Understanding Animism and How it Can Benefit Us and the Planet (feat. Laura Giles)
Animism is the belief that everything in the world, including people, plants, animals, objects and even dreams and ideas, have a soul or spirit which "animates" them or makes them "conscious."
Animism is a key feature in many ancient religions, especially of indigenous tribal cultures. It can also be identified in different forms throughout major modern world religions.
To tell us more about this fascinating world, I invited Laura Giles.
Laura Giles is a licensed clinical social worker, spiritual mentor, speaker, and author. Her passion is helping people achieve their dreams and become empowered to solve their own problems.
She is founder of Pan Society, a spiritual community dedicated to embodying and expressing the Oneness of all creation. Her animist heritage is infused in her retreats, pilgrimages, workshops, classes, rituals, and her whole life.
Laura and I discuss the various facets of animism including its origins, where it’s still practiced today, and how we can incorporate it into our own spiritual practice to improve our lives and the lives of others.
Interview time stamps:
04:40 ︳What is animism
07:14 ︳What drew Laura to animism
09:13 ︳Where and when animism originated
07:50 ︳Where animism is still practiced today
10:13 ︳How Laura explains animism to skeptics
16:28 ︳Common rituals and practices of animism
18:35 ︳How to integrate animism rituals into your own spiritual practices
21:50 ︳Resources for learning more about animism
22:33 ︳Why Laura thinks that Animism can benefit society and make us kinder people
Learn more about Laura Giles at her website.