Spirit Animal (New Ageism)

Spirit Animals are a concept in New Ageism. There are many understandings of it. Some believe they are symbolic, some believe they are the ghosts of animals turned intelligent by the cosmic force, some believe they are the essence of the animal in a minor deity form (though they may not call it a god, the concept would be the same as a god when seen by someone who is admittedly polytheistic), and other interpretions. In some New Age traditions, a person only has one spirit animal, called a power animal. In others, a person has several, with each animal belonging to a different direction on the person (which could be 4 directions, or 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, depending on how the person believes). Some spirit animals are temporary, serving as minor, possibly even daily lessons in the person's life. You can find your spirit animal through meditation, coming across the animal repeatedly (including representations such as toys and art), feeling very pulled to the animal, dreams, and other ways.

New Ageists interpret the meaning of their spirit animal(s) by means of interpreting various myths throughout the world, sometimes the behavior and physical body of the animal, and personal ways.

## Controversy

The term is controversial as Indigenous Peoples, especially Native Americans, feel it is appropriating. Spirit animals are partially appropriative to some Native American and pseudo-Native American concepts. The term spirit animal has also been used by anthropologists to describe many different concepts of animal usage in tribal cultures. A synonym would be "totem", which is sometimes used as a synonym by New Ageists as well. For some New Ageists, the term spirit animal is a natural extension of what the creature is. Spirit+animal= a spirit that is an animal. Other terms have been advocated by Native American activists for a replacement of the term. However, those words do not always fit in neatly with that belief structure or the individual. A patronus is derived from Harry Potter, which is in tern derived from the Roman word for patron, as in the business sense of a patron and its client. In Harry Potter this is the result of a spell used to protect oneself from a dementor, a creature or people in that media who saps the life of everything they touch. You must feel extreme happiness to produce the spell, and the spell takes the shape of an animal that resembles your personality. While this could have a connection to some New Age concepts of the spirit animal, it is not all-inclusive, and could even be offensive. It could imply that the animal is a warrior when it is not, or is all happiness when it is not. It could imply that the animal is not a real spirit that has chosen the human, but rather an extension of their personality. It is also appropriative to Wiccans who were helped to become Wiccan by the movies and books and pop-culture pagans who use Harry Potter in their religion. New Ageists are not usually into Harry Potter magic, in my experience. To use it in the Roman sense would be insulting to Roman culture, and imply that the human is the client of the animal. Familiars would also be appropriative to Wicca, as a familiar in Wicca is either a chosen pet or invisible spirit who chose them to assist them with magic. It is also incongruent to the original sense of a familiar in medieval europe, as those were shapeshifting fairfolk or a physical, spiritual extension of the witch in animal form. Therefore, it does work either unless you transform the word itself for New Ageisms purpose, which would still be religious and cultural appropriation.