Eoten

Animist poet

Wild poetry, untamed stories and animist teachings from Eóten

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spirit helpers

Spirit Communication

Spirit communication is an umbrella term for animist practices that involve… you guessed it, communicating with spirits.

Spirit communication can be as simple as prayer to a favoured deity or as advanced as trance work. It can include communication with ancestors, elemental beings, demonic spirits, land spirits, deities, angels, deceased loved ones, animals and plant spirits.

A common spirit communication method in Western cultures is spiritualism, which is a tradition that involves mediumship within a loosely religion-inspired framework. It usually involves angels and deceased humans, but no other spirits.

Spirit communication is helpful when:

  • We need guidance from our spirit helpers.
  • We want to make contact with our spirit helpers without using spirit flight (journeying).
  • We have encountered a new spirit and getting familiar with them.
  • We need to enforce a boundary against an intrusive spirit.
  • We need to ask a spirit for help with another practice.

Spirit communication almost always involves some level of trance or altered awareness, although formal trance practices aren’t essential. Trust in ourselves, the spirit helpers and the process we use is imperative; as this is built over time, the communication will become clearer and stronger.

It also needs some form of boundary containment, for which sacred space is perfect.

Journeying

Journeying, also known as shamanic journeying, is the Western name for the practice of spirit flight that is found in many animist traditions.

Journeying uses trance practices to change the practitioner’s mental state so that they can leave their bodies and travel in the spirit worlds. It can use rhythm, stillness, movement or hallucinogenics to create the trance, and is done within a ceremonial container, usually with the aid of animal, ancestor and plant spirit helpers.

Journeying is helpful when:

  • We need a powerful experience to help us shift a deeply rooted unhelpful pattern.
  • We need to initiate or deepen a relationship with a specific spirit.
  • We need to uncover deep knowledge, intuition or understanding in ourselves.
  • We need to re-connect with our spiritual path and helpers.
  • We need to reclaim something we have lost, such as power, creativity, health or energy.
  • We need to heal a powerful wound.
  • We need to ask for help from a deity, teacher or land spirit.
  • We need inspiration and nourishment for creative practices.

Journeying requires a strong relationship with our helping spirits, a highly developed sense of imagination and intuition, self discipline and strong intent. It is an advanced practice that complements the foundation work of ceremony, altars, divination, craft work and working with spirits.