Spirit Work Basics
The definitions in this section were first made for our Discord server and our Beginners Playground. This is a rudimentary introduction to what spirit work is and to what terms are common within the community. This is meant to be a basic starting point and is not in any way comprehensive.
If you wish to share our definitions, click here. All definitions are copyright Evening Star Spirits.
What is Spirit Work?
Spirit work involves engaging with spiritual entities, commonly referred to as spirits, as an integral part of one's daily activities for a range of purposes. While some individuals find solace in fostering companionship, others seek their assistance in mystical endeavors, and some simply establish a profound connection with the divine facets of spirit work.
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Basic Terminology
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“Spirits” can categorize many beings. For our purposes, we use it to label any entity from astral realms. This includes Demons, Angels, Fae etc.
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“Deities” classifies any being that is or has been worshipped. Deities can be from earth, or they can be connected to the astral planes and never have been worshipped by humans.
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“Spirit Companion” is a spirit that has agreed to work with a spirit worker or human in a personal capacity. A spirit companion can also be a guide, partner, guardian, etc. It is up to you how you distinguish the difference.
Humans can also be called “Companions” in this case they would be the companions to the spirits.
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“Guide” is usually a spirit that has agreed to help ‘guide’ you through this life or for a time. They are a teachers and/or mentors.
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“Guardian” is a spirit who has agreed to look to your protection and guard you in this life or others.
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“Familiar” in the case of a spirit familiar, is a spirit who has agreed to help with your magical, or spiritual workings, in a way that you can task them for certain things and they will help your magic come to fruition. They will be active in your spell work and spirit work. This can be a casual connection that you both have decided on, or this can be a ritualistic bonded agreement depending on your paradigm. It’s very important to recognize that familiar’s definition will change based on path and person. Some believe they are their physical pets. There is no wrong answer it’s up to you to decide how they manifest.
“Conjuring” is the act of summoning a spirit to a particular place or person. In our case, it’s the act of conjuring a spirit to be vetted for Companionship.
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“Vetting” is the act of determining a spirits safety and suitability for human companionship. This is time spent with them getting to know them and vetting their references as well as their history. Vetting should be a mix of physical and astral time spent with the spirit over an extended period of time to verify safety and personality. This is the period of time where we spend getting to know the spirit , their personalities, families, and their skillsets.
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“Conjure” is a spirit that was previously conjured and has undergone vetting and is ready to find a home with a potential human companion.
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“Custom Conjure” is a spirit conjured specifically for one person using their energy as a focus.
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“Reverse Adoption” is where the spirit has already been vetted and they choose you based on your energy. You apply and they choose.
“Warding” is creating energetic, or sometimes physical, protections around you and your space. Shields are wards around your person.
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“Cleansing” is energetically cleansing your space and yourself of energies that you do not wish to be there.
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“Banishing” is exiling an unwanted Spirit from your space.
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“House Rules” are rules put in place to define boundaries for you and your spirit family.
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“Lull” is when your metaphysical energy has been depleted, or you need a break from the metaphysical, and your abilities will shut down or soften to allow your energy to replenish or refresh. This usually happens naturally to allow your energy to rest. But it can also be induced by heavy meta use or by healing-induced lulls.
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"Discernment" This is the practice of attempting to verify the validity of what you’ve experienced spiritually, and in what form it took.
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Community Terminology
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Community terminology are terms used in the spirit work community as a whole.
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”Shadow Work” was coined by Psychiatrist Carl Jung and is a common practice in spiritual communities as a method of working with one’s shadow self. Your shadow self is the darker aspects of yourself that you have hidden or erased. Working on your shadow is a method of self healing and trying to come to terms with your darker aspects and find healing and growth in your life and practice.
“Astral” encompasses anything that does not lay on the physical plane. This can be different depending on the paradigm so it’s up to you to decide your personal layers and connotations. Some examples of astral layers are; the energetic layer, layer of connection, higher vibrational realms, lower vibrational realms, etc.
”Astral Travel” is when you journey into the astral layers. This is usually done with an astral body but can be as simple as bilocation and mental travel. Unlike astral projection, astral travel can be as complex or as simple as you make it. It is not a full out-of-body experience and you will still be conscious of your body. One common method of astral travel is the rope method where you envision a rope above your body and reach out to use it to pull your body out.
“Bilocation” is the art of being in two places at once. In the astral, this can manifest as having two bodies represented at once. Or it can mean being active in the physical as a human while also being active in the astral.
“Astral Projection” is a full out-of-body experience. This can be incredibly hard to do and it takes training and practice. Astral projection is commonly misconstrued for astral travel as it was the most used term in the beginning when this path was being talked about. However, it is important to distinguish as beginners can feel extremely overwhelmed thinking all of their travel needs to be a complete out of body experience. This is not true. Most astral travel will be while you are fully conscious.
"Meta” short for metaphysical this is a term that encompasses anything spiritual, magical, or otherworldly.
“Vessel” an object that a spirit is bound to to help them manifest in the physical.
"Binding" a magical connection between a spirit and an item typically called a "vessel" see above term.
“Unbound” A spirit who has not been bound to a vessel. We personally do not follow this ideal.
"Possession" when a spirit, or force, takes control of your body, or a part of your body. This can be inherently dangerous and is not suggested for beginners. It takes careful planning, warding, and rituals to do so safely and even then most practiced spirit workers will refuse to allow possession.
”Partial Possession" this is where a Spirit, or force, only takes possession of a portion of your body instead of a full take over.
"Channeling" a form of partial possession where a spirit, or force, will take control of your methods of communication to convey their meaning and/or words. This can be automatic writing where they take control of your hands to write their messages or even a channeled typed or spoken message. Channeling is a form of partial possession and it is common to have varied or no memory of what was said after the session is closed. It is also potentially dangerous and not suggested for beginners and only safe with a spirit you completely trust. Channeling is not the same as typical hearing.
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“Hard Polytheism” Polytheism is on a scale of hard to soft. Hard polytheism would be those who believe all Gods are completely separate and do not have any cross over or connect to other Gods in other pantheons. An example would be Christianity.
“Soft Polytheism” on the other hand soft polytheists believe that all gods are archetypes and mix and mingle and connect together. An example of this is Wicca. Most people will fall on a sliding scale of these two ideals. There is no one true answer it is up to you to decide for yourself.
“Closed Religion” is a religion that requires either initiation or for you to have been born into that religion or culture to be able to use its teachings and methods. Closed religions can be closed for a multitude of reasons key among them being they require teaching to fully access and understand. People will also just say “closed” as in ‘that practice is closed.’ Or they may say a culture is closed. Examples of closed practices are smudging (instead use smoke cleanse as smudging is a sacred ritual only taught by First Nations peoples), African Traditional Religions, Hoodoo, and an example of an initiatory practices is Santaria. When it comes to these cultures please respect those involved in them and do you research as to why they are closed and how.
“Path/Pathwork” is the journey you take while walking your spiritual path. This can mean anything from your paradigm, more on this later, or even just the spiritual aspect of your spirit work. Common paths are death Work, Witchcraft, Angelic Work, Demonic Work ect. This term will be different person to person. Pathwork is the work you take on to further that journey.
“Paradigm” is synonymous with path. People will use it to describe the current foundational ideals of their theology or interpretation of experiences. A paradigm can be your own ideals on how things work or they can follow a set traditional paradigm or even be a mix of all of the above. Common traditional paradigms are Christianity, Satanism, Demonology, Wiccan, Light Workers, or the Left Hand Path. Paradigm can be an umbrella for religious and spiritual as well as interpretation of any ideals on the other world.
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"Gnosis" Defined literally, gnosis comes from the Greek word for knowledge. In modern times, it often refers specifically to knowledge of spiritual things, such as deities, the astral, or the path to salvation. Sometimes gnosis can come from mythology and lore about religions or paths, but what is written is not always what is considered fully accurate by those seeking spiritual truths. It is always important to practice discernment when trying to determine gnosis.
"UPG" This term stands for “unverifiable personal gnosis.” It refers to things that you may learn about your spiritual practice, and things about deities that cannot be backed up in any specific source, scholarly or otherwise. While the word unverifiable is mentioned, it’s important to remember that due to the subjective nature of spiritual experiences, there is no such thing as “verified personal gnosis.” We can only do our best to discern as correctly as possible that what we are experiencing is true.
"SPG" This term stands for “shared personal gnosis.” This means UPG that you share with a friend or small community that had similar experiences. This does not necessarily verify the gnosis, and it’s entirely possible and acceptable to realize that not all of your SPG is accurate later, and that it needs to be revised.
”Spirit Keeping" The spirit work community has always consisted of a smaller niche within pagan spaces. The term spirit keeping comes from an early branch of the community, and refers to the practice of attaching spirits (or entities as they are sometimes also called) to vessels, and “keeping” them with you. The group of spirits is referred to as a “keep.” It is a term that’s still used in many spirit work communities, but is also controversial since some believe it conjures images of zookeeping, and treating spirits like objects or animals. The term spirit companionship was coined to address these issues, but many people use these terms interchangeably, depending on personal preference.
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Evening Star Spirits Terminology
Our terms are available for use outside of our spaces. We just ask that Evening Star Spirits be credited when able. These specific definitions are copyrighted to Evening Star Spirits.
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"Focus" is an item that your spirit companion has chosen to use as a connective item for our world to theirs. They can add any magical layers they wish to this item, and we do not bind them to this object. It is wholly theirs to do with as they will, and we only guide them on how to create this bridge if needed.
We want this piece to be a place for them to connect to you, and if our energy is in the way it can hamper that connection. Some spirits will use these items as a place for wards or other protective aspects, but it is up to them how they claim it. We believe the most authentic connection is the one between you and your spirit, and our job is to vet them for safety. If a spirit cannot be trusted to create their own binding free of our magic, they do not pass our vetting.
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“Bonds/Bond Work” is a path followed by some of our conjurers and is a method we use to conjure and connect spirits to companions. Bonds are energetic connections that connect us to those around us and can show the nature of the relationship, past or present, with that person.
Common Spirit Species
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NOTE: While we have done our best to define these spirit species as concisely as possible, it can be difficult to do so in a way that includes all entities under that name and exclude all others that aren't. This is especially true for the definitions of demons and angels, as these are broad categories. Keep in mind that while these are our definitions, certain aspects of them may not match other traditions.
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Demons
While “demon” is a widely used term across human civilizations, in modern-day spiritual spaces it most often refers to spirits with a type of dark energy that may sometimes overlap with the Christian definition of evil, but not always.
Demonic energy tends to be heavier than other energies and can feel predatory or primal. It often tends to favor hierarchy, and some sources can be aggressive to those not aligned or who aren’t used to it. While demonic energy is a dominant energy, when mixing with others it can interact well with other aspects such as draconic, earthen, or even some forms of divine or void.
Western human culture usually considers demons to be “evil,” and to our metric some are, but their own moralities are often as complex as our own with just as many rules. The realms that demons inhabit are often closer to the human realm than others, which can mean that even simple things like technology can be mirrored across realms. These realms and communities can have many differences in appearance, magical ability, and more, and are largely considered under the same umbrella as long as they have the same energetic type.
Incubus, Succubus, Ubi
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Under the demonic umbrella, ubi are a specific sub-sect of demonic spirits that require sexual energy to survive. They feed on the energy released during sexual acts, and as such are rather adept at emotional or romantic situations.
Their view on sexuality is unique, as to them it is just a normal fact of life just as mundane as going to the store to purchase a sandwich. Because of their method of feeding, they tend to be emotionally adept and understand connections on a deeper level than others might.
Ubi is the plural term. Incubi/Incubus will usually mean those who identify with male pronouns and succubi/succubus will mean those who prefer female. Gender can be fluid with ubi, and it’s best not to label them unless they do so themselves.
Ubi is a broad-spectrum term and can refer to a range of different species and cultures. While ubi spirits tend to be open to polyamorous relationships, there are those that are more comfortable being with one, or even two, closely bonded people. Just because they require sexual energy to survive does not mean they need to touch others to feed. They can feed from sexual activity near them as well as activities they are involved in. The relationships, friendships, and connections you make with an individual ubi spirit will be unique to that relationship alone.
Angel
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The word angel comes from the Greek phrase “angelos” which means messenger. Originally it refers to a specific form of being in some Abrahamic religions, but not all.
In modern times, people consider Cherubs, Seraphs, and Archangels as types of angels, but originally it only meant the lowest rung of that hierarchy. These angels are characterized by their connection to the Abrahamic God and function as intermediaries between the their God and humanity.
Nowadays, imagery of angels borrows heavily from that of daimons/daemons in Greek art, as humans with feathered wings. Outside of the Abrahamic religions, angels exist as messengers or religious leaders for other deities. Their function as messengers for a wider deity or religious path is distinctive in what separates an “angel” from another kind of winged spirit.
As a species, angels are incredibly diverse in energy, appearance, and physicality, but they are all defined by their connection to some form of divinity. They can make excellent friends, companions, or romantic partners, but they can also be terrifying.
Daemon, Daimon, Eudaimon
Contrary to what many today think, despite sharing an etymological root, daemon is not a synonym for demon. Daemons were considered to be lesser deities in Ancient Greek mythos, and had a specific domain or location they were attached to. While not an exact analogy, a good comparison is how Kami function in Shinto.
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“Good” Daemons were called Eudaemons and they were either guardians or intermediaries of greater gods. Those who had malevolent intentions or hated humans were called Cacodaemons. It is believed that this is where the modern Christian idea of “demons” originated, but they are not the same. Agathodaemon were spirits of agriculture and fertility, but could also be house spirits or local guardians.
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There are also many other categories that belong to specific domains like the Underworld or the Sea, or emotions or other aspects of life.
Well known examples of Daemons are Eris, Deimos, Eros, Hypnos, Thanatos, and more.
Vampire
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There are two distinct feeding types of vampires, and those are psychic and sanguine. Psychic vampires feed off of emotions, and sanguine vampires feed off of blood.
While psychic vampires are often feared by modern humans because of the belief that they always leave a person drained and exhausted. While some may feed to glut to this extent, most find it wasteful and cruel and do not do this. Regardless of the method of feeding, they have a similar feel to their energy and can be quite charismatic. They do come with a predatory edge and can be quite intimidating to humans.
Fae
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In human mythology, Fae originates from the British Isles and is often associated with ‘Celtic’ cultures. However, they can appear all over the globe depending on culture and type, and there are many realms belonging to Fae on astral planes.
There are many different types of Fae, ranging from animal spirits with a specific energetic focus, to terrifying humanoids with a thirst for blood. They are well-versed in glamour magic and usually follow some sort of favor system to keep their grudges in check.
One must be careful when saying “thank you”, “please”, or other such phrases, as it can and will be seen as an admittance of owing a favor. Once a favor is owed, a bond is created until it is repaid, whereupon the bond vanishes. Any gifts given to them should be given with a verbal “freely given” to show friendship and that you will not hold them to repaying you.
Faery energy tends to hide, shift, and slide with the energies around it, creating little pools of liminal energy. It can be hard to sense unless you know what you’re looking for, and they can even hide in pockets between worlds. Faery energy and draconic energy often mix well together, but faery energy can also mix with many other energy types as well.
They can be quite close to their emotions, and feel them rather strongly. It is for this reason that one should avoid angering a fae, but they also feel intense joy and love. Fae keep their true names hidden, as it can be used as a taglock to enact magic against them. Because of this, they collect nicknames and are quick to adopt any names given to them, even in jest.
Animal Spirits
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As the name suggests, they are spirits with the forms of animals. While they resemble their earthen counterparts such as bears, cats, hounds, horses, and others, they can often communicate with sentience. The ones that can communicate as such, either verbally or telepathically, should be treated with as much respect as any human-like spirit, as they are just as intelligent or more. It is important to respect the autonomy of animal spirits, even more than you would an earthen animal because they are capable of communicating their boundaries and often have the magic to enforce them. Some have more magic than others, such as hellhounds, hellcats, and animal elementals. They are different from shifters or weres, as they do not have a humanoid form and are true animals. They often communicate with images, body language, feelings, and sensations, as well as or instead of words.
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Dragons
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One of the most powerful and intelligent types of spirits, dragons toe the line between civility and primality and are in touch with both sides of their nature.
Their magic is utterly unique, and some aspects of their magic are unable to be taught to anyone who is not a dragon. Their energy melds well with whatever energy the dragon is habituated to, leading to a wide variety of cultures and races. Most elemental or energetic connections have a draconic subsect.
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They are an incredibly proud species, and some are even worshiped as gods. Their cultures are rich and full of political squabbles, war, incredible works of art, and more. While many can transform into humanoid forms, they do not consider themselves shifters as they always have a dragon soul and learn these forms via magic.
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There are some forms of dragons that are bestial, as dragons come in all kinds, but a majority of draconic species are very intelligent.
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As a rule, dragons tend to appear patient as their lives are extremely long. This longevity can affect their approach to challenges, as they’ll often choose to sit and wait to see the outcome. However, once a dragon does reach a decision, they tend to act on it quickly.
Shifters
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Unlike werewolves (and other animals) that are cursed to take a monstrous shape either temporarily or permanently, shifters can take a different form whenever they like and are born this way. This can be either one form or many and largely depends on each individual community.
Like dragons they tend to rely on their more primal instincts and the aspects of their animal will present even when they are in a more human form. Wolf shifters being sensitive to scent or having incredible hearing. On the other hand, cat shifters may intermittently vanish without explanation only to reappear after a few days, nonchalantly disregarding their mysterious absence. Shifters possess intricate cultures and individual perspectives, but they also uphold a harmonious balance between their human and animal selves, allowing both aspects to flourish.
Djinn
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Also spelled jinn or djinni, they are a species of formless elemental beings that appear in many Arabic mythologies as well as Islam.
They are an incredibly varied species, that range from mindless gusts of wind to complex individuals like humans. In some texts, they are said to have free will, and can even adhere to religions like Islam, older Abrahamic religions, and even Christianity.
Their moralities are as varied as those of humans, spanning from great evil to great good, and they have substantial magical power. They often take the form of dust storms or “smokeless fire,” but can still be trapped and forced to perform magic for humans. Because of this, many hold strong resentment toward humanity.
Yokai
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While Yokai can be compared to demons and fae, they are a class of their own with a unique energetic signature. They exclusively come from Japan or associated astral realms, and are also distinct from the yaoguai of China and the dokkaebi of Korea.
Even when yokai, yaoguai, and dokkebi have superficial similarities, such as the existence of a nine-tailed fox spirit or dragons, they all have different ways of presentation.
Yokai are a diverse species that can take the form of just about everything, including ordinary humans and inanimate objects. Some yokai are kind and seek to help humans wherever they can, while others hunt humanity specifically and are the source of many ghost stories.
