Animal guides & veganism

[Faemon]

I know this is not exactly the same thing as a spirit animal in and of itself, but...I know that criticism can seem harsh, but

It's still coming off to me that you're taking out on an individual retribution for problems that are systemic. I'm not annoyed that your voicing perceived frivolity is "harsh", I'm annoyed that it's contrived because I think you're operating on conflation more than principle, which I can't consider at all constructive.

growing into a religious practise is difficult, and emotionally and intellectually challenging, and one needs to accept that difficulty

Especially from one who so nobly takes it upon oneself the onerous task of deciding which ones warrant unsolicited 'training up' of such despicably easy emotions.

[Yei]

It's still coming off to me that you're taking out on an individual retribution for problems that are systemic. I'm not annoyed that your voicing perceived frivolity is "harsh", I'm annoyed that it's contrived because I think you're operating on conflation more than principle, which I can't consider at all constructive.

Retribution? That's an interesting word. I'm not sure what you mean by this. Problems may be systemic. Questions about cultural appropriation are important issues in contemporary Polytheism, and they are certainly systemic. But that does not mean that individuals are helpless.

Still, that may not be happening here. But it always pays to be aware of such potential problems.

Especially from one who so nobly takes it upon oneself the onerous task of deciding which ones warrant unsolicited 'training up' of such despicably easy emotions.

 
A charge that could be laid at any form of criticism (constructive or otherwise), analysis, or cautionary words from anyone.

[SunflowerP]

If I'm finding myself thinking about Animism(Shamanism/"Totemism") multiple times a day, should I seriously just ignore it?

No, and I don't think anyone here has told you to do that. (Yei suggested that you want to consider carefully whether, specifically, having a spirit animal was a suitable thing for you, but though he expressed his own doubts about its suitability, he didn't say you shouldn't do it, just that you should consider carefully - exactly the opposite of 'ignoring'.)

If you're thinking about those things as if they were effectively synonymous/interchangeable, that's a good place to start learning, because they aren't.

The Wikipedia article on Animism, which is a pretty good start point, says, 'Animism... is the worldview that entities in nature—such as animals, plants, and often even inanimate objects—possess a spiritual essence.' So it's simply a worldview or cosmology - not a religion per se (though people might well use it as an answer to 'What religion are you?', just as they might use 'polytheist' as an answer), but a description of a religious or spiritual perspective.

Shamanism (the article as a whole is an excellent overview; the introductory part is not very good since it depends too much on the very-outdated scholarship of Mircea Eliade for its 'what does this word mean' part) is not a religion either; rather, it is (by any of its definitions, problematic or unproblematic) a set of practices used by someone trained, and skilled, in their use - more like a priest, than a lay member of a religion. That article is quite long; a briefer overview of issues with the word 'shaman(ism)' can be found in our Inclusivity FAQ in the section headed, 'So. “Shaman”. What the heck?'.

Totems/totemism has already been discussed in another thread, though the intro section of its Wikipedia article says it at least as well as I did; in particular, it mentions the term 'tutelary spirit', which is an excellent alternative. (The rest of the article is, alas, sketchy and uneven.) In context of this discussion, 'totemism' is also not a religion, but a religiocultural concept.

Sunflower

[Darkhawk]

... I actually have a theory about this.  I keep meaning to write about it, I think I'll do that in this month's column.  I'll try to remember to post a link when it goes up.  (Saturday, if I get it in on time.)

 
Column on, among other things, why I think Wolf is a popular tutelary spirit:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/agora/2016/10/hills-of-the-horizon-the-first-primal-ally/

[Eevee]

If you're thinking about those things as if they were effectively synonymous/interchangeable, that's a good place to start learning, because they aren't.

 
I know they're not the same thing, I worded it like that - since I can't put my finger on the specifics towards what I am drawn to.
I dont think about Shamanism or "Totemism" or anything specific every day, because I dont fully understand what it is yet. Hence why I'm slowly weeding through information, reading blogs and books etc until I can make up my own mind.

Also (UGHH my apologies I dont know how to quote multiple people)
In regards to Yei talking about the offensive. Like.... this is why I'm researching it?
I've already learned that "Totemism" is strictly a Native American thing, hence why I haven't referred to it as such, apart from the few times which I try to add inverted commas.
I'm in a learning stage, not a doing stage. So if there are any dangers or concerns I should know about before attempting anything, believe me, I will find out.

[Darkhawk]

Also (UGHH my apologies I dont know how to quote multiple people)

 
Generally speaking it's better to make replies to people as individuals around here, so don't worry about it, just make multiple posts if you've got things to specifically say to different folks.

- Darkhawk, staffhat on

[Sefiru]

Column on, among other things, why I think Wolf is a popular tutelary spirit:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/agora/2016/10/hills-of-the-horizon-the-first-primal-ally/

 
Bookmarked!

[Darkhawk]

Bookmarked!

 
My column goes up on the 29th of the month!  There's an RSS under my author feed or you can read the whole Agora, which has, um.  Sixteen regular authors, maybe?  Most twice a month.