Fyrnsidu is a panentheistic faith. Panentheism is defined here as the belief that divinity exists within the universe and yet encompasses the universe at the same time. To most practitioners of Fyrnsidu, the Divine is not a remote and coercive force, but rather a subtle and immanent one. This means that the Divine surrounds and permeates everything, taking part in the unfolding of the universe rather than transcending it. We believe that the Divine is active in the world of men and influences both us as individuals and our world at large through the agency of the Gods, whom we call the Ésan.
Animism
Strongly linked to the concept of pantheism is that of animism , which is the belief that all objects and creatures in the universe are endowed with a subtle or spiritual essence, a soul, which governs their existence. Put simply, animism is the doctrine that everything is alive on a spiritual level, though they may be inanimate physically. Even inanimate objects possess a subtle or spiritual “self”. Though the “subtle self” of an inanimate object may not be complex enough to be a true soul, it will nonetheless possess a measure of the spiritual life-force which pervades everything in the universe. Followers of Fyrnsidu call this life-force æðm, which means “breath”. Some heathens learn to cultivate their æðm and focus it using certain esoteric disciplines to perform “magical” acts, or feats of seemingly superhuman prowess (mægen).
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