What are Spirit House Rules?
Simply put these are rules you put in place as a witch and spirit worker that all spirits working with you and residing around you are expected to follow and obey out of respect. They are like a contract that you have displayed out in the open for spirits to see. It is like posting the rules to the pool up for swimmers to look at, disobeying those rules may get you kicked from the pool and the same goes for your space and your House Rules. Spirits who disobey them are at risk of being asked to leave by you or other occupants of the house or even banished if need be.
House Rules exist to protect you and other occupants of the home safe and make it clear to any spirit guests what is absolutely not allowed. Think of them as the first step of warding out those who you don’t want around, sure it may not deter spirits who are seeking to cause you trouble or harm but it can keep away those who you may just not get along with (though let it be noted House Rules are not a replacement for wards).
House Rules are a polite but authoritative way to make it clear your values as well. It is a good way to indirectly tell spirits in the area what you are comfortable with and what you are not comfortable with. This can help prevent poor communication between you and your guests or even companions. You may use these rules to mark what areas of the house spirits are allowed to flock and where they are not welcomed, your personal ‘codes’ on behavior, who they may and may not interact with, who they may or may not take/borrow energy from etc.
What are some common House Rules?
There are quite a few common house rules that many witches or spirit workers have (of course not all have the same house rules) which are good ones to look at and take into consideration while making your own:
Where a spirit may NOT go (bathroom, personal bedroom, safe space, etc)
Who a spirit may NOT interact with (children, pets, roommate, grandparent, parent, etc)
Whether the spirit is allowed to touch you and/or others and the specific guidelines on this
If the spirit is or is not allowed to use your energy
Whether sexual advances are welcome or not
Things a spirit is NOT permitted to do (scare individuals, loom over others, harass pets, move or knock over things, etc)
How a spirit may interact with you and how they may NOT
Your needs and expectations (such as you come first with things, the spirit does not)
As a good reference to some of you I thought it would be nice to post what my personal House Rules are currently. Note that they are sometimes flexible depending on what spirit I am working with.
WILLOW’S HOUSE RULES FOR SPIRITS AND COMPANIONS
You are NOT permitted into the bathroom without direct invitation
You are only allowed onto the bed without invitation
You are NOT allowed in (roommate’s name)’s or (sister)’s rooms/on their beds at all
You may interact with pet but only if it is positive interaction, harassing or scaring my pet on purpose is grounds for banishment
You may NEVER harm me, my pets or roommates, this will be taken extremely seriously
You may not touch or attempt sexual things (flirting, touching, seduction) to roommate or sister
You may only touch/flirt with me per spoken permission and on very specific grounds
NEVER make sexual touches or advances to me without FULL SPOKEN PERMISSION
ANY sort of racial slurs, sexual slurs, homophobic/biphobic/acephobic, or sexist behavior will be immediate grounds for banishment
You may not interact with anything burning (candles, incense, paper, etc) without spoken permission due to fire safety
When I or another is sleeping, unless it is an emergency, please do not disturb
Guests in house are to be left alone unless otherwise told via me AND the guest
No fighting, territorial disputes or hunting of others inside or around my home this is to be done elsewhere unless otherwise stated by me or in terms of emergency, self defense, etc
No making threats or insults to each other or other spirits unless otherwise told
Sarcasm is always welcome, but to be funny not to be mean or a bully
I am willing to allow you to feed off of my energy but you MUST ask first
Do NOT drain my energy when I am sleeping, ill or on my period unless I otherwise permit it due to these times being when even I am low on energy or uncomfortable sharing
I will ALWAYS put my health and comfort first, this is my home and so my rules, I will not accept abuse from any spirit towards me or any attempts at making my home life miserable or uncomfortable, you will banished without question
If you invite other spirits over be sure they too read and agree to these rules
All who do not obey these rules may and can be asked to leave or banished from my home!
How do I come up with my own House Rules?
Well start with what makes you uncomfortable, things that you don’t want them doing such as touching you or invading private spaces. Take into consideration those you live with and what they would want, most roommates wouldn’t want strangers in their rooms right? So take that into consideration. If you have pets or children, take their safety and needs into consideration as well. Make sure you put your mental and physical health first in all cases. It is your home, so therefore they need to follow your rules. Them being there does not make them the boss, you are the boss.
How to post House Rules for spirits?
There are several ways, I personally post a few printed or written up copies around my personal spaces such as on my bedroom door, near my window, on my wall, in the stairwell and near the front door inside. Posting it nice and big in places for them to see is always a good way, similar to posting signs and rules in public spaces.
Another method is to write it up and burn it to ash and keep the ash in jars or containers near entry points of your property such as windows and doors. Some also bury the notices around their property either whole, folded or as ash so that entering spirits may sense them. Putting up astral rules via energy work onto your wards similar to giant signs placed onto walls is also an option. Really, choose whatever is convenient for you.
Keeping House Rules for when you work with spirits or invite them into your home is a good way to ensure there is no miscommunication about Do’s and Don’ts in your home. It’s a good start to your own personal protection and the protection of others in your home. Keeping House Rules posted is very important so that all passing spirits can see it. Make sure to make it clear that all that break them will not be taken lightly and will not be welcomed back to your home.