u/TimeParadox44

i figured that since this sub doesnt always get a lot of posts and discussion that i'd ask this question since i feel itd be pertinent to a lot of people and offer some unique insights on how this spirituality/ontology/whatever has shaped or affected their life.

for me animism (and druidry since i got into that first) has allowed me to better appreciate life and the interconnectedness of everything on the planet, from artificial human made things to natural processes. i think i was always predisposed to animist belief and views given ive always recognized how everything is tangled in a massive web that we call life. in more recent years ive come to recognize the personhood of other things, primarily animals more than anything, appreciating what they offer to our ecosystem and world as a whole.

it's also made it easier for me to appreciate myself and hate myself just a tiny bit less, given my enormous struggles with my own mental health. after all im a part of this web of life and the universe itself and comprise it no differently from any other living/nonliving thing. i have my place, as do you and we all matter no matter how small or seemingly inconsequentially. druidry and animism have furthered my own love for nature and the planet to the utmost degree and i value everything here greatly, i want to protect it, to nurture it, and it makes me feel happy to be so connected with everything around me.

for me i think a major development towards my beliefs was actually the avatar film when i saw it as a young kid (22 y/o for reference), given that the entire setting is veryyyy animist (and panpsychist among other things), this combined with the beautiful visuals and me (unbeknownst to me at the time) being therian/otherkin and really wanting to be a funny blue cat person definitely had a subconscious influence lol.

that being said im grateful to be a pagan/druid/animist and whatever other accurate labels can be used to describe my belief system and part of this wider community since it is far more accepting and progressive than others for sure, and i thank the resources from this subreddit, wikipedia, and elsewhere for helping develop my beliefs further.