I had a tree friend once
and by that I mean
I once had a friend that was a small oak tree
his branches barely hitting the roof of our two story building
he wasn’t much of a talker
but he was the best at lending an ear
he wasn’t any good at hugs
but he grew a branch directly over the sidewalk
just to give me a high five every day
his leaves whispered loudest in the autumn breeze
and he caught the rain in his leaves the best
and I miss him
sometimes
when it’s too sunny outside
and there’s no tree to greet me when I get home
Tag: animism
Defining Animism
I often tell people I’m an animist first, and a Wiccan second. The way I view the universe is in its vastness and connectivity. I believe that all the gods exist just as real as you and me, hearing the prayers of worshippers and sometimes even answering them. I believe that they are connected to us just as we are connected to the trees, the air we breathe, and each other.
If I choose to worship a deity in ritual, I’m calling out to a stranger (or, with repetition, a friend) to help me. The god may or may not respond or offer aid.
If I choose to worship only existence and the awesomeness of life itself, I’m calling out to the connection between everything (man, god, star, and leaf). That connection exists forever and always, before I was born and long after my death.
This is my Animism, my understanding of how reality works. What’s yours?
Larissa Lee 