Animism: Asking for Permission

When dealing with entities of place (other-than-human persons), from the point of view of Animism, asking for permission is a sign of respect.

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[DonarsMight]

This video comes as a wonderful reminder of a lesson I learned the hard way many years ago. Came across a clearing in the woods while out exploring with my young daughter and emediatly knew I'd entered a place I shouldn't be almost like I'd walked into someone's living room and now had a bow aimed right at my head. That night I had a horrible dream of drowning in the earth like water with roots wrapped around my throat. Needless to say I've never returned. Never occurred to me to ask about permission when I'm out foraging for herbs I always make sure I'm welcome but never about taking anything...I've taken much and returned little. I have much to meditate and think on thank you

[deniseoconnor]

I have tried to remember to ask permission from picking up a baby, asking aloe plant for healing, and walking around the lake in a park by my father’s house. When walking, I almost always clean up trash left by humans and thereby have been gifted stones and feathers. Once I didn’t accept the 4 crow feathers and felt chastised by the spirits there, so went back the next day and was only able to find 2 of the feathers. Lesson learned. Always give and graciously receive what is offered. Be a part of the exchange of energies that I perceive as love.

[cyclicallivingoz]

The other day I asked a tree if it would like me to pick up a piece of plastic garbage that was stuck under it, tree said yes. So I picked it up and a minute later the tree dropped a beautiful rose shaped pinecone right in front of my feet. I loved this video Arith, think it's one of your most important videos. Really appreciate all the topics you brought up.

[eelythao]

In my Hmong culture, we have to be humble when entering the forest, out of respect for the natural things that have been there before we were. And when camping before every meal we give a part of our meal, to the spirits of the forest, before we can eat ourselves. It is a respect for the souls who currently reside in these places that we come to seek refuge in and when we leave, we thank them and call our own spirits back into our bodies before we go home.

[aliciahack]

I have practiced animism all my life, even before I understood the meaning
I have also always asked permission of vibrational energies
I feel them deeply whereever I go and occasionally it can be overwhelming if I didn't prepare myself

[iainmelville]

Thank you for reminding me of my connection to the land and the spirits and entities of the land.
More importantly thanks for helping me reconnect with myself. I used to ask permission to enter sacred landscapes. As I get older I find I have to remember to do this and I think it’s because I’ve forgotten my place in the world.
It’s interesting that I’ve fallen into a sense of ownership over things that I don’t own. It is because I’ve forgotten my place in the world. I used to know better, but I’ve become spiritually lazy. Your post has told me to “pull my socks up”, and think - just use both my mind and brain. Blessings, ❤, stay safe and well.

[markmckinnon]

As a 66yo Australian I recently spent 5 yrs travelling the interior outback Oz solo other than 2 dogs . Every night was a true camp stop, a fire had to be made in order to cook ..warmth etc . But . On every new location I asked to be welcomed with no ill intent and may the surrounding spirits protect me .. not once did I ever feel unsafe, sure I had my encounters with venomous snakes, wild scrub cattle feral pigs and even crocadiles up in the tropical north .. but my dogs and myself were always kept safe simply by stating we are not here to cause harm ... we are mere visitors to this country and we seek your blessing .
* ... colonial ? .. never once did I feel I was part of that . The whole country was at my disposal.. I was never a trespasser although legally I guess I may have been at times ... my goddess kept me safe . I asked for her protection and she responded ... Christianity is a sick society in my opinion ...

Onya Arith enjoy your vids 👍

[vientodelsurdenoche]

That is a fantastic reflection on the topic.
I have been developing the habit of asking permission and learning to hear with all senses for their reply. Recently, I had an experience. I did ask permission before picking up some berries. Suddenly, I felt drawn to grab a particular berry that almost jumped to my hand. The flavour was amazing, this was repeated a couple of times more. I had enough, but I wanted more. I felt the resistance of the berry on my fingertips, but I pushed over as the berry looked as ripe as the others had. Turns out the flavour was awful. I felt scolded by the bush for being greedy.

[ThePettyCelebrity]

I am originally from the Philippines and I grew up asking for "permission to pass by" whenever I see a mound in the woods. I used to hunt spiders with my elder brother so I had an appreciation with folkloric beliefs. I thought it was fun and added excitement in going to the woods; it was like visiting grumpy relatives who would lighten up the moment you greet them. I learned this from my mother's rural village where I was told by the elders not to destroy these mounds or any structure made by animals. The worst thing a child could do, I heard, was to vent anger on these natural structures. An old relative would give my second cousin as an example. She had a wound on left ankle that wouldn't heal. She also died in her late teens. I remember her saying these Nature Entities as nonsense and humbug.

[alysmarcus]

yeah!!! it's Arith Day ! and my favourite subject Just came in from the pines. yes, my friends always thought i was weird because i will approach a tree very slowly and ask if it's okay to sit there. I never waver from that and will ask the same tree even if i've felt an okay prior. I always say thankyou when i leave too. Just this week i pulled a stolen bike out of one of the Hawthorn ladies - made me so angry, i mean it was high up (some people are more than asshats) Looking forward to this vid. and later, after watching this I have to admit that in the last year or two i have become so impatient with humans they do not get a fraction of my care that the grove in the cemetery does

[thorunns.craftstudio]

ever since i was a teenager, i ask permission for things in nature. for example, do i need a leaf or a branch from a tree? i walk up to the tree, place my hands upon its trunk and request what is needed. permission is not always granted, but usually it is. a small gift is also good to give in return...even just some water at the trunk or removal of a pest.

[human]

Thank you Mr Harger (sorry spanish keyboard) for sharing this valuable and important lesson of how to ask permission to mother nature with the not limited belief of colonialism. You put it out in simple words, but without the appropriate perception or mind state it can be even disrespectful for all your mentioned reasons. I will apply your wisdom in my next encounters with the others and the spirits of the sacred places we visit, making conscious the fact that we show and share respect with all visible or invisible entities. Thank you very much, wish you all the blessings and bests of luck to keep on teaching us what previous civilizations already know!!

[enigmaticwitchcraft]

Oh wow your comments on ancestors and descendants and that generational cycle…hit home for us. We are working on some tough deep, old, generational trauma currently. It dawned on us while watching that at its core this trauma we personally are dealing with is all about forced will and precisely not asking permission under the assumption that one’s will takes precedence over another’s ( wether human or nonhuman). This idea that success, in life and in magical practice, is about domination…well that is rather shortsighted isn’t it? Missing the power and beauty that asking and giving permission holds, that is a dire oversight I think we all are collectively experiencing the consequences of in modern society. Well timed message for us this morning, appreciate you!

[margaretwhitmer]

Our house was here before we bought it, and I doubt the builder asked permission, but there's plenty of non-humans hereabouts and I feed them and let them roam the area to their hearts' content. My neighbor keeps bees, and the little buzzers are busy in my gardens all summer long. In the fall I buy her honey, which has my garden in it. So, I feed them, they feed me. That's a mutual thing, perhaps?

[Hirokuro_Asura]

31:44 Id like to say that the "when you know - you know" is one of the most important aspects.

[mavrospanayiotis]

I never esplicitly asked for permission but always spoke to the spirits of places, plants etc. Often i felt uneasy, a sensation of hostility even in beautiful and safe enviroments. Next time i'll try with asking permission, you made a very important point about relationship with non human personhoods.

[cozmicmogwai]

I try to always ask permission when I take anything. Most of the time the answer is yes, but it happens sometimes that I instantly feel the "no". But this No is always for a good reason, in the way I feel it. And we have to accept it. I feel it a lot with plants and mushrooms especially. When I first started working with Amanita Muscaria, during my first harvestings, I felt I wasn't "alone" in the forest. I felt one of the spirits of Amanita Muscaria, like it wad spying on me just to make sure I wasn't destroying anything. I felt like as soon as this spirit understood I had good intentions, it made itself undetectable. I felt that spirit many times, but it doesn't make itself notice on every picking. I've heard amanita has 3 archetype spirit around it; an old man, a trickster and a sort of mother. The one I felt was definitely the trickster. I felt watched in the forest, and it felt like every time I was watching behind me cause I felt almost like a human or big animal presence, it hid behind a tree. Pretty funny.

[HrafnorULLSSON-yffi]

In french, sorry :

Merci pour cette vidéo et ce partage.
Elle m'a permis de me rendre compte de certains actes que je faisais sans m'en apercevoir. Dans un sens tu m'as encore plus ouvert les yeux.
Je procédais de la sorte pour les lieux où je ressentais une présence et ne pensais pas trop aux autres malheureusement.
Mais tu as totalement raison.
Il faut nous détacher des ces réflexes immoraux qui nous enracinent et nous empêchent d'évoluer spirituellement.
Un grand merci à toi l'ami et je te souhaite une bonne continuation dans ta vie. 🙏

[ernamoller]

Whoa! This was a hard hitting video!. Thank you for reminding us of our duties regarding "the other" I have been collecting rocks most of my life and never asked am so ashamed. Me with my colonial syndrome. I will do better, thank you Arith.

[silvermoonwidow]

I always ask for permission and leave a gift or offering of spirits or mead to the spirits of the land before I leave to thank them for letting me come into their space and if I foraged a plant or branch or etc. I also ask permission and leave a gift. Also if they provided a gift to me such as a special stone I also leave a gift. This has always been an important part of my practice.