I've been thinking a lot about Animism lately.
Animism is the belief that everything has a spirit, even inanimate and non-living objects. It has several nuanced definitions in Anthropology, from the simple one I gave at the start of this post to a more nuanced one based on the practices and beliefs of indigenous peoples. Despite the varied definitions, animism is a part of many indigenous religions across the globe.
More closely to what I have been thinking about, it is a widely held belief amongst pagans and witches. Animism is something I have a hard time taking literally... Kind of... Sort of .. it's complicated.
As I evolved from being an Atheist to being Pagan, one of the first thoughts I had was "I do not believe there are gods, but there are things that deserve reverence and perhaps veneration - Nature and the Universe."
This thought was an animist thought in a way. Though there was nothing in it about spirit or soul, I began to think of both Nature and the Universe as kinds of entities in my mind, at least in a metaphorical sense
This led me to discover that at that time I was an Atheopagan, meaning I believed that deities only exist as thought constructs in the mind. The thing is, I could not believe that rocks have spirits. I still do not know if rocks have anything we would call a spirit, yet they are important parts of nature. Living things are a different matter. I believe all living things from trees to bacteria have a life force. That life force is sacred to me, and I try to preserve it as much as I can.
But whether rocks have spirits or not is not really important to be in terms of animism. For me animism is a reverence for the natural world, for the life around us, and for the greater cosmos. It is not only the acknowledgement that life and the environment around us is sacred, but that we as Humans are an integral part of that environment. Our actions have consequences on the ecosystem, both our local biomes and the macro ecosystem.
This is only pseudo-animism I think, but it is a starting point. It is a marked contrast from the Mormon and Judeo-Christian perspective I was raised with, which is that God ordained this earth for man to rule over. All the animals, plants, and resources are there for the express purpose of man's use and exploitation.
I reject the idea that we as Humans rule over the earth. I reject the notion that all the resources on the planet were put there for the express purpose of our use.
Instead I believe that we are but a part of the diverse and amazing entity that is "Nature". We are free to take and use the natural resources we need to survive and thrive, but we should only take what we need and do so with the highest respect for the sources of those resources.
We should Revere the animals which give us food. We should Revere the soil in which we grow crops. We should thank the river for fish, and thank the fish for their meat. We should be in awe of the planet and it's processes. We should be in awe of the Universe, of it's grandeur, beauty, and power.
These thoughts and this reverence I have developed have led me to think of the non-living things around me; the land, the sky, the stars, as entities unto themselves. This does not mean that I believe rocks have souls or feelings, but perhaps the land itself has an essence even if it the culmination of the energies that move in nature.
This leads me to seek a connection to these entities. That connection with our environments is one big casualty if our modern world; and I think that is unfortunate. There is great value in appreciating the world around you.
The ways I try to connect with nature is by being aware of it. By minimizing my negative impact upon it. I grow herbs and vegetables (or try). I try to take time to admire and appreciate the trees and plants around me. For instance, think of how many organisms call the tree on the side of your house "home". The birds, squirrels, and insects who use that tree either as home or as a highway. Think of how many lives would be affected if that tree was taken away.
Thus, when we take from the land, from a tree, or from an animal we should do so respectfully, with an awareness of the change we are forcing upon other parts of the environment. For the environment is for sure something we can kill whether it is truly living or not. So it helps to think of these things as entities unto themselves, with life force and spirit that must be respected and treated with dignity.
In some ways, being an animist is being a good human.
