How To Petition a Spirit
What is Petitioning?
Petitioning is a simple ritual that will allow you to request things from spirits.
It is my favorite overall way to interact with spirits, beyond simple communication. Sure, there are other ways to interact with them, but this is the best. It allows for specificity, as well as a way to directly invoke the spirit’s good will.
Is this a way of using the spirit, ultimately, for your own means? Isn’t that selfish?
No, not at all. Spirits want to interact with the physical. When they have abilities, they want to use them. Take Ifrit, for example. They specifically asked to be bound to the physical world about 99.99% of the time. This is because they love interacting with humans. They actually want to see your eyes light up in their presence. It serves their idealogical identity in that they see themselves as “special.”
Step 1: Writing It Down
To use a spirit’s capabilities, the best way is through Petitioning Magick. Write your desire on a piece of clean, white paper. Be as specific about your desire as you can. Specificity is of paramount importance. You must follow this rule. It is non-negotiable. If you are not specific, the repercussions are unforeseeable. Take this part seriously.
For example, if you have a Wish Magick vessel, you may wish to lose weight. Your wish should go something like this: “I want to lose XXXX pounds of body fat. I want the body fat to be removed from the XXXX area of my body. It should happen slowly so I do not have excess skin.” XXXX is a stand in for how many pounds you want to lose and where you want to lose it from (e.g. your stomach, thighs, etc.).
Or, if you’re wishing for money, you cannot say, “I want a thousand dollars.” When you do that, you give no pathway for the Magick to flow through. So, you could get your $1000 by getting hit by a car and winning a legal settlement. It is very dangerous.
A note on specificity:
I have recently been hearing that specificity is bad when it comes to petitioning or intentions. I do not know how that got started as a trend. This is basic-stuff when it comes to Witchcraft. Being specific allows for safety and responsibility for the keeper/Witch. Never, and I mean NEVER, petition a spirit without being specific.
Step 2: Fueling the Magick
Candles are best used for a light source during your Petition Magick session. Have at least three of them. Three is the Magick number, so to speak. You may also want to pair your spirit to a candle of a certain color or scent. For a Revenge spirit you may use a black candle. For Wealth Magick, a green one. And so on.
The color of the candle is not important. This is for personal preference. I used to be a lot stricter on myself about it, but that has since lapsed. I have used white candles with Demons successfully and black candles with Angels successfully. Don’t get bogged down in the details.
If you don’t have access to candles, sunlight or moonlight can work. There needs to be a fuel source for your spirit. Use natural light only. Artificial light can give off radiation that will interfere with the energy used in your spell.
Offerings can help, too. Things like mint leaves, coffee grounds, and sugar work very well with fueling most spirits. Some Black Magick spirits work well with red wine. And some White Magick spirits like sweets. Do not discount offerings. They can help more than you think.
Step 3: The Process
Place your paper next to or beneath your vessel. You do not need to be too specific with this. As long as the paper is next to your spirit’s vessel, all will be well. Some people clip or pin the piece of paper to their vessel’s collar or dress hem.
Getting into a meditative state helps here, but it is not necessary. If you can get into a hypnogogic state this will help your spirit connect to you.
Allow the candles to burn for about 10-15 minutes. The energy given off by the flames will be used by the spirit to connect with you. You must give your spirit time to work. Then, you may remove the paper.
This will ultimately decide whether or not the wish goes through. Spirits operate on different frequencies than we do. Spirits receive information differently than we do. You must be patient and learn to enjoy the ritual process.
If you are not petitioning a bound spirit and one that is directly bound to you, this step becomes a lot easier. All you have to do is write out your petition and place it in front of you. When I was young, I used to use my kitchen table. I have an altar now, but don’t get too precious about it. The rest of the guide still stands: candles, meditative state, etc.
Step 4: Firing the Ritual
After you remove your paper, you can burn the paper if you want to "fire" the ritual. This is a staple of petition Magick. Firing spells or sigils is a frequent part of a Magick practitioners life. It is not a necessary step, but it is a helpful one.
This will give an extra oomph to your Magick. The fire will also be a bit more energy for your spirit to feed from.
Make sure you allow the paper to completely burn. Just letting a corner burn will not be enough. The entire thing needs to be burned.
As an alternative, if fire is not necessarily something you want to mess around with, burying the petition beneath a bridge will do the trick. While this can sound cumbersome, I actually like doing this sometimes. It is always fun to go out on a little adventure when performing rituals. It gives some weight to them.
And, what is the significance of burying it beneath a bridge? Well, no one knows exactly. Witches have been doing this since there were bridges to bury petitions under. My pet theory is that the “energy” of bridges represent the current of energy from one point to another. This manifests in an active symbolism that will boost the energy of your petition.
Step 5: Repeat & Repeat
The best part of ritual Magick, like petitioning, is that you can do it over and over again. And the more you do it, the better and more comfortable you will be. Magick, like all interests, is a process.
You will only grow as a Magickal practitioner if you repeat the process.
Additional Notes
You may want to schedule times everyday for petitioning. If you perform it at a specific time during the day, your spirit will be more comfortable.
Candles of any scent or color can work. Only some very specific spirits require specific colors/scents. Most people will never encounter spirits like this.
Magick does not have to be a solemn and serious experience. Have fun! If you mess up, remember: you get the privilege to perform it again.
Nature is your friend. If you can perform petitioning Magick outside and under the moon, you will receive better results.
Love + Blessings
Laci
If you don’t have a spirit to practice petitioning Magick with, you should look at my stores. I have everything you need to begin.