Unlike what some of us were taught in school, animism is not a ‘primitive religion.’ It’s a worldview: a way of understanding the universe, our place in it, and how we can relate to it all. It says that other beings are not things but persons, with whom we can form and maintain relationships as persons. Animism reminds us that we are not the center of the universe and we are not the head of Nature, Rather, we are one part – one part among many.

John Beckett is a member of the Denton Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, where he served two terms as President and still serves on the Worship Committee. John is a Druid in the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, a member of the Denton Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans, and a former Vice President of CUUPS Continental. He’s been writing, speaking, teaching, and leading public rituals since 2003. His books The Path of Paganism (2017) and Paganism In Depth (2019) are published by Llewellyn Worldwide.