Land & Spirit ~ The Reciprocal Nature of Animism
The land and nature gives us so much, from the food we eat to the water we drink and everything else in between. And it’s not just the physical benefits either, indeed many studies show that spending time in nature can help improve mood and emotions. There have been many times when going through hard situations, immersing myself in nature has helped. It sounds awfully romantic, don’t you think? But as romantic, or silly for that matter, as it may well sound, it is actually true. You go out for a walk and you feel yourself growing lighter. It’s like nature puts a buffer between yourself and your problems and while your issues will still be there when you return, you’ll be in a much better frame of mind to begin tackling them in a considered and nuanced way.
Fantastic, right?
It is massive, what the land, what nature does for us, but this then begs the question, what are we doing in return? All relationships require effort from all involved parties, that’s how they work. Look back on friendships and other relationships where you’ve felt the other person doesn’t put the same effort in as you. It doesn’t feel good and it’s only a matter of time before you drift apart or the relationship disintegrates all together. It’s the same when it comes to building and maintaining relationships with the land and the genius loci. It cannot be a one way thing, it just doesn’t work. In all healthy relationships, there is a giving and a taking and you will need to ensure you remember this balance.
In terms of witchcraft, this might look like taking consideration in the tools you use and how they are sourced and made. When it comes to spirit work, it could be making sure your offerings are suitable and do not pollute or damage the environment. These are very easy things to do. Instead of leaving plastic or resin statues as offerings, you might instead leave birdseed or flowers. It might mean leaving the beautiful crystal in the shop and instead decorating your altar with stones found in the garden or other natural items.
However, we also need to make sure we follow through in the other areas of our life too. This is what it is to be animist. We see and feel the spirit within the natural world and know we are not separate from it at all, but connected to it in every way. Just as it is hard to separate the many different aspects that make us us, nor can we completely separate the mundane and the spiritual parts of ourselves. If we hope to build a strong relationship with nature spirits, we need to ground that practice in the taking care of nature in the mundane and spiritual spheres as well.
As we head into the summer months, taking care of the environment is a good way of getting outside within that environment and can form a part of your relationship building. Try taking a bag for rubbish when you go out in your area and picking up any litter you find. Make the best choices you can when it comes to living a little greener too. There will obviously be compromises you need to make based on your own individual needs and this might take some time but the important thing is that you start, no matter how small. In fact, starting small is perhaps the best way to ensure the changes are manageable and long lasting. You’ll find that as you begin to really build bonds with the land and nature, you will want to protect it in any way that you can. It’s something that happens naturally over time.
At a time when so many feel helpless about the many ills of the world, this is just one very small way to find meaning in the land where you live.
EMMA KATHRYN
Emma Kathryn, practises traditional British witchcraft, Vodou and Obeah, a mixture representing her heritage. She lives in the sticks with her family where she reads tarot, practises witchcraft and drink copious amounts of coffee.
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