Daniel Foor – Practical Animism

What You’ll Discover in These 14 Weeks
Module 1: Kinship, Intimacy & Animist Psychology (Lesson Released May 13 & Live Call Thursday, May 16 at 8:00am Pacific)

In this module, you’ll begin by exploring historical, psychological, and conceptual frameworks from which to understand relationships with the others. You’ll also:

Affirm an ethic of humility and friendship for the work ahead
Distinguish between animism, shamanism, and Indigenous traditions
Start to bridge psychological wisdom with animist teachings
Practice speaking directly with our other-than-human kin
Enjoy resources from important voices in animist scholarship
Module 2: Eating, Killing & Giving Thanks (Lesson Released May 20 & Live Call Wednesday, May 29 at Noon Pacific)

In this module, you’ll consider how to understand and honor our kin whose bodies we eat, whether you’re vegan, you love steak, or anything in between. You’ll also:

Explore psychological implications of plants and animals as people
Bring attention to the intimate killing that sustains our lives
Connect with the spirit of at least one tasty food (plant or animal)
Learn a ritual of gratitude to weave into daily consumption of family
Expand knowledge of ancestral rituals for honoring food as life
Module 3: Respecting the Ancestors and Tradition (Lesson Released June 3 & Live Call Thursday, June 6 at 8:00am Pacific)

In this module, you’ll explore in a personal way the ties between animist teachings and relationship with your blood ancestors. You’ll also:

Understand the human dead as part of the sacred ecology of place
Reflect on impacts of colonialism on your diverse ancestors
Invite connection with an ancestral guide from your lineages
Learn to respectfully greet ancestors of place near your home
Explore diverse animist perspectives on ancestors and place
Module 4: Boundaries, Consent, and Sacred Space (Lesson Released June 10 & Live Call Wednesday, June 19 at Noon Pacific)

In this module, you’ll discover how the dynamics of relating with human people can be similar to (and enhanced by) your relationships with other-than-humans. You’ll also:

Examine cultural conditioning that minimizes others’ existence
Practice clear boundaries and saying ‘no,’ including with the spirits
Explore role of permission and consent in our ecological crisis
Ritually test your ability to give and receive a ‘no’ during ritual
Learn protocols for establishing and honoring sacred space

Module 5: Celebrating Diverse Bodies and Wisdoms (Lesson Released June 24 & Live Call Thursday, June 27 at 8:00am Pacific)

In this module, you’ll explore how our fellow animals are brilliant teachers about the tremendous diversity of forms and expressions of the sacred. You’ll also:

Deconstruct limited views of animals due to cultural conditioning
Expand your vocabulary for the sacred by reflecting on our animal kin
Reflect on ancestral and local-to-your-home animal affinities
Humbly seek connection with an animal teacher for your life
Consider older wisdoms on other-than-human kin known as animals
Module 6: Extinction, Grieving, and Opening the Heart (Lesson Released July 1 & Live Call Wednesday, July 10 at Noon Pacific)

In this module, you’ll be introduced to skills to feel the big troubles in the world in cracked-open, yet resourced ways for grieving and responding constructively. You’ll also:

Explore ritual skills for working with grief, loss, and heartache
Contextualize your devotions amidst the current extinction crisis
Learn ways to respectfully approach the waters near to your home
Craft personal grief ritual to offer near a local body of water
Engage traditional perspectives on spirits of and near the waters
Module 7: Finding Your Place in the Natural Disorder (Lesson Released July 15 & Live Call Thursday, July 18 at 8:00am Pacific)

In this module, you’ll explore the uniqueness of your own destiny. You’ll also:

Consider how power dynamics and differentials inform ritual etiquette
Greet local stones/mountains as one source of wisdom and perspective
Ritually appeal to the larger web for greater self-understanding
Further deconstruct false splits between humans and nature
Engage traditional teachings on destiny and unique soul-level gifts
Module 8: Deeply Rooting Into One Very Specific Place (Lesson Released July 29 & Live Call August 1 at 8:00am Pacific)

In this module, you’ll be invited to go deep with one particular place in the natural world — and as always, this includes you if you have accessibility challenges. You’ll also:

Apply ritual etiquette and intuition to locate a ‘sit spot’ near your home
Start to reclaim dynamic relationships with previously overlooked Earth kin
Practice heart-aware listening for the sacred qualities of a place
Bring vulnerability and receptivity without dominating the relationship
Consider themes common to intentional outdoor solitude practices

Module 9: Friendship and Healing with Our Green Kin (Lesson Released August 5 & Live Call Wednesday, August 14 at Noon Pacific)

In this module, you’ll commune with the plant people to reclaim a spirit of friendship. You’ll also:

Release hang-ups about not being a plant person (whatever that means)
Learn to prioritize love and friendship before botanical or herbalist training
Practice letting in the kindness and generosity of the green-bloods
Make connection with a plant near your sit spot for healing and guidance
Engage resources on plants as sources of love, wisdom, and companionship
Module 10: Praising and Feeding the Earth as Deity (Lesson Released August 19 & Live Call Thursday, August 22 at 8:00am Pacific)

In this module, you’ll relate with our planet as an elder worthy of honor. You’ll also:

Withdraw projection of personal pain and gender norms on the Earth
Consider implications for healing trauma and early attachment conditioning
Expand into diverse ritual applications of the practice of making offerings
Offer ritual at your personal sit spot to feed the divinity of this Earth
Explore themes in cross-cultural teachings on Earth as an elder deity
Module 11: Blood, Sex, Tears, and the Water Spirits (Lesson Released August 26 & Live Call Wednesday, September 4 at Noon Pacific)

In this module, you’ll deepen into different kinds of mysteries around grief, the erotic, blood, intuition, and other themes often in the domain of the waters. You’ll also:

Consider your sit spot in light of the local watershed and water cycle
Explore water ritual themes (grief, the erotic, ancestors, food, healing)
Reflect on personal strong and weak areas with respect to elemental water
Craft ritual using skills from previous modules to honor local water spirits
Engage cross-cultural sources on how to honor water spirits and deities
Module 12: Honoring Place-Specific Blessings and Challenges (Lesson Released September 9 & Live Call Thursday, September 12 at 8:00am Pacific)

In this module, you’ll increase your ability to discern the unique, specific magics, medicines, and wisdoms of places. You’ll also:

Learn ways to think about the deeper qualities or sacred medicines of places
Ask nicely to understand deeper layers of magic at your specific place
Offer ritual to reflect back the specific qualities you perceive at this place
Share about your specific magical place with others in the course
Enjoy resources on place-focused rituals from diverse cultures

Module 13: Ancient Ones Who are Animals, Plants, and Places (Lesson Released September 16 & Live Call Wednesday, September 18 at Noon Pacific)

In this module, you’ll explore the intersections between our diverse kin and how they also take form as the big personalities we think of as deities or gods. You’ll also:

Learn inclusive ways to think about deities, archetypes, and weird old gods
Distinguish between deities of ancestry, place, and chosen tradition
Consider ritual and cultural etiquette for approaching different deities
Humbly offer ritual to convey respect to an elder power at your sit spot
Explore resources on place-specific deities with active priesthoods
Module 14: Animism as Lifestyle, Culture, and Public Policy (Lesson Released September 23 & Live Call Thursday, September 26 at 8:00am Pacific)

In this module, you’ll consider the larger implications of living animist values and working for the systemic changes that our world so desperately needs. You’ll also:

Assess for congruence between core values and what you show others
Reflect on your past and current vocations through an animist lens
Learn ways to harmonize ritual skills with cultural and political advocacy
Take one tangible action to advocate for the local Earth and peoples
Enjoy contemporary animist voices in law, science, politics, and the arts