Encounter

The act of recognising the character and wholeness of 'the other' on its own terms

Animism concerns our respect for the living world. It is recognising that all things are imbued with the life-force (spirit) and it’s focus is how we relate to this world. To relate we need to experience, and to experience we need far more than casual fleeting moments of contact; we need to connect. To connect we need to learn how to encounter; in the full meaning of the word.

One of the dictionary definitions of the word encounter is to 'meet (someone) unexpectedly'. But an encounter with another being is far more than just a meeting.

In the words of the late David Fleming (economist, cultural historian, writer on environmental issues and an elder of the UK green movement);

“ENCOUNTER: The act of recognising something—a person, a practice,a system—on its own terms. The particular character and wholeness of the other is acknowledged. Encounter knows the limits to its understanding; acknowledging that the other has its wildness, its privacy, its own reasons, its defences against invasive explanation. Encounter means being aware that you are in the presence of something which has business and an agenda of its own, and which cannot be tamed by your understanding.”

Lean Logic: A Dictionary for the Future and How to Survive It

It is only by gaining the perspective of animism that we are likely to survive the future.

If You Go Down to the Woods Today

Woods are amazing places for encounters, a natural woodland is home to many different species of wild animal; amongst the larger ones are deer, foxes, badgers, squirrels, wild boar etc.

An encounter is not about observation or understanding, you are not going to the woods to observe one of these beings in order to understand its habits and lifestyle. If you are lucky enough to have an encounter; especially where your eyes meet each others gaze, it is about soul communing with soul, it is the magical moment where you look at each other and say 'hello'.

If you are able to expand your awareness you will start to feel the energy of that being, you will suddenly know ‘it’ and will experience what it is like to be that being -you will know the 'deerness' of the deer, or the 'foxiness' of the fox.

Encountering Another Being

In the following video the late Dr. Stephan Harding, who was the Resident Ecologist at Schumacher College, describes the moment of magic in an ‘encounter'. This video was a ‘taster’ for the film ‘The Sequel - What will follow our troubled civilisation?’ an essential introduction to David Fleming’s work that can help us all imagine, as he did, the beauty and potential of ‘the seed beneath the snow.’

Do's and Don'ts When Seeking An Encounter

• Walk slowly and step gently on the land, you will be far less likely to startle any wild animal. If you crash around like an elephant, you won't encounter a single thing, it will have heard you coming from a mile off and be long since gone.

• Don't wear after shave/perfume/deodorant, the scent will carry for a long distance, wild animals have extremely keen senses of smell.

• Try to walk 'into' the wind, it will carry your natural scent away from the direction that you are walking in and not directly to any animal that may be in front of you.

• The second that you spot any animal or potential animal (rustling in bushes or undergrowth) stop and wait, see what magic unfolds.

• Find somewhere to sit, if possible camouflaged by trees or bushes with a view towards an opening. Be prepared to wait for as long as it takes. In the waiting time you can expand your awareness and relate to the natural world surrounding you.

When you become skilled at encountering, and if you are lucky, you may get to experience the wider awarenesses that Dr. Stephan Harding describes in the video.

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