| 2/16/2008 3:31:46 PM |
Animism, the original and best belief system |
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stormbay
Tasmania
Australia
age: 62
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Animism, is probably the oldest of all belief systems and can be dated back at least 50-100 thousand years, it is the religions of most early indigenous peoples of the world and is still prevalent within their societies. It is a belief that a soul or spirit exists in every object, even if it is inanimate. In certain dimensional states this soul or spirit exists as part of an immaterial soul, spirit, therefore, is believed to be universal. It's probably the most ecologically caring belief there is, as to ensure the spirits of life were good to people, relied on how they treated their environment and the life that inhabits it. This meant they had rules for the right time to forage for individual foods and animals, some where forbidden to be taken as they were sacred to a particularity group and they depended on the seasons and elements which also consists of spirits to guide their lives.
When you investigate this philosophy, you find it's the closet thing to a caring and balanced belief, unlike the modern egocentric destructive current ones which revolve around greed and gluttony. Not only that, but their beliefs survived and maintained the planet and balanced life for many thousands of years longer than any other.
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| 2/16/2008 5:57:27 PM |
Animism, the original and best belief system |
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spiritwalker40
Boise, ID
age: 68
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Sounds interesting where would one find more information.
[Edited 2/16/2008 5:57:53 PM]
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| 2/16/2008 8:29:23 PM |
Animism, the original and best belief system |
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striker29527
London, KY
age: 45
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start by finding and asking most any native american who still follows the ancestral ways.
it would be best to discuss it in a face to face manner. many of us prefer it that way. we can judge the sincerity of the seeker by being able to look into the eyes of that person.
and hear the honesty in the voice as well.
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| 2/16/2008 9:18:06 PM |
Animism, the original and best belief system |
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stormbay
Tasmania
Australia
age: 62
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Sounds interesting where would one find more information
You can google it, I expect there's a bit about it around. My knowledge comes from our own indigenous culture and from my time in Borneo. So it's mainly related to the dream time here and the animal spirits of Australia and Borneo.
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| 2/17/2008 7:55:50 AM |
Animism, the original and best belief system |
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kellytoo
Moses Lake, WA
age: 57
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We are certainly on the same track, Storm. I too honor spirit,intelligent energy in all life. And I am pretty sure you know dreaming involves a part of my path too. Walking between the worlds and trying to keep the balance. Plus, always stalking the conscious self and working out imperfections of the ego. We are all here to teach each other. Here are a couple of my favorite quotes that inspire me.
"The appreciation of beauty, in the sense of a surrender to its influence rather than a critical analysis, is another example . . . of a simple spiritual contact. . . . Beauty is a great and quiet teacher. But what I am asking here is that in your response to beauty you notice the difference between the out-going expanded feel of you, and the in-drawn close-huddled concentration of ordinary affairs."
Stewart Edward White. The Betty Book
[last lines from the movie, American Beauty]
Lester Burnham: [narrating]
I had always heard your entire life flashes in front of your eyes the second before you die. First of all, that one second isn't a second at all, it stretches on forever, like an ocean of time... For me, it was lying on my back at Boy Scout camp, watching falling stars... And yellow leaves, from the maple trees, that lined my street... Or my grandmother's hands, and the way her skin seemed like paper... And the first time I saw my cousin Tony's brand new Fire bird... And Janie... And Janie... And... Carolyn. I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me... but it's hard to stay mad, when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst... And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life... You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry... you will someday.
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| 2/17/2008 5:29:16 PM |
Animism, the original and best belief system |
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sekhmetvotaress
Hemet, CA
age: 33
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It is so wonderful to meet people with the same ideas and experiences. Kellytoo, I think you would enjoy conversations with AkaShaman, if you haven't spoken with him already. You may find that the three of us are dreamers - dreamers who "travel".
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| 2/17/2008 8:13:48 PM |
Animism, the original and best belief system |
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queenofhearts61
Seymour, IN
age: 62
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I would like to be a dream traveler but I was really scared the last time I did it.
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| 2/17/2008 8:44:43 PM |
Animism, the original and best belief system |
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sekhmetvotaress
Hemet, CA
age: 33
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For me it was scary the first few times. Now it is something I aspire and look forward to.
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| 2/18/2008 7:01:29 AM |
Animism, the original and best belief system |
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kellytoo
Moses Lake, WA
age: 57
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Thank you Sekhmet, No, I have not met AkaShaman yet, though have read of both of your writings. Always busy, but that's life isn't it. It is great to meet fellow dreamers. as there don't seem to be very many of on this site.
Queen, what Sekhmet said is correct. Some dreams are frightening, but we learn the most from those kind. For they show us our fears and personal defects. From those we can truly grow and learn to drop parts of ourselves that keep us from expanding and knowing more about ourselves. I am sure if you wanted to venture on the path again, some of us would help you.
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| 2/18/2008 3:14:31 PM |
Animism, the original and best belief system |
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stormbay
Tasmania
Australia
age: 62
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I have a respect for animist philosophy and consider the strong possibility of energy elementals being a part of this and interacting dimensions. I would tend to class dream travel as being within the astral planes, which are within another dimension we can only interact with via our minds. This is where the elemental spirits dwell and they have been created by our thought patterns over millennia and now are in control of the world through ideological thought.
They are only scary and can only effect your mind, which is what animist witch doctors and medicine men relied upon to control their subjects. Great fun to play round in if you have strong mind and can handle the bizarre thoughts of humans.
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| 2/18/2008 5:11:03 PM |
Animism, the original and best belief system |
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kellytoo
Moses Lake, WA
age: 57
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I received these words via a friend who channeled, sharing a little of the message.
We will tell you of the problem with shamanism.
The problem relates to Levels. Shamans become experts at traveling and manipulating the lower levels of the astral domains. There is much power there, as you know yourself. But it is not all there is—and shamans tend to remain “stuck” in these levels, fascinated and mesmerized by the things they find there, testing their new powers, playing and traveling in a never-ending landscape from which they have no real wish to depart. And why would they? It is nice there, and they have much power there.
But there are higher levels.
Why should you go to the higher levels? Because there you will come to fully understand what we said earlier (years ago it seems) about strings. In those lower astral domains, as you know, everything really IS connected by strings. But, as a shaman yourself, you are somewhat limited to working with individual strings, or perhaps small groups of strings.
On the next level you will understand more clearly about those strings.
Here you will see that strings, though individual by nature, all coalesce into one point. A small shining point of light with a thousand strings to a thousand puppets and events is what you will see.
[Edited 2/18/2008 5:15:50 PM]
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| 2/21/2008 9:49:41 AM |
Animism, the original and best belief system |
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deathmetalman77
Crescent City, CA
age: 34
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I wouldn't say that it is a problem with shamanism per se', but a problem with expanding our conciousness and understanding with our discoveries.
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| 2/23/2008 5:44:22 AM |
Animism, the original and best belief system |
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kellytoo
Moses Lake, WA
age: 57
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Death, Yes, we can all get stuck and not move on with our awareness. Since I practice more of a shamanic path, spirits referred to the shamanic world levels in order to make it clearer to me personally. I could very much relate to the fascination of the powers and pleasure of the levels they mentioned. I think humans like to stay in their own little so called security zones. I cannot count the times in the past I was nagged by them about my box thinking. Quite analyzing and go beyond trying to figure things out, rag rag rag, lol.
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| 2/26/2008 8:33:48 PM |
Animism, the original and best belief system |
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drstar
Minford, OH
age: 64
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Animism sounds like a reflection of the positivism paradigm. Stormbay is, by his profile, a vegetarian--an outgrowth in the belief system of animism, is that correct. Stormbay--do you also believe in the assumption of determinism--that phenomena are not haphazard or random events but rather have antecedents and consequences--reality exists and there is a real world driven by real natural causes. If so, how do you perceive the outcomes of interaction in online chats as a product of this belief system?  I am new to the concept of animism--am I on the right path to understanding?
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| 2/27/2008 5:15:56 AM |
Animism, the original and best belief system |
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queenofhearts61
Seymour, IN
age: 62
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Maybe that is why Storm is so cranky, he needs a good steak. Just kidding Storm.
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