What is animism?

Animism is essentially a part of the belief in some religions; more specifically that there is a soul within the body of everything around us.

Indians and Christians are a prime example of this: Christians believe that humans have souls, and after death, they are either judged fit for Hell, Heaven, or Purgatory. Egyptians have a similar belief following the rules of animism. Indians, however, most accurately fill the description, as they believed in most of the natural world around them to have a soul. Animism, in further detail, is the belief that natural objects, natural phenomena, and the universe itself possess souls.

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/animism