Creation, Faeries, And a Stuffy Nose

It's been just about a week since I came back from college, and it's pretty clear that my sickness is on its way out. There's no sign of a fever anymore and all I've really got left is a stuffy nose, an annoying cough, and drainage; but on the plus side, these few symptoms are clear indications that I'll be completely healthy before too long.

So to tie this further into the title, I've been studying up on the core concepts of Christian Animism and have found that I am in fact not alone in my theories; there have actually been a variety of people who hold this same viewpoint, and some are even still revered by Christians today. The most interesting examples I've come to discover are C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein, both Christian authors... and both animists. This took me by surprise; soon as I found this out I thought to myself, "if they broke away from the traditional Christian mold, why do my modern-day brothers and sisters still revere them? Lewis especially!" But then again maybe that's just a fact of my own upbringing; I've been raised, you see, in a very traditional Christian household. And as such, my entire spiritual education revolved exclusively around the Bible and therefore other points of view were discounted as being completely and unquestionably false. ... And no, I promise you that the Day family isn't a bunch of ill-educated hillbilly rednecks. (In hindsight, though, I guess my education could've been worse...)

Anyway, I guess I just kind of figured that all "serious" and "honest" Christians held the same beliefs as my family back in the day... but now that I'm getting older, it seems almost as if the lines between Christianity and Paganism are starting to blur. This has led me to develop a theory regarding my findings; I theorize that back in the day, ancient Pagans were made privy to a number of facts regarding nature and the earth, but they didn't know how to properly connect the dots and henceforth were clueless about the actual Creator. Christians, in turn, developed the opposite perspective: they were made aware of the one true God and the salvation provided by His son Jesus Christ, but because of this awe-inspiring revelation they (justifiably) focused more on Him than on the world around them. Now please, don't take this assertion as being grounded in any actual historical fact; as with any hypothesis, this is merely a theory grounded in observation. For all I know the Pagans could've been nutjobs and the Christians were right to ignore their crazy talk of faeries and dryads and nymphs. ... Still, though...

I admit I do kind of like the idea of nature spirits; not entities to be worshiped, but more like secretive neighbors who've accompanied mankind since Adam was first tasked with taking good care of Eden. I see them almost as potential friends who know of the goodness of their Creator, and who answer to Him just like all spirits do (as specified in the Bible). When I'm out in the woods, standing among trees and other wildlife... it's a comforting thought, to believe that all of creation is alive and connected with little beings running around and living in God's honor. I relish a good mystery, especially one which may or may not be solvable. Maybe there are faeries and dryads and nymphs prancing through the wilderness, free from the cares and woes of humankind's arrogant ideals. Though if we're being logical here, it's equally likely (if not more likely) that they aren't...

But there's always that chance...

And that's the chance that I'm going to hold onto. I could be right, or I could be wrong, but I'll tell you one thing: this world needs more magick in it. We as a people should strive to be connected more closely with the outdoors than we are now. We need to regard nature with more reverence than we do in this modern age of steel skyscrapers and concrete jungles. And for my part, I would rather live in a world of enchantment and mystery than a world of cold numbers and data. So with all that being said... I take back what I said in "A Question of Faith Part 3"; and with a critical yet open mind, I will say that I am a Christian Animist. I will spend my life giving glory to God, and thanking Him for the sacrifice of His son Jesus so that we could be saved from our sin... but I shall also adore all that He has created.

Including faeries and dryads and nymphs.