Octopus fascinates all with her ability to constantly transform, adapt, and shift to fit her surroundings. She is considered the most intelligent invertebrate with the largest and most complex nervous system and brain. In fact, she doesn’t have just one brain, but nine: each tentacle has an independent mini-brain! Octopuses can utilize this intricate brain system to use tools, build a shelter with rocks or shells, and recognize faces. If nine brains weren’t shocking enough, Octopus has three hearts. Perhaps this is why Octopus totem is quite sensitive and vulnerable.
Octopus was not always so vulnerable, however. During the Cretaceous and Jurassic period, Octopus’s slimy and squishy body was protected by a hard shell. As she’s evolved, Octopus has chosen freedom and agility over security and protection. Who needs armor when it prevents us from living so freely?
Like a starfish, Octopus can regrow a lost arm. Her regenerative abilities are honored by Alaskan Natives, and she symbolizes restorative wellness and healing for both physical and emotional health. Octopus totem can offer support in times of loss or when a door closes. Her ability to detach from part of herself makes her excellent at evading danger. She can leave the past in the past as she is made anew. With Octopus’s strength, will, and emotional intelligence, she has the pliability to move past any mental block or challenge.
Like all cephalopods, Octopus has a parrot-like beak hidden away in the middle of her arms. Like the claws of a cat, the beak will retract into its body when not in use. The two-part beak of Octopus is strong and jaw-like, equipping her for crushing and eating the mollusks and crustaceans of the seas. It is said she can squeeze her entire body through any space her beak can fit.
