Moment to moment I’m so fluid between what animals I relate to. So I haven’t picked one permanent one. Which I’m fine with.
If you really want to be OPSEC in your answer, you can say you’re inspired by this or that culture, rather than say your ethnicity. This way you keep your ethnicity private.
omg same
No, but i’m obviously a furry.
I do not use terms like animal spirit or connect whatever is going on with how i resonate with certain animals and with my wish to be part non-human animal to any indigenous practices as i have no connection to indiginous cultures and do not want to appropriate anything. but i do find it intriguing to see how widespread the fascination with anthopomorphic animals been across all continents and all periods since at least the paleolithic.
Just be a furry if you want to. The idea of “spirit animals” is a modern white invention based off of a bastardized half-understanding of a collection of Indigenous American beliefs chewed up and spit back out by white people to try to feel special. Same thing that happened with chakras.
Not always. For me it’s performance art that I do in my private time to handle life at home better. Its not to feel special, its to draw bravery to do things as an anxious person highly avoidant of mamy activities.
I love seeing a badass, graceful, reaslistic animal costume so I am a furry in that way.
Genuinely asking, what’s the harm in having both animal spirits and being a furry? Btw, I do not connect mine with an Indigenous culture, but I’ve met an Indigenous person who has. That’s what made me think to add that last sentence to my question in the title.
What about chakras? I thought that was Indian, so someone please potentially de-orientalise my understanding of chakras. I did notice them tattooed on the arm of someone indigenous to America. This is why I wish more people would be open about their complaints of appropriated pieces of their culture. She told me about her tattoos but never got to the fact that chakras are her culture’s.
My spirit animal is Animal. I too am an incoherent, hyperactive drummer
I like aminals very much and feel a strong spiritual pull towards all natural things. Some I vibe especially hard with, but I don’t think there’s a “spirit animal” connection in the sense that term gets used. I just recognize my dialectical connection with them and through that love and honor their beauty and personhood.
I’ve always found Coyote (in the stories of the Dine) to be an empathetic character. sort of this clever trickster idiot that never misses an opportunity to try and get over on others, but it usually blows up in their face and they end up punished very severely. enough to where they even sort of change a bit over the dine bahane.
to be clear, that’s not a common theme in my life. rather it’s more like a cautionary tale to keep me using any of my cleverness in an honest, helpful way, to not become the coyote. and also to recognize that it is within me to be a sneaky and dubious MF.
Damn, so even Hannah Barbara stole from the natives. There really is nothing sacred.
i mean HB’s coyote seems more virtuous and far more trustworthy than mąʼii. i feel like HB chose a coyote because it rhymed with quixote.
i feel like HB chose a coyote because it rhymed with quixote.
oh my god
No spirit animal stuff for my honky ass but I feel great affinity for giraffes because I too am tall, awkward, and a big fan of trees
do you wear a tie like this, or like this?
A lot of people might be worried about treading into appropriation. For others it is a non issue.
Has this been a relevant concept and how have you navigated it?
I do not connect mine with an Indigenous culture. I only say that in case someone else has genuine connections with theirs.
What’s an animal spirit?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_spirits_(Keynes)
If this is a serious question: I think Hexasnoot is referring to something akin to a spirit animal or a totemic spirit., or just relating really hard to an aninal
Not necessarily beyond rational calculation as it says. I’ve come to realize I like both people and animals because there’s a similar piece of me that relates to certain qualities of theirs. So it helps me be brave and do things at home. It’s me doing performance art at home to get things done and navigate my anxiety that has me avoid things I need to get done.
If I’m afraid of showering, now I’m a big blue whale that dives into the bath. If I’m at the hospital and I need to use a rail, I’m a bird that perches on rails with my hands, ignoring risk of covid until I’m home and can wash my hands. (I used to sanitize my hands too much.) If I’m on the floor at home, I can choose to put my dirty hair on a pile of clean laundry because I’m a cat and this is my new bed.
It just makes my life easier. I’m navigating control issues. I can really get into it at home. And I hope I get even more into it. I have dreams where I’m comparing my life to lives of animals too.
If you respect, like, and enjoy a person or animal, I think its likely you have the same trait within you. Expressed or not.
Adding indigenous culture in my question was to be inclusive to those who really are indigenous.
Oh sorry for the confusion. Keynes’ animal spirits refer to the fact that human beings tend to react in ways that are not rational in economic matters. It was a joke about a similar term in a totally unrelated matter.
Jimothy
Awww fluffy crab!? Hello boiyo
My dog is a happy, chaotic idiot. But it’s a bit because she’s also strangely smart and funny as hell and she knows it. Not spirit animal for reasons others have mentioned, but a kinship that I do not have words for. I deeply love all animals.
I love an animal that has jokes. I hope you can find more ways to nurture that part of yourself that loves animals. Like walking shelter dogs and stuff.
Well, all my babies are adopted, and we just did some foster care for a kitten.
You must be very gentle to be handling kittens. Well done.
I really like this picture
One of the best teachers ive been exposed to was of the Sturgeon Clan - and the Sturgeon Clan traditionally serve as community educators. Plus they talked a lot about how natural being trans is (I forget what example from nature specifically brought that up) and that “multi spirit beings” have always existed. And they talked about societal ills from a very materialist lens. So while I don’t ascribe to any animal spirit; the Indigenous clan/totem system is so interesting.
I do subscribe to the general idea of seeing passed loved ones in nature though; but that’s more of my pasty, dances-with-wolves ass wanting to find spiritual meaning in a society where that’s been stripped. Don’t care though, the loon is still my buddy I lost years ago, as is the chickadee; and I strive to be a fraction of the being that muskrat is (https://ltbbodawa-nsn.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/The-Creation-Story-Turtle-Island.pdf)
