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Spirits of the Land

Land spirits, in the sense in which we are using the term here, are the spirits of small areas of land of various sizes. Often their energy is suppressed by cities, so that it is hard to distinguish from the energy of nearby humans.

Understanding and sensing land spirits is crucially important to practicing shamanism. All shamanism is rooted in a sense of place.

Land spirits include the spirits of lakes, oceans, rivers, mountains, valleys and other large areas as well as the individual spirits of many little areas that comprise them. Animists understand and honor such spirits, and shamans work with them.

Land spirits are recognized by many cultures, not just animist ones. Even today the Tibetan lamas heal the land spirits first in each place the plan to do a ceremony.

The Romans sneered at the Celts, accusing them of having a god for every little hill and valley. The truth was more likely that the Celts, though a warrior people, agriculturalists who worshipped humanoid gods and goddesses, still honored the land spirits wherever they were.

Yet the Romans themselves also honored what they called the genius loci, the guardian spirit of a place. In modern English we still use the term genius loci to mean the overal spirit or feeling of a particular place.

Sensing the Land Spirits

The easiest way to experience land spirits is to go to a wilderness place where few humans go. Pay attention with your inner senses as you walk through wild places. Feel how the energy changes as you walk along.

Occasionally a land spirit will communicate with you directly, sometimes as a sort of inner voice. Other times you just get a feeling or sense of the energy.

Land spirits can be benevolent, or hostile like some of the land spirits of Guam, called the Taotaomona. Often they are tricksters. In certain places, land spirits are very hostile, They may even cause physical effects like falls, so they can be dangerous.

The main message from the land spirits is "Pay attention! We are here, and we are not all the same. Pay attention to where you are." Wherever you are, in the city or countryside, that is always good advice.

Feeding the Land Spirits

Animists and other traditional peoples often feed the land spirits in various ways. Animists often feed them with drumming, dancing or singing. Some literally leave food out for the land spirits.

Although Bangkok is a huge, modern city, and most of the people of Thailand are officially Buddhists, Thais still put tiny spirit houses outside their own houses and make offerings to the land spirits there, as this article describes..

This article describes how the land spirits are still honored and how remnants of animism and shamanism are still practiced in the Islamic countries along the old Silk Road in Central Asia.

Nowadays in and near modern cities and in state and national parks, the land is often drained or overburdened to the point that plants are dying. Modern people go to parks to recharge their own energy and cast off negativity. Yet they never think to give anything back to the land spirits in return.

Always at least take a drum or rattle when you go to a park or into the wilderness. Drum, rattle, or chant to the land as you hike or when you stop for a break.

Feel the difference in the energy when you sit in a place where humans have spent a lot of time. Then give energy back to the land by drumming or rattling for awhile.

First you will feel the land spirits soaking up the energy. Then you will feel their happiness and gratitude.

Much more information coming soon on land spirits.

Mountain Spirits

Much more information coming soon on mountain spirits.

River, Ocean, and Lake Spirits

Here is a brief article on the land and lake spirits in Manica, Mozambique in southern Africa.

Much more information coming soon on river, ocean and lake spirits.

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