Animism: Animists see life in everything; the sea, the rivers, the trees, the rocks, the winds, the moon, the stars, the sun, and the earth herself. Both animate and inanimate objects are credited with an individual spirit or life force. Some of these spirit forms are endowed with reason and volition, the same as humans. Some of these spirits possess a greater or lesser degree of intelligence. All believed to possess simple feelings. Studies in anthropology date this belief system back to the Paleolithic age. It is arguably the oldest form of religion and can still be found in native, shamanistic and aboriginal cultures.
Derived from the Latin words animus, or anima, meaning breath or soul it was essentially a belief system between people and the land. The participants believe that the spirit of a place is a function of geography, ecology, and history, and that the land shapes the inhabitant as surely as the inhabitant shapes the land. This system of knowledge usually involves practices, such as offerings or sacrifices, for entering into beneficial arrangements between the practitioner and the spiritual beings that are accessible to them. Each "anima" has the power to help or hurt us. Within this system of belief comes a reverence for the deceased; ancestors, as well as all living things. In a non-material state these soul or spirit beings exist as part of a universal soul but with an independent will. These spirits are greater and lesser spirits, some of which grew to take on god-forms.
In Ireland, trees were worshiped as totems or because of their usefulness and beauty. In some ancient cultures trees were regarded as maternal forest spirits. High respect was given, even when their lives were sacrificed for human use (woodcutters would first ask the trees permission to cut it and transform it into a useful object or fire). Greeks saw female tree spirits as dryads. In Native American studies, many animals were god-forms. In one form or another, Animism or Pantheism, this philosophy is often a core belief of all pagans, even if they also acknowledge Creator/Creatrix gods in some form of Monotheism, Duotheism or Polytheism.
Father Sky and Mother Earth are the basic god-forms that eventually took on names. These eventually translated into more complex concepts of Creator gods, Sky or Sun Fathers or Thunder gods like Zeus (Greek), Jupiter (Roman), Lugh (Irish), Yu-Huang-Shang-Ti (Chinese), Dyaus Pita (Indo-European), Izanagi (Japanese), Anshar (Sumerian, Assyrian, Babylonian), Ammon Ra (Egyptian), Tyr, Odin, Thor (Norse), Wakea (Hawaiian), and Mulungu (East African) were all rooted in Animism. Mother Earth goddesses evolved like Gaea (Greek), Demeter/ Persephone (Roman), Anu/Danu/Brighid (Irish), Hu-Tu (Chinese), Tara (Indo-European), Izanami (Japanese), Kishu (Sumerian, Assyrian, Babylonian), Isis (Egyptian), Inanna (Norse/Germanic), Honua Mea/Papahanaumoku (Hawaiian) and Eseasar (East African).
Modern Animists are reviving the historic belief that the general spiritual quality of life can manifest into individual spirits in the material world. For those looking for the most ancient form of religion, Animism is the oldest. Modern Animists have expanded on historical Animism to include their knowledge of atomic structure. Every atom in motion supports a definition of action and thus a definition of ?life.? With their belief in a divinely guided theory of evolution, they see the earth and all its inhabitants as part of their personal genealogy. Trees, rocks animals, humans are all children formed of the same ?star stuff.? They believe that even manmade objects can have souls garnered from the spiritual elements from which they were made and thus cars, homes and even computers can take on personalities and desires of their own.
I am an Animist.
* CHAKRA TEST RESULTS *
* Root Chakra; is STRONG
* Sacral Chakra; is WEAK
* Personal Power Chakra; is WEAK
* Heart Chakra; is WEAK
* Throat Chakra; is CLOSED
* Intuitive Chakra; is WEAK
* Crown Chakra; is STRONG
Live peacefully in Love and Light!!
