#spiritworks

[theoccultmoon]

Friday the 13th: A Witch’s Guide to Magic and Mystery ๋࣭ ⭑ 

Friday the 13th is almost here, and while many people associate this day with superstition or bad luck, in witchcraft, it’s a time of power and transformation. This day is deeply tied to sacred feminine energy, creativity, and rebirth, making it an ideal moment to honor your intuition and engage in meaningful rituals. 

The Magic of Friday the 13th 

Historically, Friday the 13th was far from unlucky, it was a day of celebration! 

☆ Friday: Ruled by Venus, the planet of love, beauty, and creativity. 

☆ The Number 13: Sacred to the Goddess, it symbolizes cycles, transformation, and spiritual awakening. There are 13 lunar cycles in a year, further connecting this number to divine feminine energy. 

This day invites us to reclaim its magical energy, focusing on self-love, manifestation, and intuitive growth. 

How to Work with Friday the 13th Energy 

☆ Cleanse and Ground 

Start your day with a cleansing ritual to clear away negative energy. 

⟡ Tools: Use sage, rosemary, or a cleansing spray. 

⟡ Intention: “I release all fears and superstitions, and welcome abundance, clarity, and love into my life.” 

☆ Ritual for Manifestation and Creativity 

With Venus’s influence, this is the perfect time to focus on love, beauty, and prosperity. 

⟡ Tools: Green or pink candles, rose quartz, cinnamon, or basil. 

⟡ Practice: Write down your desires, focusing on creativity or relationships, and burn the paper in a fire-safe dish to release them into the universe. 

☆ Journaling and Reflection 

Friday the 13th is a great time to honor cycles in your life. 

⟡ Journal prompts:  

What transformations have I undergone this year? 

What do I need to release to step into my power? 

Astrological Insights 

This year’s Friday the 13th falls during Mars retrograde in Leo and Mercury retrograde, adding layers of introspection and reflection. 

⟡ Mars Retrograde: Reflect on how you assert yourself and revisit creative projects. 

⟡ Mercury Retrograde: Focus on revisiting old ideas, reconnecting with loved ones, and practicing patience in communication. 

A Day of Empowerment 

Friday the 13th reminds us that what’s seen as “unlucky” can be reclaimed as sacred and magical. It’s a day to break free from limiting beliefs, honor your inner power, and connect with the cycles of life. 

✨ How do you celebrate Friday the 13th? Share your rituals and practices! I’d love to hear how you embrace its magic! 🌙 

[justalittleb-witchy]

Warding & Protection 101

What is warding?

Warding is the practice of shielding or protecting something, someplace, or someone. There are a million and two different types of wards you can create-- in many ways, you are only limited by your own creativity and knowledge.

Why/when should I use a ward?

I always recommend having, at minimum, a protective ward for yourself and your living space if you practice witchcraft (or something adjacent to witchcraft). What a ward does is dependent on what it was created to do. Different people have different needs, and wards are not one-size fits all. Wards can be generic or specific, but my personal preference is a well-defined ward. By well-defined, I mean "clear in what it will and will not do".

Basics

In order to figure out what sort of ward you may need, ask yourself these questions:

What does my practice focus on?

Where might I be vulnerable?

What are my strengths and weaknesses when it comes to witchcraft?

Who and what am I comfortable with having in my space?

When and where am I comfortable with having others in my space?

What do I need to keep out, and what do I need to keep in?

What existing practices/habits may affect my wards? (e.g. cleansing, banishment, rituals, etc.)

Do I have an energy source for a ward? How do I intend to upkeep my wards?

Do my wards need to be moveable or changeable?

What resources are available to me? Are there people or entities that are willing to help me?

What, in my mundane life, do I need help with? What do I need to protect?

What actions am I taking, in my mundane life, to protect myself? (e.g. driving safely, practicing good fire safety habits, etc.)

How to make a ward

As previously stated, there are a million and two different types of wards-- and a million and two different ways to create them. Best practice is generally to lean on your personal strengths and resources to make one. Here are some more specific examples:

Herbalism: A witch who works primarily with herbs could create a protective sachet or jar that is filled with protective herbs.

Kitchen Witchcraft: Someone who practices kitchen witchcraft could cook protective foods, or incorporate small actions into their regular cooking that add protective qualities into their food (i.e. stirring a certain way, routinely using certain ingredients, etc.)

Storm Witchcraft: A witch who works with storms could use the energy of storms to protect their home. They could call on fearsome breezes to blow away harm, rainfall to wash it away, darkness to hide their home, etc.

Glamour witchcraft: A glamour witch can work on how they are perceived. Don't want someone approaching you? Make them afraid of you. Have a fearsome appearance to those who would wish you harm. Make them hesitate. Or hide yourself altogether, as if you were never there.

Deity witchcraft: Ask your gods to guide your hand, to show you how to protect yourself. Ask them to protect you, and clarify what you need protection from.

Green Witchcraft: Grow a plant with the intention of having it take the blow for you, if anything negative gets sent your way. Or have it purify your space.

Divination Wards: Use the energy of specific tarot cards to protect yourself. Write protective runes on things you care about.

Music Witchcraft: Play empowering music. Belt out a song about how nothing can harm you. Hum a tune to make things go away.

Energy Witchcraft: Envision great shields and walls, fortresses and moats. Whatever screams "protection" to you.

Etc.

Types of Wards/Ideas for Wards

Keep in mind that any ward can be for both the magical and mundane (though, always act with common sense, and act as if your wards do not exist. A ward will not make you immortal, and they can be counteracted and/or destroyed. They are there for when shit hits the fan-- but they are not a free pass to start throwing shit AT the fan!)

Transmutative wards: Tranform harmful energy sent your way into something positive and useful. (e.g. negative rumors -> increased opportunities, bad intentions -> abundance)

Baneful wards: If someone hits you, hit them back. Reflect whatever they sent to you back on them, and thensome.

Banishment Wards: If something steps into your space, kick it back out.

Hiding Wards: Hide something from prying eyes. Make it invisible, or make it appear boring/uninteresting.

Reflective wards: Reflect something's image back at them, let them see what they expect to see, or let them see themselves.

Healing wards: Protect your health, or force healing upon those who brush up against them (e.g. if someone lashes out at you because they have not been working on themselves, a healing ward can be just as painful as an outright baneful one.)

Scrambling/maze Wards: Scramble any information someone/something gets, or make them lose their way. Commonly used for unsolicited divination.

Protective wards/wall wards: Stop anything from getting in or out. Stop or prevent harm

Alarm bell wards: Warn you about things coming your way.

Comfort wards: Keep comforting/soothing energy around you.

Examples of Useful Wards

Name/Reputation wards

Household/common places wards

Wards for safe travels

Wards to keep specified spirits/entities out

Wards for malicious intent

Wards for curses/hexes

Wards for natural disasters

Wards for misfortunes

Please feel free to ask any specific questions you may have, this is only a very brief overview to introduce the topic.

[arlechinav-blog]

Training for Trancework

(Pictured: A working trance altar with resin incense, flowers, chocolate, salt & herbs, and a plate for monetary offerings.)

Basic Trancework -Just trance for the sake of trance. Celebration. Experimentation. Fun. Labor.

In the beginning, your efforts should be focused on just getting into and out of an altered state safely and reliably. You can do that by giving yourself permission to go all in. Embrace the magic floppy time without hesitation or second guessing yourself. Make peace with things as they are. If your hair is messy, just let that concern go. If your mind is too loud to release from your body, disconnect from your worries. Whatever holds you back from totally relaxing into yourself, put it aside temporarily.

In my opinion, the best way to do these things is to just play around with it. When starting out with any new thing, there should be a childhood phase. It may grow to be a serious thing later but in the beginning, you get to be childlike and just explore what is possible and what you like. Whatever brings you a sense of peace and joy. That will give you a strong foundation to build upon later.

On a practical level, that will mean putting on some music or playing with live musicians and engaging in simple repetitive (dance) movements that disrupt the body's equilibrium. Rocking side to side or front to back, whirling, rolling movements that ripple from the spine through the limbs. It is okay to flop on the group. Trance dancing is dance but it is more to be felt than seen so it doesn't have to look dignified in any way. Just enjoy yourself and let your mind go.

If you are developing trancework as a musician (musician's trance is definitely a thing) then at this stage you will want to practice your music until you feel confident with it and then condition yourself to relax more and more as you go. Committing a song to memory will really help, that way you don't have to stay focused. Your muscle memory will carry you through but only if you have trained your body to do it while fully awake first.

Catalyst Trancework -Trancework that utilizes a fuel source to propel you deeper into an altered state. This can be a heavy emotion like love, rage, or grief, OR a substance like alcohol that can melt away barriers between the active wakeful mind and the loose uninhibited mind. It can also just be a power object that you introduce whenever you trance that will send you over the other side.

Once you have the basics down and you can get in and out of a trance without much difficulty, you will want to shift to a different goal. At this stage, you will want to build up your hypnotic conditioning to reduce your reaction time and encourage muscle memory over active waking-mind reactions. This is where trancework starts getting formal. If you want to engage with Med style trancework then you will wear white when you trance. Every time. This conditions your mind to only trance when you are wearing white and it helps to keep you out of an altered state when you don't want to be in one.

At this stage you can use colors, symbols, and scents to create the hypnotic suggestion that now is the time to trance as well as what kind of trance you want to engage in. Use different incense, scented oils, and perfumes to trigger different muscle memory states. Use each scent consistently and for no other purpose to keep those associations strong. They will build over time.

You can also paint symbols on your body that have deeper occult meanings for you personally or culturally. I use mud, henna, and wood ash to create designs on my body for this. They can be for protection, for magic, for enhancement, for whatever you need. Just use them consistently and for no other purpose than this.

This is a good stage to start developing group trancework as well. Through repetitive chain or circle dances with others. Just like with the musician's trance training described above, you will want to learn and perfect the dances you want to use while fully awake and then begin conditioning yourself to relax while doing them in a trance. This places the burden of movement on your muscle memory rather than your active wakeful mind.

As a musician, you can start weaving more complicated rhythms and start developing your skills at improvisation. To do this as a singer, take one or two songs that you know really well and start amusing yourself by crafting new lyrics for them. Do it often in a wakeful state. The goal of this is to condition the mind to be able to improvise lyrics in an altered state. This is used in traditional Mediterranean mediumship where the ability to spontaneously compose verse from the perspective of the dead provides proof of state. With an instrument you will probably end up going down a folkloric numerical rabbit hole. Where each number has a spiritual significance and you start anchoring the music you make to those numerical associations.

Ecstatic Trance -Spiritwork. Any trancework that involves spirits other than your own but not gods. This can be a form of automatic mediumship, or some form of possession. The Cult of the Winds and some of the trancework relating to both the Mountain Mothers & Dionysos fit this description.

There are so many angles to developing the knowledge and skills for this type of trancework. If you are a Bride then you would initiate into a living tradition or a reconstructed one with people that you trust. To develop skills as a Bride, you will want to practice extremely strict compartmentalization and reinforcement of your hypnotic triggers. The exact parameters of what you would do here depends on what spirit you are a Bride to.

If you are a musician then you will spend a lot of time memorizing threads (spirit chants) and rhythms. There can be dozens to hundreds of threads depending on which spirit cult you are involved with. You will also devote some energy to strict compartmentalization of your hypnotic triggers, which are also cult specific.

If you are training as a monitor (someone who watches over the entranced), you will spend a lot of time in the trenches watching the body language of the entranced and learning to read the signs to interpret what is going on. And, of course, you will spend time learning how to troubleshoot various scenarios where your skills will be tested.

If you are training to be a lead musician then buckle up because you will have to learn all of it and then some. To be a lead musician is to intimately and skillfully be able to perform every role used in trancework. You will also want to start acquiring gear that your trance group will need to host a ritual. (I'll make a separate post on what kind of materials you will want to have on hand for that.)

Euphoric or Enthusiastic Trance -Bridalwork, which is ecstatic trance with gods instead of spirits. This will also be cult specific. Some euphoric traditions just focus on becoming closer to divinity for no other purpose than it is holy and desirable. Others use music as a diagnostic process to see if a person has run afoul of a god. And still others utilize euphoric trance to drive away lesser spirits who are making problems for mortals.

This is the most formal type of trancework there is. That formality is there as a safety feature and to facilitate the creation of proof of state. The more strict you are with this type of trancework, the farther you will go with it. It takes a lot of faith. You have to know what you are doing with absolute certitude and commit to it fully. The more reverence you put into it in your waking life, the deeper your connection while entranced.

Unfortunately those three different ritual goal styles listed in the description have radically different needs so I cannot help too much in a general sense. The major thing that connects them is that formality though. So focus on that, cultivate strong relationships with divinity by doing things the way you are supposed to do them when you are supposed to do them. And this will build over time and repetition.

A Final Note Taking your sweet time is very important. Rushing to an imagined destination or an end goal will create a weak foundation. I recommend spending at least a year of active weekly development on your skills for each stage before actively moving on to the next. You can build your skills in each type of trance up all at the same time but it will still take years. The longer you keep at it and more consistently you do it the more you will be able to do with it. This is a lifelong pursuit.

Hope this helps! Good luck.

[stagkingswife]

Do you have a masterpost about your advice on otherworldly travel? I feel like when i do it maybe im missing something. When i was younger i used to do it a lot. I could very easily visualize stepping through a portal to another realm, and i have a weird ability to kind of feel sensations that i imagine, like if i imagine myself standing in grass i can feel it. But when i meet spirits in this place its hard for me to figure out if they are something outside of me or something i just made up. I also don't seem to be very good at keeping up conversations with them. I don't really know how to start a relationship with them. Past usual pleasantries im not sure what to ask them. I would love to hear if you have any advice. I personally find it easier to literally go into my back yard and talk out loud to them, its almost like the non verbal feelings i get when i do that give me more information than directly speaking to them, but i also really enjoy otherworldly flight. I wonder if there is a way i can sort of combine each methods so its more intuitive and clear. Thanks for reading.

You know, I've never really had the spoons to build masterposts, this post is the closest I've gotten to one on the subject of how to travel to the otherworld, and it's really more of a "greatest hits" than anything else.

I have answered a couple of asks about how to tell what's a genuine experience and what's a sock puppet.

Ask 1

Ask 2

As for advice on building a relationship: It's easy to forget that building a relationship with an incorporeal entity is different than building a relationship with a person, given the way people talk about it on social media. You don't have to sit and talk to them for hours. A relationship can be built on offerings, prayer (if you're into that), divination readings, whatever works for you. What really matters is consistency. If it feels easiest and most fruitful to go into your back yard and speak out loud to the spirits then do that! Just do it on a semi regular basis. If you're the kind of person who has a sort of personal Otherworldly space you could try traveling there and talking to your spirits "out loud" there and seeing if you get the same results. You might find that the results are a little more heightened than in your backyard, giving the increased proximity.

As for what to talk about beyond initial pleasantries that's up to you. You don't need to develop a relationship with a spirit in order to practice magic or travel to the Otherworlds so there must be a reason why you want to do this. Do you want their help with something? Do you want to be of some service to them? Do you just want to be a good neighbor so initial plesantries, a little small talk, and a "let me know if you ever need anything from me" is enough? Talk to them about whatever it is you want, info dump about your special interest, sing them your I Want song.

[snowy-equinox]

🎃Spooky Autumn Masterpost

🎃

Seasonalities

Lunavenefica's Ways to Celebrate Samhain

Bree's Spooky Podcasts

Helleborea's Necromantic Plants

'Don't Work with Death!' by Havencraft

Trae's Halloween Episodes

Arcane Abomination's Basics of Death Magic

Community Potluck

Bree's Recipe Round-up

Elminx's Harvest Soup

Elminx's Butternut Squash Risotto

Aese's Pumpkin & Squash Soup

Spooky Spells

Chicken's Simple Spells for Spooky Season

Bree's Dead Man's Dust

Bree's Ghost-Be-Gone Powder

Dionysianivy's Dried Leaf Spell

Elminx's Seeds of the Future Spell

Samhain Spirits

Reasons to not Take Spirit Comm Posts at Face Value by Chicken

Bree's 'Will It Summon Demons?' PSA

Stormborn's Things to Remember

If anyone would like a post removed OR added, DM me!

[sarenth]

A Heathen Prepping -Bug Out Bags

For the most part the A Heathen Prepping posts have focused on at-home preps. Bug Out Bags, or BOBs, are for when that is not the best option or when you are away from home. There are a lot of SHTF (Shit Hits The Fan aka emergency, disaster, or catastrophic) scenarios that can make your home dangerous to hunker down in. Fires, floods, earthquakes, and civil unrest come to mind. BOBs ask us two…

[spiralthorn]

“Good morning, fox of the cave,

Every tame fowl’s arch foe-man,

Your ripple I recognize,

Welcome to fertile country”

[laurusamystic]

Hello! I’m Alyssa, the creator behind Laurusa Mystic (@laurusamystic). I’m a Hellenic Polytheist, Demonolater, witch, medium, and spiritworker with over a decade of experience. I create spiritual, Hellenic Polytheist, and witchcraft-focused content to help people on their journeys. You’ll find me on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, and vibing on platforms like Bluesky, and Threads. I’m new to Tumblr, so it’s great to be here!

🌙 www.LaurusaMystic.com

I’m also 🇨🇦, I have 2 dogs🐾, happily married💍, and am obsessed with Nutella🤤.

[botanylobotomy]

If you do rehoming of spirits request please be on the lookout for this bloke. I do rehoming so didn't think much of it but as it went on clear that the person was just fucking around. They delete the blog after messaging you for a while. The "spirit" sounds like fake dom fetish content when sending messages.

[ladypluto1111]

Doing some free practice readings today. If anyone is interested. I'll be doing one pull tarot or oracle cards. Ask your questions. All I ask in return is that you leave me feedback for my readings so I can work on my intuitive skills. See ya lovelies. 🫶🏻

[theoccultmoon]

Guided Spirit Communication Exercise 

Communicating with spiritual allies, whether they’re deities, ancestors, spirit guides, or the universe itself, is a beautiful way to deepen your connection to the unseen realms. For many witches, this practice can offer guidance, comfort, and a sense of purpose on their spiritual path. 

This time, let’s focus on a simple yet powerful ritual to open the channels of communication with your chosen spiritual ally. This practice is ideal for beginners and seasoned practitioners alike, helping you tune into the subtle messages of the spiritual world. 

⛥ Here’s how to prepare and perform the exercise ⛥ 

What You’ll Need: 

☾ A quiet, sacred space where you won’t be disturbed 

☾ A journal or piece of paper 

☾ A candle or incense (optional, for setting the mood) 

☾ An open heart and mind 

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆The Ritual⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

⛥ Prepare Your Space 

Begin by creating a sacred environment. Cleanse the area with smoke (sage, palo santo, or incense), sound (a singing bowl or bell), or your intention. If you’re using a candle or incense, light it now to help focus your energy. 

⛥ Ground Yourself 

Sit comfortably and take a few deep breaths. Imagine roots growing from your body into the earth, anchoring you in the present moment. This grounding step helps you feel safe and centered. 

⛥ Set Your Intention 

Speak or think your intention aloud: 

“I invite the presence of [spiritual ally] to join me in this space. I seek your guidance, wisdom, and connection.” 

Be clear and respectful in your request. 

⛥ Ask Your Question 

Once you feel ready, ask a question or share something on your heart. For example: 

☾ “What do I need to focus on right now?” 

☾ “What guidance do you have for me in my practice?” 

☾ “How can I strengthen my connection to you?” 

Speak your question aloud or hold it in your thoughts. 

⛥ Listen and Observe 

Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Pay attention to any thoughts, images, sensations, or emotions that arise. These subtle impressions might be messages from your spiritual ally. Don’t worry if nothing happens right away! Communication can, and will most likely, be gentle and gradual. 

⛥ Thank Your Ally 

When you feel the connection fading or you’re ready to conclude, express gratitude. Say something like: 

“Thank you for your presence and guidance. I honor and appreciate our connection.” 

Snuff out your candle or incense to close the ritual. 

⛥ Reflect and Journal 

Write down your experience immediately after the ritual. Include any thoughts, feelings, or symbols that stood out to you. Reflect on how these impressions might relate to your life or practice. 

⛥ Tips for Success ⛥ 

☾ Be Patient: If you don’t sense anything right away, don’t worry. Spirit communication is a skill that deepens with practice. 

☾ Stay Open: Messages can come in unexpected forms, thoughts, emotions, images, or even synchronicities later in the day. 

☾ Practice Regularly: The more you engage in this exercise, the stronger your connection will become over time. 

🚨A Note on Boundaries🚨

If you feel uncertain or uncomfortable during the exercise, remember that you are in control! You can always end the session by saying: 

“Thank you for your time. I am closing this space now.” 

Visualize yourself surrounded by a protective light and take a few grounding breaths. 

Have you tried connecting with your spiritual allies before? I’d love to hear about your experiences or what you discover during this exercise. Feel free to share your reflections, impressions, or questions in the comments below! 

[lokavisi]

Let's all act surprised that I'm gonna gush about Loki for a minute.

My friend just hosted a workshop on past life reconciliation. I have zero experience with past life work of any kind. Loki was such a loving and gentle presence as they worked through showing me what the whole process looks like for me. When I struggled with separating my present self from my past self, He gently guided me back and reminded me to breathe. When I had questions or was confused, He answered them with kindness and patience. When I cried seeing what my past self had experienced, He held me tighter than I think I've ever felt Him hold me before. He held my past energy body in his arms and walked it right out of a toxic situation, a toxic place, away from all the toxic people. And he drove me (present and past energy body-me) to the Starbucks up the road from our house. My wife and I like to go there in the evenings when we need a little breather and can afford to stay up a little later. We'll grab a drink in the drive thru and sit in our car in the parking lot to just talk. It's a comfort place, physically and emotionally. So Loki took me there, got me a drink, and parked the car. And He helped me hold my past self in my arms and reassure them until they dissipated and reabsorbed back into my present self. It was an incredibly quick working. The journey was only 10 minutes. But in that short time He taught me so much about this healing process and just how goddamn much He cares. I've had Him dish some shit out to me about difficult situations before, but this past trauma was no goddamn joke to Them. Loki has shown up for me so many times, both to be my guide through journey workshops like these and just in general in my daily life. I cannot imagine doing this work without Them. I am sorry that I ever doubt how much They care. I wouldn't be where I'm at without Them pushing me and guiding me through so much. I can't imagine it happening any other way, and I frankly don't know if I care to. I am just so incredibly grateful in this moment to share this lifetime or any other with such a Deity. ❤️

[rosecoloredtarot]

Spiritwork lesson learned the hard way: don't pet strays, sometimes they bite

[stagkingswife]

Hi Stag, can I ask how one might enter / leave Otherworlds and how one might channel, communicate with or otherwise interact with gods / spirits?

I’m “dating” (ie we’re not married and are in the first couple years of a relationship so I wouldn’t necessarily say spouse) a Greek god but I find communication difficult sometimes - (currently) I’m only capable of using one form of divination as communication and at other times it’s just a feeling I get where I “know” what my god wants to get across.

Hopefully I’ll get to grips with the whole thing more simply by gaining more experience and time spent together with him?

Hey Anon, I'm going to do my best here because this question is so broad. You've really asked 5 different questions: Entering the Otherworlds is one question. Leaving is another. Channeling an entity is a third. And general communication is fourth. Then you put forward the question about your specific situation. So we're not going to get too deep into anything here, but you're welcome to DM me if you want to discuss anything specific in further detail.

Getting to the Otherworlds: This is the post that I think of as my "Greatest Hits" for Otherworldly Journeying Advice. It's got links to some tips and tricks, a break down of my basic method, and recording of a meditation that has been reported to be good for getting people into the Otherworlds for their first couple of trips. This is all based on my personal experience and personal practice, so YMMV, give it a try and see if anything works for you, take what does leave what doesn't. There are so many possible ways to travel, so two practitioners do it exactly the same.

Leaving the Otherworlds: There are a number of ways to get back to meatspace from the Otherworlds, some more gentle than others. A lot of it depends on how/when you like to travel. If you find that you like to travel at night in the delicate space between awake and dreaming, it's really easy to let go and slip into sleep, then you just wake up the next morning. The harder part of that method I find is staying out of dreams and actually in the Otherworlds. If you're like me and prefer to travel from wide awake to trance state to Otherworlds there a couple of easy methods to start with. One that I recommend for beginners is timed sessions - When you're starting out you might not want to leave your travel sessions completely open ended so set an alarm or have a minder available who can shake you out of your trace when your time is up. This may very well interrupt whatever you're doing in the Otherworlds, but it might help keep you from getting into anything too crazy too quickly. You can start at 30 minutes and extend the sessions as your comfort level grows. My preferred method, once you're read to take the training wheels off, so to speak, is to have set path that you follow in and out. For me that's the Train (which you will see if you the mediation linked in the above linked post). When I travel I always follow the same path: Up from my body, out of wherever I am to the nearest crossroads and onto the Train, which takes me to a station in the Otherworlds. Then to leave it's back to a station, onto the Train, back to the same crossroads, back to my body. It took me a while to figure out how to navigate the Train and use it effectively, so it might be the best method to start with. But if you've built yourself some kind of Otherworldly home base you could use that the same way. Out of you body, open nearest door to you physically, that opens into your Otherworldly base/personal sanctum. Then to go back you just return to your base, and open a door back to where your body is in meat space.

Channeling an Entity: Again, this is a practice with as many different methods as there are practitioners, I can only tell you about mine, and that's going to be in generalities at best. Channeling is one of those skills that I just sort of figured out intuitively when the need for it arose, so I don't have the best step by step breakdown. It's pretty much two steps for me: 1) Open your mind/awareness to the entity you want to channel. Make sure they're present first, however you prefer to do that. 2) Pull/invite the entity into yourself, and then step back as much as you are comfortable/able. For some people the preferred extent of this ends at step 1 and they just relay whatever input they are getting from the awareness established there. For me and my historically tenuous grasp on my body it has always ended up fully on the other end of the spectrum - full loss of control of my body, 0 memory, someone else was clearly at the wheel. Neither is better than the other, it's just about personal preference. If the latter sounds scary you can put protections in place to prevent it. I just never did because I found the full possession style of channeling useful when I was doing it.

General Communication: Hey look! Another it depends answer! I'm sensing a theme here, lol! Find the communication methods that work reliably for you and the entities you're trying to communicate with, ignore what you see on social media. You probably see a bunch of people posting about their relationships with incorporeal entities like they're just chatting with their buddies over coffee. This is not the reality of communication for 99% of us. Maybe there's people who have it that easy all of the time, but for most of us it's more like a string of a divination reading here, a sign there, a vague feeling other here, a dream every now and then, and maybe a couple of conversations in the Otherwolrd that range from cryptic to confusing. But when we take all of those together we can sum them up into the buddies chatting over coffee style of post you see on social media. So you have one solid method of divination, great start. My recommendation is to pick up another, so you have options. Do you want to develop some sort of direct input, psychism/clair something, skill. Those can be trained, when I was taking students I started them with just sensing their own energy, and then moved them on to sensing external energies. I have three recorded exercises that cover the start of this process: The first two are here and the third one is here. While these sorts of senses are certainly helpful they are 100% unnecessary, in my opinion. I would prioritize divination skills because I think everything you receive through direct input should be verified by divination until you are very very comfortable in a relationship with an entity. I ran everything I received directly from Oisin through divination for verification for nearly 10 years, from when I first started working with him until I was out the other side of my initiation.

Advice for You Specifically: So diversifying your communication methods will help with understand what an entity is trying to say, in my opinion. It's much easier to get a full picture when you're combing a tarot reading, and a dream, and a sign you asked for, and a phrase from a song that's been stuck in your head for 5 days that feel significant. It's like looking at a object in 3 dimensions instead of just at a picture of it. And those different methods of communication will be refined and strengthen through practice. You'll develop a private lexicon with your spirits the same way families and friend groups do. Over time you'll get to the point where you know that a craving for a particular tea means that your spirit wants that tea as an offering. Or that one of your spirits sends you dreams that have a very specific color palette, so you become attuned to paying extra attention to dreams with a lot of gold. Practice passively by just doing what you're doing, but also practice actively too if you want to see more rapid improvements. Ask your spirits to help you practice. For example: pick a book, ask them to communicate something from the book to you - a page number, a phrase, an illustration. Do your best to sense it. Then do some bibliomancy! Ask them to show you in the book what they were trying to communicate. There are some tips I have while you practice and develop your relationships to that point and are primarily or entirely using divination. 1) Avoid unnecessary repetition - While you're primarily relying on divination for your communication try not to ask the same question a bunch of times. I find that trying to read on the same question or situation multiple times muddies the waters and makes it harder to correctly interpret what my spirits are trying to say to me. 2) Nuance Over Brevity: If divination is your primary method of communication I prefer to opt for methods of divination that give as much nuance to a reading as possible, particularly over something that's just going to give me a yes/no. Whether that means going for cartomancy over a pendulum, or building out a board/mat to accompany the pendulum you want to give your entities to ability to communicate complex thoughts to you without you having to guess your way through a series of yes/no questions to get there. 3) Determine Compatibility and Preference: Not every entity is going to communicate the same through every divination tool. Some might like tarot, some might like runes, others might prefer osteomancy, or bibliomancy, etc. They can even get specific about decks or sets that they like, so if you have multiple options don't be afraid to experiment. Just because Spirit A communicates really well through your bog standard Rider Waite deck doesn't necessarily mean that's your spirit communication deck, it might just mean that it's your Spirit A deck, and Spirit B really wants you to talk to it through your 8th grade poetry text book. Hopefully this gave you enough of a primer on all of your questions to get you started.

[ironandrue]

Something that's been important for me to understand and remind myself while working closely with Gods and Spirit, is that sometimes things happen that aren't good and they have nothing to do with that.

Sometimes things happen because I need to learn a lesson that will advance me spiritually and mentally. Sometimes things happen because of a poor pattern of behavior that I haven't addressed. Sometimes things just happen.

Not everything is the lightning rod sent from the sky because I've pissed the wrong God off.

Some things can be sent from the Gods. Some things are sent from other places.

One can learn from it all though.

[sarenth]

Upcoming March Workshop: Being a Spiritworker

In March I am launching my monthly workshop series through Humanitix. The workshop is scheduled for March 30th, 2025 at 7pm EST. Tickets are $30 each. You can sign up here. Being a Spiritworker What is a spiritworker? What things can a spiritworker be called to do? What duties and responsibilities might a spiritworker hold? How do I know if I am being called to be a spiritworker?  This…