Bear, Wolf, Cat, Eagle

Which animal would you compare yourself to and why?

Randomly, back in eighties the school I was at invited a group from the a certain faith in to talk to us and potentially recruit us. My year sat around the room and each of us introduced ourselves. I must have been fourteen, and was pretty impressionable.

“Our faith looks at spirits that visit us in animal form,” they said.

I liked the sound of this.

“I want you all to choose an animal that you like.”

This is where it gets interesting as no one chose the same animal. I chose the wolf and she listed a series of characteristics that sort of matched me or an idealistic version of me. I was pleased. An old friend then said bat.

I remember this and looking at him with his long hair and long leather coat and thinking, yes. That is the perfect animal for him. The woman then listed characteristics that matched him perfectly. I found it strange. The only time I had come across this was with tarot and wicca. I was confused. The school was actively encouraging this and yet they didn’t like any pagan religion.

I said nothing but did talk to my mum about going to a meeting.

“No,” she said, and for once I agreed with her. There was just something weird about it all.

But still, the bat and the man, I can see that they walked hand in claw their whole lives. Me? Well, I think I am a bit of bear, wolf, cat and eagle. I am definitely a chimera that does not sit in any one label, be that animal, or any other. The fact that my old friend can be a bat and I can be a chimera shows just how wonderful the world is. We are all different, and no one needs to be like another.