Contacting Spirit Guides and other entities
If you have questions, message me. Spirit work is no joke!
Before we go over the steps of real contact with spirit, let’s go over some warnings and some advice on technique. This guide will work for calling any spirit, whether it be a fluffy unicorn bunny or something extremely uncomfortable and dangerous. It’s like picking up the phone: anyone can be on the other end.
When you do spirit work, you are interacting with a real world filled with infinitely many, and infinitely varied, beings.
There are some spirits that prey on humans like wolves prey on rabbits.
There are some spirits that are extremely kind and helpful.
In my experience, whatever you call will come.
If you leave your request open-ended, anything may come to you.
The more specific you are, the better.
But you must understand what you are doing when you call spirits to you.
“Spirits of light, come to me!” Many demons are considered to be “of light”, as well as gods you may be uncomfortable dealing with (Lucifer comes to mind).
“All spirits of darkness, leave me!” Well, spirits of all nocturnal animals could be interpreted as being spirits of darkness. The essence of storms and night-time, or even a spirit of sleepiness, could be considered spirits of darkness. Are you sure these are forces you want to send away?
Do not use poetic language. Speak plainly.
Instead of using flowery language, simply say what you mean.
Begin by writing down your intent.
What kind of spirit do you want to interact with? (Good, evil, nice, kind, mean? Nature, elemental, bunny, unicorn, demon?)
What is your purpose for calling this spirit? (Searching for a guide/guardian/teacher/friend? Have questions to ask? Need help with magic?)
How powerful do you believe this spirit will be? Is it going to be more powerful than your abilities to banish it? Never call up what you cannot put down.
What do you have to give back to this spirit? (Offerings? Time? Energy?)
In my experience, all spirits get something out of an interaction with a human. It could simply be that their curiosity is sated. A spirit could just be curious as to what kind of human is sending out a call in to their world! It could be that helping or aiding you assists their calling in life or a job they currently have. It could also be that they would like some kind of payment in return, such as offerings of incense, food, or drink. If you have the ability and inclination, have some small offerings on hand. Coffee, tobacco, any foods (I find they seems to like processed foods less), and any alcohols are good. Even a glass of fresh water and/or a little incense will be good.
Once you have your intent written down, formulate your call. Here are three example calls that I would use myself.
“I am [magical name]. I am calling out to the spirit world. I am seeking any good and helpful spirits that are willing to help a human such as myself. I wish for assistance with [guardianship/teaching/guidance/etc]. Please come to me so we may interact.”
“I am [magical name]. I am calling out to the spirit world. I am seeking any noble and strong warrior spirits that are willing to help a human such as myself. I wish for assistance with guarding my home. In return I can offer brandy and cigars. Please come to me so we may make a deal.”
“I am [magical name]. I am calling out to the spirit world. I am seeking a spirit of storms and rain that are willing to help a human such as myself. I wish for rain to be brought to my region. In return I will tell others about my experience so you gain fame in the human world. Please come to me so that we may help each other.”
For spirit work, try adopting a magical name. It does not sit well with me that someone uses their true name immediately with spirits. It’s like giving your telephone number to every stranger you meet. I use my online name, typically Briar although now it is Thicket. Magical names do not have to be permanent. Choose any name or word you like.
“I am calling out to the spirit world” can be replaced by any phrase or action that connects you with “the other side”. Find an action or method of connection that feels comfortable to you.
It is important to mention that you would like a spirit who wants to help you! It may seem self-evident, but trust me, it is not. Plenty of spirits come to my call who just want to see what’s going on, or who want a chance at the offerings at my side.
Actually calling the spirits, interacting with them, and formulating a relationship
Suppose you would like to meet any guardian or guide spirits that you may have already. Try using a call like this:
“I am [magical name]. I am calling out to the spirit world. I am seeing any guardians, guides, or helpful spirits that are attached to me. Please visit me so I may get to know you.”
Take your notebook and write down the exact call you plan on using. If you like, have some offerings on hand (this is just good form in general). Have with you any divination tools you plan on using. Also have with you the basic tools for banishment.
Sit in a quiet place. Make your environment as witchy as possible to get you in the right mindset. Candles and incense work great if you have them, otherwise try atmospheric music. Do whatever it takes to make you feel like you are connected to the “other” world. Try praying for protection or wearing protection amulets that you may have.
When you are ready, read your call. Read it out loud or mentally, it doesn’t matter; nothing on this plane of existence will hear it anyway.
At this point one of two things will happen: a spirit will visit you, or it will not.
If a spirit does not appear within a few moments, read your call again. Repeat this for three calls total, then try again the next day or the next week. If necessary, do divination to discover why spirits did not want to appear for you. Is it possible the spirit you called for does not exist? Try a different call (more will be listed below) for practice. Is it possible you just do not know how to detect a spirit if it does appear? If nothing seems to be working after a week or so of trying, send me a message. Please send me the exact calls you used.
Remember that spirits are not physical. It is extremely uncommon that a person will see a spirit with their two eyes. A being isn’t just going to appear three dimensionally in your bedroom. Most likely, that being will appear within your imagination. The imagination is an extremely powerful magical tool and should not be ignored because it is “make believe”. If you call an air elemental you may imagine a whirlwind, a bird, a cloud, or anything else that is ‘airy’ in nature, for example.
When your imagination suddenly changes with an image of something, mentally or verbally greet it. Try, “Hello, you may call me [magical name]. Are you replying to my call?”
Understanding what a spirit is communicating to you is tricky. If only they spoke plain English! Look for any sign that the spirit has responded. The image of the spirit may seem to move closer to you, or further away. It may appear to be happy, sad, or upset. You may suddenly get empathetic feelings of agreement or disagreement. You may actually hear, feel, or think words. It is your job to interpret what the spirit is trying to communicate with you. If you like, ask the spirit to influence your divinatory tools so you can communicate through those.
Avoid repeating questions. They do not seem to like it. Ask once, and if you can’t interpret, apologize and ask another question instead.
If absolutely nothing seems to happen, take it as a sign that the spirit did not respond to you. In this situation, if the spirit does not respond, say, “if you are not here to answer my call and assist me, please leave. Thank you for your time.” There is no need to be hostile or rude, just send them away. If they refuse to leave, it is time to banish.
If something does happen, for example if you sense a feeling of agreement or the image seems to nod at you, take this as an affirmative that the spirit is here to answer your call. Continue with your line of questioning. Try these questions:
“What may I call you?” (Do not ask for their name directly, I have never had good results when I do).
“Are you [the spirit I asked for]?”
“Would you like to continue communicating this way?”
“What is your role in my life?”
If you are here to make a deal and get it over with, don’t drag out the small talk. “Are you the spirit I called for? Will you protect my house for some brandy? Awesome, I’ll pay you once a week and we’ll revisit the contract in a month.”
If you are there to make a lasting connection, speak for as long as you like or until the spirit appears to become restless or bored.
When the spirit departs, or when you ask it to depart, the mental image of them should leave their mind. Carefully distinguish between having that spirit actively within your imagination, and memories of the spirit within your imagination.
After this first meeting, you can call the same spirit by the name they gave you. Try, “the spirit that gave me the name [spirit’s name] on the date [the date you first met the spirit], please come to me so we may speak.”
I don’t have the time or inclination to include full banishing rituals in this small guide. Simply google “how to banish a spirit” or ask a friendly Tumblurian to help :)
Alright, so here’s what you gotta do. Just pay attention. If something feels disturbing, wrong, or scary, DO NOT IGNORE THOSE FEELINGS. Fear is an instinct that exists to keep us safe. It is not you being a scaredy cat. It is not you being silly, nervous, or having stage fright. Ask the spirit to leave immediately and do a quick cleansing on your space.
Think about what you asked for and judge a spirit by those standards. An air spirit is not going to take the form of a boulder. A rain spirit is not going to take the form of a candle flame.
If something sounds too good to be true, it is. If a spirit is telling you that you are the chosen one, that you need it to be powerful, etc., you are going to be dinner. Send it away.
I would consider these calls to be relatively safe and good just to get a little experience in. Ask these spirits to come visit you for a short time, then bid them farewell. There is no need to get a name from them unless you really want to call them back. The offerings are just suggestions, to give you some ideas.
“I am seeking rabbit or hare spirits that wish to visit me in exchange for some fresh lettuce.”
“I desire to contact any spirits of flowers who are nearby, so I may appreciate your beauty.” (Remember to give the flowers many compliments in exchange for their time)
“I would like to visit with a good and benevolent water spirit who will teach me about healing.”
“I am seeking a dog spirit who would like a nice treat in exchange for his time.”
“I wish to speak with a bird spirit, who can show me what the world looks like from the sky. In exchange I can offer bird seed.”
“I wish to contact a spirit of beauty who can help teach me magics for clearer skin. In exchange I can give you three dried roses.”
“I would like to call upon the spirit of clutter that lives in my home, so that we may make a deal for you to leave my property.”
“I would like to call upon the ghost of [my deceased pet*****] so we may visit and share good times.”
“I desire to contact any good and benevolent spirits who are directly involved in my life, so we may speak and get to know each other.”
“I desire to contact any spirits who wish harm against me, so I may make amends and heal our relationship.”
“I am seeking a spirit of hard work to bless me in my future endeavors, in exchange for a small shrine built in your honor.”
*****DO NOT call human relatives to you at this point. It is way too easy for a demon or spook to pretend to be a human relative. It is okay if human spirits come to you in general, but it is a suckerpunch to the gut to realize that your beloved departed is really an evil spirit in disguise. Stick with animal friends for now.
Calling gods and other such beings
This method will work to call gods as well. Be very careful of petty spirits that pretend to be gods. Judge each being by its folklore and what you know about them.
What to do with offerings?
For any offering, set it aside and watch the spirit enjoy it. When the spirit is done, dispose of the offerings just as you would clear a plate from the guest table.
Pour any liquids on to the ground or down the drain. Bury or compost foods, or dispose of them in the trash. Simply allow incense to burn and throw away the ashes.
