September is mostly the Bear's month. In the birth-totem calendar, anyone born September 1 to 21 is a Bear, and the Raven arrives on September 22 and holds the last nine days. Which one you are comes down to a single date, close to the autumn equinox.
Your September animal, day by day
| Born on | Birth totem | Element | Keywords |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 1 to 21 | Bear | Earth | Practicality, patience, modesty |
| September 22 to 30 | Raven | Air | Balance, charm, diplomacy |
The Bear's window opened on August 22 and closes on September 21. The Raven's opens on September 22 and runs to October 22.
September 1 to 21: the Bear
The Bear belongs to the Earth element. Its keywords are practicality, patience and modesty, and the usual reading is of someone who does the unglamorous work properly and does not need credit for it.
Real brown bears give the symbol its shape. From summer through autumn a brown bear can double the weight it had in spring, and it usually settles into a den for the winter. In symbolic terms that becomes a rhythm: store up while there is plenty, then rest without guilt.
The cost of the Bear reading is the same quality turned inward. Holding yourself to standards that nobody asked for is the shadow side of being the reliable one. If this sounds familiar, our bear spirit animal guide looks at the animal in more depth.
September 22 to 30: the Raven
The Raven's keywords are balance, charm and diplomacy, and its element is Air. The reading is of someone who senses the mood in a room and moves to ease it.
It is the same animal that carries most of October. If you were born on the 22nd to the 30th, our October spirit animal page covers the Raven's window up to October 22 and what follows it.
Where the zodiac disagrees
September is a month where the two birthday calendars part ways. In the zodiac table on our spirit animal by birthday guide, Virgo runs to September 22 and is paired with the Owl, and Libra starts on September 23 and is paired with the Raven.
| Born on | Birth totem | Zodiac sign and animal |
|---|---|---|
| September 1 to 21 | Bear | Virgo, Owl |
| September 22 | Raven | Virgo, Owl |
| September 23 to 30 | Raven | Libra, Raven |
So for the first three weeks, one calendar says Bear and the other says Owl. In symbolism the Owl is the watchful animal, so both readings lean toward careful attention, by different routes. Most people find one fits better after reading both descriptions.
If you were born around the equinox
The September equinox can fall anywhere from September 21 to 24, depending on the year, and the Bear-to-Raven change on September 22 sits right beside it. If your birthday is September 20 to 24, read the Bear and the Raven sections together and keep the one that sounds like you.
One more thing for readers in the Southern Hemisphere: the calendar goes by date, so your totem is the same. But the equinox is the start of spring there, so the "store up, then rest" reading of the Bear will feel back to front.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the September spirit animal the Bear or the Raven?
The Bear if you were born September 1 to 21, and the Raven if you were born September 22 to 30.
What is the spirit animal for a September 22 birthday?
The Raven. The Raven's window starts on September 22 in the birth-totem calendar, although the Western zodiac still counts September 22 as Virgo, so that one day carries the Raven by totem and the Owl by zodiac.
Why do some lists say Owl for September?
That is the Virgo animal in the zodiac table, which is a different calendar from the birth-totem one. The Bear is the birth-totem animal for most of September; the Owl is Virgo's.
Is the September totem a real Native American tradition?
It is a modern system, published by Sun Bear and Wabun Wind in 1980 in The Medicine Wheel: Earth Astrology, and Native American activists have criticised Sun Bear's work. Treat the Bear and the Raven as symbols to reflect with. For more on using these ideas with care, see respectful language for spirit animals, or try the free spirit animal test, which reads your values and instincts instead of your date.