The concept of animism refers to the group of beliefs that revolve around the existence of spirits or souls.
The etymology of animism refers us to the French word animisme . This word is formed with the Latin anĭma (which can be translated as "life" or "soul" ) and the French suffix - isme (in our language, "-ism" , used to form nouns that mean movement, doctrine, tendency or system, for example).
The concept of animism has several uses. It may refer to a doctrine of medicine proposed by the German Georg Ernest Stahl or to various beliefs linked to the presence and intervention of spirits .
Animism according to Stahl
Georg Ernst Stahl (1659–1734) fue un químico y médico que propuso la idea de anima como una fuerza vital. De acuerdo a Stahl, el ánima actuaba como una especie de restorative energy que hacía posible la curación o sanación.
What Stahl did with animism, in this way, was to cover the lack of knowledge or explanations about different phenomena by appealing to the anima. It was a diffuse term, with variable scope depending on the case.
Animism maintains that there are people, such as shamans or witches, capable of mediating between people and spiritual or divine entities.
Beliefs about spirits
The idea of animism, on the other hand, refers to various types of beliefs related to spirits (souls, immaterial beings). Animism can be linked to the intervention of spirits that animate things and to the attribution of soul existence to all beings .
Taking these statements into account, it can be argued that animism is a notion that encompasses different beliefs. In a broad sense, animism consists of giving spirit, consciousness or soul to the elements of nature and objects .
Animism, in this way, tends to personify supernatural things or entities : the anima manages to inhabit and direct them. Therefore, everything has "life."
Animism and religion
Animism has been present in religion since ancient times. Certain forms of nature worship, in fact, are animistic since they grant the presence of spirit or consciousness to birds, mammals, stones, mountains, rivers, etc.
It cannot be omitted to mention that animism, according to various thinkers, is a construction that is carried out from anthropology . Aboriginal peoples, to mention one case, do not usually have a word to name animism because the belief or practice is an intrinsic part of their worldview .
Qualifying a belief as animistic, therefore, entails an intellectual process that is determined by social and cultural reasons. There are communities that, due to their rituals and visions, are animist according to the most used conception, even when these groups do not define themselves in that way.
Most common principles and precepts
Although animism is very broad, it is possible to point out certain precepts and principles that are usually common to all beliefs of this type. One of the pillars is the recognition of the existence of spiritual entities that interact with people and nature .
For animism, the soul can distance itself from the body through different processes (such as substance use or meditation). Death, likewise, does not determine the end of existence.
Another point to consider is that animism believes that some individuals are capable of mediating with the divine or the supernatural . Depending on the culture, they can be sorcerers , shamans , mediums or other figures.