Spirit-Keeping Resources

[generalwitcherydeleted]

i was really hoping i could make this anon cause i feel like it’s a dumb question but!! how do you communicate with deities? i pray and have a shrine to Aphrodite, i just want to know what she thinks about it n stuff

Anonymous said:

How do you talk to gods and goddesses? Because Im just starting out and everything is a mess. My grimoire is a mess, o dont have any alters,everything is everywhere. The only thing Ivr setles on are my deities. Thoth for knowledge Hestia for Home Apollo for creativity and health Hermes for luck and adventure Aphrodite for relations and femenin power Id like to talk to them just to get acquainted and such 

Anonymous said:

how do u communicate with deities

hey my dudes don’t worry about it. these kinds of questionsaren’t dumb—everyone starts somewhere, and often, “somewhere” is a little bitof a trainwreck at first. ground zero is scary when you’re looking at otherwitches who seem to have their shit together, but everyone’s flailing a littlebit internally.

and if we’re being honest, i only set up my altar to aphroditeto a couple of days ago. i doubt i’ll ever leave the trainwreck station completely.

BUT communication is fairly easy! the method i use is

a GODPHONE is a somewhat direct communication between aperson and a god.

the reason this metaphor works (at least to me) is that it’sa lot like a real phone in the sense that the each god has a phone… but itmight get hijacked by another god who needs to talk to you. or they might just not pick up because they don’t need to interfere currently.

sometimes, you have a “bad connection” because you aren’tready to hear a message, or because you’re having a bad day and can’tconcentrate.

the thing is, you don’t always directly hear it. just assome people can sense auras and “see” the colors without physically seeing it,a godphone works in the way that you “hear” the answer without really hearingit. it’s a lot more sensation than it is words at first. (you can refine itlater)

i hear a lot of people saying that they can’t communicatewith gods, or that they don’t trust themselves to understand messages beingsent to them. well, i have a message for you:

ANYONE CAN USE A GODPHONE and you just FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKEIT

some people are more inclined to it than others. some people have to work really hard at it. but i mean it when i say that anyone can learn.

if you want to start practicing, i would recommenddedicating a pendulum or similar divination tool to deity communication. i useda dedicated pendulum to talk with my gods to get used to feeling their answersalongside seeing the answers right in front of me. i used it for years untilaoibheall literally broke it and told me i wasn’t allowed to use it anymore. itdoes limit you to preprogrammed answers, but it was very helpful for me.

while using the pendulum, you learn to read their energies and can slowly (or abruptly) wean yourself off of the pendulum.

and until you can “hear” things clearly? pretend you do. do you have a vague but uncertain feeling that your god is happy with what you just offered them? that’s a godphone in the works. latch onto that and learn to identify it. meditate on it, really feel it deep in your bones.

it’s daunting at first, but it’s achievable with some work.

[chironomy]

I swear I once read an anthropology paper about how evangelical Christians develop the capacity to “hear” God’s voice – it’s more or less the exact same process described here. Hang on and I’ll see if I can dig it up.

[therootwitch]

YESSS

[chironomy]

OH HELLO IT’S A TED TALK AND A BOOK NOW

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DloTO-SwFZA

https://www.amazon.com/When-God-Talks-Back-Understanding/dp/0307277275

“Anthropologist Tanya Luhrmann’s research on the Evangelical relationship with God has lead to astonishing discoveries about those who say they hear God speak to them, literally. For some, this intimate relationship with God includes putting out an extra cup of coffee for Him. Luhrmann explores how rational, sensible people of faith experience the presence of an invisible being and sustain that belief in an environment of skepticism.”

tl;dr version: basically the exact same process of “learning to hear your gods” described above. And how wild is the “extra cup of coffee” reference given that’s what many of us do?

I’m a huge fan of Tanya Luhrmann. Her work is all about the ecstatic religious experience in cultural context and I’ve never seen her treat the people she studies with anything other than the utmost respect.

[therootwitch]

Awesome :000

[therootwitch]

can ppl stop shitting on demons please

Hell is, like, really, really big. And diverse. There are as many kinds of demons as there are spirits in general.

Not all of them are evil. They don’t all want your soul, or to tempt you, or to deceive you.

JUST LEAVE MY FRIENDS ALONE OKAY

[macabre-inactive-deactivated201]

Spirit Work vs Make Believe

If you suddenly read a post or see a listing for a kind of spirit and you suddenly find yourself surrounded by 20+ members of that species your probably not really interacting with members of that species.

If you find yourself with an entire species or 20+ members of a species hanging around your home and never leaving to do anything outside of working with you they are probably not real

If you read a book and suddenly a species from that book starts showing up around you they are probably not real

If you have 20+ spirits wanting to ‘mate’ with you or be in a relationship with you, thats probably not real

If you have enough child spirits around you to call yourself an ‘orphanage’ they are probably not real.

If all of your companions look the same or seem to have all the same interests and fashion sense that you do , they are probably not real

If your companions are all your ‘type’ (meaning you think they are all hot) they are probably not real

If your companions have the same personality, they are probably not real

If all of your companions are supposed to be a special secret version of a group that no other members of the species have ever mentioned and show sincere confusion when it’s mentioned, they are probably not real

If your companion deviates from all the morals, traditions, and aspects of their species and claims it’s because they are ‘special’ or that they are from a ‘separate more important group’ they are most likely not being honest and you are being played.

If the person who has spent years working with a species, getting to know them, and learning everything about said species tells you that the things you are being told are not true, you should probably think about the fact that you may be wrong. 

If your companion acts like an anime protagonist and that they are the only person who knows the true evils of ‘insert species here’ or ‘insert royal family here’ you are probably being lied to.

If a spirit claims YOU are the only person powerful enough to do all the protaganisty things in the world to save their species, your probably being lied to

[spiritcompanionship-archive]

any advice for beginning spirit workers/spiritual people in general? I have a moderate sensitivity to higher beings (can sense them, but not much more).

Research. I know that that isn’t the best anwer to recieve, but it really makes a world of difference. Research can tell you if this really is something you want to dive in to. It can help you decide which direction you would want to work in, regarding species or alignment types. It can even help you find a way to get into better contact with spirits and develop your own sense of being.Protect yourself. Find a way that works for you on how to ward. It doesn’t have to be sigils, though they help. Find a way that it works for you. And then ward like crazy. Make sure that you are well prepared before you take up contact with anyone. Don’t let yourself be put in harms way out of eagerness. Work on how you communicate with spirits. This is important as well. Besides being able to sense spirits, it would be best to be able to have some way of communicating with them. Not all spirits are how they feel, and getting multiple senses of them will help you to see which are trustworthy and which aren’t.Be cautious. Don’t trust every one and every thing blindly. Spirits can lie like anyone else, and if they want something bad enough, they will do it. Take everything with a grain of salt, even information, and work in a way that you feel safe and know works for you. Please stay safe. Be careful. Be prepared. Be well informed.~ Mod Lily

[0027]

outside of rearing young spirits in need of guidance and pet-like ones, you’re not required to be there for your companions 24/7 and sacrifice your mental or physical health in order to be with them. 

they are your friends, family, mentors: you shouldn’t be obligated to serve them like a slave just as they’re not obligated to serve you. it should be a 50/50 relationship based on mutual understanding and respect. 

spirits are not collectibles or trophies to measure your prestige.

establish what you and your companion want the relationship to be like and the things expected from it beforehand, that will be your foundation.

[will-o-the-witch]

Witch Tip #3

When interacting with spirits, check-in now and then and ask yourself, “how would I feel if I had this same relationship with a human?”

If a human friend doing the same thing would feel mean, overly-demanding, manipulative, or otherwise unpleasant, you don’t need to put up with it from a spirit. Spirits don’t get to treat you poorly just because they’re spirits. 

[knifenymph]

Why you shouldn’t share the name of your companion!

So! Spirit companions are quite a popular thing in this community. They’re cool friends and are super great in general. Something you may have noticed, though, is that everyone seems to abbreviate their companions’ nicknames. 

Now why is that?  Abbreviating the name of one’s companion is a safety precaution. As you probably have heard, names hold a lot of power, especially for spirits. When someone has the name of a spirit, that means they can potentially force conjure your spirit.

“What’s force conjuring?” you ask. Force conjuring is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. It where someone basically kidnaps the spirit via conjuring. They call, and the spirit has to show up. It is a very harsh method, so much so, my companions are shuddering with the thought of it. It’s a super not cool thing, but it could happen to your companion if someone decides they are mad at you and want to hurt you via your companion. This is one of the reasons why some spirits may not want to tell you their real name when you meet for the first time. 

So yea, don’t share the name of your companions. Aside from them possibly being uncomfortable with the whole world knowing their name, it can put them in a lot of danger! Be smart and stay safe.

[weavethewild-deactivated2022060]

Working with Gods, Deities and Spirits as a spoonie:

Sometimes witches will work with certain gods, deities or spirits within their craft. This isn’t always the case, but witches come from all sorts of religions and spiritualities, or none, and sometimes a witches religion makes up a large portion of their craft. However, having a chronic illness or disability can make it seem hard to work with gods or deities. When you don’t have the energy to get out of bed, how can you honour Thor, or Hecate or The Cailleach, for example.

Some people may be concerned that they cannot honour their deities in the correct way, as they cannot give vast, complex offerings in the same way that others do. I do not see this as an issue, as I think the deities care about how much energy we expend doing something for them. A non-spoonie person may use up 10% of their energy to create a beautiful altar, and bake bread and do a complex offering ritual to their deity. Whereas a spoonie person may use 50% of their energy to light a candle as an offering. It’s all relative to the particular person, the gods can see this and appreciate the effort applied.

Some simple devotional ideas:

I am not knowledgeable enough on individual deities, and there are hundreds upon hundreds of them; and so I cannot list devotional ideas for your chosen deities. However, there are common themes and simple things that you can do for nearly every deity, spirit or magical being.

Keep a light lit, or a candle burning whilst you focus on your deity

Do simple sketches or small craft projects for your deities

Leave out shiny pennies, cool rocks, shells or other findings as offerings

Devote a plant to your deity and take care of it (choose a plant that isn’t high maintenance so you don’t have to worry about it)

Make a playlist based on your deity

Create a virtual altar in an app or, as I do, on sims

Devote your self-care to your deity, i.e. looking after yourself is showing respect to your deity

Read, research and learn about your deity

Make a sigil based on your deity

Links:

@heatherwitch Small Devotional Acts series

[heatherwitch]

The link to my Small Devotional Acts series was wonky so here it is: [X] (please note this is only for the Greek Pantheon - but it may spark inspiration!)

Also! I have a post for worship while being bedridden/really sick: [X]

Thanks for tagging me dear <3

[bibliotecha-secreta-deactivated]

Bucca

It is a faerie in Cornish folklore that was believed to be a spirit that inhabited mines and coastal communities as a hobgoblin during storms.

It is uncertain whether Bucka can be regarded as one of the fairy tribe; old people, within my remembrance, spoke of a Bucka Gwidden and a Bucka Dhu - by the former they meant good spirit, and by the latter an evil one, now known as Bucka boo. I have been told, by persons of credit, that within the last forty years it was a usual practice with Newlyn and Mousehole fishermen to leave on the sand at night a portion of their catch for Bucka. Probably from this observance the common nickname of Newlyn Buckas was derived. An old rhyme says: ‘Penzance boys up in a tree, Looking as wisht (i.e. haunted) as wisht can be; Newlyn buckas as strong as oak, Knocking them down at every poke.’

- Cornish folklorist William Bottrell, 1890

The Bucca is featured in two forms, Bucca Widn (White Bucca) and Bucca Dhu (Black Bucca). 

The Bucca is also associated with the wind, in Penzance it was customary to refer to storms that emanated from a south westerly direction, as “Bucca calling”, sailors and fishermen also believe that Bucca’s voice carried on the wind. 

During the 19th Century, there were reports of fishermen venerating Bucca with offerings ( this included food offerings, particularly of fish, given to Bucca on beaches).

[will-o-the-witch]

Respecting the Gods

Don’t… treat them as tools. Deities aren’t obligated to help you, even if you do everything “correctly” to ask. They’re not vending machines, or a list of correspondences that only gets value from how they best serve you. They’re gods! Instead… treat them like people. (Really high-status people.) Build a relationship before asking big favors. Compensate them for their time. Respect they have their own autonomy. Respect that your will is not the center of their universe. 

Don’t… reduce them into archetypes. Putting Frejya or Aphrodite into just “love goddess” takes out so much of their depth. (Example, both of these goddesses also have warlike aspects.) Putting them into narrow categories and treating all deities that fit as the same can be reductive at best and insensitive to the root cultures at worst.  Instead… address who you’re really talking to. Do your research. See how a god either lines up with or defies your assumptions. See what makes them different from a deity with a similar domain. If you wish to speak to the Horned God, speak to the Horned God, and if you want to speak to Cernunnos or Pan, call them Cernunnos or Pan.  Don’t… ignore the lore. UPG Can certainly exist and add depth, but the lore has survived and is what all these gods are largely founded on. It’s important for us to recognize it and know who we’re approaching.  Instead… do your research beforehand. Did you know Aphrodite is widely considered to HATE pigs and be offended with offerings of pork or images of pigs on the altar? Might be a good thing to know before you accidentally offer some fresh bacon. (But if you recognize the lore and find a way to spin it so it works, more power to you~) Don’t… insult other people’s gods. If those gods don’t resonate with you, they have a lot of meaning for other good people. I’m tempted to say don’t insult your own, either. Playful banter is one thing, but there’s a line between affectionate jabs and straight up disrespect. Find where that line is for you. Instead… talk to other people. If something about a god you don’t worship feels problematic, talk to their followers and devotees and see what they have to say about it. They probably have an approach you haven’t been exposed to. Analyze your own relationships with deities. And if the way you speak about a deity makes someone else uncomfortable or upset, respect their right to feel that way, apologize, and learn from it. Remember that each deity has changed someone’s life for the better.

[hekateanwitchcraft]

sorry if this is noobish but im new to the idea of deity work and feel drawn to hekate and kind of get the feeling other people wouldnt be as trustworthy as you to ask so-- would you talk a little about how you incorporate her into your spells/craft?

That’s not “noonish”, many people don’t know where to start with Hekate. Also, I appreciate your trust in me. I have been researching Hekate for many years in many different aspects and have developed my whole practice through Her. Any spell that I do, Hekate is invoked. I do no magic without Her approval and aid, because She has served as a guardian and protecter for me and prevents many negative situations that could be encountered when dealing with magic. I always always always give Her offerings in my spells and day-to-day life (Her offerings can be found here) and our relationship is largely built on unwavering devotion. I have dedicated my life to Her and have given Her a blood oath that I will honor and worship Her as a primary deity until the day I die. This is not for everyone, but that is where my path has taken me.

For starting I will tell you that reading is a necessity. I recommend reading The Theogony by Hesiod, The Argonautica by Apollonius Rhodius, Hekate Soteira by Sarah Iles Johnston, Hekate: Liminal Rites by Sorita D’este, and if you can get a hold of it, The Goddess Hekate by Stephen Ronan. 

[shroud-of-roses]

Basic Offering Ideas for Spirits

Hello! I will be making a recipe list sometime soon for those of you who want to spice up your offerings or routine, but for now, here are some easy daily offerings with a little correspondence with them, based on my personal experiences.

Apples: Apples represent a full harvest, abundance, and time spent with the ones you love. Perfect for those times when you want to recall memories you’ve had with the spirit.

Oranges: Their vibrancy, attraction, and the smell all come together to represent a life lived to the fullest. I like to think of oranges as an innocent guilty pleasure, and something easy to obtain.

Grapes: elegance, refinement, perfection. I also tend to think of being waited on and treated like royalty. Definitely good for a spirit who needs some extra attention.

Fruit in General: great for sweetening up a spirit, or showing that you find them vibrant and kind. I like to give fruit and eat another piece of fruit with them, make it a little date of sorts.

Honey: another sweetening agent. Good for spirits who are feeling low on energy, as it lasts a while and holds lots of sugar, which I often associate with energy.

Bread: fun to make, and good to customize. Have a spirit who likes a bit of savoury element to their offerings? Try adding spices, maybe make garlic bread. Alternatively, you can bake sourdough, brioche, or even some sort of sweet bread. It’s a fabulous offering for family and household spirits.

Milk and Honey: Definitely something I would offer nature spirits. It’s wholesome, sweet, and very natural. Great for those moments when you want to indulge on them.

Chocolate Milk: An alternative to milk and honey. Something I think children spirits would enjoy.

Milks in General: This includes soy milk, almond milk, etc. I find these to be good offerings you don’t leave out, for obvious reasons. Nice for rituals and for those moments when you want to be able to take it away after a little bit. Very filling and delicious.

Cookies, Cakes, and Sweet treats:

Water: I see this most often with ancestral spirits, or spirits you make offerings to on a daily basis. You can enchant it, charge it, make gem elixir with it. There’s a lot of magic in water anyway, though.

Wine/Alcohol: I find a lot of spirits request this, even though I can’t give it to them. Maybe it’s because it’s a ‘spirit’? *badum tssss* Seriously though, this is a fairly generic offering I see a lot.

Juice/Cider/Lemonade/etc: Similar to wine, but much more friendly to your wallet and to those of you who don’t drink for whatever reason. I associate this with friendship for some reason.

Platters: Grab a couple of items from your fridge or pantry, and offer it together. I most often go for grapes, cheese, crackers, and juice. I just find it to be an easy, hassle free offering that doesn’t cost much. Especially if you don’t give it in large quantities, which is totally okay with this, and any other offering really. I like this one in particular because it offers a variety of tastes and energy sources.

Drawings: Pictures, especially things you’ve made, are awesome offerings. It shows you care and are willing to spend time thinking about them. Just like any other relationship, meaningful gifts are awesome.

Photographs: Whether you see something cool outside or online, bringing them a picture that you think they would like is kind. It also shows that you know them pretty well, or are at least trying to.

Embroidery: I have a friend that makes beautiful embroidery pieces for the Hellenic Theoi, whom I worship in particular. They’re full of energy and patience and time, and I think that makes it a great offering. Not to mention they’re just nice to look at.

Sigils: Make sigils for those special spirits in your life! They can be to promote energy, happiness, peace, etc. Ask them what they would like, and make it for them. Add it to their vessel if they have one, and you got a good start.

Natural Objects: Crystals, flowers, pretty leaves, jars of sand. Glasses of water from a stream, rocks, pieces of wood that fall from trees (ask permission before taking any of these things); all are awesome ideas. They have energy, and make them lasting offerings that you can recharge and fill beck up.

Music or Sound: Play a song for them. Play your own musical instrument. Sing, ring bells, clap around. Sound is vibration, and it is energy. It is also something we like. So why wouldn’t most spirits? Ask them if they would like to hear music, or even a specific song.

Energy: Send them balls of energy, streams of it, etc. Help them connect to the moon or the Earth so they can use that as often as they need to. Basically, provide a source for them to live off of when not using your offerings. I do not recommend having them use you as an energy source, except on occasion and for a short period of time, because they can drain you, even without meaning to.

Trinkets: Find something cool at a store? Maybe you pick up a few bobbles at a thrift store. If you feel like they would want it, offer it! You never know what could make them smile, or keep them busy when you’re not home, and they’re not out and about.

Anything You Think They Would Enjoy: Literally anything could be an offering. Find what works for you and what they like. Make special offerings once in a while, too, if possible. And remember, this is a relationship, not a mandatory thing. You are doing this together, and you chose to be a friend of this spirit, most of the time.

I hope this list will help some of you get started! Feel free to add on to this list, share your experiences, etc. Happy offering!

[feistyceltic-deactivated2018120]

Methods of Seeing Spirits

Everyone sees spirits differently, some don’t see them at all. This list is here to help you identify the way you may see spirits or sate your macabre curiosities. This is not a complete list by any means and is made to be a reference, not a how-to guide or a method of invalidation. 

Astral Travel

Astral Travel is one of the most coveted tools in a spirit workers arsenal, as it takes time and practice to even end up on the astral, let alone be able to see everything vividly. Astral Travel allows the person to travel to a plain where spirits are naturally, making communication, relationships, and physical contact with them (via your astral body) possible. Despite popular belief, you do not have to astral travel to be a spirit worker, and in all honesty, I would not recommend it for a beginner as you can die on the astral and it has many other risks associated with it.

The Second Sight

The sight has been spoken of for centuries, sometimes with reverence, other times with dread. If you have the sight you are born with the innate ability to see otherworldly creatures and ghosts, and while this may sound amazing, it’s horrifying. You cannot turn it off, they know you can see them so they seek you out, and its there forever. If you do manage to shut them out you have definitely caused a major energy block which will have damaging effects in the future such as losing touch with spirituality, chronic migraines, and reoccurring nightmares. No one knows for sure why some people are born with the sight, some say its a curse, others say a Faery blessed you.

Energy Signatures

Energy Signatures is one of the most basic forms of seeing spirits that is common when you start spirit work. It is defined as seeing trace amounts of a spirit’s energy, whether it be a colored tendril, smoke, shadows, or even sparkles. It is the shadow you see out of the corner of your eye, the strange subtle light you see in a pitch black room, the fog in a room that doesn’t belong. 

Assisted Energy Signatures

Assisted energy signatures are when a spirit manifests their energy to let you see it or to let you know they are there and is fascinating to witness as it is normally stronger than unassisted energy signatures.

Forced Mental Imagery

Forced mental imagery is when a spirit sends a mental image into your mind for one reason or another. It could be as simple as an eye, a mouth, or a hand or as complex as whole scenes, actions, and words.

Mental Imagery

Mental imagery is when you see spirits in your mind, sometimes its just a face, other times it’s a full body image. You normally can see the spirit in your mind if you look around the room and it is easy for you to know where in the room they are.

Mind Scrying

Mind scrying is something I never really see anyone talk about. It is similar to mental imagery but more in-depth and requires more focus/control. You see spirits in your mind, but you can look through your house, property, or even general location and see what is around you. If you want to know what someone is doing you simply focus on them and you can see what they’re doing in great detail and where they are, you can easily check your house for intruding spirits, etc.

[sparklyfoxglitter]

California Fae Work Tips/Observations

(If you find this post helpful please either reblog or check out my links: Patreon/Buy Me A Coffee?/Art Commissions/Mage Services) 

Note: Most of my California Fae interactions are in the Bay Area or Central Valley. Most likely will not apply to outside of the state, not sure about the other regions of California. This is based off several years worth of interaction with local Cali fae, european fae lore does not fully apply to them. 

Tips

Stay on trails. The trails are there for a reason. Its to give humans access to nature without us trampling over rare habitat and causing damage to the ecosystem. This isn’t our land, its theirs and we need to respect it. Also from what I’ve experienced, more human-tolerant fae will live closer to the trails, so its safer to chat with them then say, the deep wilderness ones. 

Prevent the spread of invasive plants! (Link to info) - Habitat restoration is costly, expensive, and often requires taking out invasive plants by hand. Respect native fae by helping to keep their habitat intact and Californian. 

Food! - I’ve often had random fae walk up to my backpack and pockets and start snagging the food energy of my snacks. Did I care? No. Again, I was visiting their homes and I’ve never gotten cursed like this. If anything, it made talking to them easier. Generally, when I eat outside, I’m cool with the local spirits approaching me and sharing food with me.

Don’t wake them up. - A lot of fae in my area sleep at night or only get to rest in their homes at night because there’s less humans around. I’m personally banned from beaches at night since all the local selkies, merfolk, sirens etc want to be able to rest on the beach without humans walking through their spirit bodies. 

Don’t eat their natural food sources. - The local goblins out here get extremely territorial and snarly if they see me eyeing their berry bushes. They are not happy if humans get their berries. And a local merfolk told me about the local goblins eating her brother when he tried to harvest it. The fae I’ve met know about humans and our grocery stores. Which only adds to their anger if we get their food. Prepare offerings if you are going wild-harvesting. 

This is their land. - Don’t be a jackass and assert ownership rights over it unless they are threatening you with violence and you need to kick them out. Learn about the indigenous people who live here and try to support them when you can. Avoid visiting sacred spots that are disrespected. Like a mall in Emervyille built on an Ohlone Shellmound.  From what I’ve observed, land rights for the local spirits go like this. Native species, then immigrant/naturalized species, then recent newcomers, then tourists. Outsiders who try to invade get kicked out/killed. 

Don’t go around hunting and eating the local fae. - For fuck’s sake a lot of the local populations aren’t doing well due to human enroachment.

Human ghost-eating fae exist. - Earn their respect or you’ll end up on the menu. A lot of fae that are prey ended up with crashed populations so human/dog/rabbit/birds/etc is the main option nowadays. 

Make a native plant garden. 

Observations

Fae courts are more like neighborhood associations of different species that live in the area. They settle local disputes among themselves.

I haven’t noticed any royalty unless they are foreign fae. 

Most fae species are tribal/clan/family group based. 

Urban fae often scavenge the energies of physical food and physical materials to craft etheric/astral based items and dishes. Energetic copies of things are often scavenged from the garbage, human homes and shops. 

Some fae will interbreed with human ghosts to produce offspring. I’ve mostly seen this with the local marine merfolk, some of them will take the military dead as husbands. 

[sleepytisi]

I have worked with a faerie prince of a local court. There are the local-local ones like townships with mayors and boards and the like. There are a bunch of those townships under the umbrella of a larger court that governs the lot of them. Those fall under another, larger umbrella that leads eventually to deity-level faeries. I’m going to list an example of Oonah and NicNevin, even though they are European, because I don’t know the names or locations of the American versions of these. But the court the Prince is a part of the ones that governs the area from the coasts of San Clemente up to Santa Barbara and as far inland as Joshua Tree.

The fae courts here are interesting, from what I’ve seen. Some live in the Faerie, but the trees and such are physical homes to the ones in the townships. The governing royalty mostly governs from the Faerie but will venture out occasionally. Their visits are not like a wild hunt, but more like a visit to see how things are faring.

I want to also emphasize the whole “stick to the path” thing. Aside from damaging the local flora, and disturbing the habitats of the local fauna, you’d be walking through the homes of the entities that live in that area. If you’re not welcome, you can get hexed, cursed, eaten, followed home and eaten there, and like a million other things that end in tears. You don’t want people walking through your house and messing up your space, so offer the same respect to the fae. Don’t go where you’re not invited.

That being said, it’s really nice to leave little offerings for the fae in this specific area. Offerings for the Southern Cali faeries are:

Natural foods, like grapes or strawberries. Set them on a fallen leaf from the local trees. 

Cakes and such. Do not offer these in the wild, as local animals might get sick from it. The ones near my house really enjoyed pound cake and carrot cake (not store bought with the chemicals).

Hibiscus tea or rose tea.

Pick up litter. Faeries LOVE clean spaces, here. Keep it clean and they’ll appreciate it.

[intangirble]

Can confirm about the trails. I went scrubbing around in the wilderness off near my house a while back and wound up in a place that definitely was not open to visitors.

I literally was not sure I was going to make it out of there with soul or body intact. The whole time I was chanting a mental litany of “just let me out of here alive I swear I’ll never come back”, and since they kept their end of the bargain and I did get out, you can bet I’m keeping a wide berth from now on.

This was in SoCal, btw. They say old places are more haunted, but in terms of things that aren’t ghosts I get the feeling new places are just as dangerous if not moreso. In older settlements, the local fae and humans have usually come to an arrangement one way or the other, but if your home had only just been bulldozed to make way for yet another housing development, you’d be pretty pissed too.

[coyote-696]

Please don’t leave ANY food out in the wilderness even if it’s just fruit or vegetables.  It can be harmful to local wildlife - grapes and raisins for example are extremely poisonous to some species of canine and felines. More importantly it encourages wildlife to seek out food from humans or from human inhabited locations which eventually can lead to them behaving dangerously or being killed. Please remember to leave only footsteps in wilderness areas even if you’re there to do witchcraft. If you need to make an offering, consider bringing a trash bag with you and cleaning up the trail instead of leaving something.

[acakaos-archived]

Spirit Degradation

Some of the attitudes towards spirits right now seem to be a bit…. degrading, and I’d like to tackle that.

For the life of me I could not find it, but there’s a post somewhere on this godforsaken website pointing out that trans boys (I believe it focused on trans boys) are treated as uwu precious pretty marshmallows uwu by some people on tumblr, and not only is said attitude preteen but it’s uncomfortable. We’re people, not fictional characters, and not everyone wants to be degraded into an uwu pretty boy aesthetic that must be protected.

While the situations are different, the spirit companion community is uncomfortably reminiscent of that issue.

The act itself of matching bound spirits is not necessarily degrading when consent is present and everyone is properly informed, that is not the point of this post. But the attitude towards the spirits can easily turn this into a degrading practice. That is clearly seen with those who treat them as collector’s items or pets, and no one wishes to lump themselves into that category.

But on the opposite side of the spectrum? There can still exist issues.

Spirits are people. We all realize that, but real people do not exist to be treated as children. Some of the attitudes I’ve been seeing recently are more appropriate for your OCs than a living being with freedom and independent thought. They aren’t precious little children to giggle over and pat on the head, they aren’t fuzzy pets to take care of, they aren’t something to fit neatly into an aesthetic. Those kind of attitudes are demeaning. They’re demeaning when real people are treated in such a manner, and they’re demeaning to spirits as well.

Just because we are not all ultra formal with our spirits doesn’t mean they lose their dignity. While some may consent to being shown that attitude, you need to have an actual relationship with the spirit before doing so (yes, that would be weird and creepy towards strangers) and actually make sure they are okay with it. The entirety of spirits are most certainly not to be treated as precious children to be protected and you should never assume that a spirit is comfortable with an attitude typically seen as demeaning outside of preteen tumblr. It implies they are too weak to care for themselves.

Not being pets also means that your spirit companions do not need to be taken care of. They are self sufficient, they lived without you and will continue to take care of themselves. If they are too young to take full care of themselves or to know how to do so, that is an issue. If they are in a situation, such as former abuse, which means they may need help to do so, you seriously need to have prior spirit working experience to be helping that spirit and are going to be spending a large amount of time and energy to prepare and live with them. Otherwise, the relationship strikes me more as a toy to give you brownie points as a kind person and the spirit is not in the optimal situation.

Whether or not they require assistance, treating people as if they can’t take care of themselves is demeaning. It makes the majority of adults uncomfortable to be treated in such a manner, and these boundaries do not fade simply because the being is nonphysical. You are implying that they cannot take care of themselves - like a pet.

Spirits should not be entirely reliant on their companion. In physical relationships this is easily recognized as a power imbalance and is dangerous no matter the type of relationship.

Your spirit friends do not need you. They have a home to live in without you, they are capable of caring for themselves, and they should not be in a position where they must rely on you for survival. There should be no issues with them leaving and living without you, otherwise they are not free and that is not a balanced relationship.

Spirits matched in shops should not be of these positions. That is a red flag if they are treated with the independence of a pet. If a spirit cannot possibly wait any longer for interest in them…. They are not ready and should not be offered. If they will have difficulty caring for themselves or a decreased quality of life if separation occurs, they should not be offered. If they are being treated more like fictional characters than people, I must heavily question the shop.

I realize that this coddling attitude is a common joke in tumblr, but it has grown to the point where some of you are completely serious with it. Not everyone is treating it like a joke and recognizing that the spirits are real people. Newbs are coming in and seeing that this attitude is the normal interaction they should be having, because almost everything I see coming out of this tag involves spirits being treated as helpless. Yes, that includes shop blogs.

Y’all talk big about spirits not being pets, now put your actions where your mouth is. Hell, your mouth ain’t even there.

[thecultoflexithewulf]

Spiritual Connection Tarot Spread

The spread is for showing the connection between you, and any other entity, whether that be a loved one, a spirit, a deity, or even an aspect of the world. It will allow you to find out certain insights on the connection, so that you can better it

How are you connected to this entity?

How do you feel the connection is going?

How do they feel the connection is going?

How can you better the connection?

What will worsen the connection?

[shroud-of-roses]

How to Deal With Angry Spirits (And Banish Them if You Need to)

Angry spirits are generally not very fun. They can act out, just like a living human could, though their reactions can end up being much scarier in some cases. This is a little guide on how to talk to and calm an irritable spirit, and hopefully get on better terms with them. I have also included a but about banishing a spirit if need be. (And let’s be honest, sometimes there is no reasoning with an angry spirit). There are individual steps for ease of use and reading, but if you feel certain steps don’t apply, or you feel need to be completed in a different order, feel free to move things around.

Analyze the situation. Decide if you really think the spirit is angry/irritable, or if it is a new presence or energy. See if you can recognize the feeling the events or situations give off. Does it feel like a particular spirit? Is this even like them to do this? Could it potentially be another spirit, or even some negative energy or a curse? Try to really think before jumping to conclusions, because it may not even be the spirit causing havoc or making you feel angry or whatever else makes you think they are upset.

Think about what you’ve done recently, in a metaphysical as well as physical sense. Do you have any new companions? Have you been ignoring the spirit lately? Have you brought anyone new into the home, ex: a child or significant other? Is there anything that could make the spirit jealous, upset, or offended? For example: did you disrupt their grave to bring them in, or even appropriate from their culture? Another thing to think about is whether or not you’ve said anything to bring about a change in the spirit.

Talk to the spirit. As with most first steps, talking to the spirit can really open dialogue and help you understand their thought process. Try to remain positive, neutral in taking sides (if it involves another entity or person), and be open minded. I know some things may seem silly, you may think “well that wouldn’t upset me”. But the truth is, you’re not them. Validate their feelings and just listen for a while.

Work out any problems if possible. Sometimes a spirit needs more interaction, and sometimes they just need their space. Other times they are lonely and want another spirit friend, or another companion (a human that is living). If you know the root of the problem, even if it seems silly, you’ll be able to work with them and help. Find out what’s really bothering them and work together to fix it.

If they aren’t listening, aren’t willing to compromise, and are still angry, if not angrier, begin to think of other options. This could mean taking a break for a while, and inviting them back later. It could just mean making daily offerings. Try to base this off of their personality and wants.

If they become belligerent and dangerous, begin planning to banish them. If at anytime you truly fear for your safety or the safety of others due to their presence in your home, it should immediately be deemed an unsafe situation. Banishing them can be hard, especially if you were once close, but you should not be in a dangerous environment.

Keep in mind that some spirits are inherently angry or malevolent, whether due to their natural nature or the way they died. It’s okay to have to let go of those spirits if you can’t help them, or even feel that they want to be helped.

Banishment

Banishment is usually a last resort, but sometimes it is very necessary. Here is a banishing ritual I used to get rid of a very malevolent entity a while ago, and haven’t had a problem since.

What You’ll Need:

Shredded Soap (I reccomend grating it, but you can shave it with a knife or whatever you think is safe and easiest)

Sage (I used the spice in my kitchen, it was dried and ground)

Moon Water

Gem elixir (I used a mix of rose quartz, clear quartz, amethyst, and hematite for this. Be cautious with hematite, as I am not 100% sure it is safe in water. I set it around the glass When making my water) (rose quartz for love and harmony in the home, clear quartz to clear away negativity, amethyst for peace and protection, and hematite to be rid of negative energy and circulate the energy through my home)

A spray bottle

Black Candle

Begin by mixing your gem elixir, moon water, and soap together in a bowl. To bless the soap and give it spiritually cleansing properties, use this chant, or direct cleansing energy into the soap:

“Soap you clean and clear away

Debris and dirt, and my dismay.

I bless you so you’ll remove

Everything I don’t approve.”

Add the sage and pour this mixture into the spray bottle. Spray around your entire house, focusing on doors and windows, ceilings, floors, and entrances. Don’t forget random spaces like up your chimney or down your vents.

Use as needed, and burn a black candle afterwards to burn away the lasting energy of the spirit.