Editing Modern paganism (section)

===Animism and pantheism===
[[File:Zemaiciu Alka (Samogitian Alka).jpg|thumb|right|[[Samogitian Sanctuary]], a reconstruction of a medieval pagan observatory in [[Šventoji, Lithuania]], used by the modern [[Romuva (religion)|Romuvans]]]]

A key part of most pagan worldviews is the [[holism|holistic]] concept of a universe that is interconnected. This is connected with a belief in either [[pantheism]] or [[panentheism]]. In both beliefs, divinity and the material or spiritual universe are one.{{Sfn|Carpenter|1996|p=50}} For pagans, pantheism means that "divinity is inseparable from nature and that deity is immanent in nature".{{Sfn|Adler|2006|p=23}}

Dennis D. Carpenter noted that the belief in a pantheistic or panentheistic deity has led to the idea of interconnectedness playing a key part in pagans' worldviews.{{Sfn|Carpenter|1996|p=50}} The prominent Reclaiming priestess [[Starhawk]] related that a core part of goddess-centred pagan witchcraft was "the understanding that all being is interrelated, that we are all linked with the cosmos as parts of one living organism. What affects one of us affects us all."{{Sfn|Starhawk|1989|p=10}}

Another pivotal belief in the contemporary pagan movement is that of [[animism]].{{Sfn|Harvey|2007|p=1}} This has been interpreted in two distinct ways among the pagan community. First, it can refer to a belief that everything in the universe is imbued with a life force or [[Energy (esotericism)|spiritual energy]].{{Sfn|Adler|2006|p=22}}{{Sfn|Greenwood|2000|p=23}} In contrast, some contemporary pagans believe that there are specific spirits that inhabit various features in the natural world, and that these can be actively communicated with. Some pagans have reported experiencing communication with spirits dwelling in rocks, plants, trees and animals, as well as [[power animals]] or [[animism|animal spirits]] who can act as spiritual helpers or guides.{{Sfn|Carpenter|1996|p=54}}

Animism was also a concept common to many pre-Christian European religions, and in adopting it, contemporary pagans are attempting to "reenter the primeval worldview" and participate in a view of cosmology "that is not possible for most Westerners after childhood."{{Sfn|Adler|2006|pp=22–23}}