i've been weak
my understanding of animism is that everything matters, everything is important, and the way that we relate to everything and everyone is important/essential to fully being alive.
this can mean a few things:
1. if one is already mentally constricted, before this one can have a relationship with another being, this one needs to believe in the potential that another being exists. If not mentally constricted, if not indoctrinated with non-animist beliefs, skip to #2.
2 a. in order to develop and maintain a relationship, one needs to sense (to develop and maintain "contact" or "awareness" of) another being's current/fluid state of existence in it's many forms (5 senses, plus vibing with the heart, plus others as yet unknown).
2 b. once one senses the existence or the potential existence of another being, one must mentally grant this being the capability of perceiving/awareness of one's own state of existence, especially if one's senses are out-of-practice to the degree that one cannot immediately sense the interplay between one and another being.
3. if mentally constricted, one must mentally grant the potential for unique and different meanings behind another being's quality and/or expression of existence. The meaning of one's own (or of that meaning observed in a different being) for similar expressions of existence may inform understanding of but do not proscribe the same meaning for similar expressions. (why with-hold judgment?)
4. in order to discern (to sense and be aware of) the unique meaning in the subtle qualities of another being's existence, one must sense this being's existence for an extended period of time without attempting to discern meaning (judgment), or to sense this being's existence for a shorter period of time (still without judgment) and to inquire about the meaning of certain observed changes in qualities.
5. there is more than one way to perceive the world.
this can mean a few things:
1. if one is already mentally constricted, before this one can have a relationship with another being, this one needs to believe in the potential that another being exists. If not mentally constricted, if not indoctrinated with non-animist beliefs, skip to #2.
2 a. in order to develop and maintain a relationship, one needs to sense (to develop and maintain "contact" or "awareness" of) another being's current/fluid state of existence in it's many forms (5 senses, plus vibing with the heart, plus others as yet unknown).
2 b. once one senses the existence or the potential existence of another being, one must mentally grant this being the capability of perceiving/awareness of one's own state of existence, especially if one's senses are out-of-practice to the degree that one cannot immediately sense the interplay between one and another being.
3. if mentally constricted, one must mentally grant the potential for unique and different meanings behind another being's quality and/or expression of existence. The meaning of one's own (or of that meaning observed in a different being) for similar expressions of existence may inform understanding of but do not proscribe the same meaning for similar expressions. (why with-hold judgment?)
4. in order to discern (to sense and be aware of) the unique meaning in the subtle qualities of another being's existence, one must sense this being's existence for an extended period of time without attempting to discern meaning (judgment), or to sense this being's existence for a shorter period of time (still without judgment) and to inquire about the meaning of certain observed changes in qualities.
5. there is more than one way to perceive the world.