Elements of Spirit Work
There are a number of subcategories that magical practitioners use to define and refine their practice, to explain who they are and what they do without being altogether too wordy. Some of these labels—like Garden Witch or Cottage Witch—are both commonly used and easy to understand because of the imagery that such terms evoke. One can hear the phrase cottage witchery and simply envision what that practice may look like based on prior knowledge or common understanding.
On the other hand, some of these labels may be a little more difficult for outsiders to understand without explanation (and sometimes even for practitioners to explain without writing up a lecture). Often, this is because such practices are extremely nuanced, varying a great deal from practitioner to practitioner. Communities that practice them may be largely self-taught and/or solitary, and (because of this) the vocabulary used can be somewhat fluid in nature. An exploration of the concept of spirit work could be a study in one such case.
Spirit work is a set of practices adjacent to—but not necessarily the same as—mediumship, spirit communication, spiritualism, astral practices and spirit-based magic. Note that I said they are not necessarily the same; but they can be used in tandem. There are many mediums, for example, who also practice a form of spirit work or who would identify their psychic practice as being spirit work. There are also many advocates of the Spirit Theory of Magic, practitioners of spirit-based magical paths who would say that spirit work was merely a part of their magical tradition rather than a standalone practice for them. They can be the same. They can be used together. They are not always.
Further muddying the waters, the term spirit work accurately describes a whole collection of diverse practices, and the interpretation of the word depends entirely upon the individual’s beliefs about the spirit. What is a spirit? Where does it come from? What beings are capable of possessing a spirit? Depending on the answers to these questions, one person’s definition of spirit work may be entirely different from the next.
If we define spirit work as simply “working with spirits” (which we can), we must then entertain all possible classifications and understandings of the word spirit. To some, the word spirit is synonymous with the word ghost and refers exclusively to the conscious impression of a living person that is left behind after death. One step further, practitioners may view spirit as the energetic essence of all sentient living things, which may or may not be left behind after that thing has passed on. Still others use the term spirit to refer to such earthly spirits in addition to a wide variety of non-human and otherworldly entities (which may include demons, faeries and other mythical intelligent beings). And, lastly, there are many shades of animists who believe (in many different ways) that plants, houses, places, and other non-sentient things also possess a spirit with which we can interact.
As with all things in the magical community, no two practitioners of spirit work have identical practices. Rather, the term spirit work can refer to any combination of practices performed with the understanding of three basic beliefs—that spirits or a spirit world must exist; that they exist in such a way that we, as humans, may have access to and interact with them; and, lastly, that there is some benefit to interaction between the practitioner and said spirits. With all that said, let’s take a look at some examples of things that a spirit worker may incorporate into their practice.
Note: It is important to state here that, while a few spirit workers may tick all the boxes on this list, most will not. Some spirit workers will perform many of the tasks I’ve listed; some will perform just a few. A person who takes part in a larger number of these practices may not identify their path as spirit work at all, while someone who performs just one or two key elements might feel comfortable using such terminology. The best way to tell if someone is a spirit worker is if they use the term themselves, regardless of what practices they share publicly.
1. Spirit workers may interact with the spirits of the dead. A spirit worker may practice a form of spirit communication loosely linked to mediumship. I call these practices loosely linked for a reason. For many people, mediumship refers specifically to communication with the dead. This may not be true for mediums themselves. There are many, many mediums who also interact with angels, demons, and other non-human entities, spirits that never ever existed in the material plane within a human body. Whatever shades of mediumship there are in the world, the common understanding of the practice centers on communication with the dead.
The overlap between the practice of communication with the spirits of the dead exists within the realms of mediumship and spirit work predominantly in function while there is significantly more variation between the two concepts in form. This means that, while the goal of both sets of practices is the same, the ways in which they are achieved tends to be quite different. (It isn’t always the case, but usually.) The phrases medium and mediumship tend to bear an innate connection to more intuitive psychic abilities. Although these practices may involve some level of ritual or magical working, the messages received tend to be the result of more introspective work, communicating as much with the intuition as with the spirit itself.
On the other hand, the concept of such spirit communication within the frame of spirit work is almost inherently connected to magical or spiritual working of some kind. There may be a great deal of intuition involved in receiving and interpreting messages from the spirits of the dead for both groups. But, for the spirit worker, intuitive work is not the beginning and the end of the process. It may involve rites and rituals, summonings and banishings, and day-to-day routines associated with spiritual maintenance.
2. Spirit workers may communicate with non-human entities, including deities. Taking a broader application of the word spirit opens up a new realm of possibility for spirit work. By extending our understanding of the nature of spirits to include the energetic essence of all intelligent spiritual beings, we also extend the potential applications of spirit work beyond communication with the human dead.
Depending on their interpretation of the meaning of the word spirit, people who identify themselves as spirit workers may practice communication with a number of other spiritual beings. These may or may not include beings classified as fae, nature spirits and land/house wights. They can also include what we would typically consider higher or more powerful beings—such as demons, angels, and even deities.
There is always a great deal of controversy and criticism surrounding any practitioner of magic—spirit worker or otherwise—who claims to speak to or work with beings that are considered more mystical or divine than the spirits of the dead are. For some reason it is easier for many to believe that a person is worthy and capable of reaching out to a spirit world filled only with the melancholic dead than it is to believe in personal interaction with what most consider to be sacred beings.
Yet again, this is a point of debate that is almost entirely dependent on the individual’s interpretation of what is sacred and personal understanding of the nature of the spirit. Just as there are many who believe that the word spirit can be applied to such beings as deities and angels, there are some who believe that all spirits fall into the realm of the divine. There are still others who believe that the living are also part of the sacred. Divinity is as much up to personal interpretation as the nature of the spirit is, and worthiness can be determined only by the practitioner; both existing within the framework of one’s personal belief system.
3. Spirit workers may interact with more collective spirits or energies—sometimes referred to as Spirit. Collective spirit is one of those topics that is so simple that it becomes difficult to explain. This idea refers to a creative source or a sort of spiritual reservoir that is either connected to all individual spirits or is the source of all individual spirits. For a lot of people, this collective essence or Spirit is also considered to be the source of intuition or even to be something along the lines of a deity.
Communicating with Spirit, as this practice is often referred to by its practitioners, can be done as part of introspective divinatory practices. It can also be used to seek spiritual enlightenment, to promote spiritual healing, or as part of a meditative practice. In magical practice, there are many who view Spirit as a possible source of energy for spells and rituals.
4. Spirit workers may interact with their ancestors. Ancestor work is an element of communicating with the spirits of the dead that is specific to communicating with our ancestral line. Although the traditional interpretation of the word ancestor refers specifically to ancestors by blood, the concept is sometimes extended to other types of “ancestry”. This can include spiritual ancestors (which can be either those who played a prominent role in founding, changing or preserving our religious or spiritual practice, or a being or set of beings that we identify as being our spiritual energy source) or cultural ancestors (prominent figures in the history of our culture, whether that culture is tied to our location or our heritage).
Ancestor work has many forms and applications aside from simply communicating with our ancestral dead. Connections with our ancestors may be founded on blood, but they are by no means innate. These relationships are forged over time by honoring our ancestors’ beliefs, building on their skills and crafts, setting up space for them in our homes, and sometimes honoring their gods (though this may be done separately from one’s personal faith practice). Working with one’s ancestors can be done to seek spiritual wisdom, to attain guidance in our daily affairs, to perform divination or to work magic.
5. Spirit workers may work with animal spirits. Work with animal spirits can come in a number of flavors. Work with animal spirits can be specific, dealing with the spirits of pets, living animals one is connected to, or other animals that reveal themselves to the spirit worker. It can also be archetypal, dealing with energies and qualities that one associates with the essence or spirit of an animal. Understanding of these archetypes and their qualities can come from cultural practices, local lore and knowledge, or personal interpretation.
6. Spirit workers may work with plant spirits. Working with plant spirits can be very similar in function to following a set of plant correspondences. Understanding, communicating with and connecting with the spirit of a plant unlocks the key to its use. This practice extends beyond the realm of spirit work and has applications within the framework of Traditional Witchcraft, folk magic, herbal magic and folk medical systems.
7. Spirit workers may use spirit guides. Spirit guides are commonly understood as the spirits who protect and guide practitioners during any work with spirits—including astral work, mediumship, and spirit work. One’s relationship with a spirit guide is open to a great deal of variation. Such connections can take a number of forms and provide an assortment of different safety nets for spiritual practice.
Working with spirit guides typically involves one or more long-term, dynamic relationships with spiritual beings that may work to assist with divination, provide guidance in both spiritual and mundane affairs, act as a mediator for communication with spirits or the divine, and/or provide protection during spirit/astral travel. Spirit guides, also dependent upon the interpretation of the word spirit within this context, can vary from practitioner to practitioner. They can be seen as spirits—spirits of the dead, non-human entities, animal archetypes, familiars, deities, etc.—who guide one’s practice. Alternatively, they can be viewed as beings who guide one’s spirit.
8. Spirit workers may work with their own spirit. Similar to divination, spirit work has both an outward-facing side and an inward-facing side. With divination, outward-facing practice is practice that is achieved through tools and other means not contained within oneself; while inward-facing practice is the use of the intuition, dreams, meditation and other internal tools to seek knowledge and predict the future. Along the same lines, outward-facing spirit work refers to the communication and work with other spirits and spirit realms. Inward-facing or introspective spirit work refers to the practice of working with one’s own spirit or parts of the spirit in a number of different ways. These practices can be especially helpful in building understanding of one’s own spirit, performing spiritual cleansing and promoting spiritual healing.
9. Spirit workers may practice spirit-based magic. Spirit-based magic—like everything else rooted in the concept of spirit—has many forms and interpretations. To approach the definition in what I believe is the simplest way possible, spirit-based magic is any magical practice that is founded on the Spirit Theory of Magic. That is, the belief that all magic (or, at least all magic of a certain type or within a certain tradition) is performed through interaction with spirits. As always, these spirits can include spirits of the dead, deities, one’s own spirit, and so on.
10. Spirit workers may work with spirit familiars or spirit servants. Spirit familiars and other servants are most commonly associated with spirit-based magical practices such as Traditional Witchcraft and a number of folk magical practices. The concept of a familiar can be found in all kinds of witch lore and media, with the most basic interpretation of it being as a witch’s pet which can assist in spells and ritual workings, supposedly due to their innate ability to see and interact with the spirit world. Traditional understanding, however, holds that a witch’s familiar is actually a spirit, demon, or imp that is contracted to serve the witch by carrying spells, alerting them of danger and assisting with divination. A spirit worker—particularly one who also practices spirit-based magic—may utilize a familiar or spirit servant in the same or very similar ways.
11. Spirit workers may practice spirit travel. Not all spirit workers will practice or even believe in spirit travel—but then not all spirit workers have to practice or believe in any of the elements that appear in this list. Spirit travel is most commonly described as the practice of leaving the body in spirit to interact face to face with spiritual beings, by traveling to a spirit realm or a specific location within it.
But, when dealing with different beliefs about the parts of the soul, it can be a little trickier to explain. For those who believe in the spirit as existing in several parts or aspects, spirit travel may be less about travel than it is about shifting one’s consciousness to see through or control a part of the spirit that exists primarily within the spirit realm. Through the practice of spirit travel, the spirit worker can forge relationships with spiritual beings, perform divination, and even cast spells.
Disclaimer: Each of the Crowsbone writers and guest bloggers has their own magical background, beliefs, traditions and practices. These post represent the opinions, research and beliefs of the individual writers. We do not believe that they represent beliefs and rules associated with all magical practice or witchcraft; nor do they represent the beliefs and opinions of all of the Crowsbone community.