Posted on
February 26, 2021
Rumi said, "Fall in love. Stay there." But how? How can anyone accomplish that? Here are some suggestions.
Read Khalil Gibran's On Love Every Day for Thirty Days
If you're going to fall in love, you really need to know a little something about what love is. You need to erase the fairy tale notion that love is about being swept off your feet, sitting back and eating bon bons for the rest of your life. It's rough, emotional, heart wrenching, and destructive. It's also insanely vivifying. Taking on love takes immense courage.
Each time you read this poem, let yourself imagine one of the spokes on that journey. Even the hard ones. Yearn for it. Welcome it.
Choose It
Now that you know what love is, choose it. Choose to let it come into...
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Posted on
February 18, 2021
The problem with embarking on an animist quest is that there are no directions, no guides. It's a personal journey that can start at birth, after a crisis, from a dream, or any time at all. No one path will look like another because it's a passionate cry from the heart to return to your roots. It's a call to belong to the All-That-Is once again.
And when you hear it, it can't be denied. The forest beckons to you. The stars stir something powerful within that must be heeded. The smell of salt spray lures you away from computer screens, neon, and noisy offices and into the Wild. It wants us to trade the hum of traffic for the gurgling of a spring, and the artificial pine smell of cleaners...
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Posted on
February 7, 2021
Valentine's Day is nearing, and love is on many people's brain. If you don't have it in your life, you may be wondering how to awaken love.
Love is the foundation of animist life at Pan Society. Love is what makes us all connected. Without it, life is a pretty sad and lonely place. So of course we want to nurture this within us and give it away. But how do you do that if love is a stranger? If you grew up without it, had toxic examples, or just had your heart broken one too many times, you may have a distorted view of love. Or not know what it is like at all.
Don't worry. Your DNA is embedded with it. You were created with it. All you have to...
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Posted on
January 16, 2021
If an awakening is exponential growth in a short period of time where the doors blow off your previous understanding of the world, how do you keep growing after a spiritual awakening? By adopting mindfulness. To me, this is also the practice of animism.
Animism is engaging in life the way that it is, in this moment. Not as an observer, but a participant. It's a romance with the sun, your bed, the fog, your family, and your partner. It's walking a slack line between being you and being a part of a community. If you do this every day, you won't fall asleep. And if you don't fall asleep, there is no need to awaken.
Every day offers newness. For example, I have been walking down by a stream in the...
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Posted on
December 23, 2020
In the west, we celebrate the "never give up" attitude. Perseverance is an admired trait that leads to success, abundance, and goal attainment. We push, sweat, and grind our way through life working for everything that comes our way. We see those who don't as lazy, loafers.
But what if that were not the most effective way to approach life? What would happen if we flowed with sovereignty and connection instead? What does that mean?
Flowing With Sovereignty
You are at the center of your life. Flowing with sovereignty is about knowing yourself and doing you. The world is made up of caretakers, artists, craftsmen, nerds, and so many other things. Some of us work methodically, some sporadically. Some people thrive in high stress environments, some in tranquil settings. When you know what...
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Posted on
December 6, 2020
Everyone has energy that extends beyond the physical body. The brain energy field can be detected a few inches away. The heart energy field can be measured up to six feet away!
Imagine what can happen when someone to your right is upset about a health issue, the person to your left is sick and tired, and several other people in the room are also low for one reason or another. How do you think this energy will impact you?
What if one of these people has an active dislike for you? Or if there are dark spirits in the area?
Fortunately, we don't have just passively accept whatever is in the environment. We can shield ourselves and strengthen our auras so outside energy doesn't impact us. Here's how.
Create an Energy Shield
This is...
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Posted on
November 27, 2020
If you are a convert to animism, sooner of later you are going to have to tell people you're an animist. If your family, friends, or lover isn't open minded, it may not be the easiest conversation to have. Here are some tips to make coming out as an animist easier.
Pick Your Moment
As with all tough conversations, it's a good idea to pick your moment. You want to have this talk when the other person is relaxed, receptive, and in a good space to hear you. The worst times is when either of you are hungry, angry, distracted, or tired. So pick your moment. Timing is really important.
Know Your Goal
Why are you having this conversation? What do you hope to gain? Be clear on your intention beforehand. This will help...
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Posted on
November 14, 2020
While browsing eBay, I came across a listing for a god. A god! How do you sell a god?
I am sure that the seller thought it was a quaint, backwoods, third world souvenir, but to the household that has a relationship with that god, it's life. It's sacred. It's not something that can be sold for decoration. If you want to understand this, you have to step out of the western world view.
In the Judeo-Christian world, idols are a no-no. The third commandment in the Bible says, "You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, the earth below, or the water beneath. You shall now bow down to them or worship them."
We also...
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Posted on
November 1, 2020
Non-Americans make fun of us when we say we're Irish-American or Cuban-American when we've never been to those countries and our parents were born in the USA. I don't think they understand our longing for roots because they have them. While we may have been here for centuries, we know our roots lie elsewhere. This is why modern animists need an ancestral home.
Almost everyone knows their native place, or the place where their fathers or grandfather's were born. Many modern animists have lost touch with their ancestral home, or the place where their distant people are from. Even when we know, we don't maintain the language, don't know the customs, and don't sustain the lifestyle. When all you have to lay claim to that heritage is oral tradition - which...
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Posted on
October 18, 2020
All life is energy. Everything resonates. When we drum mindfully, we move out of our every day awareness and into the flow of life. It's easier to connect to our spiritual essence, our inner truth, and the Otherworld. This is why we listen for the call of the drum. Let's take a look at how drumming can help you.
Drumming Enhances Brain Health
Whether you are actually drumming or just listening to it, drumming enhances brain health. The sound synchronizes the right and left hemispheres and makes your intuition and overall awareness stronger. It also creates new neural pathways that can heal damaged or under developed brains and make healthy brains even healthier.
Improves Mood
Drumming can produce feelings of euphoria that can break people out of depression. Even if you don't get high,...
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