This weeks theme was animism and modern interpretations. One of the readings talked about how many cultures believe in the existence of spirits and that everything that is part of the Earth has a spirit. Animism is a belief that everything has a soul or a spirit, whether its a plant or animal, or a body of water and the air we breathe. Since everything has a spirit, shamans are able to connect us to the natural world by this idea of a shared consciousness. By being able to connect with these Earth spirits, we are capable of acquiring knowledge and having a deeper understanding and connection with the universe. I think this idea is something that everyone can benefit from. Our culture and society relies too much on factual evidence for things that might not even have any scientific support to begin with. This led us to becoming more naive and focused on who or what is right and wrong, when the reality may be that it is neither. Believing in the idea of a shared consciousness allows us to be more open-minded not just towards each other, but the universe as well. One question I have about animism is how it relates to the belief of reincarnation. Do you think that animism exists because people's spirits have reincarnated into spirits of the earth which is why we are able to connect with them?
This weeks theme was animism and modern interpretations. One of the readings talked about how many cultures believe in the existence of spirits and that everything that is part of the Earth has a spirit. Animism is a belief that everything has a soul or a spirit, whether its a plant or animal, or a body of water and the air we breathe. Since everything has a spirit, shamans are able to connect us to the natural world by this idea of a shared consciousness. By being able to connect with these Earth spirits, we are capable of acquiring knowledge and having a deeper understanding and connection with the universe. I think this idea is something that everyone can benefit from. Our culture and society relies too much on factual evidence for things that might not even have any scientific support to begin with. This led us to becoming more naive and focused on who or what is right and wrong, when the reality may be that it is neither. Believing in the idea of a shared consciousness allows us to be more open-minded not just towards each other, but the universe as well. One question I have about animism is how it relates to the belief of reincarnation. Do you think that animism exists because people's spirits have reincarnated into spirits of the earth which is why we are able to connect with them?
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