Personal Animal Spirit rite to invite, honor and commune
This is a very simple rite when you wish to commune with your Spirit Animal Partner. Keep in mind that this and all spirits have autonomy and agency, you do not control the spirits of nature and any attempt to do so would be a serious mistake. The spirits of Nature are the oldest, deepest, most primordial beings. However, as relationships with people grow and create loving bonds, so too are similar bonds and feelings woven between us and the spirits. Remember that your Spirit Animal and other spirits are attracted to you as you are to the spirit you sought. In this way we can ‘call on’ our Spirit Animal as one would call on a good friend, meaning request their presence or ask for help. I call upon the wolf spirit fairly often and it has helped, guided, mentored and set me straight a few times. Believe me when I tell you that in many ways the wolf spirit has greater wisdom than I when it comes to magick and the Other and I honor his caring as he has helped me many times and so I do my best to offer energy and love as I can.
Here then is a simple way to call on your Spirit Animal, especially once you have a firm relationship.
Needed:
A rattle, small drum or simply yourself.
An offering for that spirit. It can be seeds, huts and/or berries as mentioned or a specific offering for that specific spirit, one it has likely indicated.
A natural vessel of pure water
A small twig of a tree you feel connects with your spirit (cedar, pine, burch, oak etc). Of course thank the tree or other plant and make an offering of thanks as well as you like.
A small cloth of a color that connects with your spirit.
If being done at your shrine, that is all that is necessary.
In tandem to this you may also use oracles such as the I Ching or Tarot if you are comfortable doing so. Your Spirit Animal can help clarify things, but these are not necessary.
You may do this at the shrine of your Spirit Animal, outside or in the woods as you like. In nature is always the easiest as it opens on the Other, the realm of the Nature spirits.
No matter where you go ,try to find a place of power where the genus loci of that area is. If you are doing this before your shirine, you already have found that place of special power.
This can be adjusted to be simpler or more complex. Let your spirits guide you.
Facing North or East, take up the small branch and hold it up with eyes closed or partially closed. Do deep breathing as you have done before and center yourself. With each breath, sway back and forth gently and enter the liminal light trance you are familiar with.
open your Primal Spirit and project the brilliant from your heart.with hands on your heart, then open your arms and extend it as a sphere of light about you, feel and ‘see’ the light with positive power. Let the swaying become more like a dance and use the branch to ‘sweep’ the area as you turn and dance about in a full circle clockwise seeing the power of the Great Earth Mother and all that is alive sweeping about you like a vast green billowing light or mist removing all obstacles, bringing Earth energy.
Lift The branch and begin to hum a pattern your Spirit Animal offers you, then arms out to all of Nature and finally plant the branch into the earth and you call out to the spirit with that spirit’s cry. (Ex: CAW! for a crow spirit)-
Pour out a bit of the water and the scatter the simple offerings over the branch
Now sway or gently dance as you begin to hum that pattern and your rattle with a rhythm that feels right for the Spirit Animal.
Now, with will and love, call to your Spirit Animal and ask it to come to you.
When it comes, place the branch on the ground and sit with your eyes almost closed and out of focus. Be silent but softly and slowly gently shake your rattle and open the connection between you and your Spirit Animal. After it has acknowledged you, silently ask it for the help or wisdom you need. Continue this communing in this way as you need.
When the work is done, shift your humming and the rattling into another calm rhythmic pattern, quietly and slower. Bow and thank and honor the Spirit Animal.
Drink some water and pour out the rest to the spirit.
Wish it well and goodbye for now.
When it is gone, take up the branch and spin around counterclockwise, sweeping the circle with it. Making the cry of your Spirit Animal three times, see all the energies flying off. Stand, center yourself, pull all the light onto your heart , your Spirit and seal it with hands clasped over your heart.
Touch the earth with both hands and thank the Earth Mother, letting all settle.
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SOME SIMPLE BANISHING RITES FOR DEALING WITH NEGATIVE NATURE SPIRITS
Here very simple banishing rites for dealing with negative energy or negative spirits that cling to you. the goal is to mentally physically and emotionally step back from an uncomfortable interaction with a spirit. again this can be done by simply letting go of fear especially and negative feelings, but I am one of those people who have been programmed to do a simple ritual to do all those things efficiently. whatever works for you is positive and useful.
a very simple rite is to summon your energy in a positive way hold out your hands and feel the energy flowing through your hands and say or even shout the term avert. this is a way of letting all energies spirits and forces no to back the f*** off. it is simple and has most always been effective for me.
another simple Vanishing rite comes from Tantra. I am a tantric initiate and I use this constantly and it is very simple and very powerful. I have taught it to a number of people who agree that it is a useful tool. When you enter a space that feels wrong for you or you are working with a spirit that is clinging and negative, or if in any way you feel negative energy is being directed at you or you have walked into a place where that energy exists, try this simple rite,
whichever hand is dominant hold it up and extend you’re pointing finger and your index finger and middle finger and close the rest of the fingers. this is the sword mudra and can be visualized as that. it is very useful for drawing circles, drawing pentagrams in the air, and so on. in this case you simply visualize it as a sword and holding out your other Palm you strike the palm with the extended fingers as hard as you can without hurting yourself and do this at the four directions around you and once in the center. as your fingers hit the palm it makes a cracking sound. visualize each cracking sound as a lightning bolt coming down and Blasting away all negativity or unhappy spiritual forces. that’s it it’s that simple. I have used it for close to 50 years and numerous different negative situations and it is always worked for me.
There are many chance in mantras when can use to eliminate negativity as well. my personal favorite is OM MANI PADME HUM (The jewel in the center of the lotus) And visualizing your heart being the jewel and the lotus being the circle of petals around you is a simple potent and Powerful banishing. chanted three times and all negativity should dissipate. if mattress are not your thing simply inhale deeply and vibrate AHA three times with full inhalation and exhalation each time. both of these are effective simple and will remove most any negative Forces or entities in nature.
Final thoughts:
If you are already having a spirit animal interacting with you or showing up and dreams, visions, or you are already receiving interactions with this animal spirit then some of the exercises and ideas just mentioned are a good place to start and expand the interaction with the spirit that has chosen you. when the wolf spirit came to me I was utterly ignorant about spirit animals and the relationship we may have with such spirits. all of the things I have just discussed well hopefully make your initial experience with the spirit animal that has chosen to work with you with your blessing more seamless and positive and open then my first interactions with the wolf spirit was. simply be open in every way to your instinct, intuition and insight. It will open your understanding of yourself and your world as well as of the nature spirits that surround us. are animals self-remembers these things, are modern hyperintellectual selves often ignore or lose track of our primal selves. yet time in nature Opens the senses and awakens the animal self and makes us whole and at least from my point of view less neurotic!
Add to bibliography
Nature Spirituality From the Ground Up: Connect With Spirits In Your Ecosystem by Lupa
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Basic Spirit Animal Rite
Needed:
-A flat stone is to be used as the altar. It will be set in the center of the area used for Animis conjuring in a secluded natural place. It can be a stone that was found by accident or that has some energy for the feral magick animist. It may be consciously sought for in nature while guided by the Animalself to be honored.
-Items to be placed on the altar stone when doing animist rites. All such items should be simple, primitive and primal. They are best if found or crafted by the animist him or herself. These include:
-A simple cup of pure water
– A small rough hewn plate or bowl for food offerings for the Animal Spirit being called
A small container containing an appropriate herb or plant to be burned or presented, depending on the Animalself
– A pure beeswax candle inset in a natural holder if light will be needed
– A small or medium size drum to be used for animistic rituals. It should be natural and made by -the sigil of that Animalself as indicated in the appropriate integration chart, carved or painted or drawn on a natural surface by the ritualist.
– Some leaves, grasses or flowers from the area about the altar, arranged as desired..
-Other items, including natural intoxicants or other items may be present as desired.
The Rite
The Feral Magick Animist stands before the altar and breathes deeply, expanding his or her consciousness to fill the area of nature around the ritual place for a time, listening and looking at everything in silence expectantly. The Lord of the Forest, the power of wild nature, will offer a sign, be it a bird cry, the flight of a butterfly, a sunbreake or a clear feeling that the natural forces are present.
Some natural water is spilled on the altar and the animist, eyes closed, vibrates:
HUuuuu HUuuuuuu HUuuuuu
This draws the attention of all the Spirit Animals in the area,
The herb is then light or simply crushed to be scattered, depending on the type of Animalself being called. The herb is then taken smoldering or being sprinkled counterclockwise about the altar while the animist vibrates HAaaa HAaaa HAaaa
In this way all human or other negative vibrations are banished.
The animist places hands on the stone altar and honors its spirit and all the spirits now gathering about the altar as well as Mother Earth and vibrates MAaaa MAaaa MAaaa
Intoxicants may be offered and/or utilized a this time while vibrating uuuUuuuuuuUuuuuu. Then:
Taking up the drum, the animist begins to play, seeking the right drum beat for the spirit being called with eyes closed. This may take time as the Animalself is being called with intoning AHhhh AHhhh AHhhh as many times as needed.
When the Animist sees the Animalself in his or her ‘inner mind’ it means the right rhythm has been conjured by the animist and he or she stands with eyes slightly opened and out of focus.
Animist Trance
Standing and swaying side to side, eyes unfocused, the animist plays the same rhythm and exhales AHhhh AHhhh AHhhh until the Animalself being conjured whispers another vocalization … it may be a low growl or howl or the craw of a crow or the hiss of a puma, let the Animalself teach you and flow through you. Once you have it, sway, drum, utter the animistic call and let your conscious mind sink into the deep, dark well of your mind.
See your Animalself arise from this deep well in the form of the animistic spirit you are calling, be it a snake or a cougar or a hawk or another spirit.
Keeping the eyes partly closed and unfocused, you will see the Animalself arise as you continue drumming and ‘see’ the Animalself above or the altar, and staring at you.
Begin a swaying dance for and soon with the Animalself, swaying rocking and spinning about several times as you begin to ‘speak and sing’ with the spirit, meaning uttering what is appropriate: maybe a low caw for a crow spirit or a howl for a wolf spirit or the or the hiss of a snake or the growl of a bear, all depending on the Animalself being invoked.let the Animalself.
Let the trance state deepen with each spin or sway, ride the rhythm of the drum and open your animalself fully to the anima spirit you are mimicking and uniting with.
When you are exhausted and the Animal Spirit begins to show you visions or speak to you, collapse upon the ground, let go of the drum, lay upon the earth and begin to rumble, like deep growling or purring deep in your chest with mouth clothed. Each rumble becomes a longer and longer vibration and longer as you slide into a deeper trance and the visions or interactions with the spirit intensify.
When the Animalspirit leaves you, continue rumbling, take up your drum and begin to beat a new rhythm of thanks and farewell for the Animalself that is leaving you. Do this intuitively, slowly and with guidance from the departing Animalself.
Slowly arise and continue this new ‘farewell’ drum beat and your deep rumbling, but all with a new rhythm now that comes to you. Rock forward and back as you do this letting go of the trance state and the Animalself as you do so. When it is gone, vibrate:
AHUuuuu AHUuuuuuu AHUuuuuu – end with the sound of the Animalself you had invoked. (Caw, His, Howl etc.)
As you come back to your body and the power of the anima spirit fades, begin to walk about the altar while beating a new, simple, earthing rhythm with your drum, repeating several times AH-ha AH-ha AH-ha…. As you do so. feel your human consciousness arise from the deep well of your inner mind as the influence of the Animalself you danced with fades from your memory…
Take time to sit and write or draw everything about the encounter in your journal.
When done, pour out the water and the food and the herb upon the stone.
Place your hands on the stone and honor the Earth Mother by vibrating MAaa MAaa MAaa
Then say whatever blessing you wish to utter and honor to the Animalself.
Take your items and go, leaving the offerings on the stone altar.
Addenda-
That night, before you sleep, use your drum to play a recreation of the rhythm the Animalself gave you, vibrate HUuu HUuu HUuu…as you fall asleep while visualizing the Animalself. Of course, when you awaken, write any dreams or encounters you have in your journal immediately.hand.
-A token of the Animalself being called, be it a physical talisman or image