Tag Archives: Spirits

Spirit Snare

Despite the title, to simply call this a means by which to trap a spirit is to disregard its main function. In actuality, the spirit snare is more accurately not only an abode for the spirit, but a tool to be used in the construction of spirit. This will become clear as you read below, but first I must preface by saying that the “skeleton” — the underlying structure — of this ritual can be adapted with a nearly boundless collection of replacement tools, ingredients, etc., e.g. while the following will incorporate a clay figure, this could be replaced with a doll (cloth, stick, etc.), a stone, really anything. What matters is the action and process, not necessarily the materials listed. With that being said, take this as an example, not the definitive or singular way to accomplish the same task.

For this method, you will need a few “ingredients:”

  • Sticks — (in the above photo) you can see I used sticks of varying sizes, but all of which were collected at local cemeteries
  • Twine
  • Clay — I used natural, air dry clay; but if you happen to have (or have access to) a kiln, actual clay would be ideal; avoid plastic-based polymer clays
  • Batting — I used Spanish moss; natural fibers are best; an old (clean) bird’s nest would work well, I imagine
  • Fluidum vītae*
  • Wire
  • Paper
  • Tobacco/Incense

Optional:

  • Paint and/or other decorative elements
  • Rum or other offerings

* By fluidum vītae I mean blood or sexual fluids. Ideally, an animal sacrifice would be made and the blood collected, but to tie the spirit to yourself blood, vaginal fluid, menstrual blood or semen can all be used.

Instructions:

  1. Begin by collecting your sticks. It’s not necessary to go digging through cemetery refuse piles at the stroke of midnight under the light of the waxing moon (like some witches who will not be named: me), store-bought is fine. No, but really, just go out and get some sticks. Feel free to gather them from specific locations or of particular species that correspond to your aims in constructing this spirit. For example, sticks from your own property (cedar or oak) would work splendidly if you seek to create a protective spirit. Employ whatever correspondences personal or traditional. Try to keep the sticks no longer than your arm, and no wider than your thumb or they will be unruly to work with in the next step.
  2. Once collected, the sticks must be fashioned into a sort of flexible mat that will be rolled and fastened later. Have patience. While it seems quite simple, working with a long length of twine can get tedious, especially at the beginning. Take the first stick and anchor two lengths of twine onto it near the center, leaving 6 to 8 inches between them. The rest is a bit like a puzzle, taking each stick and finding which fits well with the one beside it. You needn’t do this all at once, I simply tried fitting each as I moved along. Once you find one that fits,  secure it with twine: I used overhand knots because they’re easy and can be moved and tightened accordingly, the ones on the left going over and those on the right under (or vice versa). It’s a bit like macrame. If you know better knots or methods, by all means employ them. Make sure to leave the long tails of twine, as these will be used later to fasten the bundle.
  3. Once you have woven the sticks together, it is time to work on crafting a figure. As I mentioned above, this doesn’t need to be a clay figure, but could be a small doll or stone or whatever makes sense to you. I have a penchant for sympathetic magic, so I simply molded a little, nondescript figure. Once it is complete and fully dry, take it and sit with it. Consider for what purpose you are constructing this spirit, what will its function be, and allow its characteristics to manifest. This is very much a sort of negotiation: the ambient energy can manifest in certain ways, you must sculpt it and guide it to meet your goals. Do not underestimate the power of music. Choose songs with intention. Now is NOT the time to hit shuffle. Once the spirit is assembled, and time has been spent with it, prepare the figure with smoke. I’m prefer tobacco because with each exhale you can impart its function, responsibilities, arrangements and characteristics. I suppose the same could be done with passes through incense smoke. The most important part is to give this spirit a name. Knowing its traits and appearance, you can decorate the figure to match. But not yet is the spirit tied to the figure.
  4. To do this, scrawl the given name on a square of paper and roll it into a scroll. Dress the figure with the fluidum vītae (if you elected to do a sacrifice, make sure you specify what the sacrifice is for; don’t be wasteful), imparting “life,” and wrap the scroll around the figure with wire. Make clear the association of the spirit and the figure, call it by its name, give it the power it needs.
  5. Place this fetish on the batting. Being that I used Spanish moss and it has a tendency to be messy, I also used a square of white fabric, placing upon in the nest of dry moss, then the figure. Make sure the fetish is nicely nestled, adding more batting if necessary. I then folded the cloth over it and tied either end like a nice, witchy Tootsie Roll. Place the assemblage on the mat or sticks and bring each end of the mat to meet. A little overlap is fine. Using the twine tails wrap the entire bundle, fastening it with an impermanent knot (in case you need to disassemble it).
  6. It is good form to present an immediate offering, and do choose one that matches the ascribed function of the spirit. Rum is a great general offering, given its fiery nature, but if you’re not looking to incite the spirit to action, perhaps something tamer is in order.
  7. If you find a bundle of sticks unsightly, feel free to decorate the exterior with appropriately colored ribbon. It’s also good to place a small offering dish before it so that occasional gifts might be easily presented.
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Tuning to the Dead

Since my post about Conjuring a Familiar, I’ve received a
lot of asks/messages in regards to Spirit Work mostly to the tune of: How?
And unfortunately, there’s no easy answer. There are certainly ways to improve
(and I’ll offer a “How to get started” below), but some never quite get a
grasp. I was not born with the Gift, but was granted it through a rather
unpleasant event that I don’t recommend to anyone. Still I had to dedicate
myself to practice. That will be the key word for today: Practice. Continuous practice: for it is very much a “use it or
lose it” art. For instance, I’ve been a little lax in recent months and while I
can still communicate, it is something I have to focus on. At the height of my
practice, I couldn’t go anywhere without seeing or overhearing the Dead (or
other Spirits), but now I tune in only when need be. Which sounds more
convenient, but the less you tune in, the harder it is each time. I’m trying to
get into a more regular schedule, because it is so imperative to my practice, and I’ve recently been weighed
down with the more practical aspects. I’m working on it.

Anyway – where to begin? Working with the Dead isn’t
something that you can just magically do. Sure, there are things that can help,
but if you want to develop your abilities without the need for outside
influence, it takes work and patience. As I mentioned above, the way I came
about sight was of outside influence and was an extremely unpleasant ordeal
that I did not volunteer for, and while it did open my Eyes, it was I who kept
them open and it was I who laid the ground work. I was on my way, fate just
intervened. Don’t do what I did. Instead, start where I started: The Graveyard.

The Graveyard is a particularly suited playground for Spirit
Work as it is host to the Dead Energy, as well as a Nexus, a Crossroads. While
you can work on the art anywhere the dead roam, the Cemetery is the perfect
ground to lay the foundation – and not only that, but the Cemetery has proven
to be (I have found) where the more peaceful Dead reside. Sure, you get your
fair share of vagrants, wanderers and troublemakers, but it doesn’t have that
pain and sickness that hospitals possess (with their confused, often irrational
spirits) or the possibly malicious inclinations that “haunted houses” have.
Funeral homes are too heavy with mourning and battlefields can be volatile. The
cemetery proves to be most suited and it is where I honed my abilities.

To begin, go to the cemetery and find a peaceful place.
While there may be a few lingering Spirits by day, night is when they come in
droves and I recommend making the pilgrimage then. Once you’ve located a
fitting place, sit. Ask the Spirits to come to you and keep a close note on the
feelings or thoughts that you have. If you’d like, you can bring a journal to
record them as they happen, assuming you’ve chosen a well-lit cemetery. Spend
awhile sitting, speaking if it feels right, then say your goodbyes a leave. Do
the same for two more nights, on the third night review your notes and connect
which feeling or idea appeared each night – this will be your way of knowing
when Spirit is present. You’re little gauge. For me, even when I do not see
them, I can tell they are about by a tingling along my palms and down my spine.
Some people experience a heaviness or the unshakeable feeling of being watched.
It’s a very individual thing and finding out what your “tell” is, is the first
step.

After you decipher what the feeling is, continue to go to
the cemetery. It needn’t be every night, but a few times a week, exploring the
nature of the feeling. The more time you spend tuning to the Dead energy, the
easier it becomes to recognize and decipher. That’s the key. Surround yourself
with the Dead and you will better understand them. Inevitably, you will also
come upon a rather unsavory spirit – or one that does not want you near. This,
too, has a recognizable feeling and one more universally recognized: a sinking
feeling in the pit of your stomach. If – or rather when – this occurs, simply
leave the area and apologize for intruding. If the feeling persists, ask them
to leave you be. If they remain, cast them out formally. Very few will persist
after asking them to leave, but there is always a possibility.

Once you get the hang of it, it becomes quite easy. You can
use cards, pendulums, and other forms of divination to converse, if you wish,
but you can also use that handy-dandy gut of yours. To most living people,
Spirits do not communicate in words – instead they impart emotion, ideas.
Mediums often speak with the Dead, but very rarely is it the only form of communication. The Dead can
show you. Let them.

In regards to Sight, it’s tricky. When most people hear “I
see dead people” (…well, they think of little Haley Joel, but then…) they think
it is done with the eyes. And of course, why wouldn’t you? It’s Sight! That’s
how we see, after all, isn’t it? With the eyes? No. It isn’t. We see with the mind. Without having to go into how
light and vision works, or go into the anatomy of the eye, know that sight is
the mind’s interpretation of light. Sight (with a capital S) is the mind’s
interpretation of energy – in this case, Spirit. This is where things get a
little more complicated. How I See
feels almost as though it is through feedback. You do not project a mental
image onto the environment, but you project your mind or energy and that which
it does not “pierce” is reflected. Almost like echolocation. It is these
signals that are reflected that your brain interprets.

Image a flashlight in the darkness: You train your flashlight
on a tree. The light illuminates the trunk, but the rest seems to vanish into
the unseen. The light reflecting off of the tree is taken into the eye and
interpreted. The same process can be sight for Sight – only instead of interpreting
light, you are interpreting energy. It is that reflection of your own energy
off of another that your mind interprets.

Of course, with that being said, that’s how it works for me. I can’t say that all experience it
the same way, I can only expand on that which I experience.

To develop Sight takes time, it takes patience and (again)
it takes practice. The better you are at tuning into the dead with your
intuition, the easier it will be to See. This is why you should not attempt to
rush things: yes, you might end up being able to See, but for how long and how
well? Do not rush. From the time I began going to the cemetery to the time I
was able to see took years. Literally, years. Between two and four. It takes
patience, but it also shows dedication. So long as you remain dedicated and are patient with yourself, things will come together! 

photo source

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Spirit Drive-Out

To drive out unwanted spirits (there by choice or dispatched via The Craft) and with the added benefit of cleansing the home (why not if you’re at it, right?)

I’m a spiritworker – I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, it’s the foundation of my Craft – but some people are surprised when I tell them how many boundaries I set up throughout my house. Now, while I work with the spirits, I work with my spirits and have very strict rules laid out. There are places where they are permitted and places where they are forbidden. I’ve seen plenty of witches (or more regularly: dabblers) invite things in without parameters and are surprised when they start to wreak havoc. This is for when things go south, and you’re done politely asking them to leave.

Supplies

  • (3) Brooms – hand-made are best, but any broom will work (just skip the vacuum, this isn’t Hocus Pocus)
  • A Cauldron (or bowl) – make sure that it has feet or is raised/on a stand, there will be fire involved
  • (3 or 6) Candles – black, white or red, any color will do
  • 91% Isopropyl alcohol – if you have on hand a high-proof alcohol or a incence charcoal, they can be used in lieu  

Ingredients

  • Rosemary
  • Ash Bark
  • Salt
  • Holly Leaves
  • Juniper Sprigs

Optional, but highly recommended:

  • Spirit-Drive Vinegar***

Instructions

Begin by grinding to a loose powder your herbs. Start with your bark (which should be crushed and broken to the smallest size you can manage) and powder, then add in the remaining ingredients (salt can be omitted and added later) and coarsely grind to a loose meal. Once complete, arrange your brooms and candles in the above formation as near to the center of the house as can be managed with the cauldron/bowl in the center. If you elected to only use three candles, use only the ones on the “inside.”

Open (or at least crack) all the windows and any interior doors in your home (that will open) and kill the lights. I recommend doing this at night as it’s when spirits are usually most active, plus your neighbors won’t see your house smoking (theoretically) and call the law in concern (or malice, I don’t know your neighbors). It may also be wise to temporarily remove the batteries from any nearby smoke alarms, just don’t forget to return them after you’ve finished.

Light your candles from the inside to the outside and place in the bowl your herb meal (places on your briquette if you so elected) and pour a bit of alcohol over them. You don’t want to drown them, just dampen them. Give a loose mix with your finger or a spoon and prepare to step back. With a long lighter or a match, speak a little something to the extent of “get your non-corporeal ass the hell out of my house” and ignite the alcohol. Allow the smoke to waft about, fanning and leading it if need be commanding the spirits to leave. Using the Spirit-Drive Vinegar, sprinkle it with your fingers (like holy water), to the edges of your house tossing a bit through every open window before slamming closing it. Do this toward each window, closing as you go until you’ve finished and driven away the loathsome spirit(s).

When the herbs have burned all the way out, toss half of the remains out the front door (far enough away to prevent any ash blow-back into the house) and half out the back, marking each door with a bit of the Spirit-Drive Vinegar.

Learn from your mistakes and put up a damn boundary. Try these: Door-Bar Boundary && Selective-Spirit Door-Bar

Spirit-Drive Vinegar***

  • Holly Berries
  • Juniper Berries
  • Cedar Wood
  • Salt
  • Vinegar

Optional:

  • Elderberry or bark

Macerate berries with a liberal sprinkle of salt and few tablespoons of vinegar for an hour, then mash. Place in a jar a strip of cedar bark or wood and add the berry mash. Fill the jar with vinegar and let sit overnight – or a few weeks, being ideal – and strain out the solids. Wash jar and replace infused vingar. Voila!

photo source

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Selective Spirit Door-Bar

As far as I can tell there are two types of spirit workers – those who are always available and those who set time aside. I value myself of being the latter. I like my place and I like it free of disturbances, as such I have always been very thorough when setting my perimeters. I don’t just bar the main doors, I would bar every doorway – just in case should someone break through one, there would still be containment so that I could manage the issue without worry. While this is a great defensive, I find that communicating with spirits in my home can be somewhat difficult – even when given permission to enter. Given my recent move, I elected to try a new strategy – which so far has paid off quite well so far. That is a selectively permeable boundary, through which those who share my blood/spirit (ancestors) or given my blessing may pass. Now, you can rest assured that my bedroom will still be spelled up like Fort Knox, but at least I’m becoming a little more hospitable, right?

I digress.

To Perform the Ritual, gather:

  • Brick Dust
  • Salt – a half/half blend of black and white
  • White Chalk – and/or Cascarilla
  • Sulphur
  • Vinegar
  • Saliva
  • Blood

Optional: to add a little more fire to those who might try to pass the boundary – add in a blend of used coffee grounds, chile powder, black pepper, iron oxide and dark rum (pine tar is a great addition, too, but it’s hard to find)

Don’t waste your time on any ceremonious nonsense for this one, just combine your dry ingredients first and then the wet and toss/churn/shake your concoction aptly. Your ratio and consistency is dependent on your preferences, but I like more of a dry paste. It really depends on how fine your brick dust is – for chunkier, hand-broken bricks, you’re not going to have a paste one way or another and that’s completely fine, just dampen your ingredients. For a very fine dust, you want to add a bit more to ensure your powder will hold once dry: a bit more vinegar can remedy an overly dry mix.

Take your paste and run it along the base of each entrance to your home. After each has been door has been dressed, read the following incantation as you “close” the door:

Mind these words – for they bear weight and consequence:
Those of blood and spirit blessed – yet kinsman all the same,
For it is they whose lines I tie,
And they who govern fate;
But to the wayfarer and the miscreant,
No tiding favor found,
These walls be charmed
These doors be crossed
The ill might find no solace;
By witch’s blood –
By witch’s word –
By witch’s will –
‘Tis I who mark the Gates

To close the door, place both index fingers together at the middle of the frame overhead. As you read, trace your fingers along to the corners, down their respective sides, then closing them together at the base of the door. I like to then walk through the door and “cross” it from inside. That’s been the hardest habit to break, as every time I walk through the door, I was used to ‘X’ing it immediately.

Good luck and good barring!

photo source

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The Dead Radio

I find that working with the dead is much like finding a radio station. Most people in our Western society simply tune into their usual stations – it is not that they are unable, it’s simply complacency, a matter of comfort. It is the familiar in which they find solace.

But some of us, be we who have a predisposition might tune in easily. It is merely another station we find comfort in.

Some of us, grow curious and scan – only to hear a muffle of singing that peaks your interest. Only through further tubing nudge the signal be clear.

And finally, there are those who, upon happenstance, find themselves out of range to listen to their usual stations – those who are forced to hunt for something else for fear of silence.

For those of you who seek to work with the dead, and are still yet unable, keep scanning. And when you can listen closely, you wear hear the break in the static and need only fine tune. Only once you hear a brief whisper might you know what to listen for.

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