What does it mean to live in a world that is fully alive? For me, affirming animism as the core of my worldview was both overwhelming and clarifying. Every action ripples outward, touching land, beings, and futures. The realization brought grief and despair, but also a sense of direction and hope. Animism isn’t theory — it’s relationship. Once you know the world is alive, you can’t unknow it. The question becomes: so now what?

There is no distance. Not between us, not between our past and future selves, not between the living world and the spirits that shape it. Floods, mycelium, and city corners all reveal the same thing: connection isn’t made, it’s recognized. What looks like empty space is already alive with relationship.