Animism
A Living World in Process
At the heart of both Insight Herbalism and Celtic Shamanism lies an animistic worldview—an understanding that all elements of the natural world—plants, animals, rocks, rivers, and even the land itself—are alive, imbued with consciousness, spirit, and agency. This worldview is not merely symbolic or metaphorical but sees all of nature as a dynamic, interrelated system of beings, each with its own unique intelligence and presence.
In Insight Herbalism, plants are not inert objects or passive substances; they are living beings with their own consciousness that interact with us, guide us, and help us heal. In Celtic Shamanism, the spirits of the land, the ancestors, and the elements are equally recognized as vital agents in the healing process. These practices honor the animistic principle that all life is interconnected and each part of the whole communicates with and influences the other.
Process Philosophy:
The World as a Web of Interrelated Events
This animistic view is deeply aligned with Alfred North Whitehead’s Process Philosophy and Rupert Sheldrake’s Theory of Morphic Resonance, each offering a scientific and philosophical framework to understand the interconnectedness and agency of all things in the living world.
Alfred North Whitehead’s Process Philosophy challenges the traditional mechanistic worldview that separates life into static, independent objects. Instead, Whitehead proposed that reality is not made up of discrete objects but is a dynamic, interconnected process of events and relationships. In this view, everything is in a constant state of becoming, evolving, and interrelating. This speaks to the animistic worldview underlying the work of Sacred Fifth, where plants, animals, and the earth are not seen as separate entities but as part of a continuous process of interaction, transformation, and exchange.
In Insight Herbalism, plants are seen as living entities with evolving consciousness that interact with humans in a dynamic exchange. This aligns with Whitehead’s understanding that all things—whether plants, people, or animals—are in a state of constant flux and mutual influence. Healing is not the imposition of an external solution on a static system, but rather a process of co-evolution, where both the healer and the client, the plant and the person, are engaged in an ongoing dance of becoming, transformation, and growth. Healing occurs when we recognise the interdependence and fluidity of all life and invite transformation to happen in relationship, not isolation.
Morphic Resonance:
The Imprint of Collective Memory
Rupert Sheldrake’s Theory of Morphic Resonance offers another fascinating lens for understanding animism. According to Sheldrake, there is a collective memory that all living beings share, and this memory is transmitted through what he calls morphic fields—non-local fields of information that guide the behaviour and form of all organisms. Morphic resonance suggests that once a pattern of behaviour or form is established, it becomes easier for that pattern to be repeated, not just in the individual, but across species, ecologies, time, and space
In the context of both Insight Herbalism and Celtic Shamanism, the idea of morphic resonance helps explain how ancestral wisdom and the knowledge of the land are passed down through generations. The spirits of the land, the ancestors, and the natural world are not static or fixed; they are continuously imprinted with the experiences of past generations. When a shamanic practitioner journeys into the spirit world or connects with a plant, they are tapping into these morphic fields, drawing on the collective wisdom and knowledge that has been transmitted over time. Working with plants can evoke ancient memories and patterns of healing, tapping into their Morphic field to unlock its healing properties and evolutionary wisdom.
Animism in Practice:
A Living, Evolving Relationship
Both Insight Herbalism and Celtic Shamanism invite us to embrace an animistic worldview in which we recognize the agency, experience, and interconnectedness of all living things. They encourage us to engage in dynamic relationships with the natural world—relationships that are not static but constantly evolving.
By incorporating ideas from process philosophy and morphic resonance, these practices provide a modern, yet deeply rooted, framework for understanding how nature is alive with consciousness, memory, and relational power.
In this light, healing becomes a process of co-evolution, where the practitioner and the natural world are in a continuous, transformative dialogue. Healing is not the result of an isolated intervention but a co-creative act in a living, relational universe where all things influence and inform each other.