Animism

[orestes903]

I wasn't exactly sure where to put this post. :/ I know most of you are familiar with animism and I would be willing to bet most of you, if not all, incorporate animism into your personal belief system. I personally have very strong animistic beliefs to the point where I do not really have any "gods". So I was wondering if anyone else here has similar beliefs and how they "convert" some wiccan rituals to better fit their own beliefs. Thanks for any of the replies.

Orestes

[Symandinome]

animism
noun
1.
the belief that natural objects, natural phenomena, and the universe itself possess souls.
2.
the belief that natural objects have souls that may exist apart from their material bodies.
3.
the doctrine that the soul is the principle of life and health.
4.
belief in spiritual beings or agencies.

Early woman and man out of awe respect for the world around the ascribed to each of these things a name and in turn recognized an individual spirit for them to which they would honnor for favor and success in things in relation to their "power" This was further expanded on by recognizing certain spirits to represent certain aspects of humanity and not just the natural world. Such as the Goddess of Love in relation to humans as opposed to or in conjunction with a Goddess of Fertility of crops and animals.

How you choose to address these "spirits" or "GODS" is up to you.

I'm not sure if this answer your question but I wasn't sure if I really understood yoru question or if you really understood what animism is.

[orestes903]

Lol, my question is does any one here adhere to the more "primitive" beliefs of animism without the beliefs of gods. All indigenous religions started off in this manner. Once they begin developing "gods" then they are not strictly animistic. Religions can have animistic beliefs, but the "true" animistic societies do not have gods. Not to sound mean but yes I do understand what animism is since have done extensive college work in this area. Definitions are quite limiting btw.

With peace and love,
Orestes

[Symandinome]

well maybe you could explain better for all of us what you mean by more primitive beliefs exactly.

You didnt sound mean at all. Like i said i wasnt sure what you were asking.

[Cyphir]

I would say that I believe in the Lord and Lady, but that all in this world and reality are part of them and they are part of us. I wouldn't say that we or any people created gods/goddess but gave them names.

I also believe that something doesn't truly exist until someone believes in it. It is a difficult concept for me to even grasp at times, but within my belief, the god/goddess came into existence along with another consciousness. That consciousness was fractured into many pieces and is where our souls come from.

[orestes903]

My apologies, I forget sometimes my process of thinking is a bit different than most. Most people feel animism is more of a philosophical belief rather than a religious belief. This is mainly because most religions, if not all, hold some beliefs in animism. Even the christian bible has some examples of animism ( talking donkey etc). However, some people believe animism can be a religion all on its own. For example, instead of praying to the god of rain an animistic culture may pray to the loctal spirits of water and/or air. Most early sociologists believed animism to be the most primal/primitive of religions, after that it progressed to shamanism, polytheism, and then monotheism. Sociologists no longer hold this view since there are still animistic cultures around today that have not "evolved".

Now my question is this: do you feel that instead of gods controlling different aspects of life(weather, war, healing, the sea etc) that is a group of spirits (elementals, fae, nymphs, etc)

Thanks for helping me clear up some of my discrepancies!

Orestes

[skyslide]

I sort of am. The goddess I follow, Hanwi, is more of a spirit than a goddess per se. She's not quite a goddess that they worshipped, but she was acknowledged as the thunderbirds and people of the clouds (thunderstorms) were/are. It is her spirit that I connect with so well. It is her spirit that looks out for me and listens to me. I do believe that there is spirit in almost everything. In rocks and mountains, plants and animals, the sky, the earth, water, fire, things like that. Some animistic people go even further to say even your bed and your table have spirits. I disagree with this. I do believe they have sort of a kind of energy from their owner, though. Something YOU put there without realizing it. That's why you connect with your childhood furniture or your old teddy bear or your security blanket - because you left an energy there that you pick up on. That's why sometimes it's slightly saddening when you get a new piece of furniture and dispose of the other one. It's nice to get something new, but you may still find yourself wishing you could just keep the old one in storage or something.

Anyway, those are my animistic beliefs. I've known I had them, but not for long. There's another site I have an account on, which I rarely go on because their policies are annoying and not so family-like, and I saw the animism and read it and realized there was a name to my beliefs. I realize now though that the Lakota are more animistic than shamanistic. So I guess I am more animistic than I thought.

Haha anyway, rant over. =)