Animism

74 readers
1 users here now

Life with our non-human neighbours

'Everything is a people'

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
1
 
 

I just came across this video a while back, and thought a lot of people in this community might like it.

"Is it time to reassess our relationship with nature? | BBC Ideas"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gWGP34-4tY

"Western societies tend to see nature and humanity as separate concepts. But are there other ways of understanding our relationship with planet Earth? Are there lessons to be learnt from indigenous cultures?"

2
 
 

I was just getting into deep hibernation mood as my landscape demands, getting slower, doing only the necessary. The modern world, however, demands of me that I continue work, file taxes, run errands and consume excitement.

I'd want to excuse myself from that bullshit on account of "Can't do anything during the Rauhnächte, mother Hulda is gonna get me!" but in the current state of things that's not really something a person can just say in most places. It would not be accepted to miss work on spiritual accounts during certain times to have enough time to do the much needed travelling inwards and connecting back to the depth.

Late stage capitalism calls this state 'seasonal affective disorder'. Fuck you too, capitalism, guess what, it's you who is disordered.

3
1
Spirit of (self.animism)
submitted 11 months ago by schmorpel to c/animism
 
 

Comes the holiday whose name i avoid,
with its fake lights
shining with social injustice
and its hollow bells
ringing of consumerism.

Sickly sweet music plays on the streets
Some war rages far away as always
The golden trumpet blowing angels are so tired
And the Santas drown in a sticky sea of coke

I turn my face and retreat
and wish in some forgotten corner of my heart
that the festive season
was real

I send a rare message to a friend
just to check in.
And then the child returns home
just because he wants to.
And another old friend, long ignored,
calls anyway.

And on some thin and fragile plane
almost invisible under the
frantic wallpaper of business
the true spirit whispers
I'm alive

4
 
 

There is indeed a sound: the forest giggling about the nonsensical question, because no tree is ever alone in a forest.

5
2
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by schmorpel to c/animism
 
 

This story keeps changing and more endings keep appearing for it. It started out as a collapse-drunken draft, rather grim and primitivist but somewhat comforting. With ending 4, thanks to solarpunk and to the practical and intellectual work of so many good people world-wide who aim to be part of the community of life again instead of dominating it, we see a little light finally. Who knows if more endings appear, and what they bring.

Story of childeater

There was a time when all peoples lived as good neighbours. All had to eat, and all had shelter, and all shared the green place that was earth, and its waters and winds.

Once in a while, Childeater would arrive. She came to all people, and take some of the small away. She took equally from everyone. And everyone understood that it's the way of life, out of the control of everyone.

The humans were the youngest of the community, and often a little too smart for their own good, while lacking understanding. "We will outsmart Childeater. We will build a machine to protect our small ones so she cannot take them anymore."

They built the machine, and when Childeater returned she couldn't take the human small ones. She called out to them: "Humans, your machine eats your neighbours' food and burns their shelters, don't you see?"

They did not answer. If they had seen it, they didn't really want to notice it all that much. It felt so good to finally have protected their own small, know them safe inside the walls of the machine. She tried, a second time, to make them understand: "Humans, know that for every small one I cannot take from you, I have to take one from your neighbours." They turned the machine up more, to drown her voice.

#### End 1 - Grim dystopia

A third time she tried: "Humans, if you do not turn off the machine, it will kill all your neighbours, and you will be lonely. You will spend your days yearning for the community you lost while your machine eats everything. And in the end you will die in the scarcity of the wasteland you have created and you will have gained nothing but infinitely more grief than you are trying to avoid now."

The humans didn't answer. Maybe they really couldn't hear her words anymore through the noise of the machine, maybe they were too young to understand what it meant to lose the community of bird, lizard, fish and beetle, tree and flower, of fur-covered and many legged and tiny beings.

Childeater went and took the small ones of bird, lizard, fish and beetle, tree and flower, of fur-covered and many legged and tiny beings. The human small ones grew up in the noise and the smoke of the machine, protected, but also more alone with each passing of the seasons.

One day the machine stopped. "What happened?" asked one of the humans. "I think it ran out of fuel" said another. "I best grab what's mine and defend it then, get off my lawn!" said the first. "How is it your lawn? It's the lawn of the strongest, clearly!" "It's 'law of the strongest', arsehole" and one gives the other a push. And while they are getting angrier at each other, they hear the steps of Childeater approaching, coming to collect her due, and in their panicked fighting, they push the smallest and weakest in front, so childeater takes them first.


#### End 2 - still quite dystopian

A third time she tried: "Humans, if you do not turn off the machine, it will kill all your neighbours, and you will be lonely. You will spend your days yearning for the community you lost while your machine eats everything. And in the end you will die in the scarcity of the wasteland you have created and you will have gained nothing but infinitely more grief than you are trying to avoid now."

The humans didn't answer. Maybe they really couldn't hear her words anymore through the noise of the machine, maybe they were too young to understand what it meant to lose the community of bird, lizard, fish and beetle, tree and flower, of fur-covered and many legged and tiny beings.

Childeater went and took the small ones of bird, lizard, fish and beetle, tree and flower, of fur-covered and many legged and tiny beings. The human small ones grew up in the noise and the smoke of the machine, protected, but also more alone with each passing of the seasons.

One day the machine stopped. "What happened?" asked one of the humans. "I think it ran out of fuel, somewhere out there" said another. "Probably it will be a bit rough then, the next years, I guess?" yet another. "We will get through this, but we have to remain positive!" and then a small voice "And when Childeater comes to get me? She will be mad."

The grownups don't answer, they are so busy organizing things, and so many people seem to have fallen sick lately.

Child lies awake in terror at night, waiting for Childeater to take revenge. Then Childeater approaches, in the shape of a kitten. "Childeater is never mad. She will take you back one day, and you just will keep changing form as always, only softer, without the armour your parents had built." and so she purrs the child asleep.


#### End 3 - just ...

A third time she tried: "Humans, if you do not turn off the machine, it will kill all your neighbours, and you will be lonely. You will spend your days yearning for the community you lost while your machine eats everything. And in the end you will die in the scarcity of the wasteland you have created and you will have gained nothing but infinitely more grief than you are trying to avoid now."

The humans didn't answer. Maybe they really couldn't hear her words anymore through the noise of the machine, maybe they were too young to understand what it meant to lose the community of bird, lizard, fish and beetle, tree and flower, of fur-covered and many legged and tiny beings.

Childeater went and took the small ones of bird, lizard, fish and beetle, tree and flower, of fur-covered and many legged and tiny beings. The human small ones grew up in the noise and the smoke of the machine, protected, but also more alone with each passing of the seasons.

One day the machine stopped. "What happened?" thought one of the humans. "It must have ran out of fuel, somewhere out there" it went through another's mind, but nobody said anything because they were afraid of each other, and themselves, and also very tired.

They became to silent that they turned into broom, and even when the wind blows through them they only whisper.


#### End 4 - I like this one

A third time she tried, and called "Child open the door". And a small child opened the door, and she asked, very politely: "I would have to speak to your parents, could you get them for me please?" and child went to get their parents: "Grownups, there's a lady outside. She says she needs to speak to you." They didn't listen, and child tried a second time, louder: "Grownups, there's a lady outside and wants to talk to you!", but the machine was too loud and the grownups too busy to pay attention. So child pulled the plug. The noise stopped. Everybody stopped talking and doing what they were doing. And child said: "There's a lady outside. She says it's urgent."

"Outside where?" "Outside the door, outside of the machine" "Outside OUTSIDE?"

They rushed to close the door, but found the machine already crumbling. Later, their children would ask them why the door ever needed closing. And the old ones weren't quite sure what to respond, probably they didn't remember.


6
 
 

My last few years were a bit of an awakening to the personhood of non-humans around me. During that time it also seemed a lot of other people had similar experiences - of 'their' landscapes talking to them and teach them better stewardship, ask for more mushrooms, bees, diversity in general. Sometimes I felt I was maybe approaching the brink of psychosis, as it was all so strange and different from who I was before. But it added up better.

I integrated these teachings as well as I could into my daily life. Animals need to be cared for, gardens tended, while my mindset shifted from consumer to active participant in life. That means if you use substances to help you understand, you must use them with moderation - because the life around you that you have taken responsibility for needs you to be available. (It also means you have to limit the nonhumans you decide to care for in your garden and stables, as to not be overwhelmed by work).

I've recently come into contact with another one who thought they could take a shortcut to a re-connection with landscape by willpower, money, substances, theoretical knowledge. This person came to the region in a whim to start a new life and went in too hard and lost himself in the process.

Back to nature, back to landscape is no child's play. It's the real thing. And if we are not born into it our way back has to be gradual and gentle. We are permitted to be half feral only, to dip our toe into the wilderness, but if we arrive in arrogance, as wealthy know-it-alls, if we rush it too much - the mountain will shrug us off again.

7
4
submitted 1 year ago by schmorpel to c/animism
 
 

Out to prove that animals have language - when you live around and with animals a lot of scientific studies about animal behaviour and communication seem to be little more than common sense, but for the scientific community it's quite a step. I think their study about bird grammar received some criticism, so there's still some way to go. But hey not too long ago people were debating whether women have a soul, so there we go, slow but steady.

8
 
 

Where do you all think the ability to experience comes from? Are there any organisms you think don’t experience - plants, bacteria? What about rocks, galaxies, or computers?

9
9
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by schmorpel to c/animism
 
 

Animism is the belief (don't really like this word, but for now) that we live in relation with non-human persons. Animals, plants and fungi have personhood, landscapes and places have personhood, waterbodies have personhood, ... even machines might have, who knows.

These relationships need to be managed just like relations with the people around us. But it seems that we humans have spent the last 10s of 1000s of years in a toddler tantrum of perceived uniqueness and haven't listened to our older relatives. (Okay, the last bit is my personal take of this, rather to serve as a discussion point).