Animastic

/ˌænɪˈmæstɪk/ adjective

Definition

Relating to or characteristic of animism, the belief that natural objects and phenomena possess spirits or souls.

Etymology

From animism (from anima, soul) + -astic (a suffix forming adjectives, though less common than -istic). Animism comes from anima (Latin for soul) with the -ism suffix (indicating a belief system or practice).

Kelly Says

The word 'animastic' is wonderfully obscure, but it captures something important: many pre-modern and non-Western cultures genuinely don't separate 'spirit' from 'nature'—for them, mountains, rivers, and forests have agency and personality, which Western science dismissed as primitive until ecology showed the interconnectedness they understood.

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