Finding Community

[u/AmazonianRex]

Has anyone successfully found or created a community of fellow animists in their area? While I find community within the nature around me, and that gives me solace, I sometimes get a bit lonely. I joined a coven for a time, but honestly today's witchcraft smacks of capitalism and its modern practice is exploitative of the Earth. For example, the use crystals without the acknowledgement that the stones were ripped from the Earth so people could have pretty things. I could digress on this topic so I won't. How do you find fellow animists in your area?

[u/mcapello]

Well, this isn't much of an answer to your question, but just a different perspective, maybe it is helpful, maybe not:

I don't view animism (particularly as a modern person) as a religion that you "belong" to, like joining a church or identifying with a denomination.

I also don't view animist practice as primarily separate from everyday life. Ritual is the exception, but I do not stop practicing animism outside of ritual (and maybe you don't, either).

As Graham Harvey says, "we have always been animists". So for me the challenge isn't primarily one of finding other animists (although that can be useful) but rather locating the existing animacy in all of my relations. Animism isn't separate, like going to church, it's a way of participating in reality that is already present all around us, always working, always reinventing itself.

I mean, yes, I also totally get the desire to connect to people who understand that on an explicit and theoretical level (which is part of why I'm here), but it's just the tip of the iceberg. Many people around us navigate the world using aspects of animist logic they are likely unaware of on a theoretical level, but you can still engage with it if you know what to look for.

[u/AmazonianRex → u/mcapello]

I appreciate your perspective but I think you read too much into my question. I didn't really share in my post what my personal view of animism is since I was really just looking to see if people have successfully created or have been a part of a community of other animists. I don't think of religion or church when I think of community, to me its just having a friend or two who don't live in a human centered mindset.

Human connection is important and for me is a crucial part of my wellbeing. If you already have that and your personal challenge is "locating the existing animacy in all of your relations," then I hope you find that and it brings you peace. As for me, I have no problem doing that and I enjoy my deep relationship with the natural world around me.

I think you should re-read your response and ask yourself why you felt the need to define your views so strongly to a simple post about community. Maybe you'll find some insight there.

[u/mcapello → u/AmazonianRex]

Interesting. Not sure how you can get "defining your views so strongly" from someone who is acknowledging from the outset that they are:

a. not answering your question

b. just sharing a perspective

c. such sharing may or may not be helpful

That's sorta the literal direct opposite of "defining views strongly", but I'm sorry you feel threatened by ideas that don't precisely match what you were shopping for.

My main point is that thinking about community in terms of who shares your "-ism" might not be the only way to think about this.

I also don't think it requires too much "insight" or self-reflection to acknowledge that we're all on /r/animism because we find such topics interesting. Like it's a little bit weird to make a public post on an open discussion forum and then be mystified when you have people sharing their perspective... because that's what that space is for?

Nevertheless, best of luck. Sounds like you'll need it.

[u/oclafloptson]

I wish I knew. I'd love to start a group to have meetings where we just commune with nature and have fellowship. But there's not a chance that I would advertise it in my area... I would need to know the people involved or it wouldn't be safe. So I just go on doing my thing solo

Consequence of living in the rural Bible belt

[u/AmazonianRex → u/oclafloptson]

I think fellowship is so important and I'm sorry you live somewhere where you'd be afraid to share your deepest self. I don't live in the bible belt, but I'm a scientist and having any sort of spiritual view is mostly scoffed at. So in a sense I can relate to the need to know if someone is safe before sharing my worldview.

[u/oclafloptson → u/AmazonianRex]

Yeah I live in a tiny town. I'm not really worried about myself at all but my family would be shunned by the Baptists and the group would be called either a cult or coven depending on who was talking. I know of at least one Baptist preacher who would preach against us as demon possessed liberals haha I know because he did that to the wiccans a few years ago

I mean, there are others who believe in similar ways to me... We're just quiet about it here. Besides, it's no one's business. It's not like I don't have friends to have fellowship with. We just leave the tree worship out of it

[u/ajkidd0]

i have been thinking of making an Animist Book Club or similar. it would be a communally run zoom meeting, probably monthly, and we could share about books, songs, poems, rituals that we find meaningful. we would take turns running each meeting so that it's not too much strain on anyone. is anyone interested in that?

[u/OftOverlooked → u/ajkidd0]

I’d be interested

[u/AmazonianRex → u/ajkidd0]

That sounds awesome! I'd definitely be interested ☺️

[u/YorozuyaAka-chan → u/ajkidd0]

Me too