The Emergence of Mythoanimist Consciousness
Thoughts on a new spiritual movement for this age of Aquarius
It may not seem like it if you spend your days enthralled by mass media, but we are in the midst of birthing a new consciousness into our collective reality.
Those of us who walk a spiritual path no longer must endure the trappings of organized religion, guru-based hierarchies, and cult-like wellness centers.
And no longer can we separate our spiritual practices from the earth that sustains us.
We live in times of collective reckoning around power dynamics and the crises facing our earth, with both religions and alternative spiritual communities dissolving.
What a gift to be alive during this time of radical transformation in consciousness ;)
Dissolution of old structures is usually hard — the Tower card of the Tarot comes to mind here. Yet what emerges from the death of the old are new possibilities, and right now, we’re living in a time of immense potentiality.
As our foundational beliefs around life and the order of the universe crumble, we must realign with what is true now. Our future is undecided. Which timeline shall we ride? What collective destiny are we creating?
Drawing from my ongoing witnessing of both human consciousness and the spirit dimensions we co-exist with, I’ve identified seven key traits that seem to define a new spiritual ethos, one made of a great diversity of thinkers, yet tied together by a few trends:
Spiritual equality and sovereignty: We want to experience spirit directly for ourselves and to know that we can trust their own intuition.
Care for our earth and deep ecology. The climate crisis is forefront in our minds, and forming meaningful connections with nature has taken on a sort of spiritual urgency.
Rebelling against old power dynamics — especially patriarchal and colonial ones. Calls to end oppression and center previously marginalized voices have become intertwined with spiritual practice.
A focus on ancestry and ancestors. We’re here because of the ancestors that have survived challenging times before, and there’s a growing recognition of the wisdom we might find through ancestral work.
Participating in the psychedelic revival. The shutdown of psychedelic research in the seventies aimed to cut us off from cultivating our own direct spiritual connections—and therefore our ability to think for ourselves. Now, we’re reclaiming our right to research and use psychedelics for healing and connection.
Re-engagement with Jungian thought. We are finding meaning in the transpersonal realms of archetypes, omens, symbols, mythologies, and dreams—acknowledging that the universe is always communicating with us if we’ll listen…and engage in shadow work.
Embracing animism. More and more people are recognizing the need to shift out of human-centric worldviews and into an appreciation of the inspirited nature of all things.
(I’m sure there are more trends to add to this list — would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!)
The elements of this ethos are connected and important, yet until now, I have not resonated with language that clearly encompasses all of them.
Witch, priestess, animist, earth-medicine practitioner, akashic record reader, shaman, starseed, energy healer, and lightworker are bandied about. And some folks, feeling the limitations inherent in any of this language, prefer the terms “spiritual” or “spirit work” — which are a bit too broad to convey much meaning.
In truth, there is a deep layer of vast yet cohesive spiritual wisdom and truth that connects all the spiritual qualities listed above…
This is where mythoanimism comes in.
Mythoanimism—A Philosophy for These Times
Animism nods to the inspirited nature of the universe — and not only to the spirits of nature we know and love. True animist practice acknowledges that even concepts and objects can have their own vital energy.
Mythos reminds us of the poetic, non-linear, symbolic, and archetypal reality of the universe. This invites trance states, direct revelation, and ancestral wisdom into our spiritual paths. Mythos also allows space for the non-embodied dimension of spirit — deities and beings of other realms are acknowledged and brought into our philosophies and practices.
Together, these words give us mythoanimism. Mythoanimism is contained enough to have identifying characteristics, yet broad enough that each person can walk “the mythoanimist path” in their own unique way.
As an open and emerging philosophy, mythoanimism is welcoming to people of all backgrounds, and when practiced with care and intention, frees us from the trappings of outdated power dynamics, concerns around cultural appropriation, and the often overly individualist qualities of the spiritualities that have come before.
As we embark on this new — yet in truth ancient — path before us, let’s look more closely at the qualities held within mythoanimism.
Spiritual sovereignty is our birthright.
Those on the mythoanimist path are waking up to an important truth: spirit is within. And while teachers on the path are valuable guides, we must never give over our own power and knowing.
With so many realizing their own divinity, we are experiencing a zeitgeist moment in the realm of spiritual sovereignty — the idea that we can have our own direct connection to spirit, uninhibited and uninfluenced by outside forces.
This concept has rippling effects on our lived experience: When we understand that we are divine and that we have the power of spirit within us, we realize that we must take on a new level of responsibility for our lives. We must care for our health, our communities, each other, and our great earth.
We must love life itself as much as the great spirit that created us does.
Spiritual sovereignty, which sounds quite individualistic, actually brings us into greater relationship with all that is.
Animism is the truth of our natural world.
Our ecological crisis requires a cosmological solution.
We must view the earth as alive. And we must understand that all beings — from birds to trees to mountains and stones — have consciousness and are inspirited.
This is a vast departure from the human-centric worldviews of the past. And, while many people are waking up to the spirits inhabiting our natural world — those found in animals and plants — mythoanimism takes this even further: All is inspirited.
We recognize the spirit of concepts — such as hope or money — as well as the spirit of objects. If you’ve ever talked to your car in a moment of desperation, you’ve tasted the relationships that are possible here. (And this may prove to be an essential shift for a world in which AI plays an active role.)
When we truly integrate an animistic worldview into our consciousness, everything changes. We form new relationships with the land we live on, the food we eat, and the things we consume. We also become empowered to work with the energies in our lives — around wealth, habits, dreams — in new transformative ways.
We are a web of equality and oneness. And we are individuals, here and now.
Spiritual sovereignty tells us that spirit is within us, and animism tells us that spirit enlivens all things. This framework gives way to the universal understanding that we are all one at the most fundamental spiritual level.
Where there is oneness, there is no dualism and no hierarchy. With this understanding, no longer can we unconsciously treat that which is outside ourselves as lesser than or disposable. No longer can unchecked consumerism, tribalism, us vs. them, and outdated power dynamics guide our consciousness.
Returning to regenerative living and creating circular economies become spiritual imperatives.
And at the same time we acknowledge our oneness, we also recognize that we are having individual incarnations. We are souls, with our own energy, karma, and life experiences. Holding multiple levels of seemingly conflicting awareness is a key part of the mythoanimist path.
The universe communicates through symbolic language and archetypes.
As mentioned earlier, Jungian psychology is undergoing something of a revival right now — and for good reason. Jung understood that we are all connected on subconscious levels.
And there are actual studies that support understanding of life: When Stanislov Groff performed his LSD studies, he found that not only did various layers of consciousness exist, but he uncovered another layer not previously understood (in the West at least) revealed itself — the transpersonal.
Groff found that while in a trance state, people could experience universal symbols and archetypes — even connecting with beings and deities from cultures with which they had no previous connection or knowledge. There truly is a universal, symbolic language that we can tap into.
The universe is far more vast and interconnected than we could ever imagine—yet we’re not left in the dark. Our dreams contain important insights and revelations beyond our personal processing. Omens, often in the form of nature’s messengers, are waiting for our attention. Mythology from cultures around the world contains universal archetypes and clues for understanding our human experiences, here and now.
The true nature of reality is far more layered than our consensus reality.
Mythoanism pulls us out of our limited understanding of consensus reality into an undefined and more expansive understanding of the true nature of reality.
Many layers of reality exist beyond what we can validate with our five senses. Energetic blueprints and systems underlie our physical bodies. Various disembodied beings — from deities and angels to the recently deceased and fae — exist alongside us, just on the other side of our veils of perception.
This understanding opens us to possibilities that might otherwise seem like magical thinking. In truth, healing happens on energetic and spiritual levels in addition to physical, emotional, and mental ones — and we can engage in a wide variety of practices and techniques to work in partnership with the other realms and their inhabitants.
As we recognize that the “rules” we’ve been taught might not be set in stone, we can welcome energy, healing, and creation into our lives through radical new pathways.
We can also learn to communicate with the various beings who reside in slightly different dimensions, opening us to new and empowering relationships with real impacts on our daily life.
This is also where altering our consciousness, or entering trance states, becomes important, as doing so can help us navigate the other dimensions of reality. While this can happen with psychedelics, there are many pathways available — breathwork, meditation, yoga nidra, music, and more.
Our ancestors are allies. And so are our descendants.
…And our ancestry is more complicated than many people realize.
Throughout the world and throughout history, ancestors — well and compassionate ones, at least — have been our primary allies. This is because of the knowing and trust built into these familial relationships.
As we navigate the many dimensions of reality, not all beings we encounter are trustworthy or benevolent. Our well ancestors, however, always have our backs, and we can check in with them when meeting someone — or something — new.
Our ancestors are also here to help us in challenging times. They knew how to survive, and they can help us do the same. Remembering ancestral skills, rituals, and ways to care for our bodies, homes, and families nourishes us on many levels.
As we engage with ancestral practices, it’s important to remember that our ancestry is much more vast than our known DNA lines. Yes, our blood lineage is often a primary influence on our current life, but it’s not the whole story. Spirit is far too expansive to play by any set of rules we humans might like to make up…
Which brings us to our descendants. In kairos time, we are not tied to what we view as the past, present, and future — all life happens simultaneously, and we can connect with our descendents just as we connect with our ancestors.
You do not need to know your bloodline or have your own offspring to work with ancestral and descendant energies. Imagine a descendant in the future of the human race: How many different bloodlines from throughout an ever more connected world might converge into that one human being. There is no way for our human minds to trace all the DNA connections formed throughout time.
A note: When I use the term “ancestor”, I refer to much more than our human lineages. More on this to come.
We are children of the earth and the cosmos.
At the heart of mythoanimist practice lies a foundational relationship of reciprocity with the earth. We have an unshakable knowing that we are both born of the earth and are caretakers of the earth and all her inhabitants.
A deep love and reverence of the earth is perhaps the most central quality for all mythoanimist practice. This love might manifest indifferent ways for different folks — some may engage directly with the earth through rewilding, herbal medicine, permaculture, and other such practices. Others may simply feel the presence of earth wherever they are, honoring her through ceremony and ritual, the arts, or advocacy.
Regardless of the particular way one engages with the earth, cultivating an ever-deepening relationship with her is of primary importance for all who walk this path—this is one of the key factors that sets mythoanimism apart from other spiritual paths.
While our deep relationship with the earth keeps us grounded, mythoanimism also invites us to expand our awareness into the cosmos — for we are also born of the same stuff of the stars.
The stars, starbeings, and great mysteries of the skies are as much a part of our consciousness as our lives here on earth. As we cross beyond the boundaries of human-centered cosmology, we invite ourselves to step into unknown territory beyond the world we know.
Being of Service in the Aquarian Age
Mythoanimism offers us a beautiful individual path to connect with the earth, the cosmos, and spirit. Yet what’s also important to remember is that this path brings us into service, in whatever way aligns with our souls.
Perhaps this is why mythoanimism and the trends that co-create this path are emerging now, more strongly than ever. We are just entering the Age of Aquarius — a time of radical shifts in consciousness, more humanitarian and collectively focused service, and innovation that supports healing and equality.
Cultivating an internal spirituality rooted in mythoanimist principles gives us a profound foundation for showing up in the world. We heal ourselves, face our shadows, illuminate our unique gifts, and find clarity on our personal soul-led paths.
Does this resonate? Are you part of the growing number of mythoanimists who will change our world? Does mythoanimism feel like it lands well to describe your spiritual explorations? I’d love to hear from you.
One more note:
Since this is the first published work (other than my other website content) to use and introduce this term to our collective, I would be deeply grateful if you would please reference me as originating this term should you use it in your own work, which I very much hope you do. I asked, prayed, meditated, brainstormed, journeyed, and opened myself to spirit again and again before this word arose in my consciousness. Thank you!
Not that you need any validation from me, but I think your words, language and description of mythoanimism are spot on. I can feel everything that you described about how I “work” and “practice on a spiritual level but no words have felt accurate at all. Even the word “spiritual” has fallen short. But what you described is exactly how I feel. Thank you for bringing these words to light.
I just reread this today. It’s brilliant. I love the clear descriptions of defining how inclusive your work is. Mythoanimism is like a road map for navigating being a sovereign human, waking each day learning, exploring and being “new” and present. It’s so important for imagining ways to live in harmony with our beautiful planet. And for learning to live together as very unique and different peoples.