Tag: spirits

Snippet from the Demon Feast

I slip my arm through his and nudged him through the grand doors and into the moonlight balcony gardens. The roar of the sea under us was great and the wind whipped across my flesh, instantly cold and utterly satisfying. I sigh with contentment, abandon him, and step up to the very edge of the balcony, the pressed sand wall pushing into my knees. Annoyed, I concentrate for a moment and the sand parts at my will. I take a final step closer, toes curling over the edge as close to the ocean as I could get without being in the water. I take a cool, deep breath and suck in the sharp salt air. Distantly through the roaring of the sea, I hear the dock hands and sailors on the ships that have anchored on the newly built docks, still mostly under construction and barely heard of. Soon, they will be bustling but for now they are empty, dreams that have been birthed but not yet started to live.

He is silent, as always, but watching me. I spin and smile at him. “I miss the sea.”

He waves with his non-sword hand, barely a gesture before the hand returns to a fighting post. Always ready to fight, my warrior. “We’re right here.”

I shake my head and step closer to him. “I miss the sea in my physical form. It’s too far. I need to bring it closer.”

He tilts his head. “You have a plan then.”

My grin is wicked and razor sharp. “Don’t I always?”

The Spirits That Serve and Busy Times

Radio silence was brought about by the busyness of my schedule (which I’ve added to the right menu, I believe). For the moment, I have a reprieve as this is the week of my birthday (June 6th) so much of my time is visiting with friends and family as well as renewing personal protections and goals.

I’m not going to talk about that much. Instead, I’m going to introduce three sets of spirits that work with me. (Also, congrats to me for making 50 posts. For those who caught it this morning, I made and deleted a test post for something that was technically the 50th post. I had to write a real 50th quick post to make up for it).

First, quick information. These spirits work alongside me. They’re not guides in the traditional sense although I suppose they could technically be termed that. They work for me and they get something in return. It’s a pact, not something done because they like me. (Well, they wouldn’t hang around me if they didn’t like me but you get what I mean.) A lot of this is wrapped up in my position on the other side and complicated with secrets and spoilers but essentially, I’m in a position to get them what they want so they work both for me and alongside me for my goals, whichever those may be at the time. I call them allies, vassals, or when I’m being snarky minions (but only if one remember the original etymology of minion being “dear one” and combining it with the common usage of “lackey”).

The Maidens – I have the least control over these spirits. There’s four to five of them, agender although they tend to appear as beautiful maidens for the most part to me. They aren’t hived minded but they think similarly enough, I believe, to be able to know what each other is thinking which gives the appearance of sharing a mind. They’re matchmaking spirits. It’s their thing. They enjoy messing about in the realms of love and aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty to do it. Patient and impatient, they have an Agenda and Plans and those Plans tend to muck up everyone else’s plans. They’re more focused on romance than sex however and that should be remembered. (Not that they don’t also have influence over sex, it’s just not a focus.) They also influence beauty, which is so closely tied to romance. They truly get people which makes them fabulous in other areas of life, like fashion. Honestly, they’re a bit catty but I love them for it. They are fierce entities who champion romance above all else.

Serrah – Serrah’s snarky and is what I’d call a crossroad merchant spirit. This is a spirit that parks itself at the crossroad and either sells wares or gathers and/or sells information at crossroads. They derive their energy from these crossroads and the energy of those passing through the crossroads. Nearly ubiquitous, they have a tendency to come off as slimy car salesmen most of the time. Serrah’s not oozing yet but he can be very smug unnecessarily. Still, he’s (and that’s just the pronouns he picked, he sometimes appears as a woman) very good for folks who owns a business as he can offer advice – for a price. Be sure to check the fine print and watch your words as he’ll use loopholes and mistakes against you far quicker than most spirits that double as guides. You may also want to check for a knife in your back, just in case betrayal is a thing.

The Warrior – Probably the most mellow-tempered and reasonable, the Warrior is just as he sounds: a warrior. Highly skilled, he was originally a human spirit who became something else. These spirits are the best to deal with for beginners as they’re easier to understand. While they aren’t human any longer, they tend to retain enough of their humanity to make it easy to work with. The Warrior in particular beat out several dozen other warrior-eque spirits for his current position. He (definitely prefers male form and pronouns) tends to variate in appearance but is mostly ghostly, which is somewhat odd in my experience.

Fox Guard House – An entire family clan of a spirits. Rather fox-like (hence the name), they are golden and are very similar to light or fire. They appear as bipedal foxes, a little shorter than five feet tall, and nearly identical to one another. Incredibly cunning. Take extreme caution when dealing with them. For a personal example, we made a deal and they were planning, as a whole, to murder me to get a better position, so to speak. I outmaneuvered them, reminded them why I am who I am on the other side, and then raised my original offer alongside the original pact. I fully expect them to attempt assassination again but it’s not a huge priority for them right now. Other lives to destroy elsewhere, for the moment.

So what do I do with these spirits? Since they’re in my employ, they do what I hired them to do. Serrah’s busy building up a port town in the astral, for example. The Warrior checks over battlements and ensures that the Fox Guard House doesn’t put their original plans of murdering me into effect. The Maidens just sit around and cause havoc in the name of love which is actually what I hired them to do. (Yeah, on purpose. It’s a long story) The Fox Guard House does what they can to connive others and be a general pain in the ass for other spirits. (Yes, this was also planned.)

The thing with working alongside spirits is they have plans and agenda to see to. They have desires and goals and because they have those things, they can be worked with like any other being. Just be very careful because cultures are different and that can, of course, cause issue. When making a deal or pact with a spirit, be certain of the terms of exchange. Know what you’re expected to give up and what you’re getting. Know what ways that spirit can backstab you and take off with whatever you were to trade and what you came to get.  Working with spirits is absolute fascination and a lot of fun – there’s so many different things to see, learn, and talk about. I know I wouldn’t give it up for the world.

New Addition to the Household

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I don’t have house spirits. Or, rather, I didn’t. My family has owned this house now nearly a dozen years and we’ve spent a great deal of time chasing spirits out of the house but not a lot of time inviting them in, outside of specific purposes or festivals. Primarily, I don’t allow spirits to remain in the house because I don’t trust them and I don’t like the idea of being watched. When I want to be alone or privacy, I want it in its’ entirety.

However, I started to rethink my position on this. You see, the house is set at the top of a hill in what once was a swamp. There’s so much water in the area, the yard has buried drainage pipes to help keep the house from flooring. In the time we’ve owned this home, it’s flooded four times, twice majorly, and once so badly the entire basement had to be gutted and rebuilt (keep in mind I live in an apartment in the basement). Additionally it rains something like 40+ % of the time in Rhode Island, so we get a lot of water (matter of fact, it’s raining as I type this). The house is from the late 1940s and so is the majority of the plumbing for it. And pretty much every room that has water in it had issues. Some of them are due to shoddy repair work and some of it due to age.

Now, my first reaction is to put spells on ALL THE THINGS! but I don’t like to throw out majorly powerful spells on infrastructure primarily because it has long-lasting consequences and this house likely won’t be in our family in fifteen or twenty years. (Which sounds like a long time but I throw down some powerhouse spells). In addition to setting up spells to allow extra cash to come in to pay for those repairs, I did some “repair” work (which worked but didn’t magically replace faulty faucets or snake the main line. It still wasn’t enough to just replace and repair the issues – I wanted to make sure they didn’t happen again. I had started to feel that my brother and I were so busy chasing out the ghosts and spirits that lived here between the last residents and us that we missed an important step – giving the house it’s own two legs to stand on. Our defenses of this house are something akin to Fort Knox, to the point where visitors can feel it and I’ve had friends had to step into the garden to speak to their guides.

I believed that inviting a house spirit into our home, specifically a brownie, may be a solution to our predicament. (Or a being akin to a brownie. I’m not picky.)

So the first thing to do was to discuss this with members of the household. We all live different schedules and do different things. My brother deals primarily in human spirits. My mother’s an atheist and our housemate is, well I don’t know but a skeptic certainly. I tossed it at my brother who shrugged in general and groused about the potential of tripping over said brownie in the dark. My mother gave me that look parents get when they’re questioning the shit you’re into but they don’t know enough about said shit to be concerned or not. And I didn’t ask the housemate because he moves out in the summer and, with the promotion he had gotten during the time I started and enacted my plan, he wasn’t to return for long after the summer was over. Since everything was OK’d, I moved on with my plan.

I had to consider possible homes for said spirit. Typically brownies live in lesser used parts of the house. A quick mental process of elimination caused me to come up with a solution: the boiler room. We’ve a small room in the center of the basement where the water heater, boiler, and other miscellaneous house guts are placed. This room is also something of a catch-all for shit in my home, containing a chest of paint cans, fourteen sheets of drywall, a few boxes of spare wood, and several buckets of home improvement supplies. All of this, I decided, would need to be gone through before I even thought to invite a brownie into this room. Unfortunately, that’s far easier said to done. The sun and moon are not often in alignment for this sort of thing so I might have used a few persuasion spells to get it all moving. I had to cut the drywall up so it could be carried out by my brother and roommate to the garage where we keep this sort of thing, then marshal out the boxes of wood and set aside what things needed to be brought down to the city’s electronic dump. The home improvement supplies were sorted, condensed, labeled and stacked neatly. I also resealed the window in that room and swept it out. Now it was far roomier and easier to maneuver in, which was a bonus for anyone coming in to check the meters.

Then, I decided I needed to find a bowl I would use specifically for the household spirit. This was, by far, the easiest thing to do. One quick stop to the local used goods store and I had a double handled silver edged crystal medium sized glass bowl for less than three dollars.

Next was to do a general sweep of the house and fix any obvious problems. The floors swept and mopped, glass polished, and windows washed. (And, as a bonus, I earned brownie points, pun intended, with my household since I cleaned their parts of the house and not just my own flat).

Once satisfied and ready, I sat down and formally opened my house up to a spirit laying out what I was looking for and some ground rules. Namely, staying away from sleeping people, not to harass the cats, and assisting around the house in cleaning and repairs. In exchange, gifts of honey cakes, cream, and other assorted goodies would be left each night on a specific dish for it. I always have baked goods, honey, and types of milk and cream about so this wouldn’t be an issue. Additionally, I offered said interested spirits the opportunity to spook guests and some residents so long as the tricks are harmless and temporary in nature. I did this specifically because I tend to attract more mischievous spirits and I  don’t mind the mischief so long as they are cruel about it. And more importantly, this is a witch’s house. What else could you expect?

So the question you’ll be asking is: Did it work?

Yes. It took a little while but a few days after the last of the plumbing was repaired, my house was suddenly hit by a series of weird knocking, footsteps, sounds, and so forth experienced by two members of the household. Offerings left were returned diminished – a sign I take as being accepted. And a new presence creeps through the darkened rooms at night, neither friendly nor aggressive, just going about its’ business.

So welcome, spirit, make yourself at home.

Vigils at the Crossroads

I don’t mention it much but I live at the intersection of several crossroads and some of those roads are corpse roads. My house sits on the corner of four streets, which may sound like a regular crossroad but isn’t.

Corpse roads are roads used to transport the dead to their final resting place. Traditionally they’re old dirt roads or paths. Sometimes these roads were only used for transporting the dead, depending on local tradition and superstition. Most of the traditional corpse roads have been lost to time but new ones are around. I live behind a funeral home and one of the streets my home is situated on is a shortcut to and from the highway.

Legends surrounding these corpse roads are numerous among a lot of different cultures. I recently read several Russian fairy tales along the same vein but it is common in cultures that transport their dead, especially for burial. Vigils next to the dead are also very common, usually so spirits won’t possess the deceased’s body.

When I say four streets I mean four SEPARATE streets

This is the best I could get of the crossroads ridiculousness I speak of. The white and brick house with the pink and green trees is my actual house so you can see how convoluted the streets are. There’s the street the house faces and the street to the right of it. The street on the right splits at my driveway into two other streets (behind my house and where the blue bin is). The funeral home is on the same side of the street the photo was taken on.

In the past I served as a medium to spirits and deities. I don’t do this much anymore for a wide variety of reasons but I still have the knowledge and capability to do so. However, I thoroughly enjoyed doing the works so I continue it privately now and my family home is perfectly situated for this.

Since I live at crossroads and corpse roads, it’s pretty spiritually active around here. There’s a lot of energy given our proximity to running water (two blocks away), the ocean (.8 miles), schools (three of them within two blocks), a main thoroughfare (top of the street), plus the funeral home (in front of my house) and a social club (end of the street). There’s a huge sewer network under my house (which is why it floods so much), plus we’re on the top of a hill. In fact, the roads are so ridiculous around my house, to back out of my driveway you need to back into an intersection.  It’s a busy road for not being a major road, both spiritually and physically. Spiritually, we get a lot of paranormal events from ghosts to non-human spirits. These beings are always transients and I guess we’re something of an inn. I tend to deal with the non-humans and my brother, the Necromancer, takes on the humans.

However, the crossroads and corpse roads are also a place for beings to linger. Lost or simply unwilling to move on, these spirits hang around and drain at the energy. Children, already more susceptible to possession and influences by spirits (however rare it may be), are especially fine targets. To protect and preserve the clarity of the energy and land, I hold vigils at the crossroads every so often.

There’s typically four or five a year on various dates (often in the spring where funerals are most common as burying the dead was not feasible in the winter in ye days of old). During the vigils I put myself into a state of being that allows for easier spiritual communication. Sometimes that’s fasting, other times it’s using entheogens, or hours of meditation. The method depends on my mood at the moment so it’s not something that’s specific. I meet with the spirits that linger and attempt to get them to move on – whether that’s to pass from this land into the next to just to go haunt some other location depends on the spirit themselves. I’m not one to force a spirit, human or otherwise, to do something they don’t want. If a human spirit understands that they are dead and they’re still not ready to move on, I’m not going to force the issue unless they start hurting people or other spirits. Then I turn into a dragon and start destroying things, so to speak. I’m protective, what can I say?

These vigils last typically twenty-four hours and can be very boring. Bound to not leave the area, I tend to amuse myself (and those I’m keeping vigil for) by singing, dancing, reading out loud, or telling stories. Most often, I listen, pour drinks of purified water and clear alcohol, and lay out offerings of coins and snacks. Divination is also incredibly common, since some spirits have difficulties in speaking through a medium.

At the end of the vigil, I “reset” the area, not exactly cleansing the area but more of dispersing negative energy clumps or untangling clogged energy to get it moving better. It makes the area feel better, safer, and more exhilarating for the spirit.

I really enjoy these vigils not only as a service to my community but also as a way of connecting to spirits around me. It’s one of the rituals I’ve developed that I intend to continue no matter where I live or what the future may hold for me.

 

Why I Hate the Current Usage of the Word “Godphone”

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I wrote the following post a while back and never published it. Since I was recently asked about godphones so I’m posting it here so I can link it then I’m heading off the internet for my Silence Festival until Monday. Warning for cuss words which are abundant. Continue reading →

Astral Travel 101

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Astral travel…. It’s a huge thing in many people’s practices, a way to deal with spirits on their level, in their world, to learn new things, and explore possibilities outside of what this physical realm can offer. People astral travel for different reasons but my intent in this post is to give basic information along with tips, tricks, and safety advice.

For those of you who follow my tumblr blog, you’ll probably have seen much of this information before.

First, what is astral travel?

Astral travel is an out of body experience where one’s spirit or consciousness leaves their body through astral projection and crosses beyond this realm into another. Often, astral travel will occur in places of spirits, deities, or other places but some claim to be able to travel to places like Tolkein’s Middle Earth. There is much debate on whether these places exist, how they exist, whether they’re physical or incorporeal, and how time works there. Sometimes, the world of dreams is also combined in the astral and they can be seen, by some people, as one and the same.

Astral projection, as an aside, is an out of body experience. I feel and define astral projection as leaving your body but not traveling beyond this realm. With astral projection, one can travel the world and experiences things they may not be able to experience else-wise here.

Other terms you might have heard brandying about are: spirit walking, projection, out of body experiences, astral journeying, spirit journeying, O.B.E., crossing over, going to the Other Side, across the hedge, crossing the hedge, cross the (fill with your term of choice). There is some debate of minutia of meaning in these terms but in general they mean the same thing.

In my experience, everyone experiences the astral differently, although they sometimes align in interesting ways. I’ve met someone in the astral before and a year later met them again online. The astral realms are flexible, wide and vast.  Perception may have something to do with what’s available to you in the astral, although that’s a topic for debate. Perhaps it is that the individual mind can only be stretch so far beyond the realm of belief and thus what’s possible can only exist within the realm. The realms spoke of the most often are called spirit realms, Other Side, Fae realms, faeryland, and so on.

Achieving astral projection can occur in a variety of ways but almost always requires two things: an alternative state of consciousness and leaving your body. This is something I find most distressing within the community is the lack of stress on this point. For the most part you should be leaving your body. Some people have a partial removal of consciousness, their attention and focus being elsewhere but there usually is an accompanying feeling of leaving your body. Some techniques may not have this happen to you but one should take care in these instances to separate traveling and daydreaming as they’re usually different. An alternative state of consciousness is almost always required as it gets your consciousness to a point to leave your body. Some people have an easy time of this and others find it most difficult. Many techniques have been developed to assist with this from the extreme of entheogens and flying ointments, hanging upside down in a bag from a tree, and pain to the mild of sex, meditation, and trancing.

People can travel together in the astral. People can be forced to astral travel. These are things that can be done but are  a topic for another time. I do have to say this: consent is essential. It is beyond rude and potentially dangerous to pull someone over to the other side without their permission. Likewise, it is beyond rude and potentially dangerous for someone to pull you over to the other side and you should express your anger when this is done. Deities have a tendency to do this although spirits do as well. They don’t have the right to do that to you without permission. The only way that it might be OK is if you asked their assistance.

When people astral travel, they often speak about spirit guides. A spirit guide is a spirit that’s meant to guide or assist you in some way. I, by and large, do not trust spirit guides and do not use them. I don’t see the point in them personally. I do understand that some people need to have a sense of guidance or to be assisted in some way. I get it, logically. However, I don’t trust spirit guides. I don’t trust anyone who says they’ll helping someone just because they can. That sounds like a load of bullshit and I’ve NEVER met a spirit that’s acted like that. Ever. Even spirit guides get something by dealing with you, even if you don’t know what you’re giving them. And you don’t need a spirit guide. Almost every 101 book out there tells you that you need a spirit guide. I’m telling you that you don’t. You can, of course, have one if you so desire or end up having one by accident but you don’t need to seek one out. I find that it’s easier to be deceived if you’re looking for something as you’re willing to overlook little warning signs and issues telling you to stay away.

So what does it feel like? Off, dreamy, and I find that a large portion of astral travelers actually seen themselves in the third person, as if they’re looking over their shoulder. Some others are face to face with themselves and more still are in first person as if they’re there. It’s fun, exhilarating, and freeing.

To me, exploring the astral is like going to a large foreign city. You might speak some of the language but not all. It’s a weird culture and you don’t want to offend people so you’re super cautious but you also don’t want to be taken advantage of. And the best way to learn about a new culture is to jump right in. That being said, there are some basic tips and advice that one should think about. Half of any type of travel is acknowledging the danger thereof and prepping yourself for trouble. That’s true whether you’re flying to Moscow, road tripping to Quebec, sailing to Sydney, or traveling in the astral.

“You can’t just read the guide book. You’ve got to throw yourself in, eat the food, use the wrong verbs, get charged double and end up kissing complete strangers – or is that just me? Stop asking questions. Go and do it.”

– Ninth Doctor, Doctor Who, Episode 7, The Long Game.

I strongly believe that anyone attempting to cross over should have some basic knowledge on how to protect and defend themselves. I am constantly and consistently hearing stories on how people get over there and they die – this can be a nothing event or it can be traumatic. I’m constantly hearing stories on how people get their asses kicked by spirits or deities. You should know what to do when that situation arises. Trusting everyone should not be an option. Protecting yourself, defending yourself should be. You might not win and you may still get your ass kicked but at least you can say you tried and you’ll know what to do the next time. So protection technique A didn’t work but it you change X, Y, and Z components and you’ll get protection technique B which does work.

Do people cross over and travel around without learning protection first and have no issues? Sure. But just because some people can do it doesn’t mean you or others can. Some people can spend their entire lives drunk driving and never getting caught or having an accident but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea or that their drinking buddies will be able to do the same.

As an aside, I’d also like to remind everyone that astral travel is NOT necessary. It may be necessary in some practices but it is not a requirement of most.

It’s ALWAYS good to remember that nine times out of ten you’re going to be dealing with non-humans and these beings have their own culture, beliefs, systems of justice, and habits. They’re not indebted to helping you (no one is) so expecting the first spirit you see to become your ‘spirit guide’ is potentially foolish and dangerous. Remember that spirits, like people, probably want something and don’t tend to do something for nothing. Are there some that do? Sure, but like how not everyone is a philanthropist, not everyone on the other side is willing to help you.

Also remember your readings for folklore and fairy tales: spirits lie, they deceive and they can hurt you. Physically hurt you and they can cause harm to you here. I’ve stunted nail growth from a ghost slamming a locker door on my hand and breaking my finger. I’ve cuts on my body from six months ago that should have healed with no apparent cause on how those cuts got there – even though cuts and wounds from mundane sources since then have healed. I’ve gotten hand print shaped bruises on my legs and ankles, even on days where I’ve stayed in bed, alone, and read all day long.These things happen, even if nothing followed me home. Sometimes wounds from the other side carry over here. I injured my knee two months ago by being hurled, shaken, and ragdolled by the leg by a troll in the astral. When I woke up, the knee was and still is injured here, in the physical realm, with no cause at all (in fact, at the time, I hadn’t even climbed a set of stairs in days, forget about having injured it in some way). It still hurts. If I get up from where I’m sitting, it’s not likely to hold my weight right away. I can’t sit in certain positions for long without it aching. It’s not swollen. it’s not bruised. It’s not damaged. I’ve had medical professionals look at it and I’m going to take it for an x-ray as soon as I get an appointment to do so. I want to rule out the mundane despite knowing that I did nothing to injure it here and there’s no apparent cause for it except having been injured in the astral. So yes, you can be hurt and that’s why I recommend that people should learn protection techniques first. I injured my knee while playing distraction so others could get to safety and take it down – I knew what could happen and I paid the price, willingly. It may not be that easy for others.

Preparation:

  • Check your home and personal protections. You should already have personal and home protections up. This may be something like wearing a crucifix or it might be an elaborate network of witch balls and witches’ ladders.
  • Use a magic circle. I don’t do this and many don’t but it may help protect your body while you’re away.
  • Prepare yourself for the morning after. Using the assumption that you intend to travel at night, prepare your morning as you would if you expected a hangover. A hearty breakfast, lots of fluids, headache and nausea remedy. Sometime the herbals used to cross over will you give a hangover type feeling. This occurs even if the herbal is consumed via oil, ointment, or smoke. If it does occur, keep records and test it. Some people react to certain herbs that way, others discover it’s because they gave themselves too much or combined it with something.
  • Beef up your protections if you’re going somewhere dangerous. This is especially true if you’re dealing in new territory or with particular tricky or shady folk.

How to Stay Safe:

  • Remember that the astral/other side/spirit realms/faery land/etc IS DANGEROUS. IS NOT SAFE. IT IS DANGEROUS. I literally cannot stress this enough. It is not a playground. It can be perfectly safe and nice but it is not going to be safe for everyone.
  • Be flexible and adaptable. You were planning on heading towards a wheat field but ended up in a desert? Roll with it.
  • Don’t be aggressive (unless necessary). That’s pretty much asking for a brawl.
  • You have the right to defend yourself. And sometimes the best defense is offense. And running away is almost always an option, even if it isn’t the best option.
  • Remain vigilant and doubt everything. This sounds like a terrible way to live and it is. But this had saved my ass more times than I care to tell you.
  • Train yourself. Your body over there doesn’t have to be the same way here. Some people change shape depending on their mood, location, or job. I’ve met a few folks who never stop shifting, always moving. Others become their true selves. And more still just have little subtle changes in how they best reflect themselves. With this new ‘body’ you can do whatever you like. I recommend training your body to be more responsive. Maybe even train yourself with a weapon if you notice yourself getting into trouble.
  • Don’t get caught up on deciding what’s a spirit, fae, demon, god, etc. The lines get blurred. And really, what does it matter? They’ll either let you know or you can figure it out via context. And if you can’t, then it’s probably not important to know anyway.
  • Assume someone is dangerous until proven otherwise. It’s a great rule of thumb, especially if you don’t know exactly with whom you’re talking to.
  • Spirits lie, deceive, cheat, and kill. Sometimes spirits are just assholes. Some they lie about who or what they are. They do it for reasons you can’t understand, for their own personal agenda, just for laughs, because they’re hungry, or to fuck with you. Gods are not exempt from this.
  • Spirits can take the form or glamour of another being. This is standard folklore stuff. They might be able to appear as your mother but they might also appear as a deity. Why they’d do this depends but usually it’s for kicks.
  • If you’re paranoid then come up with a way to banish each and every being you meet. Seriously. If you’re that concerned about it, take the precautionary step. But if you are that concerned then you may wish to reconsider traveling to begin with. It’s not necessary. You can do witchcraft without it.
  • Don’t eat anything. This should be obvious. Accepting food offered (or eating random shit you find) is unwise and best and can get you seriously fucked up at worst.
  • Assume everyone’s out to get something. I have never met a spirit that isn’t looking for something. I know they might not say anything and maybe they’re acting really nice and generally are, but they ARE getting something. Maybe they’re studying humans. Or maybe they’re leeching energy off you or selling information about you to someone. You don’t know.
  • They are not human. Do not forget that. [UPG Alert!] I’m of the belief that many spirits don’t think the same way we do. They don’t hold things to the same level of importance, they certainly don’t seem to value the same things or have the same morals or ethics. You can’t expect them to act a certain way or do something in a particular fashion. It’s like expecting an alien from Pluto to be able to know all the intricacies and eccentricities of your culture.
  • Avoid politics. Politics is a game no matter who is playing it or what field it is on. A deadly, horrible, necessary game. Try to avoid it if possible. If you can’t (as many constant travelers cannot) at least keep your wits about you.
  • Know who’s top dog. There are a lot of spirits out there that  have territory. Some of those spirits are just holding that territory for someone bigger and badder than they are. And some of those territories have land that translates into a place on the physical realm. Yeah, you can literally walk into a spirit’s territory here by accident and have to deal with it over there.
  • You are not at home. Stop acting like it. You’re traveling. Tra-vel-ing. No one owes you a thing (unless they do) and acting like they owe you secrets and knowledge is a great way of getting no where fast and pissing everyone off. And ruining the party for everyone else.
  • You can get hurt. Spirit wounds happen. All the time. Sometimes it’s bruises, scratches, or random aches and pains that shouldn’t be there. I’ve woken up with visible six fingerprint and one thumb-sized bruises on each ankle even though I was in the house alone except for the cat and slept only three hours. I’ve noticed these tend to appear overnight and will last for much longer than normal, despite any treatment towards it (although, spells do seem to soften them). Hint: treat the wound on the spiritual realm as well as the physical. Keep in mind that sometimes these wounds heal in the astral but not in the physical.
  • Keep records. As mentioned above and previously, keeping records is highly important. I don’t even note in my records what I do (although that’s a personal preference). I just note that I crossed over at what time, what I took with the dosages (leaving a sample aside nearby my notes in case something goes wrong), and when I return what time I did that. This is also useful if you find yourself crossing over at random. Some folks get triggered by shit. It’s best to keep the records so you learn from it all. Do as you will. Most people keep everything in a journal. I keep mind in a binder and have a form I fill out each time, similar to a lab report. Ugh, paperwork but brilliant at the same time. You can also write down the information from your travels themselves. This is great for memory exercises.
  • Your UPG is as valid and true as everyone else’s. UPG [unverified personal gnosis or some form thereof] means that what you’ve experienced is real to you. It’s valid and true if you say it is. No one should be able to deny your experiences (if they do then call them out although if you’re operating on historical or mythological fallacies someone will call you out on that.) That being said, your UPG does not have to match anyone else’s UPG. Sometimes they match up and that’s awesome. Others times you’re all by yourself. That’s awesome too. Just remember that just because you’ve experienced something and someone else experienced something else entirely, does not mean both of you aren’t correct. Treat other people’s UPGs as you’d like yours to be treated.

Getting back depends on how you got there in the first place. A lot of just ride it out till they come back. Others have a series of techniques like the ones below. It’s a good idea to keep trips short until you can find your way back without trying to (although, some people never get to that kind of familiarity with this so YMMV).

How to Get Back:

  • Return phrase. Some people have trained themselves to return to their senses when they utter a particular word or phrase. (Likewise, some people have trained themselves to cross over with a different word or phrase)
  • Alarms. If you travel while asleep or fall asleep while traveling, setting an alarm will shock you out of whatever realm you’re in, most of the time. This isn’t exactly recommended because it’s really disorienting. It’s best to use an alarm that starts softly and gains volumes as it goes. (You can usually find a digital one in a department store for around $12 USD, last I checked.) You can likewise try to use an mp3 that starts soft and gets loud to do the same thing if that works better for you.
  • Tether yourself. If you can, when you first cross over, try to extend yourself back and feel where your body is. Keep that feeling in the back of your mind and you’ll be able to find it again. You can make a “physical” reminder of this by wearing a rubber band or bracelet, ring, whatever, to remind yourself. Ensure that you appear on the other side with it.
  • If you travel with a spirit, that spirit can shove you back. (It should be noted that other spirits can do this too and will sometimes do it to be assholes). In non-allies, it’s a dominance play. Also known as a dick move.
  • Have someone sit by and wake you at a certain time. Switch out who watches who to make things even. And give that watcher something to do. It’s boring watching a sleeping or meditating person most of the time.
  • Have a start zone. Find a place where you will always first visit when you cross. If you appear anywhere else first, go directly to the start zone. This way, you will feel best connected to that spot and will feel most closely connected to reality there. Then you can jump back and forth as much as you’d like.
  • Food. This is going to sound weird. Traveling is draining to many people and I always recommend prepping a carb-filled or grounding food for yourself for after. If you eat the same thing after each trip (like ritual bread or whatever), remembering that smell, taste, texture, sight, etc can bring you back.
  • Keep records. As stated above. Not a way to get back but something to keep in mind.

If you can’t travel, keep trying. It takes time. Try different techniques as safely as possible to get your goal. Sometimes people have blocks they need to work through to travel, whether that’s personal or imposed.

Sources:

http://thiscrookedcrown.tumblr.com/post/37206570121/ruiner85-asked-my-bestie-thesecretlifeofpyris

http://thiscrookedcrown.tumblr.com/post/75796505617/how-can-you-protect-your-home-and-whatnot-when

What Is Horsing?

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On my other blog I was asked “What exactly is horsing?” Here’s my answer:

Horsing is a type of possession used by practitioners, pagans, witches, and other religions. It’s consensual possession, in a manner of speaking. It’s allowing your body to become a vessel, usually temporarily, for another being. Usually it’s a god or deity but pretty much any spirit can possess a human, especially if the human lets them.

Now some readers are probably super excited by this brand-new information. But wait a second, please.

First off, possession without invitation first is INCREDIBLY rare. There’s a inherent danger in horsing that the being riding you is just going to take off with your body and not give it back. They can fight you. They can destroy you so you can’t fight back. And if a possession is deeply rooted, sometimes the only way to end the possession is death. No, I’m fucking serious as shit right now. I’m not being over-dramatic. This is personal fucking experience. You. Can. Die. Because you have no control over your body. That spirit can just force your ass out into traffic just to have a giggle over how your body bounces over the roof of a car.

Terrified yet?

When you decide to horse, you should always absolutely have faith in that being. You should always make sure that being knows to get the fuck out when you tell them to. And you should always have a competent practitioner with you that can expel the being from you if necessary.

Possession is scary. I’ve been possessed and horsed. While possessed I wandered around a cemetery in absolute tears for no reason (we were at a birthday party) and with the knowledge that the spirit possessing me wanted to throw me off the ridge into the bay below. A friend came and collected me, pulling me out of the cemetery. I was immediately better and took my lesson from it – never drop my bloody shields. I’ve been horsed plenty of times, usually by spirits that are both deities and not. During those times it was part of a huge ritual and the beings were respectful and left when asked to.

Other than that, setting yourself up for it is as easy as getting into a trance, inviting them in with the understanding that they will leave when you want them to. I mean, there’s a lot that goes on for it but the practice itself it easy enough.

Consent is incredibly HUGE when talking about horsing and possession. Because if you don’t want it then it’s NOT okay. I almost never hear someone talk about consent when handling spirits, deities, or other beings. And that’s terrifying to think about when talking about horsing or possession. Don’t give up your body without a fight. It’s yours.

I recommend checking out the following links:

Closing and the Leaving Festivals

Last night was the closing festival for my Demon festivals. It was the final Court day. And today marks the start of the Leaving. Well, until next year. Last night began a mass exodus for the next two days while spirits leave my area and festivities to return from whence they came. Some will be returning to their patches of the spirit realms, whatever those may be, and others will be returning to locales they’re from.

I feel like I should post a “Spirit Crossing” sign somewhere. Perhaps one day I will.

The last three and a half months have been amazing. The spiritual activity has been vibrant and full of import. Occasionally ridiculous and fun, mischievous and devilish. Other times it’s been sad, depressing, or inciting rage and soberness. These are all things I expect when working with spirits. I keep my doors open to all spirits, all demons, all fae. Everyone’s welcome, even the marked enemies. This is a time for celebration, for striking deals, for making plans, for avoiding and even waging war.

And deals have been struck. One new alliance has been founded, an assassination has been avoided, and another alliance and acquisition is in the talks and will likely be concluded before winter season truly begins. I’m grateful for what’s occur during this time and I’m fascinated, as always, by the political and social mechanisms of spirits.

The last few nights have been interesting around here personally. A lot of things have fallen over or been moved. Dials have been turned that haven’t been touched in years (like on the sewing machine), items placed at the bottom of the trash have mysterious been taken out of the trash, twice, once the trash can was knocked over, an empty drink can tossed across the room, and a towel thrown. Gravity could be to blame, certainly, but it is suspect. Additionally, the giggling and conversations that have been occurring around here when there is no one to be having said conversations is worth noting. The goblins are preparing to ride out, to bring their chaos and deviltry to others. You’ve been warned.

Other spirits, stronger, older, wiser, more politically strong or personally powerful spirits are preparing their appropriate entourages and preparing for their own journeys home. I wish them the best, sincerely, and hope to hear from many of them soon. (And, well, maybe I’m sort-of looking forward to the gifts I’m always given at the end of the season. Maybe.)

Most notably, because of this mass movement, those who are looking to work with spirits may wish to put out offerings for them. Just remember, because I work with all sorts, be sure to give a few days trial before setting but anything long-term. Just because they seem sweet in the beginning does not mean they always are. For example, those trash-throwing goblins also broke no less than four drinking glasses this season. In two days.

Seasonally, it’s starting to feel like the middle of fall. Jackets and coats are needed and sandals have been tucked away. Scarves are out in full force and whispers of snow tipple from the lips of news reporters. While we wait for the snow, pedestrians get their final warm days in, their shoes crunching in the brightly fallen leaves, taking in the beauty of the decay around them.

My next festival isn’t until the Feasting at the end of the month, where I bake up a storm to celebrate the United States’ holiday of Thanksgiving, but also invite friends, both human and not, to join in on new recipes, home brews, and delicious food. To celebrate our friendships, gossip and talk trash about since we’ve last seen each other. Some of the spirits that have been here for my Demon Festivals will be there was the Feasting and this further ties out alliances closer together. It’s also a great time to enchant food consumed by loved ones for their prosperity, wealth, and good health.

I love celebrating with spirits. I love enjoying their company without ever requiring them to give me something in return. And I love giving them the chance to interact and ask questions about humans that’s in a no-pressure sort of way. Sometimes spirits don’t want to be worshiped. They don’t want to help us, guide us, or even be offered something. Sometimes they just want to do the spirit equivalent of running to the store for milk. And my festivals, although sounds highly ritualistic, are actually just giant parties where spirits can let down their not-always-metaphorical hair and breathe.

But at the same time I’m very glad for the festivals to be over. Some things I’ve let slid since the festivals started, partially because I’m only partially here; there’s always some bit of me there, traveling and riding in the wild hunts, celebrating and raising a glass.

It’s been a good run. Now to start thinking about buckling down for winter.

Stipulations

I barely give permission before I am pulled over.  Al shows me around a glen not too far from the sea and I sense people beyond it. I manifest a more appropriate outfit for meeting folks than a simple shift and move with Al, hand in hand.

Before me the entire family is laid out, working on various spells for this and that.

“We want to make you as strong on That Side as you are on This Side. Someone worth following.”

I express my appreciation and after a while pull back. Al asks if there’s anything else I want, anything else they can do for me.

“You do know,” I said, casually but seriously, “that I will cull your entire family, everyone you ever will or have loved, everyone your family relies on if you attempt to usurp me, right? I don’t mind you trying to rise up amongst the people and become my second. I don’t mind that you intend to gain power and prestige for your entire family through me. I don’t mind any of that. I don’t even mind if you claim a nearby kingdom with the power I’ll give you. I don’t care about that. But I will destroy everything your family holds dear if you try to take my throne from me. You understand that right?”

Al hesitates for only a minute. There is a moment of gravity where Al considers my words and realizes that I may not be the fool they assume me to be. That I am just as dangerous as rumored and to tread carefully in case my ire is set upon them. Al answers as confidently as before,  “I will ensure that the entire family is aware of these stipulations.”

“See that you do. Now when will these spells go into effect?”

Castle of Sea Glass and Sand

I live in a castle sculpted of sea glass and sand. Soft, it is not. The walls bite into your skin when you fall against it, the wet sand around the internal waterfalls works as quicksand, taking invaders into the depths and under workings of the castle.

Beautiful it can be, breathtakingly so in fact, but as with most beautiful things the danger is apparent only upon close inspection.

Servants and staff move quickly, almost silent under the rushing of the decorative waterfalls and the crashing of the waves only steps away. Sea glass filters the bright sun and casts a hazy light show every rise and set. At night, it is so dark the shadows are gone and the eldritch horrors of the ocean and the night seem to dog your steps.

Magic is common here. Scullery maids wash dishes without ever touching the water with their hands and even stable boys use minor charms to care for the mount raiment. Courtiers walk on slipper- shod feet, whispering and consulting with their spies and attendants while warriors push their way through, having places to go and people to kill.

And the ruler sit on a throne of fulgurite, huge and dark, so massive that they sometimes fade into it. They wear silks and furs, leather and steel. Their hair, golden and bright, tumbles in wild curls down their back to tap their knees, a cloak in its own right. Their crown is jeweled and yet the edges are so sharp it can finely slice flesh without the victim even being aware.

This wasn’t originally their home. No, no. They carved their territory from crossroads and urban lands. Then they took the forest, slowly encroaching like the dawning sun through until it was all theirs from the golden bird trees by the hillside outside of the city to the distant mountains.  And when they saw the failing seaside kingdom to the south, the people starving and suffering, fleeing for better places, they rose in their war-gowns and armor to conquer, taking down those necessary until they were the only one remaining to sit on the throne in a castle made of sea glass and sand. And still, the kingdom grows.

I live in a castle of sea glass and sand. It is a beautiful place, busy and full of life. The sea roars, a steady sound like a heartbeat. It is home.