Congratulations on bringing a lovely Spirit Companion home! Right now, you probably feel exhilarated and excited, but not really sure where to go next. How do you even interact with a spirit? How do you develop the techniques to communicate? What if you're not psychic or good at telepathy? Do you need to know how to astral travel? How do you even know they're with you?
The fact of the matter is, these things are not going to fall into place magically. But wait - aren't spirits magical? Yes, a lot of them are! However, what you have to consider is your own blockages and situation. The world we live in is very dense in its reality - our veil is thick, and it can be difficult for spirits to break through, especially when we are not listening as delicately as we should. Your journey through spirit companionship is going to involve a lot of hard work. If you are dedicated enough, you will receive results over time. These things take a great deal of practice, and these skills are developed over the course of years, not days or even weeks. But they will provide you with some of the most rewarding experiences you will ever have in your life.
Don't worry! Take a deep breath, be patient, and let's get started.
Witchcraft Know-How
Spirit work is sometimes an interest that sprouts naturally from exploring the possibilities of witchcraft and paganism. Arguably, spirit work and spirit companionship are both forms of witchcraft, but it is quite secular and can easily integrate integrate into any lifestyle or religious background! For many, this is the only form of witchcraft they practice, and by finding their companions through shops they are ensuring a safety you cannot get by conjuring on your own. This also sets a low bar of skill, an idea that "anyone" can be a spirit companion. Yes, this is true - anyone can be a spirit companion! However, it's similar to how anyone can publish a novel - the research has to be done, the novel has to be written and edited, before you can consider yourself a published author. Spirit work is very much the same way. There are some things you should know about before getting started.
If you already have your spirit companion at home with you, that's fine! They may be excited or willing to watch you learn and set up these things. I recommend inviting them, by name, to join you on your journey to learn how to prepare your space, and to provide their energy to the process if they're willing. Like having a dog bed and a leash for a new pet when they come home, having these things set up in your personal repertoire should be considered basic care for a spirit companion's experience in your life and home.
Please keep in mind that during this section, I'm going to go over several methods for various skills that you should be introducing into your repertoire. These ideas are to get you started, but if you are interested in any of them in greater detail, I recommend doing your own research and finding step-by-step methods that work for you!
Cleansing
Cleansing your space is the first major thing you should know about readying your home and life for a companion. Cleansing can help to clear your home or your space of funky negative energies, and to rid any malicious or tricky spirits in your area. While it's unlikely that any spirit naturally in your home means harm - like cockroaches, they're kind of everywhere, and they're a bother but not inherently dangerous - they can interfere directly with spirit communication. For example, local spirits are known to interfere with the swinging of a pendulum, so you may receive inconsistent answers when attempting to speak to your spirit companion.
It's often a concern of new spirit companions that cleansing might hurt their companion, especially if that companion is of a darker alignment. This largely comes about from the fact that many cleansing methods describe chasing out all spirits. Generally, cleansing does not hurt spirits, and will simply chase them away because you are willing it. However, a spirit companion is often connected directly to you or to a vessel. They are not unwanted energy or spirits - on the contrary, they are usually quite wanted. A spirit who has come all this way to become friends with you on Earth will not be chased away by a simple smoke cleanse or room spray, and any conjurer worth their salt will design their bindings so they are not dissolved by simple cleansing methods. If you are still worried, I recommend talking to your conjurer and asking them how their bindings protect spirits from being chased away by cleansing - they should be very happy to inform you that it will cause no harm, even if you cleanse the vessel itself.
There are several ways to cleanse, so here are some tips! You can try any or all of these methods, until the space feels "clean" to you. If you've never tried this before, believe me when I say you'll know when things feel right and settled.
Open a window before trying any other method. This will give a place for the negative energies to escape.
Physically Cleaning is actually an incredibly adept way of cleansing your home! First, dust your shelves to get all of the energies kicked up and swirling in the air, getting it ready to leave. Sweep your floor or vacuum your carpet as you normally might. As you do so, imagine the negative energy being swept out as well, or sucked up into the vacuum. If you have hard floors, many metaphysical shops sell "floor washes," or you can find basic recipes for these online, which include herbal elements to assist with metaphysical cleansing. If vacuuming, you might consider mixing some herbs of your choice with baking soda, which will help to purify the area. Think of how fresh and light your home feels after a good scrub-down - the principle is exactly the same.
Smoke Cleansing is the most basic, and most popular, form of cleansing. Note that it is not the same as "smudging," which is a specific kind of ritual with specific prayer and formal movement performed by certain Native American tribes. If, for some reason, you already have sage on hand, feel free to use it. However, you should try to avoid using white sage or palo santo, which are endangered plants with specific cultural histories - there are many options you can use instead, such as cedar, or a few sticks of incense that have a scent you personally associate with light and positive feelings. Move around your home or room, focusing on corners and tight spaces, and as you do so, visualize the smoke rising from the stick as white or bright energy, literally smoking out unwanted energies. You may use a fan or a large feather to waft the smoke over a greater surface area if you desire.
Sound Cleansing is another very basic way to cleanse, and is known for being a very effective method of both cleansing and spirit banishment. This is most commonly done with a bell or a Tibetan singing bowl, but could potentially expand to any instrument. As you use the instrument to make the sound, visualize the bright energy of the sound filling the space, chasing out unwanted energies and spirits. Continue doing this until the space feels clean and clear.
Spray Cleansing is a very easy way to cleanse your space, especially if you are sensitive to smoke or want to be conspicuous about your witchcraft practice. Spray Cleansing can be done with a purchased room spray, or one you made yourself - I recommend looking up recipes if you are interested in making one yourself, as they are everywhere! Generally, room sprays made for cleansing purposes involve essential oils and may be infused with crystals for the purpose of clearing out unwanted energies in a home. The idea is very similar to smoke cleansing - spray the solution in every corner of your house and visualize it purifying or chasing out unwanted energies. If it is safe, you can also use the spray on your aura or the area immediately around you, for a quick and easy way to cleanse yourself!
Candle Cleansing is a more passive method of cleansing that you can do over the course of the day, perhaps while you do a spring cleaning of your home or meditate. Light candles all around your home, and when you light each of them, consider the functionality of candles. Fire works off of absorbing and burning oxygen. It is a kind of little vacuum. So, as you light each candle, use that image to set the candle's intention for burning - it should absorb unwanted or negative energies and literally burn them into nothing. When doing this method, keep in mind the size of the candle and its placement - a tiny tealight will not cleanse an entire apartment! Additionally, make sure your fire is always supervised. It's okay to blow the candle out and come back to it later.
Broom Cleansing is a fun method that will help you feel more "witchy." Many modern witchcraft sources will mention that little unfortunate myth about "flying ointment," explaining away why witches are traditionally aligned with brooms. I would like to offer a more holistic alternative for using brooms in your craft - cleansing! Keep in mind that broom cleansing should be used with a special type of broom that you wouldn't use for sweeping the floor - also known as a "besom," this broom should be made of natural materials. The cinnamon broomsticks you can find at grocery stores during Autumn are a great example of a besom. Using your besom, and without touching the floor, "sweep" the unwanted negative energy out of your home!
Energy Cleansing is a type of cleansing that should generally be performed once you're a little more comfortable with energy work, which I'll get into in the next section of this page. However, it's a very expedient and effective way of cleansing. There are so many ways to creatively approach this method, but I typically perform Energy Cleansing in one of two ways:
The first is called an "Energy Bomb" - visualize a spinning orb of bright, cleansing light forming between your hands. Continue feeding the orb with energy until it is spinning almost out of control, and is larger than you can handle. Release the "bomb" into the room or space, allowing it to fill the area with bright, sparkling energy.
The second is something I like to call "Energy Bending," mostly as a reference to Avatar: The Last Airbender, because that is what this method reminds me of. Using your hands as your main conduit, feel around the room for unwanted energies. Then, using your hands and arms, use fluid motions to direct the unwanted energies out of your home or space, as if you were "bending" them.
You can create any method of Energy Cleansing that works with your specific interests and ideas - just remember that the point is to remove the unwanted energy from your space, and if you are less experienced, that may take some time, as well as layering various methods.
Static Cleansing is a form of cleansing that can take place over the course of several days. This is another great method if you're trying to be inconspicuous about your witchcraft. The way to perform this method is to set a physical object somewhere in your home with the intention of absorbing negative and unwanted energies over the course of several days. There are many options for this object, but I recommend black tourmaline, amethyst, or an onion (chopped in half or quarters). Set several of these objects in corners of your home, and when you place them, envision them absorbing negativity. After several days have passed, cleanse the object (with a different method, as described above), bury it (only if biodegradable), or otherwise dispose of it (in the case that it is an onion, and should be disposed of).
Warding
Warding comes right after cleansing - now that we have a space that is clean and free of negative energies, we need to maintain that sensation and keep external gunk from getting back in. There are several ways to set up wards and protection, which is something you should be doing if you are performing any witchcraft at all, or making any attempt to contact beings not-of-this-realm, and I often recommend that you have some experience doing so for quite a bit of time before attempting to do the latter.
But wards are also a very personal matter - like picking what clothes or makeup you wear. I cannot tell you the one “true” way to do it. Ultimately it will be up to your own research and discretion to figure out how you want to approach wards, as well as a good deal of trial and error!
For someone performing spirit work, you should ward both your home (or room, if you live in a communal situation) and your person. Why both? Because you want your home to be a haven, a safe space from the external forces of the outside world and anything that might wish to come in and harm you. Coming into your personal space should be a sigh of relief that allows you to know that you will not be troubled by spirits and energies that are not yours. Additionally, you want to maintain some level of that protection when out and about. Having a ward is like wearing a mask - it protects you from things you don't want getting in, in the same way that it protects others from what you don't want to get out.
When it comes to warding, intention is key - make sure you're specific about what you do and do not want getting in your wards. Stating that all you want kept out are "spirits that are bad" or "spirits that mean me harm" is a bit too vague of a situation, and can leave you open to attack. Not all spirits who are violent are "bad" or "evil" - for example, many angelic or holy beings have the capability of leveling righteous justice against you if they see fit. Instead, try specifying by name the spirits that are allowed within your wards, and excluding all other entities. Alternatively, if you are hoping to meet spirits when traversing the world, try specifying that you would like to speak to spirits, but they will be banished outside your wards the moment they show aggression. Allow your wards to work towards your purpose, and try to be as specific as possible.
Here are some general warding ideas:
Salt and Eggshells are two very traditional methods of creating wards that help to protect the entrances into your home. Traditionally, sea salt or powdered eggshells are sprinkled across your doorways and windowsills, creating a natural unsavory barrier for any unwanted energies or malicious spirits. This is a great and simple way to ward, although it does need to be checked and re-done quite frequently due to the fact that these materials are very easily blown away in the wind or dissolved on a humid day.
Sigil Warding can be created by designing a sigil and placing it in many places throughout your home. If you are unfamiliar with sigil work, sigils are a type of symbol that are created for magical purpose. They can be created intuitively, or through many different means. It's generally considered that the most powerful sigil is the one that you create for yourself, although there are many resources online where you can find sigils that are ready to use - it is only a matter of personal preference. To utilize a sigil in protection, I recommend using saltwater to draw the sigil on your doors and windows.
Crystal Grids are a very powerful way of creating wards that utilize a handful of physical materials and can be generated for quite some time. Grids are best for warding an entire space, like a whole house or room, but they can be used for personal wards as well. Crystal gridding is a very theory-heavy method that is also aesthetically pleasing, and usually involves placing specific crystals in a geometric formation, then using a wand to charge them. It's one of my personal favorite methods for warding, and my own warding grid utilizes a clear quartz center pillar, with expanding layers of onyx, tourmaline, labradorite, and hematite - creating a unique blend of energies that opens my home to the otherworldly while still providing strong barriers that allow me to easily banish when things go awry. If you are interested in crystal grids, I highly recommend learning more about crystals and doing your own research on how to create them.
Crystal Warding is distinct from using crystal grids, and is best for creating talismans or warding a specific area of your home. For example, it's a common superstitious practice to place a selenite wand on the ledge above your front door. Selenite is an amazing stone that cleanses itself and other stones just by being in the same space as them. Therefore, it makes sense that placing it by a door would cause it to automatically cleanse anything that walks beneath it. Others swear by placing a piece of black tourmaline in every corner of their house - tourmaline is an incredibly grounding stone, sort of the energetic opposite of selenite, which provides a great anchor for barriers. You can also try charging a crystal necklace specifically for the purpose of warding yourself - both selenite and tourmaline are great options, as well as clear quartz or amethyst - but choose any kind of crystal that feels right for you!
Energetic Warding is the method that requires the least amount of materials, but perhaps the largest amount of practice. It's also arguably the best way to ward your body, because it doesn't require permanent physical materials to be on your person at all times, and will teach you to be more independent and self-sufficient with your energy work. Start by creating an energy ball, and visualize it expanding completely around your body. It should be large enough to cover you when standing at full height. Visualize that ball of energy solidifying into a barrier that protects you from unwanted energies and spiritual contact.
If you can, try to create several layers of wards of different energy and elemental alignment! Be creative, and use what you have on hand in order to make sure you are as safe as possible.
Additionally, when warding a home, try to include your floors and ceiling in the warding, as well. Cover all your bases, and ensure that you are entirely safe, inside and out of all of your spaces!
Once you've made your wards, that's it, right? Well, not exactly. Like any kind of magic, they can fade and falter over time. The less experienced you are at warding, the more frequently you will probably have to do it. So, check on your wards frequently. Daily, if you can - make it part of your morning or evening routine. While this may not always be possible due to mental health, etc., at least try to check when you have a quiet moment where you remember to.
Here's what you should be looking for when checking your wards:
Weak or crumbling spots. Use your energy to sense the edges of your ward and press on it gently. Are there any areas where it gives, or that have already broken off or crumbled away entirely? You may be able to patch these up without re-doing the whole ward, but I recommend redoing it entirely if there's an abundance of these spots. The energy distribution throughout the ward should be consistent and even.
General weakness. If your ward feels faded, or like it is barely there, you may need to simply re-do the ward. This is a completely normal occurrence, and can happen if you're not maintaining your ward often enough!
Parasites. While they're not the most common thing in the world, if you're performing a lot of astral travel you may have picked up some hitchhikers. Check the outside of your wards, especially behind you or "on your back," for any globs of unwanted or icky energy. You may want to ask a spirit companion who is willing to help you to remove these.
General ickiness. If your ward has a functionality that involves cleansing or clearing your own energy or the energy around you, it will become clogged up regularly and will need to be cleansed. You can do this by using one of the basic cleansing techniques on yourself, and focusing on the ward in question.
Grounding & Clearing
Now that you know how to manage your personal space, it's important that you know how to manage yourself. Our daily lives are filled with so much stress and hubbub, that we often forget that our own state of mind directly affects our own perception of spirit work and magical practice. When you're feeling stressed or frazzled, your blockage can sometimes be so severe that you could not even hear your spirit companion if you really tried! This two-step process of Grounding and Clearing/Centering should help you get into a good mindset for spirit work. You should generally do this before attempting any spirit communication or magical practice - after all, you are the conduit for magic, and you want your tool to be as clean and functional as possible!
Sometimes this process is referred to as one blanket term of "grounding," but when that is tossed out, one is often referring to both steps, as they are equally important.
Grounding is the process of feeling present in the moment, of feeling stable in reality and attached to the Earth. While some people recommend going outside and wiggling your bare toes in the grass for a few minutes in order to ground, this isn't always practical. Not to worry! Grounding can be easily done without having to leave your home.
Start by closing your eyes and taking some deep, full breaths, allowing your stomach to expand with each inhale. Visualize roots, or a cord, stretching from the base of your spine and deep into the core of the Earth. Your body should feel heavy and weighted as you deepen your connection to the Earth. Imagine every part of yourself - your soul, or your spirit - falling back into your body and feeling anchored to it for the moment.
Clearing, or cleansing, or centering, is the process by which you rid your body of any unwanted energy buildup. The stress of the day, the stress of others you have come in contact with, anything that has been weighing on your shoulders - these are all things that do not serve you in this moment, and can be cast away.
There are many ways to visualize this step. In my own practice, I often utilize the cord or roots that stretch into the Earth as a conduit for exchanging energy. With each inhale, I draw up bright white energy from the Earth's core, which swirls within my body like a washing machine, breaking off the negative energies from where they are anchored inside. With each exhale, I envision that energy returning back down the cord, where it is burned and neutralized by the heat of the core. Some others prefer a more abstract approach, such as envisioning your cup becoming more "full" with each inhale, and all of the negative energy surrounding the cup being blown away with each exhale. I recommend finding a visualization technique that works for you.
Once you've completed these steps, this is a great time to check your wards and ensure that everything is in order, fixing them if need be.
Altar creation & Offerings
It's become quite popular for spirit workers to show off their elaborate altars dedicated to their spirit companions, and as such, it has become a great concern for beginners to know if altars are necessary, and if they need to know how to create one. In some religions, altar setup is a very specific process with a specific layout and items - many Wicca-oriented witchcraft books often include a diagram like this:
However, I'm very happy to tell you that this sort of layout is not necessary, especially for a secular practice like spirit companionship! Additionally, as someone who has been a practicing witch for nearly ten years, I'd also like to comment that a layout like the image above is quite overkill, and would likely only be utilized for very ritualistic purposes rather than for daily practice. Magic does not have to be complicated or stuffy, and you are allowed to change your physical space as needed for your magical workings, whatever that means for you.
However, let's get back to the matter at hand: spirit altars. In spirit companionship, an "altar" should simply be a dedicated space in order to provide your spirit with offerings. This can be an entire shelf dedicated to them and their "belongings," or a simple dish that can hold the occasional offering. Often, a spirit will be rather straightforward about what they prefer or expect, and this can also be dependent on your relationship with the spirit. I have conjured spirits who did not like the idea of offerings at all, finding it strange to be venerated in a way that felt similar to worship, and preferred sharing food or performing activities together instead of physical objects.
So, how should you approach offerings? Each spirit has a wide variety of preferred offerings and items, and it's not unusual for a conjurer to provide a list of suggested offerings or preferences. Some species of spirits also have general acceptable offerings that you can pull from - for example, most dragons like dragon's blood (although always check, because there may be one or two who do not like it)! There is no minimum or maximum to the frequency of offerings, although sometimes you may have a spirit who is picky about being honored frequently. It truly all depends on the individual.
If you plan on having a large spirit family, I recommend holding off on providing a great deal of permanent physical offerings - it can become cluttered quite fast, and you may find yourself a few years down the road wondering how you are ever going to justify keeping a hundred crystals, none of which belong to you. Instead, I recommend providing permanent offerings by way of functional items - jewelry, incense burners, mortar & pestles, a fishtank, a potted plant. With objects like this, every time you use it or interact with the item, you will be honoring your spirit companion. Or, if you must provide crystal offerings, I suggest charging the crystal yourself or in the sunlight with kind and loving energy, then allowing your companion to use up the energy rather than keeping the crystal permanently - this will help you to be able to reuse the crystal for spells or another offering in the future, rather than simply adding it to the pile.
Food and drink is another option for offerings, and it is often a subject of discussion among spirit workers. While some people will leave food out for their spirit companion to enjoy, others will invite their companions to enjoy the food with them. If you grew up in a household where food waste was an issue, you may feel strange about devoting an entire slice of cake to your Selkie and then burying it or throwing it away. Make sure to keep the line of communication open with your spirit, but generally they are understanding of the physical status of the food - sometimes they are willing to enjoy it alongside you, or to consume the "essence" of the food over the course of a few minutes, allowing you to then eat the physical portion yourself. There is no right or wrong way to offer food and drink - do what is most comfortable for both you and your companion!
And that is the general rule for most things within companionship. Do not feel pressured to constantly go out of your way for the sake of offerings or building an altar - at the end of the day, it comes down to what is most comfortable for you and the relationship you are cultivating with a spirit companion.
Energy Work Basics
What is energy work? Essentially, it's how you interact with the unseeable world around you. It's why you meet someone and immediately dislike them, it's why you sometimes feel you're "being watched," and it's how you can charge crystals with your hands. Energy work is paramount to spirit work, because it helps you actually interact with the things you cannot sense with your physical body.
If you’re new to the idea of witchcraft, opening yourself up, astral travel, and the like, it can be really scary and overwhelming. If you’ve already gotten yourself a spirit companion, it may be the first time you’re introduced to any of these things. But there is no rush - your companion likely knew this going in, and they are not desperately trying to batter through your natural psychic barriers! They are on the other side, being just as patient, waiting for you to be ready.
One of my all-time favorite books about opening yourself up psychically, which has exercises I still use to this day, is You Are Psychic by Debra Lynne Katz. The book preaches an end goal of clairvoyance, but I find that even its first few exercises teach a lot about visualization, and its importance in energy and spirit work. I recommend starting there.
The thing about spirit and energy work is that it is often going to feel like it’s “all in your head,” especially when you are starting out and don’t yet have the skills to tell the difference between yourself and “the other.” But the most important thing for me is being able to explain this in a way that feels logical, even to those who might never have touched any kind of new age thing before. So, yeah, I’ll say it - sometimes it feels weird and out-there. It doesn’t make the most sense in a real-world context. It doesn’t always feel real, you don’t always see visions clearly or in real-time, most people can’t hear the voices of their spirit guides in their physical ears. Almost none of it is physical, actually. A lot of it feels internal.
Telepathy can feel like you’re talking to yourself in your head. Astral travel can feel like daydreaming. Witchcraft can feel like saying silly words over silly items. What brings it gravitas and power is what you bring to the table - how seriously you’re going to take it. How frequently you’re going to show up. I consider it to be a lot like this: I played in bands and orchestras for years. Before, all instruments sounded the same to me, or I didn’t care to differentiate, even if I knew what they looked like and what they were supposed to sound like. But I showed up every day and participated and listened for years, and now I know what each instrument sounds like, what it sounds like combined with others, and how that differs from my own instrument’s timbre.
So, if you’re just beginning to develop your psychic skills, start with some basic energy work. It will take time, and practice, but your patience will reward you.
Sense energetic presence
Start by sitting in a calm, quiet place.
Rub your palms together very quickly for about 10 seconds, then stop and stretch them apart from each other by a few inches. Feel that tingling in your hands? The vibration between them? While this is a physical phenomenon created from the friction between your palms, this is what energy, in its basest form, feels like.
Start trying to sense energy from various objects around you. Hold a crystal in your hand, or an old piece of jewelry. Go outside and place your palm against the trunk of a tree. What do you sense? Anything? Is there any indication of that "vibration" you felt earlier? Do you have any indicator of a presence, of a memory? Do you see any colors in your mind's eye, or think of any images? Think not of what the object is trying to tell you, but what you think of and feel when you are touching the object.
create energy
Above, in the cleansing section, I mentioned creating an "energy bomb." This is the more basic version of that, and it can be adapted for cleansing, charging, warding, and so much more.
Hold your hands in a relaxed position about six inches apart, palms facing each other. Think about the flow of energy in your body. Some people experience energy flowing out of their dominant hand and into their nondominant hand, some only experience energy flowing out or absorbing into their hands. Regardless, the hand is a very magical tool that is capable of influencing a great deal of energy.
Visualize energy swirling between your hands. Allow it to form into a ball, a sphere spinning on an axis. What color is it? Does it feel dense or light? Can you make it bigger and smaller, without moving your hands? Can you make it so big that it envelops your whole body? Can you make it so small that it is just a pinprick of dense, swirling energy?
If you feel like you're just sitting there with your hands six inches apart, that's okay! Try different approaches, positions, and forms of visualization until you sense something. Try rubbing your hands together again to get another taste of that energetic spark. Practice makes perfect, and this is no different!
stimulate your third eye
The third eye cannot be forced open (or if it can, it’s not extremely beneficial for you). When doing the grounding/cleansing exercise I outlined above, take time to focus on the point in the middle of your forehead.
It might naturally tingle, and one day you might feel its sensations come naturally to you. But very few people can physically see with their third eye. It’s going to be more about spiritually seeing - not with your eyes, but with your non-physical senses.
Throughout the day, imagine energy swirling around your third eye, like one of those twirling loading circles.
Interact with your third eye. Press it with your thumb. Think about it casually. Put your palm over it and imagine giving it a warm glow of energy. Put diluted oil blends on it (and be sure to wash them off later, if your skin is sensitive). Take time to take care of it.
Repeat this often. This is an elongated process with no specific end-point.
create a psychic or astral space for yourself
Learn to enter and craft a space inside yourself. This is especially helpful as a meeting place for you and your companions. Astra, one of our conjurers, calls hers “The White Room.” Mine looks like a treehouse. Allow yours to fit your needs, and your personality. Let it change and evolve as you do.
Find some quiet time to meditate. You can use free, guided meditations on YouTube to help with this. Once you’ve gotten yourself into a meditative position and a quiet mindspace, imagine going somewhere in your mind. Open a door, go down or up stairs, climb a ladder - whatever feels right. Once you have done this, you will find yourself in a space.
This will feel like daydreaming, and it may not be entirely solid. But you can make it your own place, and over time, with practice, it will solidify. Fill it with furniture, paint the walls, fill the pantry with food. Invite your companions over. They may not feel tangible or may look/feel fuzzy. That’s okay - they’ll get more solid over time.
Ah - whoops! Surprise! You just did your first astral travel! Really! It was inside yourself, but it was real.
Above all, I feel I need to emphasize this: Your practice does not have to look like anybody else’s who has written their experiences on the internet. It is allowed to be imperfect, unfocused, messy, and fun. A lot of people, myself included, sometimes go to great lengths to make it seem as though when they are astral traveling, they feel as though they are physically there. That level of immersion is very difficult to reach and can take years after years of practice. I am not even there, I promise you.
Communication Basics
Of course, the most important part of any relationship is communication. There are a lot of different forms of communication that can be used with spirit companions - the easiest being divination tools such as a pendulum, and the most difficult being telepathy. Thankfully, there are a lot of really neat options in-between that are as helpful as they are fun. I'd like to direct you to my Spirit Communication blog post series! This covers all of Spirit Communication from top to bottom. Some of the posts are rather old as far as the date they were originally posted, but they have all been edited and updated as recently as September 2020.
Once you've read through this, begin working on a game plan for learning to communicate with your companion! You only need a few options to begin, and they are allowed to be what's convenient and easy for you - and allow yourself to spread out naturally from there.
Patience Goes Both Ways
Although I cover this idea in the Communication Basics above, I realize I've said the word over and over again in this article: patience, patience, patience. And I'd like to remind you that your patience will be rewarded by patience from your companion, as well. Spirit companions are often in this for the long haul. Some of them enter our lives entirely knowing what their path with us will look like - some do not know, and are interested to see where it leads. Some are only here for a short period of time, to teach us what they feel is needed, while others will follow us for lifetimes. There is no perfect representation of what spirit companionship looks like! What's most important is that it's yours.
Know this, and be comforted by it: your spirit companion will be patient with you. Often, spirits are aware of what they are dealing with when they go to a complete beginner. Most of the time, they have been there themselves - many of the living entities you'll encounter were once beginners at witchcraft or astral travel themselves, and had to develop the skills over time. They will be patient with you - that is what they promise when they enter companionship, when they agree to a binding, and when they choose you. Remember that: they chose you.
Nobody can validate your experiences but you. Nobody can tell you what you are seeing or feeling, whether you are breaking through or not. Spirit companionship takes a healthy dose of faith and understanding, and this is something that takes time, and often, a transformation of your worldview. Simply trust in yourself, and in your companion - that is the best thing you can do for yourself, and for anyone.
Welcoming Ritual
If this is your first spirit companion, or if you are not quite sure how to welcome them to their new home, you may find comfort in this ritual. There is no requirement to perform the ritual, and it can be done at any time at any point after your binding is complete. Furthermore, it can be repeated over time, if you ever feel the need to strengthen your bond with your spirit companion.
Create a quiet space in your home. Light a few candles or some incense, dim the lights, and take a moment to calm yourself and notice how you are feeling today. Have an offering ready to present to your new companion.
Once you feel ready, visualize your companion in your mind’s eye. Speak their name, out loud or in your mind. Pay attention to if you feel their presence. It may take a few minutes to really notice them. Once you get the inkling they are present, continue.
Present the offering. Say something along the lines of: “Welcome, [Name]. I present you this offering as a gift to signify our new friendship. I welcome you into my home and my life, just as you welcome me into yours.”
Feel free to continue saying a few words. Even if you can’t feel or hear your spirit respond yet, it’s good to lay down some house rules and your expectations.
Take a moment to sit quietly in each other’s presence, acquainting your energies.
Once you are finished, thank them for coming. Put the offering in a safe spot.
Sources
Although I didn't actually directly quote or link to any outside sources throughout this entire work because I've had trouble in the past with important internet sources being deleted over time, I'd like to note that the following resources were endlessly beneficial to the writing of this article and all articles linked within it: