Spirit Companionship: What Is It?
The practice of working with spirits is not a new concept, nor a modern one. Practitioners have been drawing upon the strength of spirits and those of the otherworldly for hundreds if not thousands of years, to bring about change and influence others. Back then it was much different than the practices of the modern age. Then, the spirits were feared and respected as all powerful. The practitioners would bind the spirits to objects to enact their will or they would petition to them for the same. Each different era performed different rituals and acts to draw upon the strength and skills of spirits.
The modern world has changed away from those times, instead embracing new thoughts and practices. Spirit work has not not been left out of that change. New practices and terms are springing up every decade, even every year.
Spirit Companionship, or Spirit Keeping, is the welcoming of spirits into one’s home. Going into terminology later on in this chapter, but both terms are the same practice and hold the same meaning. Each one being used depends upon the comfort of the individual user and what they identify with. Spirit Companionship came around some time ago, changing the relationship and the hows of working with spirits. Instead of calling upon them to do your bidding or binding them, it is now a mutual respect for each other and companionable relationships.
The change occurred with the development of most of the population being unable to connect with the spiritual. This in part is mainly due to societal norms that make us lose contact with our younger spiritual selves. This can include the suppression of gifts or abilities that had manifested. In the Ancient times, these abilities were revered as gifts from the Gods and were given the title from an Oracle to a Priest or Priestess(1).
With this development of a new generation and age where people are returning back to their ancestral and spiritual roots, the practice of spirit work has been brought into the light. Spirit Keeping was first brought around between twenty to fifteen years previous. Terms change as they do with time, so some refer to it as Spirit Keeping while others have chosen the newer coined term Spirit Companionship.
The practice is not only just welcoming spirits into one’s home, but it is incorporating them into daily lives and practices. Most that bring spirits into their lives are looking for life long companions that will remain by their side. It has the benefits that some spirits are skilled in particular areas and can help teach their craft. It can be a mutual bond or relationship that is a give and take. Most return their gratitude to the spirits for their knowledge or aid is through offerings, which will be discussed in a depth in a later chapter as well.
Most can find that working with spirits in such a manner enriches their lives in not just a spiritual sense, but also a physical one. The energy can be comforting in times of need or they can be a protector for the struggles of a spiritual sense. Spirit Companionship is a practice that brings about spirit work in a new manner to those that want to work with spirits.
Companionship is usually started through Companionship shops that help people to connect with these spirits. All about the shops will be discussed in it’s own chapter, but this is a safe practice for newer spirit workers. Most are not able to connect with spirits or they are afraid of reaching out into the unknown due to possible manipulative or dangerous spirits. Unbounds, those that wander the Astral and Spiritual Planes, are the ones that most are unsure of working with because they are not confident on telling their validity of their words.
The Companionship shops allow for these people to feel secure knowing that the spirits are being connected directly to them and are safe to work with. This is the main reason that Companionship shops not only exist but thrive to help those connect in a better sense than an individual would feel on their own. Companionship uses vessels as a way to connect the energies of the spirits to the Companions for a more stable bond of not just communication, but in general bonding.
With this, we will be moving on to discuss why people choose Companionship instead of working with spirits in general. There are a fair few reasons, most of them to aid them in growing stronger and more confident in their skills.
The modern world has changed away from those times, instead embracing new thoughts and practices. Spirit work has not not been left out of that change. New practices and terms are springing up every decade, even every year.
Spirit Companionship, or Spirit Keeping, is the welcoming of spirits into one’s home. Going into terminology later on in this chapter, but both terms are the same practice and hold the same meaning. Each one being used depends upon the comfort of the individual user and what they identify with. Spirit Companionship came around some time ago, changing the relationship and the hows of working with spirits. Instead of calling upon them to do your bidding or binding them, it is now a mutual respect for each other and companionable relationships.
The change occurred with the development of most of the population being unable to connect with the spiritual. This in part is mainly due to societal norms that make us lose contact with our younger spiritual selves. This can include the suppression of gifts or abilities that had manifested. In the Ancient times, these abilities were revered as gifts from the Gods and were given the title from an Oracle to a Priest or Priestess(1).
With this development of a new generation and age where people are returning back to their ancestral and spiritual roots, the practice of spirit work has been brought into the light. Spirit Keeping was first brought around between twenty to fifteen years previous. Terms change as they do with time, so some refer to it as Spirit Keeping while others have chosen the newer coined term Spirit Companionship.
The practice is not only just welcoming spirits into one’s home, but it is incorporating them into daily lives and practices. Most that bring spirits into their lives are looking for life long companions that will remain by their side. It has the benefits that some spirits are skilled in particular areas and can help teach their craft. It can be a mutual bond or relationship that is a give and take. Most return their gratitude to the spirits for their knowledge or aid is through offerings, which will be discussed in a depth in a later chapter as well.
Most can find that working with spirits in such a manner enriches their lives in not just a spiritual sense, but also a physical one. The energy can be comforting in times of need or they can be a protector for the struggles of a spiritual sense. Spirit Companionship is a practice that brings about spirit work in a new manner to those that want to work with spirits.
Companionship is usually started through Companionship shops that help people to connect with these spirits. All about the shops will be discussed in it’s own chapter, but this is a safe practice for newer spirit workers. Most are not able to connect with spirits or they are afraid of reaching out into the unknown due to possible manipulative or dangerous spirits. Unbounds, those that wander the Astral and Spiritual Planes, are the ones that most are unsure of working with because they are not confident on telling their validity of their words.
The Companionship shops allow for these people to feel secure knowing that the spirits are being connected directly to them and are safe to work with. This is the main reason that Companionship shops not only exist but thrive to help those connect in a better sense than an individual would feel on their own. Companionship uses vessels as a way to connect the energies of the spirits to the Companions for a more stable bond of not just communication, but in general bonding.
With this, we will be moving on to discuss why people choose Companionship instead of working with spirits in general. There are a fair few reasons, most of them to aid them in growing stronger and more confident in their skills.