> You are a friend (or child, or master, or whatever) to the spirit.
> But it can't stay in the middle world on its own, it will be pulled
> away to the spirit world. But it wants to help you, or has agreed to
> be employed by you, or it owes you service. So you offer it a body
> that it can inhabit, in the form of a fetish. Your tradition tells
> you what sort of fetish is suitable to what spirits
The way i understand it a lot of spirits are already in some way in the
mundane world, or at least have a connection to it, thats why you want a friendly
relationship with them.
They are native to the spiritworld but do some kind of "job" in the mundane
world somehow.
Animism sees the world as animated by spirits.
The wind is made by a spirit, gold shimmers because of its shining-spirit,
fire spirits eat the wood the fire consumes etc. In the winter naturespirits
sleep, thats why its winter and vice versa.
Why does any spirit want to help you? Because it has certain needs or wishes.
It wants to expand its personal "view" of life, just like humans do.
Why would i help you? Because it helps me in some way, too.
The same with spirits i´d guess.
Spirits who have no natural connection to the mundane world, have certain
goals too so thats how you can make a deal with them. Maybe that deal "as a
reality" is enough to give them the ability to temporarily transcend the border
between the worlds to aid you for a short time, before they´ll fade back. Or
maybe they can only come the mundane world when called upon and will fade back
after that.
Just some thoughts.
I would really like to hear some "official" statement on that topic because
it would clear a lot of questions i still have about animism. Its a wolrd i
have very little knowledge of. I can imagine wizadry, i can understand the world
of the gods, but with shamans and spirit, there is not so much i know, be it
books or rpg´s.
greets
Christian
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