Soul of the World

 In the December 2020 issue of Martha Stewart’s Living magazine, the reader finds an ad for products offered by Anima Mundi Apothecary. A quick trip to the Anima Mundi website is not a quick trip to information, but clicking a few times rewards the seeker with all kinds of material for future blogposts, for, as a reader may suspect, any business with a Latin-derived name may also contain other ancient material of interest. According to its website Anima Mundi Apothecary’s mission is

TO BRIDGE ANCIENT REMEDIES

TO THE MODERN WORLD.

Anima, animae f. is a Latin noun that means “breath, soul, life.” Mundus, mundi m. is a Latin noun meaning “world.” The phrase anima mundi, meaning “breath/spirit/soul of the world,” expresses the feeling a human perceives on a fine summer afternoon when a breeze blows that animates everything. The human feels the vitality of the world like a living presence that transcends the earth, trees, plants, and animals. The phrase has existed in philosophical thought for millennia; a person could spend a lot of time reading about the idea of anima mundi. Or a person could read a lot about botanical remedies, such as elderberries, on the Anima Mundi website. Or, for a breath of fresh air, a person could step outside and expect some life to admire, like the little walking stick I spied last night.