A year-long exploration into our relationship with the more-than-human and spirit world.

Welcome to Practicing Animism, the flagship course of Rewilding the Soul, updated for 2024.

This course is held in-person (in Devon and Somerset) over 5 weekends between May and December and with 3 online meet-ups in between (dates & further practical details below).

What’s it about

Animism is the embodied practice of living with a deep awareness of the spirit in all beings. A recognition that we are all interconnected in the web of life and can communicate together, both physically and spiritually.

Practicing animism is about reclaiming our animal self and learning to connect with our spirit self, as one integrated being. It’s about learning to communicate and live together with our other-than-human and spirit kin from a place of deep connection.

The great disconnect of our times is this sense of separation from our other-than-human kin and from the very land herself. Reconnecting with our spirit self and with the spirits within the natural world, via learning the language of spirit communication, is both deeply healing and a political act.

We need to come home to who we really are, to heal the hurt of the centuries of disconnect and all the trauma that has come from this. This course aims to help us to do this - to come home to who we really are.

What’s involved

The main focus of the course is on developing a spiritual connection with our more-than-human kin.

Every weekend involves time spent in nature, sometimes alone, sometimes in a group setting. You will be offered a variety of different tools to help you to connect with the other-than-human beings we share space with, including shamanic journeying.

Emphasis focuses on connecting with nature spirits and on diving into your animal self. Connection with the beings you share the course with also forms a strong component and there is some camp life, including cooking, that we share together, alongside deep sharing circles.

Objectives

At the end of the course you will have acquired a set of skills that will enable you to be more aware of life from an animist perspective; more aware of the presence of spirit in nature, having started the process of creating lifelong bonds with our other-than-human kin and developed useful tools to enable further and deeper connection.

You will also have learned some of the basic skill of shamanic journeying and how to look after and protect your soul and physical being.

Programme

Beginning
Introducing the practice of animism. Find & express your inner animal, meet and connect with spirit animal guides, learn some of the basics of shamanic journeying. Connect with the group and the more-than-human beings in nature, spend time around a fire in ceremony. Begin the deep dive into re-discovering your wild self.

Online immersion A chance to reconnect with each-other and dive into shamanic journeying.

Roots
Introduction to the roots and traditions of the spiritual practices of the land of Britain. Learn how to connect with ancestral beings in the land and visit a sacred ancient site to connect with the ancestral spirits there. A weekend of ceremony, connection, ancestors and belonging to the land.

Online immersion A chance to reconnect with each-other and dive into shamanic journeying.

Delving
Introduction to plant and tree communication. Learn to read signs from the Earth and our other-than-human kin. Prepare for and spend time alone on the land for guidance and inspiration. Form connection with the group via nature connection games, shared cooking and camp life. Create a deep connection with the land and her beings during this weekend’s deep dive into animism.

Initiation
A weekend of sacred ceremony. Prepare for and experience an initiatory overnight wilderness vision quest, spending time alone deepening your relationship with the more-than-human kin who live within the land. Form greater bonds within the group as you are held in your experiences crossing the threshold and returning.

Online immersion A chance to reconnect with each-other and further the integration of the wilderness vision quest.

Healing
A time for healing, grounding and integration. In this weekend you will learn techniques to help you integrate the practices from the year, including a variety of shamanic healing techniques. There will be plenty of time for connection and discussion, drawing the year to a close and giving opportunity for further explorations to come.

Is it for you?

The course would suit you if:

• You are curious about spirit and spirit connection

• You see yourself as intuitive

• You find peace in nature and want to deepen connection with more-than-human beings

• You are sensitive to elements of the modern world and want to find a different way of being

• You want to learn techniques which can help you on your own personal healing journey

• You are up for an intensive deep-dive into self

• You are willing to bring your full self into the group

• You are open to and accept that you may be challenged on the course

• You are looking for something to aid personal transformation and/ or a spiritual exploration

• You love nature and are comfortable spending time outdoors

• You are comfortable spending time alone

• You are willing to work together in a group

The course wouldn’t suit you if:

• You don’t believe in the existence of spirit or are challenged by the concept

• You want to train or skill up/ are looking for a training course

• You feel challenged by different ways of being/ doing

• You aren’t comfortable sleeping outdoors

• You would need a shower and some of the facilities you’d find in a house

• You would feel challenged by walking in a river barefoot or using a compost toilet

• You aren’t willing to bring your full, authentic self to the group

• You aren’t willing to challenge yourself

• Developing relationships with others in the group isn’t a priority

• You aren’t prepared to do deep healing work on yourself during the course

• You don’t feel comfortable spending time alone

Practicals

The course is for a maximum of 10 participants.

£1500 standard/ £1200 reduced price (these are limited). Payments can be made by monthly subscription via this website or get in touch if you would prefer to pay in full. Please read the Terms and Conditions at the end of the page before booking.