Animism approaches the sacred as a multitude of particular presences: animals, plants, rivers, mountains, weather, and even crafted objects are understood as bearing their own spirits or agencies. These spirits are typically local, relational, and accessible, and personhood is widely distributed so that the boundary between human, animal, and so‑called inanimate object becomes porous. Spiritual life is woven into daily activities, taboos, and stories rather than codified in systematic doctrine or scripture, and religious authority tends to be diffuse rather than centralized. Practice centers on reciprocal relationships—negotiation, placation, alliance—with a mosaic of spirits that inhabit the surrounding world, and the distinction between “natural” and “supernatural” is often minimal or absent.

Pantheism, by contrast, speaks of a single, all‑encompassing divine reality in which all things participate. Where animism sees many distinct spirits in specific beings and places, pantheism typically understands the universe itself as identical with, or a manifestation of, one unified divinity. The divine in pantheism is usually conceived as one ultimate essence or substance, and spiritual practice tends to emphasize realizing harmony or unity with that totality rather than engaging in ongoing relationships with many local spirits. Individual beings are often interpreted as expressions of that one reality, rather than as separate centers of spirit with their own agencies.

Polytheism differs again, centering on a defined pantheon of gods with distinct personalities, domains, and myths. These deities are more centralized and formally recognized than the diffuse spirits of animism, often supported by temples, priesthoods, and organized rituals. While polytheistic gods may influence nature, they are frequently envisioned as dwelling in their own divine realms and approached in a manner akin to subjects addressing rulers. Animistic spirits, by contrast, are more likely to be nameless or minimally personified, embedded in particular landscapes or phenomena, and engaged as neighbors sharing a common environment rather than as distant sovereigns.

Monotheism offers yet another configuration, focusing devotion on a single supreme deity who is often understood as transcendent in relation to creation. In such a framework, full spiritual personhood is typically concentrated in this one God, with other beings—humans, angels, and the rest of creation—occupying subordinate roles and not usually regarded as spirits in their own right in the way a river or mountain might be in animistic thought. While monotheistic traditions may affirm that the divine is present within the world, the basic orientation is toward a singular, overarching source and ruler, rather than toward a network of local spirits. Animism thus stands out for its plural, relational, and immanent sense of spirit, in which maintaining harmony with a living, many‑voiced environment is a central religious concern.