Hey, I'm Irish and I have a spirit animal. Just about every culture has something going on where people have a special connection to a facet of nature. In the Middle Ages in Europe, the gentry frequently used a specific device of an animal to represent their family, and it would be on their coat of arms. African spiritual beliefs are rife with special relationships with animals. I'm an American so I have a spirit animal. I didn't pick it out of a book, it came to me.

My friend, I will believe whatever magical stuff that I want to believe, and quite honestly it doesn't have enough to do with you that you should worry about it. I'm not taking anything. If you want to get drunk and put on a Leprechaun costume and do a Ceilli dance on a keg of Guinness while saying the rosary I don't mind. I'll join you.