Overview
Animism is the understanding that all things are interconnected, and that all things were, are, and will continue to be part of the same greater ecosystem. Everything both seen and unseen is defined in relation to each other.
Most definitions of Animism characterize it as “the belief that everything has a soul or vital essence to it.” But this is somewhat of a faulty definition because it describes how Animism looks within a Christian paradigm, rather than describing how it functions as a stand-alone model.
Norse Heathenry’s animistic nature changes the way someone perceives and interprets the character of reality. Some distinctions are as follows:
No Separation Between the Sacred and the Mundane
In Norse animism, “the spiritual” and “the mundane” are phenomena occurring within the same ecosystem. Any lines draw between them are purely interpretive. Because there is no separation between the sacred and the mundane, it’s impossible to “sin” within Norse animism. No moral action is capable of drawing us closer or further from divinity, for the same reason no moral action is capable of drawing us closer or further away from the air we breathe.
No Separation Between Internal and External Experience
Animism acknowledges that our internal and external lives weave in and out of each other, informing and shaping one another to create what we call “reality.” The allegories found within the Norse myths are meant to apply to both our internal and external landscapes.
Definition of “Beings”
“Beings” are not defined by their material forms, but rather by their energy, aspect, and character which permeates into the world (i.e. how they move through it). A troll that is a rock, a troll that is a human, a troll that is a cat, and a troll that is a incorporeal spirit, are all the same “species” of being—troll. The only difference is the vector they’re choosing to manifest themselves through. But take care: Just because a troll can be a rock doesn’t mean all rocks are trolls!
Death
Death is one of life’s many processes and vital to its continuation. In Norse animism, life emerges from an interplay of growth and decay, meaning “death”, like time and movement, is a facilitator of change. The nature of life and death is represented by Yggdrasil, the world tree that sits in the cosmological center of all reality.
