Comparison to Terran culture & religion

[Eywayä Kato]

Each of us, being from different cultures, religions, and backgrounds, will experience things differently, including Avatar's showing of the Na'vi culture.  For example I study Buddhism and incorporate many of it's practices and beliefs into my spiritual world-view.  Because of this the Na'vi notion that all energy is borrowed and ultimately given back and absorbed into the whole immediately translated to the Zen notion that there are no "individual" souls.  When we die our bodies fall apart and become indistinguishable from the rest of the world, and our spiritual substance does the same with the spiritual whole.

So what did you notice?

[Tìng Eywatikìte'e]

Well it translates into a lot of religions, especially a number of shamanic ones.

Really though, I won't lie, the first thing that popped into my head after watching it was the Circle of Life. Which isn't an insult by any means, it's what I based a surprisingly large amount of my life on >.> thanks Disney?

[Eywayä Kato]

Circle of Life is made of total Win.

Another thing I was reminded of was the ancestor "worship."  Worship isn't quite the right word, but it kinda-sorta gets the point across.  Anyway, it really reminds me of the role of ancestors in Ifa and Voodoo.  I had a friend who practices Ifa and he had a little sign on his altar which read, "If we stand tall it is because we stand on the shoulders of many ancestors."

[Tìng Eywatikìte'e]

Yeah, there did appear to be some ancestor worshiping, though once again they are super lucky since they can literally hear them. So it's not so much as worship as being able to look back into pass memories and feeling them again.

[Sol Lupusnight]

True it's very shamanic like the native american culture's and that's such a wonderful thing. but even my ancestor's give me strength.

[Tìng Eywatikìte'e]

I would avoid comparing the actual religion of the Na'vi to Native Americans, even some aspects are very similar and the have similar culture. True both are shamanic religions and believe in the connection of all beings, but possible ancestor worship aside the Na'vi are monotheistic while most Natives were polytheist.

[Sol Lupusnight]

Your right ha silly me see im just being a Skxawng today. That would be intresting to hear your ancestors talk to you that would be different, im sure you could do it by travling through the world tree.

[Tìng Eywatikìte'e]

No skxawngs here don't worry. I'm just an anthropology student, so I'm nit picky like that.

I'm curious if they can here specific voices. When Jake hears them it seems pretty overwhelming. I wonder if they learn to pick out specific voices or if they just do it to feel the memories with out really seeing/hearing any individual one.

[Sol Lupusnight]

that's a good one im sure they can im sure Jake could maybe hear Grace or Neytiri her father.

[Tìng Eywatikìte'e]

Well they never showed it in the movie, so we won't know for now. So we only have that little clip and when Jake is bonded to the Tree of Souls, but there he is talking to Eywa and asking her to look at Grace's memories rather than hearing them himself.

[Sol Lupusnight]

True your right about that,well as more infro comes out we will know.

[Eywayä Kato]

It could be possible that he heard a jumble of voices because he went in without any sort of focus.  Jake's first flight and his various failed pony-riding ventures speak to how incomplete focus can lead to a few problems.  When he went to speak to Eywa, however, he had a pretty clear idea of what he was doing.

[Sol Lupusnight]

Yeah cause where as when he first flew his Ikran and attempted to ride the Pa'li he wasn't focused but when he conversed with eywa it wasn't all disrupted and on the spot.

[Tìng Eywatikìte'e]

Yeah I figured that it had to be different for Na'vi used to it than with Jake's, but I still wonder how specific the memories could be. I supposed if it was someone you knew you could just think of a time you spent with them, but what if you wanted to think about your great great grandpa? I wonder how you'd go about finding it.

Maybe the Trees just show you what you need to see.

Once again, I need to find Cameron and make him tell me >.>

[Txaslan]

I'm Taoist (philosophical), and I think there are many similarities between Taoist philosophy and the Na'vi spiritual beliefs, for example the connection between all living beings, ancestor worship and the belief that all energies ultimately come from one source and that they will return to it eventually.

[Swok Txon]

I am an atheist (more or less however i do believe there may be the presence of some form of spiritual power in the universe...not sure yet)

It definitely was similar to various shamanistic religions around the world

but of course the catholic church said it was "Pagan worship" and why don't they understand its a movie? They are sooo very intolerable, if they dubbed avatar as "Pagan worship" then what the hell is harry potter supposed to be? modern day witchcraft by Satan?

[Tìng Eywatikìte'e]

I think the term you are looking for is agnostic, not atheist, but anyway.

There is nothing wrong with the word Pagan. The Catholics mean it as an insult but really all it means is a none Judeo-Christian-Islam religion. Usually it refers to polytheists, so it doesn't 100% apply to the Na'vi who are monotheists.

Still the word Pagan isn't a bad one and does somewhat apply to the Na'vi. The Catholic Church is still being idiotic over this movie though.

[Eywayä Kato]

I agree with the Taoist point.  Buddhism and Taoism (and their crazy combined cousin, Zen) stress the need to accept and make peace with the fact that nothing will last forever.  It's something that's pretty easy to understand on a purely intellectual level, but really grasping it and living it is one of the hardest things one can do.  Even if they are a fictional race, to see a whole civilization living like that brings a certain level of awe to me.

[Tìng Eywatikìte'e]

Well they definitely had help...I'm guessing if we could literally connect to an animal or tree we'd have any easier time excepting that we're all connected.

[Eywal ngaru teing oeti]

Ngay. It would definitely make things much easier to understand and accept it.

The Catholic Church will probably go off again when the next two movies come out.