Dust, what is dust?

Not the stuff that accumulates in your bedroom corner, the magical dust in the air. Memories, thoughts, feelings, even knowledge all in a floating dust.

Or, according to Mrs. Coulter, page 282 “Dust is something bad, something wrong, something evil and wicked.”

I’ve been reading The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, and I have finished it. In this book the main character is called Lyra and she has a dæmon named Pantamilion that often takes the form of an ermine or a mouse. Dæmons are physical animal forms representing our soul, and separation from them could be fatal. Dæmons can shape shift when you are a child but then settle permanently when you are an adult, because of dust. The two main adult characters, Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter, are both investigating about the nature of dust.

I believe my dæmon would be a greyish-brown gold coyote, because coyotes are social and can be fierce. What would yours be?