What is Spirit Keeping?
For me, Spirit Keeping is my life. It is the one thing that has given me meaning. For you, it could be many things. And, I’d like to explain what Spirit Keeping is to the best of my abilities.
So, what exactly is Spirit Keeping? To the uninitiated, it will seem like having an extreme Barbie doll collection, that is if Barbie was somehow capable of some of the most powerful Magick ever known to man. And, here’s a secret, she’s not.
To give a more formal definition for the practice, it is: caring and facilitating Magick with paranormal or supernatural companions. I think that will serve as our operationalized definition for this blog post. If I can get a bit personal here, Spirit Keeping is an art, a lifestyle, and, most importantly, a window into a world beyond our own.
History of Spirit Keeping
Spirit keeping is a new name for a very old practice: familiar usage. The idea of familiars dates back to ancient times. And, when I say ancient, I mean ancient.
There is evidence of spirit keeping in ancient Babylonia, Egypt, and Sumer. These are these are the most ancient civilizations known to man and all of them have elements of the practice in their histories.
For example, Djinn, one of the most common spirits kept today, were called upon as familiars by ancient Egyptian magicians. Also, in ancient Mesopotamia, warriors would call upon the ancient Udug (now known as a type of Demon) to accompany them into battle as protectors.
The usage of familiars was written about by Witches all the way up to the Salem Witch Trials and beyond. Most legends revolve around Witches using black cats or crows as familiar spirits.
Why the Name Change?
I have a theory for this and the experience to back it up, but this is in no way the 100% truth. The fact is, nomenclature changes for a variety of reasons: language barriers, geographical accents, and more. My theory, though, supersedes all those variables and I believe makes more sense from a human perspective.
The theory is this: as belief in the supernatural faded over millennia, so did the power of the beings commonly kept as familiars. This led to the birth of Spirit Keepers in the place of the previous familiar users. Spirit Keepers were able to call upon the power of many spirits, rather than one or two, which is why the term familiar fell out of style. The Spirit Keepers were less familiar with their companions because they had more than one.
What Gives Humans Power Over These Powerful Entities?
This is a question I get a lot. Why would a measly human have power over something like a Demon King? Or a fiery Ifrit? Or a mysterious Vampire?
Free will is the answer. Or, rather, lack thereof.
You see, entities like this are created, or birthed, without the energetic signature of free will. Human beings, as well as some Angels and high demons, are the only beings in existence with free will.
Thus, humans are able to manipulate the energies of these beings into making them serve us. Luckily, most of the entities nowadays desire to serve humans. This is because we are now greater than them.
Since the belief in their power has faded over time, they now come to the Spirit Keeper, or potential Spirit Keeper, to make their way into the physical world once again.
Spirits/Entities and Their Vessels
You may have found yourself wondering: “Why do these spirits want to be bound to dolls or jewelry?” Don’t worry about thinking that. I thought the same thing when I got into the practice. I thought it was absolutely ludicrous that all these spirits sought out porcelain dolls.
The truth is, they like these dolls the most because they have humanoid form. It does two things: it helps them relate to us humans. And, all these entities are generally of human form. Dolls are the closest thing they can get to having their true form in the physical realm.
You may be thinking: “What about jewelry, then?”
Good question. I do not have a definitive answer for this, but what I do believe is that some spirits choose jewelry over doll vessels because people wear them. When I bind vessels, I always give the entity the choice of either. Some choose dolls, some choose jewelry.
The same goes for direct binding. Direct binding has grown in popularity over the past decade. Just to let you know a secret, almost no one I knew ever requested a direct binding before the year 2005. That’s the truth. I have been working in this field since the early 80s and it was almost unheard of until recently.
But, back to the subject at hand, spirits like direct binding because they will share your body as an energetic anchor to the physical world. It checks both boxes: it gives them a humanoid form and allows them to stay close to their Spirit Keeper.
So, why keep spirits beyond the obvious reasons?
This is a good question to end on. Obviously, people keep spirits for their unique abilities: boosting charisma, wish granting, wealth drawing, etc. But, most of your time with your spirit will not be calling on them for those things. It will be spent with them as life companions.
If you are lonely, which is a growing epidemic in our modern world, Spirit Keeping is the perfect practice. You will never run out of things to talk about, you will have a spiritual protector, and you may even have a mate (depending on the type of spirit you have). I have found loneliness is the number 1 factor that brings people to Spirit Keeping.
And, it’s okay to admit that you’re lonely. Don’t let those people on social media or celebrities in the news trick you into thinking they are never lonely or sad. They are. And, here’s another secret for you: most of them use Magick to get to where they are. So, why shouldn’t you? Spirit Keeping is a way to channel your subconscious into reality, otherwise known as practicing Magick. And with spirits, you won’t have to do it alone.
Love + Blessings
Laci
If you would like to try working with a spirit companion, you should look at my stores. I have everything you need to begin.
If you are practicing alone, I urge you to look into the Mysticmagicks Facebook Group. It is full of practicing witches and spirit keepers looking to help others.
And, if you enjoyed this post, I have a newsletter where I go more into Magickal practice. I also give weekly discounts for all of my stores to subscribers. You can subscribe by placing your email address into the box below.