Inspired by a comment @Garnet left on another post, I wanted to talk about animism and the spirits within our tools! Now of course, as with anything I post like this, everything included here is based on my specific worldview and beliefs.
What is Animism?
Put simply, animism is the belief that everything we encounter, both alive and not, animate and inanimate, have the potential for spirit. Animism isn’t a religion or something that has a core set of beliefs. Instead, it is a way of viewing the world around us as being alive, full of energy and spirit.
There is a quote from a book I’m reading called Braiding Sweetgrass that really sums up the animistic worldview. I’ve included it here.
To whom does our language extend the grammar of animacy? Naturally, plants and animals are animate, but as I learn, I am discovering that the Potawatomi understanding of what it means to be animate diverges from the list of attributes of living beings we all learned in Biology 101. In Potawatomi 101, rocks are animate, as are mountains and water and fire and places. Beings that are imbued with spirit, our sacred medicines, our songs, drums, and even stories, are all animate. The list of the inanimate seems to be smaller, filled with objects that are made by people. Of an inanimate being, like a table, we say, “What is it?” And we answer Dopwen yewe. Table it is. But of apple, we must say, “Who is that being?” And reply Mshimin yawe. Apple that being is.
– Braiding Sweetgrass - The Grammar of Animacy by Robin Wall Kimmerer
When I think of animism and the English language, it is no wonder that we might have trouble with animism. We are taught that everything besides people and animals are “it” rather than “they”. The tree? It is tall. The river? It is long and winding. Honestly, shifting my language from “it” to “they” has helped shape my view of the world, even though I know in my heart that everything has spirit, or at least the potential for spirit.
How does this relate to our tools?
Though the original comment that inspired this post was about a tarot deck, I want to extend the idea of animism to the rest of our tools as well. Let’s talk about the spirit of a tarot deck, first.
What makes a tarot deck? Really, what is it made from? Let’s list the “ingredients” of a deck of tarot cards as if we were to make them ourselves.
Paper, of course. We have to have something to print the images on
Ink for printing, or if you’re drawing your own cards, whatever artistic medium used
The work, of course, because every artist puts a little bit of themselves into their creations
Looking at the basic ingredients here, everything comes from nature! How many trees do you think it takes to make your tarot deck? That tree had a life. What about the ink? Where does that come from? And the work? Of course the artist pours a little bit of themselves into their work, thus lending energy to the deck itself.
I often find myself drawn to different decks for different reasons. This could be the imagery or it could also be the spirit of the deck trying to get my attention. Some of my decks also have an attitude while others are more gentle.
Now we can look to the rest of our tools, too. What about a wand? Where did it come from? Did you forage it yourself from a living tree? Did you find it abandoned on the ground, or maybe washed up on the beach? If you foraged it from a live tree, did that tree extend their spirit to you? If it washed up, is it dead or does it contain the spirit of the sea?
How do you know if your object has a spirit?
I’ll be honest, not every tool or object you encounter will have spirit. That’s just the way of life, honestly. Sometimes things are alive and sometimes the spirit has long abandoned its physical form. But how can you tell? Well, if you’ve got a good foundation in energy work and focus, you’re covered! I can usually tell if an object has spirit within a few minutes of focusing, but sometimes it isn’t that easy. Here is a basic exercise for sensing the energy of an object.
Also, I realize I have used the words energy and spirit interchangeably in this post and I have done so on purpose. In this respect, an object having its own energy is the spirit of that object! If an object doesn’t have any energy, it will feel hollow and empty. Thus, there is no spirit in that object. Anyway, on to the exercise!
Sensing the Spirit of an Object
Sit down in a comfortable place with the object in your hand or near you.
Take a few moments to ground your energy and center yourself.
While breathing deeply and mindfully, hold the object in your hands (or hold your hands over the object) and extend your psychic senses to the object.
Feel the object out with your own energy. What can you feel? Does it get warm? Cold? Is there resistance? What do you see in your mind’s eye?
If you don’t feel anything or see anything at all, then the object might just be empty! If you’re unsure, just keep trying with different objects.
This is something that takes practice, and I hope I explained my little process there well enough.
So, do you view the world through an animistic lens? Do your tools have spirits? Or are they simply objects you’ve consecrated and made sacred?
When I think of animism, the first thing that comes to mind is 
) to even household items- there is a yokai spirit that is 
) but what I found most interesting about it, was how these animastic ideas that everything has a spirit contributes to Japanese hospitality and respect. If everything has a spirit, then it makes sense that you need to treat everything mindfully and respectfully- from the local shrine, to the woods, to your kitchen table.
I hope you love it as much as I do!
It’s certainly an interesting concept, one that I will admit I don’t know much about. Looks like I have more digging to do!
What you’re describing is something I view as a bit different than animism, but still within the scope! As witches, we can create energetic beings or ties to objects. I’ve created wards this way and others create things like servitors and egregores to act on their behalf!
But I’m off topic 🤦