, and the bear just stared at me.”
That’s when he realized the polar bear was protecting him.
After the dream, Leonard felt called to honour the bear spirit that had come to him. He held a personal ceremony in the forest near his Nova Scotia home, offering tobacco and asking the bear to send him a sign.
“I said, ‘I would like to have a claw. However, you get me the claw, I’ll know for sure I’m meant to carry your medicine,’” he recalled. “I’ve had many bear experiences throughout my life.”
About three months later, a package arrived in the mail from a friend in Newfoundland, Barbara Kent Bishop. She wrote that she had been visiting friends and meeting Inuk Elders in northern Labrador.
While there, she was gifted two polar bear claws. She kept one and sent the other to Leonard. Since then, he’s continued to collect ethically sourced items connected to his totem animals — items gifted, found or obtained through traditional protocols.
For Leonard, the polar bear — along with the bald eagle, snowy owl and white buffalo — symbolizes a deep spiritual link to the animal nation. The bear represents bravery, the eagle love, the buffalo respect and the owl wisdom.
From his Mi’kmaq perspective, Leonard believes that colonization has distanced many from the natural world and the teachings of the animal nation.
“We’ve lost our connection to the animal nation,” he said. “There are even many Christian people out there who believe animals don’t even have spirits, for God’s sake, which is sad.”
Additionally, Leonard believes the spirit animals that connect with us in childhood never leave. They walk with us through every stage of life.
Walking with Your Spirit Totem Animals: Discovering the Four Animals That Guide You Through Life is available through Shawn Leonard’s website or your local bookstore.