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great_write_way
Talismans
Without conscious thought her hand went to the object that hung on a cord about her neck. Carved of white bone, the incised whorls and lines between her thumb and fingers were reassuring. The pad of her finger sought the point, tested it. Still sharp, unnecessarily sharp. The stylized fish hook would never actually pierce the lip or the palate of a watery denizen. No food would be procured by its agency, unless by the luck it carried and bestowed on its wearer. The hei matau's power and usefulness was all in its given form, and in the texture beneath her fingertips.
Without conscious thought her hand went to the object that hung on a cord about her neck. Carved of white bone, the incised whorls and lines between her thumb and fingers were reassuring. The pad of her finger sought the point, tested it. Still sharp, unnecessarily sharp. The stylized fish hook would never actually pierce the lip or the palate of a watery denizen. No food would be procured by its agency, unless by the luck it carried and bestowed on its wearer. The hei matau's power and usefulness was all in its given form, and in the texture beneath her fingertips.
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The owl is my third totem--the bear came to me, I chose the turtle for very logical reasons, and the owl appeared in so many different forms to me during a fraught decision-making period, I accepted it too.
I often feel like my totem should be the snail, or a very small baitfish, or an axylotl, or something. Bears and owls are popular "chosen" totems.
Really, I'd be receptive to a mudpuppy, I've just never encountered one in a totemic way. *g*