I was at a party a while ago, talking to a guy named Chad and another guy who was from New Jersey. Chad asked a weird question, and the conversation declined from there. Note: Not made up.
Chad: I'm gonna ask a WEIRD question here. What's your spirit animal?
Sean: That is a weird question.
Jersey Guy: Snake. Because I shed my skin.
Chad: Nice.
Jersey Guy: I've been told snake, sometimes wolf. I think I have some qualities of both. How about you?
Chad: Raven! (To me) What's your animal?
Sean: I don't have one.
(Chad and Jersey Guy shake their heads in disgust.)
Sean: How do I know what my spirit animal is?
Jersey Guy: Is there some animal that you feel really close to, like you have a connection to them?
Sean: No, not really. I like the water. Maybe a dolphin? I really don't know.
Chad: (to Jersey Guy) How'd you figure out your animal?
Jersey Guy: I've had people, Native Americans, come up and tell me from time to time. I've also had some strange, meaningful experiences involving wolves. Once, a wolf walked right up to me, and I just stood there. And for snakes, you know, I shed my skin, too.
Chad: Right on.
Sean: So, what's the point of a spirit animal?
Chad: OK, say you're lost, and you need to find some water. You'd close your eyes, and ask your spirit animal to guide you to the water. Like, I'd follow a raven, and it'd lead me there.
Sean: Does that actually work?
Chad: Yes.
Jersey Guy: Yes.
Chad: It helps if you do a quest.
Sean: Hey, I'm going to go talk to someone else now.
once, in a class, (a graduate level class, mind), the teacher banged rhythmically on a table and spoke in what he thought was a soothing voice to help us find our spirit animals. we went thru a tunnel and then were in the forest and a desert and the ocean and we had to look around carefully for animals and whatever we saw was our spirit animal.
WHAT THE FUCK?
Spirit giraffe says:
"............"
Not too helpful, really.
Something tells me that people like Chad and Jersey Guy wouldn't have cared much about spirit animals before Fight Club came out.
Incidentally, my spirit animal is a cat, which is why I feel very entitled and never get anything done.