44. Animism: Coming into Kinship with All Life - Daniel Foor

We are in relationship with plants, animals, fungi, mountains, metals, fire, bodies of water, spirits of wind and weather, deities, human ancestors, star people, and others we don't have words for, whether we are conscious of it or not. In this conversation Dr. Daniel Foor and I talk about reclaiming kinship through earth-honoring ritual, getting right with your ancestors and with the land you're living on, finding your own unique medicine, and so much more.

IN THE INTRO:

• Making animism practical
• $300 herbal medicine giveaway! (ends May 1st)

IN THE INTERVIEW:

• Living humans are only one kind of person
• Animism isn't necessarily spiritual- that other beings also exist and that we are accountable to them is just fact
• The distinction between animism, shamanism, and indigenous ways
• Food and the psychological implication of realizing that both animals and plants are people
• Understanding the human dead as part of the sacred ecology of place
• The impacts of colonization on trusting our own knowing
• Being consent-minded and respectful of boundaries: how to hear no from (and say no to) the spirits/ancestors
• "Colonialism is a massive systemic consent violation"
• Expanding our vocabulary for the sacred by recognizing the incredible diverse of bodies and wisdoms of the world
• Contextualizing our devotions amidst the current crises the earth is undergoing (we need to get really good at grieving, but also not lost in it)
• Finding your own medicine and soul level calling
• Hierarchy is an intrinsic part of nature
• Seeing where you're at as the Holy Land (even if you're in suburban Baltimore)
• Everyone has an ancestral connection with plants (let go of your story that you're not a "plant person"!)
• Earth as deity (and exploring how we project a gender binary onto the this ancient, complex, multivalent being that is dreaming us up)
• Down to the water to pray: grief, the erotic, ancestors, food, healing
• Understanding deeper layers of magic at your specific place
• Considering inclusive ways to think about deities, archetypes, and weird old gods
• Harmonizing ritual skills with cultural and political advocacy- not compartmentalizing an animist approach to just our spiritual life, but taking it out to the wider world as well
• Daniel's three steps to get your life together (so real)

LINKS:

• More info on the Practical Animism Online Course
• Enter the $300 giveaway by taking my fun Which Healing Herb is Your Spirit Medicine? quiz
• Medicine Stories Patreon
• Medicine Stories Facebook group
• Mythic Medicine on Instagram
• Music by Mariee Sioux (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)