But ... That is an EVIL Spirit!!

Imagine with me that you stumble upon a spirit listing on a shop's website. The image you see is dreamy, the description makes your blood hot, and you can't stop thinking about it no matter how you try to distract yourself. You're obviously drawn to the spirit, but let's say that you decide to do an internet search about that spirit type. WHOA! *sound of breaks squealing* Everything you read is bad or worse. This spirit must be wrong for you, right? You're a good person; you don't want an evil spirit in your family. Why would that conjurer even have such a bad spirit available? Why would you be drawn to it?

I will be honest and say that some religions work very hard at keeping the spirits of the older religions in a bad place. They've taken the word "daemon" (which just meant "spirit" in Greek) and made it into a big, awful demon -- who wants to eat your soul and torture you. What we have to do is separate the bad press from the actual spirits. Many types of spirits were given awful reputations as newer religions came into an area. Not all Djinn are bad. Not by a long shot. Are some Djinn evil? Sure, in the same way that some humans are. You don't bring strangers into your home without good references, a mutual friend, a reliable employer or other arrangements that help you trust them. It is the same with spirits. That is the primary role of a conjurer like me. I provide a reference. I don't let anyone come through that I can't trust. Does that make sense?

In every race of spirits, just like with humans or animals, there are good and bad. As humans, we carry prejudices about people who dress a certain way or live in a certain area or practice a certain religion. But not all of those people fit our prejudice. We can find friends and lovers and business partners from those groups, if we are open to it -- and if we are clear in our needs.

My job, as a spirit conjurer, is to find a spirit for you that you can share a bond of affection with -- one whose needs can be met by your own. The relationship is a symbiotic one.

As always, though, I would say to trust your instinct. If you are turned off by a spirit because of its reputation, it might not be a great choice for you. If, however, you remain drawn to a certain type of spirit *despite* their negative press, there is likely one of that type who is a good, healthy, happy match for you.

No race of any spirit or being is a monster. None are purely evil, as a race. To a canary, a house cat is a monster. To a worm, the canary is the monster. Humans are just used to being at the top of the food chain, and the things that could harm us in the course of their natural existence seem "evil" to us. But how many heartwarming stories have we seen about some predator who has become friends with a member of a prey species?  Affection, commonality, and need can  really change the dynamics of an adversarial relationship -- and can go a long way to helping us heal the preconceived prejudices we inherited from the past.

Did You Just Send Me a Servitor?

I received an interesting question a while ago from a potential client.

The question is: how can I recognize/differentiate a real actual entity/spirit bound to me or a vessel, an entity which is not a human creation, from a thought form or entity created by a human (servitors, egregores, etc.). I am a spirit keeper and want to be able to understand if a seller has sold me something which is not a real spirit, but his own creation.

If you are  unfamiliar with the concept of servitors, a quick Google search for "what is a servitor" will turn up several very helpful answers. The short version is that they are a thoughtform that has been created to serve a particular purpose. Yep, that's right! You can create a spirit to accomplish the goals you desire. Magicians do it all the time. All. The. Time. So, how do you know if the spirit you received from a conjurer is an older entity or one of these newly created servitors?

It can actually be quite difficult to tell whether the spirit you have been put in touch with is a new creation or an older, existing being. I think that's because ALL spirits start somewhere, and many of them begin as servitors/egregores. Now, for a great many of the ones whose names we have recorded in old grimoires and such, they were created centuries or even millennia ago. Some were deities of conquered people whose Gods were demonized and brought low by the conquerors. Following this line of thinking brings a philosophical person back to the old question -- did the Gods/God create us, or do we create them/him?

Generally, though, a newly created servitor isn't going to have the oomph behind it. Not enough people have put their faith into that being, communicated with that being, etc. It hasn't done enough work to be as strong or as solid or as "weighty" as a spirit that has been around longer.

This comes down to intuition and trusting your senses (including the psychic ones) to be able to feel. But if you can feel that spirit, try to get a sense of age, of gravitas (if that makes sense), of experience.

I would also suggest being open to working with newly "created" spirits. If they're getting the job done, and you enjoy them, then they can be every bit as effective and wonderful a companion as an older being. Thought creates reality, after all, which means that these beings are very "real."

And by the way, I do understand if your concern is less about the spirit's ability and more about the conjurer's ethics. If you've been told you are receiving an old spirit, that's who you should receive. A servitor can be exceptionally helpful, but you shouldn't be given one thing and told it is something else.

I hope that helps. I know it doesn't give a concrete answer to "how" -- although maybe my "soft" answer about feeling the age and weight and experience of the spirit will be a useful tool for you.

In another blog entry, we'll explore how you can create a servitor, if you are interested in doing such a thing. Certainly, if you are wishing to train as a conjurer, servitor creation should be a solid entry in your curriculum vitae.

Working for the Magic

Like many Witches, I have been asked to perform alignments and attunements for many clients who want to gain more power or ability in one area or another. When (if) I do this work, I like to counsel my clients on the piece of the puzzle that is in their hands. Not every magician will tell you this, but I want to give you the tools to be successful with your goals. (These principles apply to every aspect of magic, including spirit conjuring and other types of spells, too.)

The big secret of sorcery is that in order for the power to truly be yours, you have to work for it yourself. I know how unpopular an idea that is. Magic is supposed to be easy, right? It's supposed to be instantaneous. Isn't it?

Honestly, if you look at all the legends and tales of sorcery from all over the world, one of the most common threads is the idea that the person who does the work (stirs the cauldron for a year, risks his life to enter the magical cave,  learns the secret languages, studies, practices) is the person who receives the power. So what is happening when you pay a conjurer to increase your power or bring you into alignment with an energy or ability? The conjurer is increasing their own power and sending a portion of energy to you. It may be a big portion, but it just sits there for you. YOU haven't learned how to pick it up, to wear it, to use it. The conjurer has.

Why don't other sorcerers tell you this? Why do they offer increasing abilities for increasing costs without mentioning the work the client needs to do? There are two reasons. The first is obvious (and cynical). Clients are less likely to pay for a service that they still have to work for. The second is deeper, though. The client who does the work becomes a Mage and no longer *needs* the conjurer.

So why am I telling you this? Don't I risk losing clients, too?

Yeah, I do. That's okay, though. I can't bring myself to lie to my clients to make more money. I am disturbed by the number of magicians who are willing to do so. I opened my practice to a wider clientele  because I wanted to make an impact and educate people. Maybe I will turn people off because I don't offer easy solutions to difficult problems. At least I will have taught those who want to learn to make real change in their lives.

Most clients don't WANT to do the work themselves, and that's okay, too, in many ways. The sacrifice that you make for having someone else do it for you is that you don't have as much power and skill as someone who has trained themselves. If you're okay with that, I'm okay with that. I make my living by helping people who don't want to spend their lives becoming Mages. It takes dedication, practice, discipline. All of that is work. It is do-able work, but still work.

So what can a Witch-for-hire REALLY do for a client? We can conjure and/or petition Spirits for you and help you communicate with them by telling you what the spirit wants from you. If we can't put you in direct communication, we can often act as mediums for you by sharing their messages through psychic readings. We can generate large amounts of power to send your way for help with a specific problem or need. We can can build energetic constructs and portals for you that will give power of different types a place to work near you. We can activate powers that are are already present within you and lying dormant. All of these things are more efficient and effective if the client knows how to handle them, of course.  But they are all still very real, even if you don't.

What CAN'T we really do? We can't force people to act against their own Will, and we can't do all the work for you.

So, why do some people report amazing contact with spirits or spells that have been conjured for them? They didn't "work" for it. Why do they get that benefit, but others don't? We all have talents. We come with inherent abilities. Some rare people can just pick up an instrument and play it without lessons or study. Some are naturally athletic and have great coordination. We can all play an instrument or a game, but some of us have to practice more than others to be able to make a simple melody or score a goal. It's the same with magic and psychic work. I'm lucky. I was born with natural talent for magic. And then I studied and practiced. I still do. My coven and the magical orders to which I belong are always giving me a place to practice and to learn. Likewise, some of my clients are naturally talented. Many are. Others need more practice and training.

To this end, I consider myself a "magical life coach." (It's cheesy sounding, I know. It's also accurate.) If you want to learn, if you want to take the steps to improve your skills, increase your power, and change your life, I'm here for you.

If you want me to do the work for you (that can be done), I will. I can do the work, and then you can get the benefit that is available to you based on your natural abilities. Those benefits are often quite impressive. I'm good at what I do.

If you want me to do all the work for you, and then be frustrated because you can't levitate, see your spirit companions in a solid and touchable physical form, make a specific person leap into your bed tomorrow night, etc .... Well, what can I say? You will likely be disappointed with all sorcery done for you. The difference between me and the people offering you such claims is that I'm being honest from the start. (Don't believe me? Pay the hundreds or thousands of dollars they are asking for and see how it goes.) I won't lie to make a sale.