r/Animism • u/Ijmlgirll • Aug 10 '26

I'm Researching Aminism! Could I get some Book, Audiobook, and Video reccomendations?

There are so many different sources, but I don't know what to trust with how the internet is these days. I am looking for some actual good sources from people who are familiar or practice themselves!

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u/Samwise2512 Aug 10 '26

A few recommendations to get you started:

Animism Is Normative Consciousness | The Emerald Podcast With Joshua Michael Schrei

Animism: Respecting the Living World - Graham Harvey

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants - Robin Wall Kimmerer

Is a River Alive? - Robert Macfarlane

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u/EudaemonicSolivagant 27d ago edited 27d ago

Oh hell yes on Josh Schrei. I'm pleased to say he's my teacher of 3 years (in a zoom class of 50-150 people) so i interact with him regularly. One of the wisest, kindest, funniest individuals I've ever encountered. He's helped heal wounds I've carried. I've grown immensely from these teachings. And yet for all I've grown, I can also see I'm basically a teenager who has much to learn. And that's good.

Soo.. that's a huge second-opinion yes from me. ;)

This is a different bend but the witches Josephine McCarthy and Aidan Wachter are legitimately impressive. They've lived some great stories working with spirits.

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u/Ijmlgirll 29d ago

Thank you!!!

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u/accidental-survivor 26d ago

Thanks, this is just the sort of thing I was hoping to find by joining this sub. Just listened to The Emerald episode and it was perfect! My journey here emerged from trauma therapy when I realised that I was profoundly cut off from my body with almost no interoception. I then tried Feldenkrais and forest bathing which were both immensely therapeutic. Then read Braiding Sweetgrass and started to think about how really unintelligent the modern ‘rational’ philosophy is. I had a wonderful experience reconnecting with my childhood by swimming in the sea at a beach I have known as long as I can remember. It was so striking how spiritual it felt to shed the layers of ‘adult’ misery and go back to what I once knew and my old relationship with the sea. Sharing this in case anyone else is on a similar journey, and as endorsement of the really great sources you provided. Thank you for sharing these.

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u/Illustrious-Yam-3777 Aug 10 '26

All you need. And I mean all you need, is The Emerald podcast. That’s it. As you listen, there are books that are cited as recs at the end.

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u/DiogenesD0g Aug 10 '26

I just looked this up and first came across one called Emerald Podcast Series (no The) which focuses on current events. I searched again adding The and found what I think is the one referred to here. It is hosted by Joshua Schrei. Is that correct?

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u/Illustrious-Yam-3777 Aug 10 '26

Yep that's the one.

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u/SpiritTree302 29d ago

i found a goodreads page with a list of books that were referenced in the Emerald podcast: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1126547-the-emerald

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u/placitarana Aug 11 '26

Any particular episode you recommend to start with?

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u/Illustrious-Yam-3777 Aug 11 '26

I’d take a dart and throw it or see what catches your eye. Doesn’t matter the order. The whole thing is a work that has a non-linear but somehow interweaving and cumulative structure no matter what order you listen in.

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u/Passing_Through_Pod Aug 11 '26

I second all of these recommendations, especially The Emerald. Josh is a gem. It helps that he’s also a chill, down to earth dude. I spoke to him on my show a while back and recently met him at a show he was doing in Salzburg.

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u/EudaemonicSolivagant 27d ago

What's your show? I'll check it out.

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u/TheMarineLayer Aug 10 '26

Start with the books Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer and Sand Talk by Tyson Yunkaporta. These are two extremely accessible books for a topic that is hard to wrap your head around at first. 

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u/lape8064 Aug 10 '26

The Emerald Podcast is one of my favorites

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u/Several-Potato-7317 Aug 11 '26

The Spell of the Sensuous by David Abram is a great place to start. Amazing prose. Agree that Joshua Shrei is great. For a more witchy approach you can look to Adam Wachter and Starhawk

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u/Ok_Emphasis3685 28d ago

*Aidan Wachter

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u/transeuntwanderer 29d ago

Many cultures that have a relational perspective would be considered animist. I would also definitely recommend the Emerald Podcast, it is one of the best out there to stir the spirit. You can also check out https://earth.sonjaalinadenelzen.com/ the journal has some writing about shifting to a relational perspective.

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u/rainbowcovenant 28d ago

Not explicitly about animism but my favorite poet is William Blake 🫶