This page was created to provide further information about glamour bombs in support of the Glamourbombing community on Livejournal. The views expressed here are entirely those of the creators of this page.

How does glamour bombing relate to animism?

To the animist, the world is full of all manner of conscious and sentient spirits. They are not only allied with the animals and plants, but also with the very elements. Rocks have spirits, the sea has spirits, even the sky. Moreover, the seasons and cycles, and places such as portals, hearths, wells and bridges have their tutelary entities. And by a deeper connection with nature one may perceive and even communicate with them, and learn from them. They are emanations of life from the greater spirit, which is the planetary intelligence.

These entities are called many things by many peoples, including faeries, elementals, nature spirits, and so forth. There are aspects of many traditional cultures which are animistic. Many religions, from shinto to vodoun, hold such spirits to be a real and important part of ones life. And in America and Europe there is a revival of animism among those who have embraced paganism and druidry. Additionally, awareness and respect is growing for the worldview of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, Australia, and other places.

This one point is very important to emphasize though: although some religions may be described as "animistic," animism itself is not a religious doctrine or belief. It is either a fact of your life or it is not. To the animist these spirits are not mere archetypes, metaphors, complexes or mythic/folkloric beings. They are here in the real world all around us.

For the animist, neglect of the spirits of place ultimately invites imbalance and disaster. By sharing ones space with spirits, and cultivating a reciprocal relationship with the spirits by means of gifts and respectful courtesies, one hopes to bring about a sustainable symbiosis with nature and by extension with the Earth herself.

So how does glamourbombing relate? In a sense, glamour bombing seeks to awaken animism in people. That is to say, we want to nudge people in the direction of realizing that the world is full of spirits (faeries), and that nature is alive with wonder and mystery. If people can develop a respect for the place of spirits of nature in their life, they may begin to foster a less callous and destructive attitude toward their environment, and just maybe they'll turn others on to the presence of the spirits.