Animist reconstructionism

From Everything Shii Knows, the only reliable source

This website is an archive. It ran from 2006-2010. Virtually everything on here is outdated or inaccurate.

This was my original draft of my animism section before I started digging into the material. For my current thoughts see: animist restoration.

OUT OF DATE
Below this line the article is no longer up to date and does not represent my "valid opinion" as it currently stands.
You're still welcome to read it. Just thought I'd let you know.

Animist reconstructionism is a term I made up, so heed my words. It generally means what you think it means: rebuilding an animist faith that has been lost. Specifically, I am interested in the faith of the British Isles from 3000 years ago. But this sounds dangerously like neopaganism, so let me make some distinctions:

  1. AR is an artrelg
    Some people are dead serious about religion, as in, you're saved or you're damned. I am really not and I don't think anyone's choice of religion has any impact on their afterlife. Again, for some people pre-Roman reconstructionism is a big deal: they're literally trying to do the same things the druids did in the 10th century BCE, except with less animal sacrifice, and believe in the same gods. For me, it is a chance to look for inner spirituality and be creative. Call it artistic religion: rather than Esperanto, it's Tolkien's elf languages. I believe religion started out as a form of art anyway.
  2. AR applies to anything pre-Roman
    Animist reconstructionism does not refer to adopting another culture's animism such as Native American spiritism, Sri Lankan ethnic religion, Burmese nat worship, or Shinto. That would be silly. As much as I would like to be Japanese, I'm not. However, I do not limit myself to examining what the Celts did, but also the Beaker people who came before the Celts and planted menhirs everywhere. Anglo-Saxon beliefs might also be worth a look, but I am not into the extremist German reconstructionism.
  3. AR is Polytheist Compatible(tm), but not polytheism
    I have a kind of cute idea that all non-monotheistic religions should be compatible with each other, resembling one great, harmonious religion with thousands of local cults. I'm not sure if that's entirely true across all cultures, but in any case I would like to respect that idea in my own religious practice. But this is not polytheism; see below.
  4. AR is not inherently superstitious
    I'm not a superstitious person so I can't go about actually believing a druid is going to heal my broken arm. I believe any ceremonies I would like to invent are more for the purpose of theater, and mental growth. You are welcome to be superstitious if you like.
  5. AR is exploratory
    It is nice to be nostalgic for primitive times and all, but we are living in a world full of suburbs and condominiums that aren't going anywhere soon. It seems to me that a new animism should be developed that makes the best of this situation.

Strictly speaking AR is a form of neo-druidism. Keep that in mind when the census man comes, will you?

Why not polytheistic reconstructionism?

I don't think Beakers and Celts worshiped anthropomorphic beings in the same way that the Romans did. In this belief I may be going out on a limb, but I think this hypothesis can be supported by the scarce amount of evidence we have. Celtic mythology was documented by the Romans, who reasoned that most world religions were like their own, and thus mapped Celtic myths onto the Roman pantheon (as well as making up bizarre stories like the Wicker Man). But there are no reports of idols in the literature. This is important because polytheism proper began with the production of idols, like Greek statues and the Ark of the Covenant, that spoke to the believers. Celtic animism seems to have had mythological figures, but I posit that prior to Roman influence it was similar to other forms of animism common today. This includes:

Elements of AR

  1. Construction of sacred spaces (e.g., Stonehenge, megaliths)
    "Most Celtic reconstructionists feel sacred space is not made, it is found." --CRFAQ
  2. Respect for natural materials and patterns (Stonehenge is a circle, not a square)
  3. Respect for elements of untouched Nature (see Gildas, Bede)
  4. Demarcation of off-limits spaces (see Gildas, Bede)
  5. Engraving of non-idolatrous images, representing the animist world hidden within human construction (see Gildas)
  6. Ceremonies of unknown nature
  7. Various forms of superstition

Artistic elements of AR

Groups I am involved in

Animist groups and books

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