A spirit animal, companion, protector, or helper is a guide one connects with while on particular types of shamanic journeys or vision quests. Traditions vary about the way in which animal guides are identified, but all agree that we do not choose our animal guide; it reveals itself to us. However, as with many Indigenous traditions and teachings, the concept of spirit animals has been widely misappropriated, abused, commodified, and divorced from their sacred contexts, especially by those of Caucasian descent. There are many individual traditions involving spirit animals or spirit guides, and they should be respected in their original contexts.
