The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum

Hi all,

I'm part of a small minority among the pagan community.

I went the route from a more "traditional" pagan through the route of Wicca, CAW, Druidry, and Asatru to a "neoanimist"as I never felt a connection with the deities of ancient pantheons. Mine is an ecospirituality. As a neoanimist I try to respect and honor the "personhood" (it is this focus rather than "everything has a spirit" which makes it neoanimism) of all beings of the larger community of life including animals, plants, rocks, trees, clouds, mountains, streams, rivers, oceans, insects, sun, moon, stars, etc. as well as other humans.

This is an extension of how many of us relate to our pets - as "otherpersons" not "objects". Then you extend this out to wider and wider circles depending on how you learn to extend your definition of "life" (I include rocks, fire, the Sun, etc.). Think about what is life at the subatomic level. In other words, I have a relationship with the moon itself and not "the goddess of the moon" or with the river and not the "spirit of the river". There is no dualistic go-between concept.

I believe that life is interrelated and interdependent. This also includes actions and consequences. Recognition of how past actions affect current circumstances leads to ancestral veneration.

In neoanimism focus is more upon developing relationship and living "in the flow" through more informal communication and votive offerings to show respect rather than trying to manipulate the environment through "magick" or "spells" (if one is properly in the flow then one does not need to manipulate things). Therefore there is more spontaneity and less formal ritual and ceremony.

Because we identify with our egos and forget our essential oneness with the larger community of life, we create unnecessary sufferings in our lives and the lives of others. We can cultivate the spiritual dimension in life by experiencing our interdependent connections to humanity, nature, and our inner values. This can be done through Ethical Mindfulness which is a practice whereby one tries to be consciously aware of the potential implications of one's actions upon others and the larger environment by understanding the interdependent context of one's actions and consequences (the Ethical Manifold). As a meditative exercise, Ethical Mindfulness can help one develop wisdom and compassion. We should treat all people as having an inherent capacity for fairness, kindness, and living ethically. It is by acting in a way that encourages the finest characteristics in others that we bring out the best in ourselves. When we put into practice ethical principles such as love, justice, honesty, and forgiveness, we can experience greater harmony within ourselves and in our relationships.

Here's some good resources:

http://animisminternational.org/

http://www.bioregionalanimism.com/

Hi all,

I'm part of a small minority among the pagan community.

I went the route from a more "traditional" pagan through the route of Wicca, CAW, Druidry, and Asatru to a "neoanimist"as I never felt a connection with the deities of ancient pantheons. Mine is an ecospirituality. As a neoanimist I try to respect and honor the "personhood" (it is this focus rather than "everything has a spirit" which makes it neoanimism) of all beings of the larger community of life including animals, plants, rocks, trees, clouds, mountains, streams, rivers, oceans, insects, sun, moon, stars, etc. as well as other humans.

This is an extension of how many of us relate to our pets - as "otherpersons" not "objects". Then you extend this out to wider and wider circles depending on how you learn to extend your definition of "life" (I include rocks, fire, the Sun, etc.). Think about what is life at the subatomic level. In other words, I have a relationship with the moon itself and not "the goddess of the moon" or with the river and not the "spirit of the river". There is no dualistic go-between concept.

I believe that life is interrelated and interdependent. This also includes actions and consequences. Recognition of how past actions affect current circumstances leads to ancestral veneration.

In neoanimism focus is more upon developing relationship and living "in the flow" through more informal communication and votive offerings to show respect rather than trying to manipulate the environment through "magick" or "spells" (if one is properly in the flow then one does not need to manipulate things). Therefore there is more spontaneity and less formal ritual and ceremony.

Because we identify with our egos and forget our essential oneness with the larger community of life, we create unnecessary sufferings in our lives and the lives of others. We can cultivate the spiritual dimension in life by experiencing our interdependent connections to humanity, nature, and our inner values. This can be done through Ethical Mindfulness which is a practice whereby one tries to be consciously aware of the potential implications of one's actions upon others and the larger environment by understanding the interdependent context of one's actions and consequences (the Ethical Manifold). As a meditative exercise, Ethical Mindfulness can help one develop wisdom and compassion. We should treat all people as having an inherent capacity for fairness, kindness, and living ethically. It is by acting in a way that encourages the finest characteristics in others that we bring out the best in ourselves. When we put into practice ethical principles such as love, justice, honesty, and forgiveness, we can experience greater harmony within ourselves and in our relationships.

Here's some good resources:

http://animisminternational.org/

http://www.bioregionalanimism.com/

Hi all,

I'm part of a small minority among the pagan community.

[snip....]

Hi all,

I'm part of a small minority among the pagan community.

I went the route from a more "traditional" pagan through the route of Wicca, CAW, Druidry, and Asatru to a "neoanimist"as I never felt a connection with the deities of ancient pantheons. Mine is an ecospirituality. As a neoanimist I try to respect and honor the "personhood" (it is this focus rather than "everything has a spirit" which makes it neoanimism) of all beings of the larger community of life including animals, plants, rocks, trees, clouds, mountains, streams, rivers, oceans, insects, sun, moon, stars, etc. as well as other humans.

This is an extension of how many of us relate to our pets - as "otherpersons" not "objects". Then you extend this out to wider and wider circles depending on how you learn to extend your definition of "life" (I include rocks, fire, the Sun, etc.). Think about what is life at the subatomic level. In other words, I have a relationship with the moon itself and not "the goddess of the moon" or with the river and not the "spirit of the river". There is no dualistic go-between concept.

I believe that life is interrelated and interdependent. This also includes actions and consequences. Recognition of how past actions affect current circumstances leads to ancestral veneration.

In neoanimism focus is more upon developing relationship and living "in the flow" through more informal communication and votive offerings to show respect rather than trying to manipulate the environment through "magick" or "spells" (if one is properly in the flow then one does not need to manipulate things). Therefore there is more spontaneity and less formal ritual and ceremony.

Because we identify with our egos and forget our essential oneness with the larger community of life, we create unnecessary sufferings in our lives and the lives of others. We can cultivate the spiritual dimension in life by experiencing our interdependent connections to humanity, nature, and our inner values. This can be done through Ethical Mindfulness which is a practice whereby one tries to be consciously aware of the potential implications of one's actions upon others and the larger environment by understanding the interdependent context of one's actions and consequences (the Ethical Manifold). As a meditative exercise, Ethical Mindfulness can help one develop wisdom and compassion. We should treat all people as having an inherent capacity for fairness, kindness, and living ethically. It is by acting in a way that encourages the finest characteristics in others that we bring out the best in ourselves. When we put into practice ethical principles such as love, justice, honesty, and forgiveness, we can experience greater harmony within ourselves and in our relationships.

Here's some good resources:

http://animisminternational.org/

http://www.bioregionalanimism.com/