Animism: A Survival Skill
How we relate to the world determines our level of awareness and our ability to move through it. This impacts every aspect of our lives – from obtaining food to avoiding injury. Yet it all comes down to empathy, respect, and personhood. How can a simple choice have such profound impact?
“Mammal Tracks and Sign”, Mark Elbroch
July 4th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Holy smokes! The personhood of things not yet manifested. The personhood of things with no physical presence, or eclipsed/past physical presence. Dreams. Powerful ideas to explore.
And the personhood of Lightning Boy, with his not entirely blessed creation. So many technological people lend us their help every day, this way of seeing blows away the idea that you can’t rewild until you move to the woods.
July 6th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Yeah! How do you continue to rewild, no matter what madness swirls around you? Staying anchored in personhood does it for me, whenever and to the extent that I stand in that place.
I really think animism means “living in a special place”, not “thinking a different way”. A change in relationship means a change in location – relationship means topography, means how two bodies in space and time orient to each other.
Similarily, “Yes, and…” means changing the very fiber of our bodies, not having different thoughts.
Hmm.