Animisim

Week #1 - the letter "A"

To be blunt, Animism intrigues me...on both levels of its two main definitions.  

(1) the belief in souls/spirits

That one is easy.  I believe in souls and spirits.  I believe living beings have souls or something that would be comparable.  I believe that souls can exist outside of the body or be separated from the body.

(2) the belief that non-human entities have souls/spirits

I'm still on board. But what non-human entities do I believe have souls?

Animals: Definitely. Animals can express emotions, learn, and experience much of life. I have no doubts whatsoever that animals have souls.

Plants: Yes. Plants live and die. They grow and can suffer. To me that equals something with a soul.

Rocks:  Yes.  On one hand, I know I can feel energy from various rocks and stones, much like I do from people, animals, and plants. But there are some rocks that give me no "response" that would lead me to believe they have souls. Perhaps, however, those rocks that provide no energy have simply passed on and is just a shell that had once held a soul/spirit.

Natural phenomena such as thunder:  I can feel the power of thunder and lightning.  I react to it and love the energy it produces.  So, yes.

Geographic features such as mountains or rivers:  Yes.  When a "geographic feature" is moving like a river, it's very easy to feel that it is alive and potentially has a soul.  Mountains are more difficult to feel or understand because you cannot see them moving or growing.  But trees?  You cannot see them moving or growing (at least not without the aid of wind or other outside forces) but you can feel their energies.

(I'm coming to the conclusions that I, at least in some ways, equate something having a soul or spirit with my ability to feel or sense energy from the item, animal, etc.  With that being the case, the next one is quite easy to answer.)

Other entities of the natural environment:  Yes, if it radiates energy in some way.  Or did.

Abstract concepts such as words or metaphors in mythology: On this one, I'm torn, but I lean towards yes.  Words have power and they are incredibly important to me.  You can read a word and it electrifies you.  A spoken word can move you to tears.  They convey emotions and therefore produce a spark of energy.

Metaphors in mythology are similar.  True names as well.

So where does this leave me? 

The belief in Animism is something that I would definitely consider as a facet of my belief system.  It makes sense and plays off the interconnectedness that I find so important.  When something has a soul or a spirit, it gains a sense of power and is deserving of respect.  I like that idea.  A lot.  In fact, I'm adding it to my Definition page.