WHAT IS SPIRIT WORK?

WHAT IS SPIRIT WORK?

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spirit work is how it sounds, working with spirits. these spirits can be spirits of plants, people, animals, mythical beings/creatures, familiars, and otherworldly spirits. it is communing with these spirits, building a relationship with them (forming trust) and asking for their aid (be that in protection, spell work, etc). 

TYPES OF SPIRITS ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

now i should preface this with the types and branching of spirits is vast and wide, and it is dependent on culture, tradition, and religion. i am going to be focusing on animism and the undead spirits, but i will briefly touch on other important/highlighted entities. 

:  ̗̀➛ plant/flora spirits; spirits that are of trees, plants, flowers, rocks, etc. things found in nature that aren’t mammals or animals. most common/popular examples being nymph spirits.

:  ̗̀➛ animal/fauna spirits; spirits of mammals, bugs, birds, and reptiles - spirits of the animal kingdom excluding humans. 

:  ̗̀➛ house/domestic spirits; house spirits have the potential and possibility to be human, but they can also be non-human. domestic spirits (in rome they’re called domestici lares) are guardians of a household and generally the protectors of the home and even the hearth (depending on mythos and region). a common/popular example being saints. 

:  ̗̀➛ tutelary spirits; tutelary/guardian spirits are exactly how they sound, they’re guardians. these spirits can be guardians of a specific place (like a temple or holy ground, see Shi lions), graveyards (this can be any spirit but the most famous is a gargoyle), or of a person (like guardian angels, but any spirit could be a guardian, such as gryphs)

:  ̗̀➛ human spirits/shades; a human soul can and is defined many ways and varies from person to person and tradition to tradition, but human spirits (aka shades, ghosts, etc) can and do reside in our realm alongside the spirit realm (via transport, normally by liminal spots or the aid of a psychopomp, but some can travel on their own). 

:  ̗̀➛ vampiric spirits; vampiric spirits are spirits who drain energy in order to survive or gain strength. back in the day they were known to cause sickness, health issues, and low immune systems, etc. most common/well known spirits are vampires/vampyres, succubi/incubi, some umbra/shadow people, and as i like to call them - dream wyrms. 

:  ̗̀➛ infernus spirits; infernus spirits are those relating to the underworld, this can at times overlap into the demonic, but not all of the demonic are infernus. infernus spirits are mostly those who aid as psychopomps, but they can be the servants and attendants of infernal or chthonic deities. 

:  ̗̀➛ mythical creature spirits; mythical creatures or legendary beasts are those who are not of this plane and reside in the spiritual world. some can be worked with while some cannot (such as faer folk, a note about faer folk is that it’s best to just leave them alone, or yokai). 

:  ̗̀➛ familiar spirits; familiars are spirits/entities who are shapeshifters and sometimes called demons who create a pact with a practitioner/witch/mage/etc. in order to aid them in magical practice and even protection. 

BASICS OF SPIRIT WORK

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it’s important to know and note the basics of spirit work in order to start spirit work. so here are the foundations of what is needed to know for proper and safe spirit work. 

section i. cleansing

let’s firstly begin with what cleansing is and why witches do it. cleansing is a way of forcing negative energy out of an area or person. cleansing is an act that is sort of like a reset button. think of it like showering! you shower because during the day you collected dust, dirt, sweat, etc. and you want to be clean so you take a shower! cleansing is similar, you collect negative energy from weeks of active or inactive craftmenship and even spirits or other entities can latch onto you and your home which then drains your energy. cleansing is needed to keep your space clean and easy to manage energies. it’s important to cleanse yourself, your space and even items. cleansing is important for all magic arguably, but especially spirit work. there are plenty of methods to cleanse, the most popular is smoke (do note it’s important to not smudge smudging is a closed practice to natives and indigenous in north america). but there are other methods such as sound, air/wind, energy work, and water. 

section ii. banishing

banishing is also an important skill to have in your back pocket. banishing is is a more forceful means of cleansing. it’s to forcefully remove an entity and less “nice”. banishing can be done in rituals, spells, using fire (writing the name or being down and burning the paper), air (writing the name or being down and tossing it in the wind), earth (writing the name or being down and burying it), water (writing the name down and tossing it in the sea or river, drowning the paper, etc), etc! loads of ways to banish and more i didn’t mention! 

section iii. grounding

grounding is an extremely important part of spirit work. grounding keeps you in a stable mindset and energy wise keeps you balanced. ways of grounding can be dancing, shaking your hands and feet, stomping/jumping, meditating, taking a walk, listening to music, etc. 

section iv. circle casting/closing

circle casting is important, especially for beginners, it creates a wall and safe zone for yourself and the spirit. one of the easiest ways (physical circles) is to pour a circle of salt around you, candles or crystals at four points (in the position of a pentacle), etc. as far as mental/energy ones, some use their finger or a wand and do a complete circle around them, or, a circle and a pentacle (pentagram). while casting circles some people call upon and evoke deities, angels, the watchers/watch towers, spirit guides, elements, etc. for protection and ensuring safety. some believe you must cast a circle starting north and finish at west, some don’t. no matter where you start the circle you must start and end the circle at the same point, going the opposite direction than what you started with when casting, will close the circle. so if i casted my circle clockwise, i would close it counterclockwise and end at the same point i started with. 

section v. further protection

casting a circle isn’t the only method of protection that should be precautioned, there are also the means of protection such as layering warding (which is a lesson in itself). some examples of warding are; energetic wards, spell jars, spell bags, charms, crystals, sigils, and house guardians to name a few. you can also veil during spirit work, but it’s not necessary. 

section vi. boundaries

setting boundaries with spirits is super important, especially if they’re staying long term (but even if it’s short term have boundaries!) so say you don’t like it when spirits knock, establish the boundary politely of “i don’t like it when you knock at night or during the day, so please don’t do that.” remember, be polite, but be firm too. and if you want a spirit gone tell them sternly! 

section vii. what are vessels?

vessels are what ground spirits and help to stabilize them in our plane, a vessel can be anything too, such as jewelry, dolls, a pen, bones, literally anything. an anchor is similar to a vessel, but an anchor doesn’t “house” the spirit, more so provides it a free range and source of stability. conduits channel the spirits energy, it can be symbols, sigils or other iconography to channel and then utilize a spirits energy. these are all important tools and things to know when it comes to spirit work.

SPIRIT ETIQUETTE

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In General

:  ̗̀➛be assertive, but be polite

:  ̗̀➛ do not forcefully bind a spirit to an anchor, vessel, or conduit alike

:  ̗̀➛ always use consent when it comes to using vessels, anchors, or conduits

:  ̗̀➛ ask and negotiate, come to a compromise, have firm boundaries too

:  ̗̀➛don’t forget to feed and provide energy for any vampiric or even familiar spirits

:  ̗̀➛ make a schedule if you really need to/set reminders on when communication is and isn’t ok

:  ̗̀➛ don’t sell, show, or give away spirits 

House Spirits 

:  ̗̀➛ be polite 

: ̗̀➛ treat them like you would treat a living breathing human 

: ̗̀➛ when entering a house, i normally like to whisper a quiet greeting or even in my mind saying “hello”, “good day”, “good afternoon”, “good morning” etc. 

: ̗̀➛ depending on your belief, greet the house guardian 

: ̗̀➛ light a candle to them, do divination, learn about them! 

Graveyard

 : ̗̀➛ don’t take what’s not yours, it’s impolite 

: ̗̀➛ have manners, people from all centuries probably reside there 

: ̗̀➛ greet & give offerings to the guardian at the front gate (this can be a tree, a specific spirit, animal spirits, etc.) 

: ̗̀➛ treat them like they’re people 

: ̗̀➛ dont step on the grass (this is respectful to the dead and their families) 

Landmarks (i.e. lakes, forest, plains, oceans, etc.) 

: ̗̀➛ introduce yourself & say a greeting 

: ̗̀➛ spend quality time & respect boundaries

 : ̗̀➛ offer things that will benefit them / the area (i.e. water, compost, etc) 

: ̗̀➛ don’t be shy to strike up conversation and divination

Low Energy Witchcraft

I'm neurodivergent and i experience really intense burnout. I get to a point where I struggle to even get out of bed, take my meds, remember to drink water, let alone practice. But, when I want to practice i have a list of things i can usually do. Everyone's experiences with burn out/low energy are different so this list may not apply to you, and that's okay. Take what resonates, leave what doesn't and i hope you enjoy my silly little list :)

create a playlist and infuse it with an intention. eg, a money spell playlist filled with songs about wealth.

draw sigils with soap when in the shower. (you can also use a wet wipe if you can't shower)

found some juice? give it a little shake and use the ingredients as a spell.

have food that has grains as ingredients? wow! an abundance spell!

the classic add intention to your tea and coffee.

bind your hair. for me with is as simple as putting my hair in a ponytail.

watch a witchy video. while not technically practising witchcraft, sometimes all you need is to sit back and relax to connect with your practice.

when I have a decent amount of energy I'll grab a large pillar candle and carve sigils into it. I use it as a long-term spell; all I have to do to activate it is light the candle. I like to light one of these spell candles when I'm having a bad day.

if you're religious, pray. Even if you're lying in bed. Even if you haven't showered in a week. If it makes you happy and you can, do it

burn some insence! it smells good, you don't have to really worry about forgetting about it, it's good for cleansing. it's great!

take a nap with some crystals. any restorative crystals or calming crystals work great! just make sure that they aren't geodes or roughs. i'd hate for you to hurt yourself while sleeping.

if you don't have any crystals for your nap, set an intention instead. please let yourself rest.

It's important to remember that you're allowed to take breaks from your craft. If you're forcing yourself to practice when you have no energy because "that's what a good witch would do!" then you're probably going to make your situation worse. it's a great way to fall out of love with witchcraft. give yourself some grace. rest is infinitely more important than 1 full moon, 1 new moon, or missing your daily/weekly/monthly cleanse. You aren't a bad person if you don't pull your morning tarot card or check the astrology forecast for today. and you aren't a bad person if you miss your daily prayer. take care of yourself. your health is WAY more important than your craft. Go get a drink of water and take care of yourself <3

Tarot Inspired Journal Prompts

Fool: what is something new you are doing or want to do?

Magician: what is a magical way to enhance my day? Or, how can I be more like the magician?

High Priestess: what are my thoughts on divination? What about intuition?

Empress: what part of myself do I want to grow/nurture?

Emperor: what part of my life needs me to take authority? How can I?

High Priest: what are my personal traditions? How is my spirituality unique to me?

Lovers: what relationships mean the most to me?

Chariot: what part of my life needs me to be more combative/ warrior-like?

Strength: what part of my life should I face with courage?

Hermit: what do I need to do alone more often? What do I need to do with others more often?

Wheel of Fortune: what do I think about luck, fate, and/or fortune?

Justice: when do I need to focus on legality vs fairness? Or, What may cause me to seek justice/retribution?

Hanged Man: what have/will I sacrifice for -x-? What am I never willing to sacrifice? What will I easily give up?

Death: what is something personal I want to end or change? What is something that will end or change no matter how I feel? How can I accept it?

Temperence: what part of my life needs more patience? What part needs more balance? How can I achieve both?

Devil: what is a primal desire I have? Should I grant it to myself? Why or why not? How can I get what I want?

Tower: what can I learn from the current or recent chaos/disaster in my life?

Star: what do I hope for? How can I get it?

Moon: what part of my life is best kept private? Why?

Sun: what makes me happy?

Jusgement: what part of me needs reflection? What is a fair assessment of that part?

World: what parts of my life have been fulfilled? What parts are still lacking?

full moon in aquarius • august 11, 2022

happy full moon, y'all! the moon reaches its exact culmination point in aquarius at 19 degrees on august 11, 2022 at 8:36 PM CST. this aquarius full moon is energetically active, bringing chaos, revelations, and karmic balance pertaining to our relationships in life. to get the most out of this full moon, allow yourself to be open to the changes that are to be brought. do not let your ego close your mind off to unfamiliar ideas that may present themselves to you. with the moon being in aquarius, this is a time to reflect on how you can be a better friend, embracing your own divine uniqueness, and coming out of the closet of shame in order to attract your soul tribe. with the full moon happening at 19 degrees, we shall expect themes surrounding balance, compromise, relationships, and love to accompany us during this time. unexpected changes are happening at this time - changes that our ego may try to hold onto, but what is true and authentic to you will always have it's place in your life. everything else gotta go. now is a good time to practice detachment + gratitude for the things that come and ago. as this is a chaotic time, make sure you spend some time in solitude and meditation to ground yourself in your reality. at the end of the day, at least you'll say that you learned a lot from this full moon.

this is a favorable time for air placements (gemini, libra, aquarius); this is a period of opportunity for sagittarius and aries placements - now is a time to exert who you are (aries) and what you know (sagittarius) to the world in order to build a safe, aligned community; this is a powerful, tense, and dynamic time for fixed placements (taurus, leo, scorpio, and aquarius).

how to alchemize with the full moon in aquarius:

welcome the unexpected

spend some time with friends you haven't seen in a while

reevaluate your friendships

journal prompt: does my community make me feel safe enough to share myself with them?

don't be afraid to do something different

write down your dreams

meditate to unlock creative potential

take a nap or two

trust your gut on what you're being called to leave alone

Pagan pro-tips

Having been pagan and polytheistic for about 7 years, I can attest to these tips’ efficiency.

Pinterest is your best friend when it comes to devotional art

But don’t ever trust a single line of information on there.

Casually call out or whisper a deity’s name when something makes you think of them, so you can invite them to witness it!

If someone asks too many questions and you don’t feel like “coming-out” as pagan, tell them you’re ~more spiritual than religious~ and they’ll act like they get it.

Write your own prayers who tf cares

Playlists playlists playlists

I’m serious, even the simplest stuff people would label as “aesthetic” works well when you’re on a busy schedule but you want to stay casually connected to your faith.

Sure, paganism is deeply personal, but are there other people you could learn from? People you could help? Listening + sharing = community building!

The 7 Chakras 🔮