One can find their totem animal in a number of ways. The most common is guided meditation - meditation with the express purpose of searching for or finding a spirit animal. Occasionally, lucid dreaming or dream scrying works just as well. Keep in mind, though, that when one does find a totem animal, that the animal is not kept for life. They leave and come as the need is felt. Familiars, on the other hand, are usually kept for the lifespan of the familiar. When that ends, another familiar will find you, or you will find it.