One example of how an exchange with a spirit works for mutual benefit
As a spirit worker of some years of experience, this is how I would personally go through contacting a spirit in order to receive help from the spirit world.
PEN AND PAPER For a serious working I will take a piece of paper and write things down and organize them just as if I was planning them for a spell. What I want to happen, what I would not like to happen, and so on. Then I will also plan my offerings to the spirit. This does not always mean physical items like candles, incense, or bread. This can regularly mean offerings of service. For example some nature spirits may request you spend a certain number of hours doing litter removal or conservation work. Another type of spirit may request that you make a post about it, to increase its fame so it may work with more humans. An important part of this step is what you are not willing to give.
If I am in a more informal setting or doing a less serious act of magic I will often do this phase of planning in my head.
PREPARATIONS Depending on the type of spirit being called there must be certain preparations in place. For a certain type of ritual (which you can find under my articles tag called “spirit worker’s spell”) I will call the quarters and see which spirit of the elements is best suited for the job. To prepare for that I would want my ritual tools to represent the quarters as well as a simple offering to thank the spirits for showing up. If it were a Goetic demon there would be very formal preparations, for example. Just be prepared for your guest.
In general: Work in nature or a clean space (clean space = respectful of your guest). Incense is nice because it is pleasing, especially if you can determine a scent your guest might like. In my path it is polite to have a simple offering of incense to thank a guest just for arriving. Then if you anticipate the spirit will require other physical offerings, have them close at hand. Also have things you regularly rely on such as your grimoire, tarot deck for communication, and so on.
Extra Safety: Work within magic circles. Cast one around yourself with the specific intent to keep out all negative energies and any spirit which wishes you harm or ill-intent. Then, summon the spirit in to a second protected circle, from which it may return home but otherwise cannot leave. (This is assuming the spirit is summoned, as opposed to walking up to it in nature and saying hello). Besides your magic circle have with you a strong amulet of protection (excellent practice if you don’t have one yet!!) and special banishing and “emergency” tools like banishing powders, flying devil oil, salt, and highly uplifting and banishing incenses such as frankincense, rosemary, and bay leaf.
If I am doing a very serious spell I will take a full purifying bath. In general I make sure to never go in to spirit communication with too much “gunk” on me and I often do small or large purifying rituals before spirit work. If your spirit contact made you feel uneasy in any way, consider a purifying and protective bath afterwords (try rosemary, bay leaf, and a heap of basil in salt water!).
CONTACT If I am seeking the help of a specific nature spirit I will go to that place and simply say hello and initiate conversation. Another way to work with nature spirits is having a piece of that natural thing, like some bark, a stone from a mountain, or a jar of water. Use this smaller element to contact the larger spirit! The way I perceive spirits is through the platform of my imagination. A being will appear in my mind’s eye, and I will speak to it through words, visions, and feelings. Other people will have different experiences. “Seeing spirits” is a Golden Standard ™ that distracts people from real communication. A big hint for me is that the energy changes around me when a “real” spirit is near. I really recommend just talking with plants and stones and trees to learn what spirit communication is for you. Don’t compare your experiences to that of others. Don’t you want your own beautiful and unique way speaking with spirits, true to you and your true nature?
If I am instead summoning a spirit I will go through the steps to do that. Usually I can feel the energy change around me before I perceive the spirit. Nature spirits can still be dangerous but especially if summoning ensure you have the proper protective steps such as those mentioned in italics above.
PLEASANTRIES I don’t go straight to business unless I am working with an entity who is known for not liking small talk. I don’t sit down and have a cup of coffee with a spirit and catch up about the kids, but I introduce myself with my magical name, say why I have asked them to come, and ask them if they are agreeable to continue. Sometimes spirits will have certain questions, such as, “why am I in this circle?” I will answer honestly (don’t lie!!!!) and say, “this circle is for my personal protection.” Often, spirits congratulate my forethought on safety. Another spirit may ask if they may first have a glass of water, which is alright by me. I do consider it a red flag if a spirit asks for a big offering right away, as this is not proper protocol. Just as we treat them with etiquette, they should treat us with etiquette.
At this time I also begin reading this spirit in a polite way (not trying to force my way in to their mind; like reading body language). I want to know if the spirit is uncomfortable or gives of bad vibes, or if they seem pleasant and helpful. To do this I pay special attention to my emotions and “back of the mind” thoughts that often slip by unnoticed.
In general once the spirit has finished asking questions, if they even have any, most seem willing to get right down to work. This is after all a business meeting.
THE CONTRACT I will state plainly what I wish to be done. There is no need to say why; I don’t think it’s the spirit’s business, and I don’t think most would care! “I need to ensure my credit card is paid off by June.” “I need my friend’s day at work to go smoothly and quickly.” “I need a teacher in meditation.” Whatever it is I have to say I am clear about it, using carefully thought out language so I am not confusing or vague in the slightest.
There’s a caveat I put in, somewhere, along the line. It sounds like this: “If you are able to accomplish this task for me, then…” You want to make sure you actually state that you expect RESULTS. Anyway, moving on.
Right away, without pause, I roll in to what I have to offer the spirit. If I am working with a certain spirit or type of spirit I have worked with before and I know what they usually like I will come out and say, “I have prepared for you the best wine and cakes” or whatever. Otherwise I will say, “I wish to know what I may pay you in return for this great service.”
This is the moment the spirit may reject this contract. If they have heard what you want and aren’t interested in helping, they’ll make it known to you and either leave immediately or wait for you to say goodbye. Sometimes your first offering wasn’t what they were looking for and that “hold up” feeling you are experiencing could just be the spirit looking for something else. If you get this “woah pause” feeling, try asking the spirit if it prefers a different payment and go from there.
Spirits are sometimes quite clear in what they want in terms of offerings and will tell me immediately, perhaps through a vision of what they want to occur, or maybe through words. Other spirits are a little more reserved and want to know their options; obviously I can’t offer everything, so what’s on the table?
NEGOTIATE In general we settle what the payment is quite quickly. Then comes the negotiation! You are in a business deal. Unless you’re working with some high level systems that tell you otherwise, never give the entire payment up front. If I expect this task to be performed quickly, in a matter of days or a week or two, I say I will give a small offering now to thank them for their arrival, and the full payment will be delivered when the task has been complete. Spirits so far have not had a problem with this. Sometimes I feel reservation as the spirit thinks it through. Don’t worry if you get “pause” emotions or messages like this. You are communicating with another being. Give them space to think.
If you’re asking for something that will take a while to manifest, work out a payment plan. “I propose that I will give you a portion of this payment every time I see X manifest. Is that agreeable to you?” and let them respond. Most spirits I work with tend to prefer simpler arrangements. They will tell you what they can deliver, and expect fair pay for it. A spirit may request payment on a time table (such as partial payment once a week) and I find this to be an alright deal as long as I see results manifesting. Like put your foot down. You are expecting something out of this… you are paying for a job to be done.
Talk about what might happen if the job is not done. In general I just consider all terms to be broken and we walk away. Don’t go in to punishment land. If the spirit fails to uphold their end of the job, their payment is denied. Walk away. On the other hand, if they do the job and you don’t pay…. that’s a whole other ball game. PAY THE SPIRITS. Like omg don’t even go there.
Once the payment has been agreed on, and the payment method has been agreed on, I proceed to the “handshake deal.”
BROKERING THE DEAL No need to sign contracts in blood. You can, however, have a written contract which I think is a great idea, especially for longer “jobs”. Write out the terms clearly. Sign your magical name, then ask the spirit to put its energetic imprint on the page as a symbol of your deal. I rarely bother to do this but it may be preferable for some people.
Generally, I just say, “I am Crann, offering you X and Y payment to help me get my credit card paid by June. I will pay you in full once the job is complete in June. Do you accept this agreement?”
I will then get a word of “yes” or “I agree”, or a vision of a handshake or some other symbol which means “we are in a contract”, or an emotion of acceptance.
SAYING GOODBYE Once the deal is done I often light a candle and incense in honor of the deal agreed upon. I ask the spirit to stay and enjoy the incense as long as it wishes to, which usually is not long. I usually ground out right away by cooking, watching television, and talking to friends.
MONITORING THE DEAL I will keep an eye on things and make sure it all seems to be going according to plan. If it’s an “easy” deal I generally expect to see results immediately; within the day or so. If it’s a big working with big goals I would not be surprised if I had to wait many days or even a period of weeks before I see the results I desire. However, in my opinion there should be signs your spirit agreement is working out. If you make an agreement with a spirit and within a week or two nothing is really happening, there is a possibility that spirit was taking advantage of you or something in your contract imploded.
PAYING THE SPIRIT When the correct time(s) come I will do a small ritual to give payment, partial (according to a ‘payment plan’) or whole, to the spirit. I will typically use a candle as a monument to the occasion as well as pleasing incense. If it is a physical offering I will present it and call the spirit and ask it to partake of its payment. If it is a nonphysical offering I will contact the spirit and tell them I am going to begin my end of the payment, and they can expect to see my end of the deal be performed shortly.
Once you believe you have fully paid the spirit, contact the spirit again and ensure that everything is even-Steven. If it is a physical offering ask them, “are you satisfied and pleased with this agreed upon payment?” Don’t let a spirit weasel you in to even greater payments; if you provided what you agreed upon, you are good. If it is a nonphysical offering I believe it’s good to check in just to make sure there is no misunderstanding of what you are supposed to provide, and to ensure that you are carrying out your payment as you need to.
Here’s a word of advice: Don’t forget to pay them. If you are neuroatypical like me, if you forget things, if you get distracted, if you cannot GUARANTEE you will give the payment, don’t enter in to contracts. Use alerts on your phone, journals, calendars, written contracts, whatever you need to do to remember. But if you are at risk of not remembering, don’t make deals.
BITS AND BOBS There is a fine line when it comes to working with spirits that make you feel uncomfortable. Sometimes a being is just so powerful that our little instincts go AHHHHHH and that’s not necessarily negative. But then sometimes, the spirit does mean us malicious intent and the feelings can be similar. In general I would just advise people to work with spirits that do not give them any feelings of discomfort; many of these spirits exists, and there are times to work with more intimidating spirits up ahead :)
You do not need the MOST POWERFUL ULTRA MEGA SPIRIT to get the job done. The more powerful a spirit is, the more you will have to pay it, and the more experience you will need to manage your encounters with it so you remain safe (this doesn’t even mean negative entities… encountering a huge power wave from a positive entity is something you have to know how to control and handle. I have almost passed out from encountering powerful, positive energies.)
Think about nature. Do you need a problem swept away? Ask a stream spirit. Do you need something burned away? Ask a fire elemental. Do you need something glamoured? Ask a fae. Don’t start with encyclopedias of powerful, named spirits. Start small and local :)
If you need magic done, make a deal. But in general it’s really polite and positive and just a good thing to befriend spirits before you ask them for help. This is in my opinion only!!!! For example I have good connections with many species of magical plant spirits. I am known to them and they are known to me, and in the past some have state they will help me when I need it. If you are a stranger knocking on a door a spirit may help you for pay, but if you are knocking on a friend’s door in need, imagine how much better they may care for you and see your needs are met. This is also why it’s important to give back as much as you can. Take care of the spirit world and nature when you can, and be polite and respectful as often as you can. The spirit world really does take notice.
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