Western Animism: Zen & the Art of Positive Paganism

by Melusine Draco

A Zen approach to the World, the Universe and Everything. Many of today’s disenfranchised pagans in the West appear to be seeking a spiritual connection to life without feeling the need to become a witch, a Wiccan, a shaman, Heathen, or a Druid. Here the Shinto approach fulfils the basic need for a belief system based on what we would define as simple animism and ancestor worship in accord with the world’s other, authentic, animistic traditions such as the Australian Aboriginal and Native American way of life; while Zen provides the intellectual stimulation rising from the simplicity of basic folk-belief to elevate the soul to a higher level of mysticism.

Genres: Spirituality

96 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2019

About the author

Mélusine Draco originally trained in the magical arts of traditional British Old Craft with Bob and Mériém Clay-Egerton. She has been a magical and spiritual instructor for over 20 years with Coven of the Scales and the Temple of Khem, and writer of numerous popular books including Liber Agyptius: the Book of Egyptian Magic; The Egyptian Book of Days; The Egyptian Book of Nights; The Thelemic Handbook; The Hollow Tree, an elementary guide to the Qabalah; A Witch's Treasury of the Countryside; Root & Branch: British Magical Tree Lore and Starchild: a rediscovery of stellar wisdom. Her highly individualistic teaching methods and writing draws on ancient sources supported by academic texts and current archaeological findings. She now lives in Ireland near the Galtee Mountains and has several titles currently published with John Hunt Publishing including the Traditional Witchcraft series.

Reviews

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I realized halfway through reading this one that it's published by the same imprint as the last spirituality book I read and had many issues with, and this one had a lot of the same ones. There were a lot of grammar mistakes, missed punctuation, run on sentences, and disconnected paragraphs that would start with one idea and then fall into a different idea. At the very least, this one had a bibliography, though I feel like there were a lot of claims made that didn't get cited as well. I'm wondering if this imprint just doesn't edit its submissions.

It's not so much about animism as it is about Japanese culture, holidays, and spiritual ideologies, with a heavy focus on Zen, and a strange amount of focus on flowers above everything else.

[Spinneretta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

This book is not actually a treatise on Western animism, but rather a description of how to practice a non-religious (and non-shamanic) animism, using Shinto and Zen philosophies as examples.

Because Western animism is long lost to our cultural memory, we cannot know what or how our ancestors practiced or lived within this mindset. Since an animistic worldview is widespread and active in Japan, the author uses its cultural traditions to illustrate an animistic lifestyle, aligning them with those of Western countries (specifically England since the author is English) that have survived until today.

By taking these Eastern ideas, and conflating them with our own, the author endeavours to show that animism is not a primitive belief, and draws a blueprint for a Western animistic lifestyle.

The book, as with all in the series, is not meant as an in depth look at the subject, but rather aims to pique your interest, by opening the door.
It does this rather well, and the biggest disappointment is that we are left wondering just how to begin, and where to start.

If you’re looking for more information about observing animistic practices, then it’s a good place to begin, but far from a comprehensive look at the subject.
On the other hand, it was refreshing to see an animistic lifestyle without the shamanic aspect that so many people want to add to it.
An enjoyable book, on an intriguing subject.

[Emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some of the information is interesting but after a glaring factual error (“Japan is in the southern hemisphere”) I couldn’t take this book seriously. If something as simple as the hemisphere that the tradition being discussed (Zen) comes from isn’t correct then what else is wrong?
Fact check and cite your damn sources!
DNF

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent little book. A well written reference work to much of Japanese spirituality and some interesting insights into the western modern pagan tradition.

[Justin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is short and hard to find. The little bit I was able to see did not endear the book to me