Connecting with Spirits of the Afterlife

With Samhain approaching and the veil thinning people are busting out their Ouija boards for ‘spooky season’ and preparing to commune with the spirit realm. But no matter what time of year you find this article, here is your start up guide to dancing with the dearly departed.

Step one: Get Intentional.

Communing with the spirit realm takes a lot of focus and energy, so you want to make sure that you are specific about what you plan to accomplish and that you are invested in the results. If you don’t believe that this will work, then you close your mind to messages that may come through. If you are too vague about who you want to speak to, then you leave the door open for loss of control and fear to enter the equation. You need to make a plan ahead of time of where you will be doing the summoning, who you want to summon, how you plan to protect your space, and how you plan to close the session sending them back, and you need to decide these things before you start.

Be specific about who is invited:

There are many who have walked before us. It took hundreds of thousands of couplings to bring you here, so consider carefully who it is you want to call.

If you have lost a specific loved one you wish to speak to you can channel their energy by calling their name and telling them the story of one of your treasured memories with them. You could call their name inviting them to your intended space and ask, “Do you remember when…” then describe the memory with as much detail as you can remember, maybe even closing your eyes to take you back. You can set out offerings of food and drink that is specific to them using your memories of their preferences to guide you.

If your knowledge of your ancestry is vague and you don’t have a specific person in mind you can consider calling forth specific roles. In order for you to be here today there are certain skills and talents your faceless ancestors would have had to possess. Consider calling on the healers, the mothers/fathers, the rebels, the artists, the scholars, etc… be very clear who is invited and what criteria they must meet to sit at your Samhain table, so that you don’t call any unwanted guests. It can be beneficial to specify that no one who wishes you harm or carries ill intention is allowed into your space.

Setting your space:

The first part of being intentional is setting your space. Considering that communing with the dead is not something you most likely do often, you want to make sure you create a space that is respectful, safe, and sacred.

Respectful: Creating a respectful space means your area is clear of clutter and mess. You don’t want empty soda cans or trash littering the area will be speaking to the ghost of your elders. You also want to make sure you have put away your phone, or any projects that might distract you and take energy away from the objective.

Safe: You might enjoy the movie Poltergeist but you definitely don’t want to live it. Make sure you are specific about who or what you allow into your space. Make sure that you are setting boundaries of where the spirits are allowed to enter with salt, candles and protective talismans.

Sacred: You ever been to an old church, a deep part of the forest, or a graveyard and noticed how the energy changes? It becomes quieter somehow, the outside world muted. That’s because these are sacred spaces, and that’s the intention that you are keeping in mind while you set up the area you will be working in.

There are many ways to set your space, and we encourage you to follow your intuition, but I’ll talk about a few different ways to spark your inspiration and give you an idea of what setting the space looks like below.

Anointment: Use holy water, holy oil, moon water, or any protective oil you feel called to and mark the doorways, windows and table you will be using. You can start the anointment by dipping your finger in the material and drawing the protective symbol of your choice on the corners and in the center of each entrance of the room. Protective symbols could be a cross, a sigil, or even a word that is powerful to you. Once you have drawn the protective symbol take a cloth and rub the anointing liquid and wipe down the entire surface of the table you are using.

Casting a circle: Circle casting is a commonly used method of protection in occult and there are too many ways to count to cast one. All it means is that you are create a circle barrier using salt, protective crystals, or candles, by placing them in a circle around the space you will be working. As you form your circle do so with the intent that nothing can get beyond the boundary you set without your permission. You can even call on the elements, saints, gods or goddess of your choice and ask them to protect your circle.

Making an offering: When you invite a guest over what is the first thing you do? Offer them a drink. The same thing applies when your guest is a spirit. While making a plan for your summoning consider favorite meals, snacks, and drinks of the spirit or spirits you are calling on. As you serve the plate or pour the drink do so with love and gratitude knowing it’s for your loved or for your faceless family of the past.

Closing contact:

Deciding how you plan to send the dead back to the realm of the dead is one of the most important parts of planning your summoning. We cast our protections and specify our intentions, but if at any point you feel uneasy and want things to end it’s important to have a clear idea of how you are going to do that. If you feel an unfriendly entity or you feel like things are starting to get away from, you don’t want to be panicking about how to close the contact. Remember: You are powerful and you are the one in charge of this meeting.

Demand that they leave:

Let’s say you are reaching out to your fierce and loving Grams when suddenly you feel a manipulative energy, or your Grams responds in a way that makes you feel suspicious and uncomfortable that they are who is sitting across from you. Or maybe you were calling all the rebels of your lineage to ask them for bravery when you feel a presence that just doesn’t feel right, but you aren’t ready to close the contact yet. The first and most simple thing you can do is to reaffirm your claim over the space by stating firmly, “This is my space and I do not allow any thing with harmful intentions in it.” At this point you may feel the entity get argumentative, defensive even, trying to convince you to allow it to stay. Just hold your boundary and repeat, “This is my space and you are no longer welcome in it.”

When you feel the negative energy dissipate, you can try again, calling the name or title of those you wish to join you.

Cord Cutting: My personal favorite method of closing contact is cord cutting. It can be very beneficial to have a tangible way of breaking a connection. You can even anoint the cord before using it both strengthen your summoning and for additional protection. When using an advanced method of summoning tie a cord around your wrist stating, “I tie this cord around my wrist to symbolize the connection to the spirit realm. When the tie is severed the window of communication will be closed.” When you are ready to break that connection, cut the cord off of your wrist to symbolize the end of a session and closing the invitation of spirits being allowed to speak to you.

Closing your circle: You can close your circle by sweeping the salt up counter clockwise, but snuffing out the candles, or by thanking any elements/deities you called on for protection and letting them know the session is over and you do not wish to speak with spirits any longer.

Making contact:

Now that you have a plan on what you are going to do, it’s time to start your sceance. There are several ways to speak with the spirit realm, some more intrusive than others. I’ve listed the methods based on levels of basic, intermediate, and advanced experience. When using an advanced method, you may want to take an extra layer of protection, just for peace of mind. Also, the basic method is really just your starting point to interact and summon the spirits. So even if you plan to use an advanced method, you can still use the set up under the basic method to call to the spirits you plan to speak with.

Basic Summoning:

For the basic summoning you will want a candle of either black or white. The candle will act as a beacon of energy and help power your space.

Set out small offerings to your ancestors of wine, pastries, etc… or past loved ones favorite food or drink.

Invite the spirits of your lineage to the food and drink you are leaving for them by either making your own words based on your intentions or you could say,

“Ancestors, I invite you into this space with the offering of _____ to honor your life and the life that you have brought me. I ask that you guide me with wisdom to heal and break any generational curses, to lead a life I can be grateful and happy for. May my success be your success.”

After invoking your ancestors sit in the space as long as you feel you need to. If there are any past loved ones you wish to give a message to, this is a good space to do that.

As you sit with the flame of the candle you may start to get images in your mind or even words and phrases. These are messages from your ancestors. If you have never connected with them before, it may be best to just stick with this method as an introduction. If you feel confident and decide to pursue other methods of contact.

After calling to your ancestors and inviting them into your space you can open communication through a variety of techniques.

Intermediate level of contact:

Tarot cards, oracle cards, or runes:

If you typically don’t use your cards or runes for communication to deities or spirits, I would communicate your intention for your ancestors to speak to you through this method. Shuffle/mix and lay out your cards or runes as you normally would, but speak your questions to your ancestors instead of to the divination tools themselves. Ask your ancestors or loved ones to guide you to the card or rune they wish to answer with.

Pendulum:

Similar along the lines of using divination cards or runes, you can use your pendulum to communicate with past loved ones and ancestors. Set up your mat to discern your answers of yes no and maybe, or speak directly to your ancestors asking them what direction they want the pendulum to swing for yes or no.

Scrying:

I had debated quite hard as to whether this should be in the intermediate section or the advanced section. Scrying can be done with an open flame, a dark bowl of water, a black mirror, or a crystal ball. When scrying you have to have a certain level of control to relax your mind and allow for messages and visions to come through. You focus on the tool you are using to scry allowing your eyes to relax and your third eye to open. As you do visions, images, words, and ideas may drift though your mind. In this case we would want to set the intention that we were communicating with our ancestors, and visualize them all around. Open your mind to them through your scrying medium and allow their messages to flow through you. Some people describe seeing their face change in the reflection of the black mirror crystal ball or water surfaces, if a new face appears in its place this may be one of your ancestors reaching through. If you have experience scrying you can use your standard practices. If this is your first time, you may want to use the cord cutting method of protection listed above.

Advanced methods of contact:

Automatic writing:

Automatic writing involves extending an invitation to the spirits of your choosing to move your hand and write for you. You will need an easy to write with pen or pencil, an note pad, and a solid surface to write on and sit comfortably. You may want to write your question for your ancestors down and then practice going into a meditative state. Hold your pen or pencil loosely with your eyes closed focusing on your breathing and allowing your thoughts to pass through you like clouds, without judgment and without latching onto any one thought at a time. You may feel your hand start to move shakily. Don’t be alarmed and don’t try to force or interpret the writing until you are done. You may find that you have written circles shapes numbers or symbols, and it can sometimes take some time to decipher the messages sent to you. If you have specific symbols or would like to communicate through numerology or runes it can help to set that intention prior to beginning. If you find that you are having a hard time disconnecting from your hand and releasing control, you may want to switch the pen to your non dominant hand to make it easier.

Ouija board:

There are lots of stigma around ouija boards and rightfully so. It is important to treat this tool with respect and as a witch you are powerful and know how to protect yourself. If you feel pulled to this method don’t be scared, simply take proper protective steps, such as circle casting, cord cutting, and being specific about who you are inviting. Similar to automatic writing, ouija boards allow spirits to guide your hands over a board with the alphabet on it to spell out messages. It can be beneficial to keep a pen and paper next to you to help decipher messages and take notes of letters selected. This method may be easiest to ask questions real time and get a response. You should still attempt a meditative state and be careful not to assert your own assumptions over what you expect the board to spell.

Good Questions to ask your ancestors:

1.) “How will I know when you are around me?” This is a good question to ask if you want to know when your ancestors or loved ones are present guiding and protecting you in your everyday life.

2.) “What have I inherited from you?” This question may get mixed results, some positive and some negative answers as we have inherited both. If you would like you can follow up any less favorable answers with questions on how to overcome them.

3.) “What family patterns do you see me repeating?” Same thing with the question prior you can follow this question up with a question on guidance to overcoming any limiting behaviors.

4.) What are your hopes for me? Your ancestors are going to want the best for you, and this is a good question to find out what they know about your life path.

5.) “How can I best use my talents and strength?”

Safe summoning & Happy Samhain🎃