Animism And True Kinship With Animals
I’m sharing with you today about how being an animist has helped me integrate true kinship into my animal communication practice.
Just to make sure we’re on the same page, let’s start with a couple of definitions I use in my practice:
An animal communicator is someone who connects intuitively with animals and works as a translator to help the animal’s person understand what the animal is experiencing. This helps both the animal and human find the peace of mind, confidence and ease of a more harmonic relationship. My work as an animal communicator is usually done with domesticated animals.
An animist is someone who practices animism. My friend, colleague and mentor, Kelley Harrell , says animism is considered the oldest religion, it’s an ancient expression of awareness beyond the self. An animist believes that:
- everything has a soul
- all souls are connected and thus can intercommunicate
- all souls are equal
Animism relates to everything and as I focus on animals in my business, I work from the stance that:
- animals have their own agency
- an animal’s experience does not need to be validated through the human’s lens in order for it to be authentic
- recognizing we live in a society that demands humans have dominion over animals
In my practice I provide an alternative way to be with animals: helping you move from an ownership perspective to one of true kinship.
How the cosmology of true kinship with animals came into being
Years ago I participated in a 2 year intensive study program where I learned about intuitive and embodied soul tending through nature. It literally cracked me, my world perspective and cosmology open, not to just the non physical realms, but to our physical realm and the sentient beings with whom we share it.
Life became more authentic and vibrant as I became accountable in my relationship with animals and began to dismantle the ways society told me I “should” treat animals. I had unconsciously accepted those societal norms — as so many of us have! — and in the dismantling I discovered those norms benefitted humans more than animals.
Even though I didn’t mean to, I often found myself playing ‘the human card’, meaning I would be thinking since I’m the human *I* knew what was best for all. I still work to open room in my thought process to accept that each sentient being has its own life and story to tell *without* being framed through my human interpretation of their story.
It took me awhile to realize that ‘the human card’ has been forced upon us by our colonized culture.
I realize that in defining animals by a role I assign them ie teachers, guides, friends, furkid etc, I deprive these sentient beings of their sentience and agency and turn them into minions to be used at my dictates and fancy.
I now practice animism with all beings — yes, even my car and tea cup — with my focus on animals.
Practicing true kinship with animals is a way of showing up in life for animals in a way that is contrary to the conventional relationship we have established with them over the centuries. It’s about moving from ownership to kinship, from an egocentric to an ecocentric view of the world. It’s non-traditional, revolutionary and life changing way to be.
True kinship is a way to:
- witness animals more clearly
- be witnessed more clearly by the animals
- identify and dismantle the ways I’ve been conditioned by a colonized society to have dominion over animals
- embody my core values
- bring true kinship into the reality of like minded folx
- co-exist more fully with animals
- stay accountable for my behavior and actions with animals
I hope this encourages you to explore the connection between animism and true kinship. I invite you to look at your relationship with animals differently, so that a new place of understanding begins to open for you, allowing you to identify your internalized narratives and guiding principles with animals.
Janet Roper is an animist, podcaster, intuitive practitioner, non-traditional animal communicator, mentor and educator and for 20+ years has helped people restructure their relationship with animals. Two of her most popular resources are her monthly newsletter and her 5 email introductory series to her signature program Deepen. Visit her website and give her podcast True Kinship With Animals a listen.
