The Spiritual Story

A month ago I discussed the problems with many prevalent worldviews which place humanity above and/or against the world, instead of as a part of the community of life. Western religion tends to subscribe to the “ruler of the Earth” philosophy, that humanity has been given control and dominance over the planet and all its biota. Eastern religion comes a bit closer, but the emphasis is generally on the ascension/enlightenment of the individual–and even when non-human life is included, it is generally limited to the animal kingdom.

Ancient tribal religions are found in nearly every corner of the world, albeit in shrinking populations these days. These religions have many apparent traditions in their rituals, myths, and deities, yet there is one common theme that many of them share: the spirit view of nature. All things in nature, living and non-living, contain some sort of spirit (e.g., rock spirits, river spirits, etc.) that contribute to a unified natural community. We generally classify this type of religion as “animism”: the belief in the existence of individual spirits that inhabit natural objects and phenomena.

I am not arguing for the literal acceptance of spirits dwelling in inanimate objects. Rather, there is an important theme that animism conveys in nearly all of its manifestations: the world is a sacred place. Literalism aside, at least in animism (or something similar) there is an active acknowledgement of the relationship of humanity with nature, instead of against nature.