Perhaps the innate quality of an item is determined by how much it likes existing in it’s current state? Which brings us to crafting and technology in animism.

When you think of the world as living in all its parts, it may seem like building anything is an act of butchery or murder. This is not actually the case. Everything that exists has its own range of potential forms, and some things are much more mutable than we are. They maintain their life despite being radically changed.

What about when we turn a tree into a chair, or paper? It’s still alive, but the nature of it’s life has changed.

Does it appreciate the change afterwards? Often times not, but there are exceptions. The simple insight offered by animism into craft is that things take on forms that they prefer, and will leave forms they don’t like.

In a high quality item, you can feel the nurturing that went into crafting it. Artists see the form in the material and just bring it out. Exactly. Just as we give birth to more forms we call our babies, we can also give birth to things that don’t come from our bodies. This is why the geniuses of any craft or art often describe their creative works as their babies, and with this insight every step and every addition to the created thing will be undertaken with respect for the primary medium. They draw insight from the guidance of the rock or wood, or metal or water. Animism applies to land stewardship as well as craft. Those who listen to the living water and earth help them grow things better. Those who ignore these things create sickness in the land. We see it far and wide these days.

Or sing / chant to the living ness of it all. Indeed. In animism, even the fact that a word can take form means it is alive also. You can’t say a word that doesn’t have a spirit in it.

The sound emanated affects what it touches, affects its source at the same time. Ancient chant words are very powerful. Some have come down to us. They are closer to the purity of origination. Indeed. Being old, they are wise and strong.

I heard a Navajo elder say that uranium liked being underground and didn’t want to be disturbed. He was speaking truthfully. No one has found a way to respect uranium and bring it out with us yet. That’s the basis of any form of working with animism. In science, they take the power. They take sunlight and electricity and chemical energy.

In Native Hawaiian culture, before we moved a rock even, we asked. They don’t ask, and thus these energies don’t cooperate really well with our intentions. Things short circuit. Chemicals have unanticipated side effects. Even the sun begins to do things it didn’t formerly do. In animism, you can do whatever you might want to do, but you work with an understanding that science doesn’t show. Because you will share in the wisdom of the entire world as the world shares it with you, you won’t make unanticipated errors.

I‘m getting a bit lost here. When the spirits are being talked about they tend to talk loudly in return. I guess they want to be listened to and take whatever chance they get.

Your thoughts are welcome. Be well friends.

Travis Saunders
Dragon Intuitive
~science,mysticism,spirituality~