Chapter XXV

The doctrine and worldview that natural phenomena, places, and objects possess inherent spirit, soul, or personality — and that the cosmos is populated by countless local, plural, embodied divine agents: kami in mountain and tree, sidhe in cairn and well, landwights in field and stone, nymphs in spring and grove, haltija in forest and lake, lares and penates in household and threshold, Iamblichean daemons in element and place. Distinct from monotheism (single transcendent God), pantheism (one underlying substance), and emanation_hierarchy (cascading single source); animism's signature is the plurality, locality, and embodied-in-landscape character of the divine.

The passage explicitly describes daemons and presiding powers distributed 'according to genera in the universe,' each allotted dominion over specific temples, nations, and sacred operations, embodying the Iamblichean daemon-in-place model named in the definition.

Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.

The text describes Gods and angels as 'surrounded by a numerous multitude' and presiding over nations, attributing human-like roles to divine beings.

The Stoic and Plotinian doctrine that all parts of the cosmos are bound by hidden affinities, so that a movement in one part resonates through the whole; the metaphysical basis for astrology, magic, and divination.

The passage states that each part of the universe has a presiding power allied to its proper genus, implying interconnected divine affinities.

The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father.

The text emphasizes that divinity is the 'leader' of worship and presiding powers are distributed according to genera, suggesting a hidden structure.

Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.

The passage explicitly describes a 'common presiding power' and 'particular presiding power' allotted dominion over each nation and temple by divinity.

A chain of divine beings or principles flowing downward from a single transcendent source (the One or the Father), each level less perfect than the one above.

The passage describes a structured hierarchy of divine beings (Gods, angels, daemons) with presiding powers allotted at successive levels—over nations, temples, and types of sacrifice—each governing according to its proper genus.

A non-physical dimension of reality, interpenetrating the physical world, populated by forces, beings, and forms ordinarily imperceptible to physical senses and instruments, that can affect embodied life without being seen — Dion Fortune's 'mind-side of nature,' the astral plane of Western esotericism broadly construed. Distinct from astral_light (a specific transmitting medium or fluid operating within this realm, not the realm itself), pleroma (the divine fullness at the summit of a cosmic hierarchy, not a parallel plane coextensive with ordinary life), and animism (particular indwelling spirits bound to specific natural objects, not the general unseen dimension itself).

The entire passage describes a non-physical dimension populated by Gods, angels, and daemons who preside over physical operations (sacrifices, temples, nations) and affect embodied life without being seen.

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

Divinity is portrayed as an active leader who is invoked through sacrifices and presides over operations rather than being an abstract principle.

The maintenance of a state of cleanliness—physical, moral, or spiritual—required for encounter with the divine.

The passage stresses the necessity of venerating the 'sacred law of divine sanctity' and offering gifts worthy of the Gods to preserve sanctity.

Iamblichean ritual practice that engages the gods directly through consecrated material symbols and actions, on the premise that divine power descends into properly prepared matter — distinct from philosophical contemplation alone.

The passage discusses sacrifices performed under the guidance of specific Gods and Angels as operations that require proper consecration and veneration.