3 Practical Principles of Animism

DECEMBER 21, 2023, BY EMMA KATHRYN READ TIME: 8 MINS

Animism seems to be a term that is growing in popularity, and that can only be a good thing. People talking about nature in a way that is divorced from seeing the land as a commodity is much needed discourse in today’s world, what with the ecological and climate crisis. Which is all well and good, but what does animism mean and how can you go about incorporating it into your own witchcraft practice in a meaningful way?

In very simple terms, animism can be described as seeing the natural world and everything in it as being alive with spirit or soul. Some folks might even extend this to man-made objects, as well. As with most things, there will be nuance in the definition, given here, with the specifics changing, but in essence, the animist sees the natural world as being alive in much the same way as we are: mind, body, and spirit. Pretty deep, right? But don’t let that deter you! Here I’ll share my top three practical principles of animism that will help you begin on your own wondrous journey and allow you to bring a more animist perspective to your own craft.

1. Get Outside
Okay, now I know this sounds obvious and perhaps it is, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. We all have so many constraints and blocks on our ability to get outside in meaningful ways. Think about what your typical day looks like. Maybe you have children and others to look after, jobs to work, chores to do, perhaps a combination of some or all of these things! Then there’s the relationships we put work into to maintain, such as friendships and relationships with wider family members. And all of that is without even considering the time needed to take care of ourselves or simple downtime! See what I mean about finding it difficult to get outside?

The answer is to start small. I can remember when I first started knitting. I’d mastered the basic stitches, made the obligatory scarf and then blanket before deciding on something more ambitious. I went out, bought a pattern and the yarn needed and set to work, only I didn’t get very far. I opened that pattern and closed it straight away again! It was just so confusing! Anyway, weeks later, I was talking to my friend’s granny and she asked how my knitting was getting on. I relayed the whole story and she shook her head and laughed. “You read the whole pattern straight away, didn’t you?” she said with a knowing look on her face. “See, what you want to do, is take it a line at a time, or else it will get confusing.”

Not only was she right, of course, but I think that has been one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever been given. To take it slowly, one thing at a time. It applies to so many different situations and contexts, and getting outside is one of them!

One of the first tasks I get my student to do is to spend time getting to know their local environment. It might be just one space, such as a garden, a park, even just a tree, or the land on journeys to work and school. The idea is to find ways of enhancing the things you are already doing, such as paying more attention to the land when you are out doing your normal everyday activities, or to find accessible ways to do this. I take my morning coffee outside every day. I might sit on my porch and observe the goings on of the birds and critters, or perhaps notice the lightening skies or the stars and moon. If you don’t have a garden, then you might have a local park you can get to a couple of times a week. Find a bench, take a drink, and just allow yourself to be, in the moment, out in nature. Simply watch the world go by. Relax into the act of just being within nature without expectations or judgement.

Exercise is another great way to get out if it is something you partake in anyway. If you find yourself going to the gym and walking on the treadmill, why not just go for a walk around your neighbourhood instead? What I’m really trying to say is that it doesn’t matter at first about what you are doing, it’s more important to get used to doing it outside, whether that’s chilling in the park, or running around it, or simply being more observant and present in your journeys.

It doesn’t take long to begin to notice the benefits. Mentally, being outside is good for us and can help us feel more relaxed and calm. It can also help you to begin to get to know what grows where you live and what other beings with whom you share that space. This connection snowballs and soon you’ll find yourself growing familiar with the land through the cycles of the seasons, and before long you’ll begin to see the land, trees, plants, and animals as friends. But it all starts with taking those first steps out the door and into nature.

2. Get to Know Your Normal
As well as being a writer and a witch, I’m also a teacher. I work in a small school with autistic children, and they teach me so much! Aside from academic learning, much of my pupils’ work is geared towards them understanding themselves in many different ways, starting with the body. Needless to say, I’m a massive believer that we all would benefit from this type of learning. It isn’t only the land we have become disconnected from, but our bodies as well.

This disconnect can include things such as not noticing the beginning signs of thirst (how many of us drink the recommended amount of water?), not being aware of the first signs of stress, feeling tired but not resting, and so on. Animism involves building relationships with the land and the spirits that reside there, and getting outside is the first step in that process. But just as with any relationship, this is a two-way street and as such, we will need to reflect on our own thoughts, feelings, and responses to our experiences. Can we do this with honesty and clarity if we don’t really understand our bodies, the feelings within them and what is normal for us? The short answer is no.

If we have a good idea about what normal looks like for us as unique individuals, then this puts us in good stead to notice any variance. It gives us a solid base to explore how we are feeling when we are outside, connecting with nature, and ultimately allows us to consider and assimilate our experiences before continuing to build on them.

There are many practical ways you can begin to develop your own personal understanding of the self. My favourite is to mind map, and I do this with my students a lot. These serve as quick brainstorming activities that allow us to map our thoughts, and can be done for a whole host of things. You might start by exploring how your body feels during different emotional states. Write one in the middle of a piece of paper, and from that spiralling outwards, you might write how you feel, what you do, what your body does, whether you feel hot or cold.

Journaling is another way in which you can begin to explore yourself and your thoughts. You might decide to keep a simple diary where you can record your experiences in building relationships with the land and nature spirits. If you find the blank page intimidating, then prompts can be a helpful tool, perhaps focussing on one area at a time.

Vision boarding, websites such as Pinterest, memory boxes, and the like can all be used to get a better understanding of the self and of your growing relationship with the land and nature, especially if writing isn’t your jam. You can make collections of items found on your walks or in the garden or park and consider what these items mean to you and what these tell you about yourself. Meditation, journey work, and shadow work are all valuable tools in the discovery of self that the would-be animist can use to help themselves.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with all, some, or any combination of these. The beauty of getting to know your normal is that there is no right or wrong way, and as I often say to my pupils, everything is an opportunity to learn!

3. The Journey Is the Destination
And last but in no way least, it is important to remember that there is no end result. Our relationships with the land and the spirits that reside there are ever ongoing, just as our relationships with other humans are complex things, ever changing and growing. At first, you may feel you are forcing things, and that’s okay. You are. You are forcing your way out into the wilds from whence you came, slowly reclaiming the land as your own, but not in a way that oppresses or wants to rule over, but as an equal. As a friend. It’s often in the looking back that you realise just how far you have come, and the same is true for animism. There is no one point when you simply become animist. The doing, the getting out, the building of relationship is the becoming! The journey is the destination and the destination is the journey!

So there you have it, my top three practical principles of animism to help you rediscover your relationship with the land and the spirits that reside there. There is so much beauty in this journey to discover, and if you are looking for a way to deepen that connection, you should check out my latest book, Season Songs: Rediscovering the Magic in the Cycles of Nature.

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