Published by Pan Society
New to animism? Want to explore the animist lifestyle in the modern world? Come with us. We were born into this and can show you the ropes about rituals, Spirit, ancestors, holy days, and so much more!
Listen on Apple Podcasts13 min
Ever feel like there's more than one voice inside you? In this episode, we explore how animist traditions around the world — from Hawaiian Huna to Mongolian shamanism to Lakota soul teachings to West African concepts of the double — understood the self as a council, not a single "I." Learn the difference between being ruled by your inner voices and learning to govern them, how dreams and symptoms are council members trying to speak, and how this ancient idea shows up today in Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy and the trauma model of structural dissociation. Plus, a simple journaling practice to help you hear your own inner parliament clearly. If you've ever wondered whether your intuition, your wounds, and your ancestors are all talking to you at once — this one's for you. Join us at Pansociety.net
43 min
Musician Mark shares his "think like a proton" philosophy — a way of channeling energy, ritual, and presence into songwriting and performance. We explore how science, poetry, and family shaped his sound, and how staying energetically attuned lets him connect deeply with every audience. Mark Winters Pan Society
15 min
Where are you, right now — really? In your body, or a step outside it? Living in this moment, or replaying the past and rehearsing the future? This episode maps three layers of "where am I": embodiment, time, and relational position — above, below, behind, in front, beside, with — then zooms out to ask the same questions of our place among rivers, trees, and animals. Includes a three-part field practice for finding your way back to here, now. Want to go deeper? Join me here: Pan Society
23 min
What happens when you ask permission from a mountain — and then ignore the answer? In 1996, eight people died on Everest in a single storm. The movie captures the chaos, the courage, and the heartbreak. But it misses the deeper story: the mountain herself. In this episode, we sit with Chomolungma — the Goddess Mother of the World — and ask what she saw that day. We talk about the Puja ceremony the Sherpas held before the climb, what it actually meant, and what happened when the Western climbers nodded politely and then went right back to their spreadsheets. We talk about the trash. The bodies left behind. The Sherpas who were treated like pack animals by people who would later write bestselling books. And the quiet, devastating truth at the heart of all of it: the mountain doesn't care about your reasons. She was here before us. She'll be here after. This one's for the animists. The ones who knock before they enter. The ones who know the land is listening. 🌿 Topics covered: The Puja ceremony and what "asking permission" actually means in practice Sherpa cosmology and the goddess Miyolangsangma 50+ tons of trash on Everest and what that says about us The human motivations that sent people past their limits Beck Weathers, Yasuko Namba, and the ethics of leaving someone behind Why Nature is the only story that was never going to end with us https://pansociety.net
17 min
What if the antidote to evil has been living in the rivers, roots, and rituals of Earth-based spirituality all along? We explore Evan Longin's theory of what makes widespread harm possible — binary thinking, controlled information, oversimplified answers, and unchecked power — and ask whether animism, one of humanity's oldest worldviews, naturally resists all four. For anyone who talks to trees, grieves the animals they eat, or feels the river has something to say. See us at https://pansociety.net
9 min
What does it mean to truly govern yourself in a world designed to fragment your attention and outsource your choices? In Episode 1 of this series, we explore sovereignty not as power or isolation — but as coherent self-governance in relationship. Through an animist lens, we look at why you can only genuinely connect with the living world (trees, rivers, ancestors, dreams) when you show up as genuinely yourself — and how consumer culture, social media, and algorithmic life quietly erode that self. We introduce the six-part arc of the series (Root → Perceive → Discern → Choose → Defend → Regenerate) and leave you with a simple but powerful field practice to try this week. Want to go deeper? Join me here:https://www.pansociety.net
13 min
An animist reframe on aging: your body isn't decaying — it's becoming. Using the wheel of life, the four seasons, and the wisdom of nature-based traditions, we answer a listener's heartfelt question about finding peace in a changing body. This is also the perfect preview for our upcoming series on Sovereignty — how to step into your power at any age. Got a question for the podcast? Drop it in the comments or send it to me directly. I read every one. If this resonated, please like, share, and review — it helps others walking a nature-based path find their way here. Reciprocity keeps this community alive. 🔗 Learn more at https://patreon.com/cw/pansocietyanimism 📩 Submit a listener question: https://pansociety.net
28 min
You believe the world is alive. So why does it feel so far away? In the final episode of From Numb to Known, trauma therapist and lifelong animist [Host Name] offers a practical roadmap for returning to presence — one nervous system at a time. This episode covers the correct sequence for healing dissociation (hint: safety before spirit), somatic grounding as genuine animist relationship, the practice of titration and pendulation, reciprocity as a way to interrupt freeze, finding community when your worldview doesn't fit mainstream culture, and how Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, and Internal Family Systems align with animist frameworks. For anyone who feels cut off from a world they know is alive — this is the practice of coming back. Small, real, and possible. Pan Society https://patreon.com/cw/PanSocietyAnimism Laura Giles https://linktr.ee/lauragiles
31 min
You named the ache (Part 1). You understood the trauma underneath it — the freeze, the protector, the structural split (Part 2). Now comes the turn: the bridge back.In Part 3 of From Numb to Known, we reframe disconnection itself. This isn't a story about something broken in you — it's a story about a torn thread in a living web, and torn threads don't carry shame, only the need for mending.In this episode, we explore:→ Why disconnection is relational, not personal — a repair story, not a self-improvement story→ What the land, the seasons, the animals, and the ancestors have been doing this whole time (hint: they never stopped reaching)→ Why the relationship is waiting, not gone — and why the fact that you're listening right now is proof something in you kept the thread→ How trauma lives in the body — and why the body is also the way back→ Sensation as the first language of reconnection, before meaning, before storyThis is for the deeply feeling people — the ones who've felt the glass between themselves and the living world, and who are ready to understand that the bridge across it was never missing. It's been there the whole time.Part 4 is coming soon, where we begin the actual practice: grounding, small presence, reciprocity, and finding your people.#FromNumbToKnown #Animism #SomaticHealing #NervousSystemHealing #TraumaRecovery #EcoSpirituality #NatureConnection #DissociationHealing #AncestralTrauma #Embodiment #PolyvagalTheory #SpiritualAwakening #HealingJourney #EarthBasedSpirituality #FeltSenseWant to go deeper? Join me here:https://www.patreon.com/cw/PanSocietyAnimismLaura Giles is an animist licensed clinical social worker who specializes in healing trauma. She founded Pan Society to make animism accessible to modern people. She delights in helping people to find their own spiritual path and awaken their innate spiritual wisdom.For more information about Laura Giles, see her websites at https://linktr.ee/lauragilesBumper credits: Music from Pond5. Videos from Pixabay and Pexels.
36 min
What does it mean to listen to a gravestone? Jason Church has spent his life finding out. As Chief of Technical Services at the National Park Service's National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, Jason is one of the country's leading experts in cemetery preservation and monument conservation — but his relationship with these sacred places began long before any credential. It started in fourth grade, in a cemetery in Wilmington, North Carolina, with a caretaker who showed a curious kid things most people never get to see. In this conversation, Jason talks about what cemeteries hold — not just names and dates, but stories, artistry, spiritual presence, and the living pulse of community memory. We explore the craftsmanship of anonymous stone carvers whose finest work sits in forgotten corners of the country, the oral histories that disappear when a marker crumbles, and what it actually felt like to raise his family inside Laurel Grove South Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia — one of the most historically and spiritually significant African American burial grounds in the South. For animists, cemetery preservation isn't maintenance. It's reciprocity. It's relationship. And Jason Church has been living that truth since he was nine years old. Chapters00:00 The Seeds of Curiosity: A Childhood Fascination07:17 Living Among the Dead: Caretaking in a Cemetery11:31 The Art and Science of Preservation16:39 Community and Connection: The People Behind the Graves26:12 Legacy and Storytelling: Keeping Memories Alive#CemeteryPreservation #Animism #AnimistPodcast #SacredLand #CemeteryConservation #HonoringAncestors #GravestoneRestoration #HistoricPreservation #DeathPositive #FolkArt #OralHistory #BurialGrounds #AncestorVeneration #LaurelGroveCemetery #NationalParkService #SpiritInTheGround #CemeteryHistory #SacredSites #GraveyardCulture #TendingTheDead🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode👇 Tell us in the comments — what cemetery has stayed with you?Want to go deeper? Join me here:https://www.patreon.com/cw/PanSocietyAnimismLaura Giles is an animist licensed clinical social worker who specializes in healing trauma. She founded Pan Society to make animism accessible to modern people. She delights in helping people to find their own spiritual path and awaken their innate spiritual wisdom.For more information about Laura Giles, see her websites at https://linktr.ee/lauragilesBumper credits: Music from Pond5. Videos from Pixabay and Pexels.
19 min
You know the world is alive. You feel it in flashes — in the forest, in a quiet moment, in a flicker of connection that feels like coming home. And then it's gone, and you're back behind the glass, watching your own life from a distance. This isn't a failure of your spirituality. It's not that you're "not doing it right."In Part 2 of this series, we go deep into what trauma actually does to the nervous system — and why the same sensitivity that draws you toward animism, toward feeling the aliveness of the world, is also the thing standing between you and actually landing inside it. We explore: * Why dissociation is a protector, not a flaw * The three layers of wounding: personal, ancestral, and collective * Why hypervigilance often underlies spiritual sensitivity * Structural dissociation — the biology of why you can know connection is real and still not feel it * How to begin honoring the parts of you that learned to protect you This is for the deeply feeling people. The ones who light the candles, sit with the trees, do the practice — and still feel that pane of glass. You are not alone in this, and you are not failing. Part 3 is coming soon, where we start talking about what healing this actually looks like.If this resonated, I'd love to hear which part hit hardest — drop it in the comments below. Want to go deeper? Join me here:https://www.patreon.com/cw/PanSocietyAnimismLaura Giles is an animist licensed clinical social worker who specializes in healing trauma. She founded Pan Society to make animism accessible to modern people. She delights in helping people to find their own spiritual path and awaken their innate spiritual wisdom.For more information about Laura Giles, see her websites at https://linktr.ee/lauragiles
41 min
Most films about religion play it safe. They make faith the light that saves everyone, or the darkness that corrupts everything. The Pilgrimage (2017) does something braver — and rarer.Through six characters, this quiet Irish film maps the full spectrum of what religion actually does to human beings. Raymond sees any rock as a potential relic and uses the Crusades as a machine for wealth and absolution. Geraldus is a true believer who turned in his own father as a heretic — not for power, but because the institution has replaced his conscience entirely. Brother Ciarán shares Geraldus's faith exactly, and yet dies forgiving his torturer with his last breath. The mute was set adrift without oars for something terrible he did, found by Diarmuid, and has been choosing smallness as penance ever since. And Diarmuid himself — young, quiet, the only one whose faith has never been used for anything — is the only one pure enough to touch the relic. And the only one who understands what must be done with it in the end.This video is a deep-dive psychological and spiritual reading of The Pilgrimage — one of the most honest films about faith ever made, and one almost nobody is talking about.Chapters00:00 The Dual Nature of Faith in Hollywood02:32 Exploring the Characters of 'Pilgrimage'04:51 Raymond: The Pragmatic User of Faith08:32 Geraldus: The True Believer's Tragedy12:06 Brother Ciaran: Faith in Action16:07 The Mute: Guilt and Redemption20:07 Jermud: Pure Spirituality24:10 The Pagans: The Old Sacred27:11 The Power Dynamics of Religion30:04 The Universal Need for Meaning32:41 The Final Sacrifice and Its Implications37:10 The Honest Exploration of Faith#Pilgrimage #spiritualityvsreligion#FilmAnalysis #ReligionAndFilm#FaithVsReligion #MovieExplainedWant to go deeper? Join me here:https://www.patreon.com/cw/PanSocietyAnimismLaura Giles is an animist licensed clinical social worker who specializes in healing trauma. She founded Pan Society to make animism accessible to modern people. She delights in helping people to find their own spiritual path and awaken their innate spiritual wisdom.For more information about Laura Giles, see her websites at https://linktr.ee/lauragilesBumper credits: Music from Pond5. Videos from Pixabay and Pexels.
29 min
Do you feel present in the room but absent from it? Like the river used to speak — and now it doesn't? For those of us who understand the world as alive and relational, disconnection isn't just a social problem. It's a cosmic one. When the felt sense goes quiet, we lose touch not only with people, but with everything that speaks. In this first episode of From Numb to Known , we name the specific ache of disconnection that animists often feel most deeply — and we explain why you are not broken. You are severed. And severing is something that happens to people, which means it can be understood, and slowly, carefully, healed. We explore interoception — the sense through which you feel yourself and the world — and how trauma and modern life together turn it down. We talk about why genuine empathy requires a body that is available to receive, and why that availability is exactly what gets shut down under prolonged stress. And we hold space for the particular grief of ancestral disconnection: when the lineage that held these practices was broken before we were born. This series is about returning to a connected way of life. This episode is where we begin — with the truth of where we are. Want to go deeper? Join me here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/PanSocietyAnimism
22 min
Do you feel like something is missing — but you can't quite name what it is? You're not alone. Millions of people are searching for deeper meaning, connection, and a sense of belonging that modern life just doesn't seem to offer. In this video, we explore why — through the lens of animism, the documentary Kato: Dreams of the Dark Earth, and the surprising wisdom of the Munduruku people of the Amazon.You'll learn:What animism actually is (and why it's not what you think)Why even people living on ancestral land feel disconnected — and what that means for the rest of usHow the Western habit of naming and categorizing everything is cutting you off from real relationshipA simple "unnaming" practice you can start today to begin feeling more alive and connectedWhy trauma work is non-negotiable on the spiritual path — and how to know if it applies to youWhether you're exploring spirituality for the first time, recovering from religious trauma, feeling burned out by hustle culture, or simply sensing that there's more to life than what you've been handed — this video is for you.#animism #whatisanimism #animismexplained #spiritualawakening #feelingdisconnected #somethingismissing #indigenousspirituality #Munduruku #Katodocumentary #KatoDreamsoftheDarkEarth #traumaandspirituality #spiritualhealing #naturespirituality #earth-basedspirituality #UrsulaLeGuin #SheUnnamesThem #animistpractice Want to go deeper? Join me here:https://www.patreon.com/cw/PanSocietyAnimismLaura Giles is an animist licensed clinical social worker who specializes in healing trauma. She founded Pan Society to make animism accessible to modern people. She delights in helping people to find their own spiritual path and awaken their innate spiritual wisdom.For more information about Laura Giles, see her websites at https://linktr.ee/lauragilesBumper credits: Music from Pond5. Videos from Pixabay and Pexels.
22 min
What if everything around you — the river, the wind, the stone under your feet — was alive? Not metaphorically. Actually alive, with its own intentions, memory, and place in the world?That's the premise at the heart of animism, one of humanity's oldest and most widespread spiritual frameworks. In this episode, we break down animist cosmology from the ground up: the three-world structure of Upper, Middle, and Lower realms; the nature of the human soul and the danger of soul loss; the beings that populate the Otherworld — from ancestors and psychopomps to chthonic earth spirits and the unquiet dead; the role of the shaman as a diplomat between worlds; and the strange, sideways communities — fairies, the Fair Folk, the Hidden People — who share the Middle World with us just out of sight.We also tackle the big conceptual questions: how does animism handle gods, demons, and elemental spirits? What is soul loss, and why does it look so much like modern trauma? And what does reciprocity actually mean when you live inside a web of relations that includes every rock, river, and ancestor you've ever had?Whether you're approaching this from folklore, indigenous studies, shamanism, nature spirituality, or pure curiosity — this episode maps the full terrain.Topics covered: animist cosmology, the three worlds, soul and soul loss, the Otherworld, ancestors, shamanism, spirits of place, animal powers, the Fair Folk and fairy folklore, gods vs powerful persons in animism, dangerous spirits, elemental forces, and reciprocity as the ethical core of animist belief.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Animism02:44 The Foundation of Animism05:00 The Structure of the Cosmos07:21 The Concept of Soul in Animism09:44 The Other World and Its Inhabitants12:17 The Role of the Healer13:47 The Middle World and Its Beings17:03 Understanding Gods and Spirits in Animism18:52 Living in Balance with the CosmosWant to go deeper? Join me here:https://www.patreon.com/cw/PanSocietyAnimism#AnimistCosmology #SoulLoss #SpiritOfPlace #Otherworld #FairFolk #Sidhe #AncestorSpirit #ChthionicSpirits #ShamanicJourney #NatureSpirits #SacredNature #WebOfLife #ReciprocityWithNature #LivingUniverse #ThreeWorldsLaura Giles is an animist licensed clinical social worker who specializes in healing trauma. She founded Pan Society to make animism accessible to modern people. She delights in helping people to find their own spiritual path and awaken their innate spiritual wisdom.For more information about Laura Giles, see her websites at https://linktr.ee/lauragilesBumper credits: Music from Pond5. Videos from Pixabay and Pexels.
31 min
What if the way America treats its war dead is making things worse — for the living and the dead?Every year, Memorial Day comes and goes. Flags. Speeches. Sales. And a quiet, persistent feeling that we haven't actually done the thing. That we've gestured at something sacred without touching it.This video asks a different question: what do animist traditions around the world — from West Africa to Japan, from Indigenous North America to ancient Greece — actually do for those who died in war? And what can America learn from them?We explore:→ Why America outsources death and what that costs us→ The difference between cultures that don't speak the names of the dead as ceremony — and American silence, which is just avoidance→ What animism actually is (and why it's not what you think)→ West African ancestor traditions and the war dead who died far from home→ Indigenous North American warrior return ceremonies — and why we call the same wound PTSD→ Japanese Shinto, goryō, and the annual return of the dead at Obon→ Ancient Greek and Roman obligations to the fallen→ Día de los Muertos and loving the dead into the present→ The animist consensus: what virtually every human culture has understood about violent death→ America's spiritual gap — and what it's costing our veterans, our families, and our land→ What you can actually do this Memorial DayThis isn't about politics. It isn't about religion. It's about something older than both — the universal human obligation to tend to those who died in our name.The war dead are still waiting.#MemorialDay #AnimistWisdom #HonorTheFallen #VeteranHealing #MoralInjury #GriefAndRitual #AncestorVeneration #SoulWound #WarDead #AnimismChapters00:00 The Insufficiency of Memorial Day Observances02:41 Cultural Perspectives on Death and Grief05:12 The Role of Ceremony in Honoring the Dead08:10 Indigenous Traditions and the Warrior's Return11:05 Lessons from Ancient Cultures on Mourning13:43 The Spiritual Emergency of War and Grief16:25 Practical Steps for Honoring the Dead19:35 Reconnecting with the Living and the LandWant to go deeper? Join me here:https://www.patreon.com/cw/PanSocietyAnimismLaura Giles is an animist licensed clinical social worker who specializes in healing trauma. She founded Pan Society to make animism accessible to modern people. She delights in helping people to find their own spiritual path and awaken their innate spiritual wisdom.For more information about Laura Giles, see her websites at https://linktr.ee/lauragiles Bumper credits: Music from Pond5. Videos from Pixabay and Pexels.
51 min
Nick Hartanto, award-winning filmmaker and director of Daly City, opens up about the deeply personal story behind his short film — exploring what happens when a family chooses assimilation over cultural identity. Learn how his grandmother's conversion to Christianity after witnessing the moon landing reshaped his Indonesian family's connection to their animist roots, and how that loss of heritage became the driving force behind his filmmaking.In this interview, Nick shares how immigration, faith, and the search for belonging have shaped both his life and his art — and why he's now returning to the animist traditions his family left behind.Whether you're interested in independent film, cultural identity, the immigrant experience, or Southeast Asian storytelling, this conversation will stay with you.Contact Nick Hartanto at https://nickhartanto.com#IndependentFilm #ImmigrantExperience #CulturalIdentity #NickHartanto #DalyCity #Animism #IndonesianAmerican #Filmmaker #ShortFilm #Diaspora #SoutheastAsian #HeritageAndIdentity #AwardWinningFilm #Assimilation #StorytellingWant to go deeper? Join me here:https://www.patreon.com/cw/PanSocietyAnimismLaura Giles is an animist licensed clinical social worker who specializes in healing trauma. She founded Pan Society to make animism accessible to modern people. She delights in helping people to find their own spiritual path and awaken their innate spiritual wisdom.For more information about Laura Giles, see her websites at https://linktr.ee/lauragilesBumper credits: Music from Pond5. Videos from Pixabay and Pexels.
20 min
Explore the profound significance of air as an element in animism, its cultural representations, and how to work with its energies for balance and inspiration.Chapters00:00 The Essence of Air and Breath02:54 The Role of Air in Communication and Thought05:49 The Balance of Air: Too Much vs. Too Little08:39 Cultural Perspectives on Air and Transformation11:32 Air as a Spiritual Element14:28 Practical Ways to Engage with Air17:24 The Living Breath of the WorldWant to go deeper? Join me here:https://www.patreon.com/cw/PanSocietyAnimismLaura Giles is an animist licensed clinical social worker who specializes in healing trauma. She founded Pan Society to make animism accessible to modern people. She delights in helping people to find their own spiritual path and awaken their innate spiritual wisdom.For more information about Laura Giles, see her websites at https://linktr.ee/lauragilesBumper credits: Music from Pond5. Videos from Pixabay and Pexels.
27 min
What's the real difference between animism and shamanism? In this episode, we break down two of humanity's oldest spiritual traditions — exploring spirit worlds, nature worship, shamanic healing, indigenous belief systems, and why these ancient practices are more relevant than ever. Whether you're curious about indigenous spirituality, comparative religion, or just want to understand what a shaman actually does — this one's for you. Chapters 00:00 Exploring Animism and Shamanism 05:15 Understanding Animism: A Worldview of Spirits 09:59 The Role of the Shaman: Navigating the Spirit World 16:28 Comparing Animism and Shamanism: Key Distinctions 19:30 The Suppression and Revival of Ancient Traditions 22:33 Relevance of Animism and Shamanism Today Want to go deeper? Join me here:https://www.patreon.com/cw/PanSocietyAnimismLaura Giles is an animist licensed clinical social worker who specializes in healing trauma. She founded Pan Society to make animism accessible to modern people. She delights in helping people to find their own spiritual path and awaken their innate spiritual wisdom.For more information about Laura Giles, see her websites at https://linktr.ee/lauragilesBumper credits: Music from Pond5. Videos from Pixabay and Pexels.
24 min
Explore the deeper meaning of May Day and Beltane as we uncover their historical significance and spiritual roots. This video dives into the ancient traditions behind these seasonal festivals, the loss and revival of seasonal rituals, and how we can reconnect with the land through intentional, modern practices.Learn how living animism can transform your relationship with the earth, bringing awareness, reciprocity, and sovereignty back into daily life. Discover practical ways to honor seasonal cycles, work with the energy of fire and hearth, and embody traditions that foster a deeper earth connection.Whether you're drawn to modern spirituality, ancestral traditions, or simply seeking meaningful seasonal rituals, this video offers grounded guidance for reconnecting with nature and renewing your relationship with the land. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Personal Reflection on May Day01:02 The Deeper Meaning of May Day and Its Rituals02:02 Acknowledging the Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Ancestors02:43 Modern Celebrations vs. Ancient Intentions03:30 The Cultural Forgetting of the True Spirit of May Day06:09 Imagining the Ancient Beltane Fire Ritual07:38 The Hearth Fire as a Symbol of Sovereignty09:10 Thresholds as Places of Choice and Protection11:11 The Body’s Response to Seasonal Shifts12:51 Participating in the Earth’s Urgency and Wildness14:20 Responding to the Earth’s Invitation with Presence15:18 Simple Practices to Connect with the Season16:52 Honoring Thresholds and Setting Intentions18:20 Naming and Protecting What Matters19:16 Creating a Sacred Center in Your Home21:04 Preparing for May Day: Going Outside and Making a Flame22:31 Recognizing the Earth’s Waiting and Your Tending23:28 Invitation to Deliberately Receive the Season’s Gift23:58 Closing and Encouragement for Personal RitualsWant to go deeper? Join me here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/PanSocietyAnimism Laura Giles is an animist licensed clinical social worker who specializes in healing trauma. She founded Pan Society to make animism accessible to modern people. She delights in helping people to find their own spiritual path and awaken their innate spiritual wisdom.For more information about Laura Giles, see her websites at https://linktr.ee/lauragiles Bumper credits: Music from Pond5. Videos from Pixabay and Pexels.