Working with spirits

How did people first learn to work with spirits? The short answer is that the spirits taught us. The specifics of how that knowledge was transmitted are a beloved theme of worldwide mythology. Details differ but frequently reference the natural affinity and attraction shared between spirits and people. For example, Siberian myth explains that the Creator sent a sacred bird to Earth charged with the task of teaching people how to shamanize. (Siberia is vast: depending on tribe and location, this bird may be an owl, eagle, raven, or rooster. ) The bird fell in love with a woman. Their child was Earth's first shaman.

Since those primordial beginnings, people have taught other people how to work with spirits, sharing information, techniques, materials, and methods.

Working with spirits is an intrinsically sacred art, but a practical one, too. If spirits deliver on their promises, devotions increase. Weary or disenchanted spirits seeking to retire stop producing. Desperate people seeking assistance quickly get the message and seek help elsewhere. If one spirit doesn't deliver, another one may. That spirit then inherits the devotee's attentions. (Conversely, devotees who fail to fulfill obligations or hold up their end of a bargain may lose a spirit's ear and sympathy.)

Those spirits who consistently deliver, who dependably demonstrate generous or hard-working natures develop reputations. Word gets around. Some spirits are eager for human companionship, hungry for our love and attention. Guatemalan spirit Maximon, for instance, bears the reputation of being exceptionally responsive and hardworking, as does the Vietnamese goddess Ba Chua Xu.

It is the nature of many spirits to be workaholics. This tendency is reflected in clichés like "work like a demon" or working "like one possessed." This works to our benefit. However, like other workaholics, they may become impatient with slackers. You will be expected to hold up your end of the bargain.

Spirits work, but so do people. It's called *working* because you are not a passive recipient. People don't just sit back and wait for generous spirits to shower us with blessings. Relationships between people and spirits are symbiotic: that means mutually beneficial. They work for us, and we work for them.

Methods of working with spirits have remained fairly consistent over millennia and all over the world. Documents recording appeals from early Common Era women asking Hermes to protect their soldier sons will sound familiar to anyone working with spirits today. Likewise, if those ancient devotees could time-travel forward to modern spirit-centred rituals, they'd find much to be very familiar.

Types of food or drink offered to spirits may differ; specific songs or drumbeats may differ; which incense is burned may differ; but basic methods of working with spirits are universal and eternal. Spirits communicate via symbols, oracles, and dreams. Most enjoy, crave, and expect small gifts. While the basic structure of independent spirit working is consistent, two factors are unique to each individual transaction and will affect their direction and outcome:

* Will the spirit respond to a petitioner as desired or even respond at all?
* What are the individual petitioner's hopes, fears, beliefs, and level of expertise or desperation?

How one works with spirits depends somewhat on what it is one hopes to receive from them. Let's take a closer look at pathways leading to spirits, and then let's explore the nuts and bolts of working with them. Let's examine two different scenarios.

Someone may literally *adore* a spirit. A spirit may fascinate and enthral a person. Someone may have incredible respect for a spirit and perceive it as a role model, a shining example, a symbol of courage or fortitude, extreme beauty, virtue, or generosity. What this person desires is the presence of the beloved.

   Let's say, for example, that someone has been fascinated with Artemis or Athena since childhood. She may begin collecting images or objects associated with that spirit. She spends a lot of time reading and considering their myths and legends. She wears jewlery or perfume evocative of that spirit; maybe gets a tattoo. People recognize her affiliation and give her goddess-related gifts. Over the years, her collection grows and may take over a shelf or corner or entire room of her home. Intentionally or not, she has created altar space whether or not she realizes it.

Maybe this is where this story ends: maybe she receives peace of mind, satisfaction, and happiness from her collection. Maybe she discovers over time that her thinking is clearer while sitting amidst this collection or while holding one particular object in her hands. Solutions to problems just seem to come to her, to pop into her mind. Maybe she starts travelling with a small portable image of the spirit because she sleeps more peacefully when it's with her. Maybe it never progresses from here.

*But* maybe the spirit starts appearing in her dreams. Maybe the spirit offers good advice, warns of pending problems, or asks for something. Maybe, even during waking hours, this person starts receiving communiqués from this spirit.

This person may never have intended to do more than create a beautiful tribute to a beloved spirit, whose genuine living reality she may never have considered or thought possible. What she has created, however is a portal welcome mat. Through her devotion to the spirit, she has assumed the role of priestess or acolyte. Believers in reincarnation might suggest that she was once such a priestess in a previous life and that her actions are no accident.

Focusing intently on a spirit has attracted its attention. Actions of veneration were pleasing to the spirit: it wants more. Rather than a casual relationship, the spirit may seek increased attention in exchange for protection and patronage. Creation of altar space, the use of imagery, and/or intense concentration has opened up a portal for the spirit.

If this person chooses to respond to the overtures made by the spirit, or if she, too, would like to kick the relationship up a notch, her next step is to consciously start tending her altar and/or begin feeding the spirit. Most people are amazed, honoured, and delighted to receive contact, *but* if, for whatever reason, she does *not* want this relationship, she should very politely, calmly, respectfully, and clearly articulate her reasons why not directly to the spirit, possibly also offering some small tribute or gift as a peace offering in case the spirit is offended.

That's one fairly typical scenario, one way of forming a working relationship with a spirit. The flip side of this scenario is that what many people love most about spirits is their power and generosity. Sometimes a relationship with a spirit is sought specifically because we want something from them. The presence of the beloved isn't enough; help, benefits, a gift, or some miracle is sought.

Let's look at another typical path to the spirits.

This person has little or no interest in spirits, their stories, or whether or not they exist. She may be a rationalist who doesn't "believe" in them, or the whole subject may be off her radar; it's just not relevant. But *now*, some sort of crisis has arisen. Considerable time, effort, and money have already been spent attempting to solve this problem, but nothing has worked. Finally someone else, seriously or jokingly, suggests an appeal to some spirit, or maybe the person in need saw some vague reference to spiritual intervention in a book.

Previously this suggestion would have been laughed off or automatically rejected, but the situation is now dire and no possibility, regardless how remote, can be dismissed. What this person needs is a miracle. She is clutching at straws. Spiritual intervention may be the only straw left to clutch.

Maybe this crisis is spousal abuse, and so someone has recommended seeking assistance from Yemaya or Ezili Dantor. Maybe she can't get pregnant, and so on appeal to one of the many fertility spirits is suggested (Artemis, Brigid, or Lilith, for example). Maybe the problem is an unhealthy addiction, hers or that of someone she loves. After years of frustration, someone asks, why not petition Maximon for help?

Why not, indeed? This person has *not* spent years accumulating sacred objects and knowledge. She may have no concept of the sacred whatsoever. All these names of spirits may be overwhelming and meaningless. She is a beginner, a novice, and may have doubts about the reality of spirits, let alone her own ability to reach them, *if* they exist. She lacks experience but needs help now. What does this person do next? Where does she start?

Here is the method in a nutshell:

* Identify a spirit who can help you or the spirit who is your personal patron.
* Familiarize yourself with this spirit; are you comfortable requesting their assistance?
* Respectfully but straightforwardly and clearly articulate what you seek, going into as much detail as needed. You cannot be too clear and precise?

Nothing in life is free. This is important: If there is a *single* key word that must be remembered about working with spirits, it is *reciprocity*. Relationships between people and spirits are *mutually* beneficial: in other words, spirits expect to receive something in return for favours rendered, if only sincere gestures of love and veneration.

Spirits don't want your soul or your firstborn. Put the knife down; no need to draw up a contract in your own blood. There's no need for a written contract in your own blood. There's no need for a written contract at all. That's all propaganda intended to induce fear. Horror stories and religious propaganda present perverted distortions of the ancient art of negotiating with spirits.

In general, spirits seek veneration, relationships, some care and feeding, good deeds on their behalf, and gestures and testimonials to their power and generosity. Thus, the final two steps of working with spirits:

* Explain *precisely* what it is that you will give in return and *exactly* when the spirit should expect payment. Never promise something you know you can't or won't deliver.
* If the spirit fulfils its end of the bargain, make sure that you fulfil yours, too.

   Some spirits are more flexible and good-natured, more or less acquisitive, compassionate, or generous than others. Some like to bargain or negotiate. Achilles won't respond at all until he considers an offer duly respectful and worthy of him.

There are many paths to the spirits. Different individuals approach spirits for a wide variety of motivations. If you seek nothing from them, if all you desire is to bask in their presence, then this process doesn't really apply (or at least until there is something you desire or need). Since the spirit has not been asked to do anything, nothing is owed in return. Should the devotee become bored or decide to explore a different spiritual path, veneration may simply stop at any time. (Sometimes this is the moment when previously silent spirits rear their heads and make their presence known.)

The relationship is more complex, however if you actually desire something or expect to receive something, even just general patronage and protection. You may just vaguely hope that venerating a spirit will earn good fortune, but if and when you really need something, you must ask for it specifically and explicitly, naming your desire.

These requests are referred to as *petitions*, not in the same sense of the modern political petition, a paper signed by vast numbers of people, but in the old-fashioned sense of a petition as a formal request for a favour, presented to royalty.

There are two ways of effectively Presenting petitions:

* Petitions are offered spontaneously or impulsively in a moment of passion or despair.
* Petitions are formally presented within the context of rituals. This type of petition is planned in advance. An awful lot of expense and trouble may be taken to offer this petition, with the person sometimes journeying great lengths to be at a shrine at a specific moment. This petition may or may not be accompanied by offerings, the equivalent of a down payment on favours expected or a show of good faith.

If you have the time to plan, then the second method can be extremely effective, but some times a sincere cry from the heart is all it takes to catch a spirit's attention and sympathies. This is especially true if a spirit is already awaiting your call.

You will know within a reasonable amount of time whether a spirit has accepted your offer or wishes to negotiate further, because indications will appear. Sometimes immediate fulfilment of the request is the indication, but not always. (Utter long-term silence -- no response -- may indicate that this particular spirit has refused you or has not heard you.)

Those seeking help with any aspect of pregnancy should advise the spirit payment will only be made after the birth of a healthy child - not just upon conception. Vowing to bring a healthy child of a certain age to visit the spirit's shrine is a very traditional payment. Likewise someone seeking assistance with healing might specify the payment will be made six months or one year following the cure just to ensure that it's lasting.

Terms and conditions depend upon the nature of what's sought and the nature of the particular spirit. Of course, the longer a spirit must wait, the more substantial and thoughtful payment should be: you will have had time to prepare.

Spirits frequently work through people. We are their hands, tools, mouths, servants, and messengers, albeit often unknowingly. Although you are petitioning a spirit, do not be surprised to find a miracle arriving via human hands. Miracles frequently look very *normal*; they don't always arrive with flashing lights and special effects as on TV. If you have a medical condition that has defied treatment and so have petitioned Raphael, a preeminent spirit of healing, and suddenly there is a medical breakthrough that results in your cure, *that's* your miracle.

In Latin America, this system is called *la promesa*, literally "the promise": a reciprocal vow, contract, or covenant between a practitioner and a sacred being. Although this term is Spanish, the concept is universal. Who is making the promise? Both spirit and human alike: it is a sacred vow and bond. (Spirts, even dangerous demons, are renowned for keeping their word, once given. They may try to weasel their way through loopholes or word games, but they will not break a promise.)

Spirits expect to be paid for miracles provided. You want a miracle; what's in it for them? That may sound callous, especially in regard to a sacred being, but it's crucial to be blunt so that this point is understood:

* People who love and venerate spirits all the time, in good times and bad, tend to recognize gifts and miracles when received. They are quick to render gratitude, affection, tribute, and payments.
* Those who may have petitioned a spirit as a whim or long shot are more likely to dismiss experiences as *coincidence* and hence offer no payment or renege on a deal.

Believing in spirits is not necessary. What is required is the belief in the *possibility* that just maybe there is something out there that can help you. If it doesn't, well, there you are back in the same place where you started, problems and all. If you *are* helped, however, then it's crucial to acknowledge the reality of what helped you, even if only to yourself and the spirit.

Whatever you perceive spirits to be, it is crucial, if you intend to work with them, to see them as something alive and independent from you. Many people have a hard time accepting spirits as distinct living entities. Instead spirits are understood as archetypes, metaphors, or other abstract emanations of the human mind. Working with spirits without acknowledging them as independent entities inevitably leads to trouble. How can you ask an archetype for assistance? You can't. How can a metaphor provide miracles? it can't.

Archetypes and metaphors come from the human brain; miracles and favours produced by archetypes and metaphors clearly also stem from the human brain. If it's all from the human brain, then you can provide your own miracles without asking for outside assistance. (And maybe you can. Some swear by the power of positive thinking. But that's not the same as working with spirits.)

The problem is that many people believe in spirits when they need something and then, when the emergency is over, rationalize that spirits don't really exist and that the solution to their problem derived from coincidence or their own efforts. The result is the tendency to fail to pay off a spiritual debt or fulfil a vow. No one likes an ingrate, especially not spirits. You don't want their reality proved to you via their anger.

Trouble can be avoided very easily. If you can't accept their reality, if you have a deep emotional investment in spirits *not* being real, then just don't address them as living beings. Don't ask for anything. Don't promise anything. Don't fool around.

What's the going cost for a miracle? Again, spirits don't want your soul or your firstborn, either. Miracles provided are not tricks intended to make you relax your guard so that later you can be more easily harmed.

So what *do* you offer in exchange for a miracle? What do you give a spirit who has everything? What do you give someone who may have saved your life and whom you may wish to contact again, should the need arise?

The magnitude of the miracle (how badly it was needed; whether it was a matter of life and death) determined the magnitude of the offering. There are small petitions and major petitions: "Help me find a parking space" versus "Save me from cancer."

*Never* make vague, hysterical, grandiose promises like "I'll give you *anything*!" or "Take whatever you want," or "I'll give you the most valuable thing I have!" or, like the biblical Jephtah, "You'll get the first thing I see coming up the road." You can see right away how this leads to misunderstandings and trouble.

Likewise, never offer something that you know you won't deliver or that you're not sure you can deliver. If you have no money, don't offer something expensive. It is, however, very traditional to base an offering on the requested miracle itself. Delivery of payment is dependent on delivery of the miracle: they are truly symbiotic. The Romans often inserted a little verbal proviso into spiritual petitions; it translates into English as "I give when you have given."

* If you are asking for financial assistance, offer to give a percentage of riches received to a cause close to the spirit's heart.
* Those seeking fertility often name a child after the spirit, bring the child to visit a spirit's shrine when the child is old enough, and/or raise the child to be an active devotee.
* Those seeking cures may vow to help those suffering from the same affliction should they recover enough to be able to do so.

Historically, working with spirits have been the province of poor and working people. Spirits' desires are often very modest. Mostly, they seek attention, acknowledgement, and gestures of gratitude. The most important aspect of an offering is that it is given lovingly and respectfully not grudgingly. True gifts of the heart are more valuable than lavish donations offered carelessly. Here are some generally appropriate payments:

* Provide an artist tribute, whether created by yourself or commissioned from another.
* Create an altar, whether an actual physical one or a virtual one in cyberspace.
* Throw a party in the spirit's honour, or offer a more private ritual meal.
* Name something important after the spirit, or post its image in a prominent place.
* Testify to the miracle in some public manner.
* Get a tattoo that references the spirit (name, image, or sacred symbols).
* Make a pilgrimage to a shrine or place strongly associated with that spirit.
* Many spirits are associated with specific animals, plants and sacred sites. The world being what it is, most of them are endangered. Any efforts or charitable donations on their behalf will be greatly appreciated. Thus Artemis has powerful associations with wolves; if she helps you, do something to help them, whether directly or financially. Xtabay is associated with kapok (ceiba) trees; if she helps you, plant or preserve one.

## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes