Communicating with Spirit Guides

How to Talk to Spirits: Mediumship and Psychic Connection

A common misconception when it comes to the topic of talking to spirits is that it’s an innate ability you have to be born with rather than something you can learn. Historically, only those who have had the ability since childhood, passed down from generation to generation, were believed to have this skill.

Well, we’re here to tell you that it’s not true. In fact, almost anyone can learn what it takes to connect and communicate with spirits. Now, we can’t guarantee that you’ll be the next Lorraine Warren, and certainly having an instinctive ability to sense other-worldly presences is helpful, but with a sprinkle of patience, a handful of practice, and a desire to give it a go, you can build a connection that works both ways.

So, if you’ve ever wanted to channel spirit messages then you’re in the right place. We’re going to take you through how to set yourself up before connecting, what to do when you feel like you’ve made a connection, what sort of questions to ask, and how to end the connection.

We’d love to hear your experiences of connecting and talking to spirits, so make sure to leave us a comment down below!

Setting Yourself Up

If you’ve never even thought about connecting with spirits before then it’s important to do some research (which is what you’re doing now!) and get yourself safely set up to reach out.

This isn’t something to be messed around with. Whether you believe it or not, there is the potential for connections to go badly wrong – you could welcome in dark energy or connect with unsavory characters, so you want to be protected before you get going.

Crystals for Protection

Crystals are a great way to give yourself protection. The crystal peridot is protective and helpful to balance the energy and emotions in a person or room. This is particularly good if the spirits you are connecting with are carrying a lot of emotion – you don’t want this to absorb into yours – so keep a piece of peridot on you at all times.

Many of the black crystals – shungite, obsidian, and onyx – are highly protective and really good choices for spirit work. Shungite, in particular, is known for actively rejecting negative energy, so it is perfect to wear on your person or hold in your hand. It’s also a good idea to keep a few pieces around your house if this is where you’re doing your spirit work.

Black tourmaline, another of the black stones, is also protective. As well as being protective, it also has very grounding energy. This is one to choose when you’ve finished connecting to bring you back to the present moment and back to Earth.

Spirits for Protection

Are There Angels in Wicca
Angels in Wicca

Calling in the protection of angels, deities, familiars, and spirit guides is also helpful here. Who you call on will depend on your personal practice and beliefs. Call on your familiar spirits and ask for their protection and guidance as you commune with other spirits. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

If you work with angels, Archangel Michael is incredibly protective. You can ask for him to be by your side when you begin opening the portals of communication.

If you work with deities, any deity you have a close relationship with should be able to offer you some form of protection. If you don’t work with deities, you may want to explore a relationship with Hekate, often called the Queen of Witches.

If you have a familiar spirit, you can ask them to help protect and guide you as you commune with spirits. Familiars are spirits that some witches have that help them with protection, guidance, and tasks in the spirit world.

Many people also believe in spirit guides. These are spirits that are attached to specific people whos sole responsibility is to guide the person in their life. If you know your spirit guides, feel free to call on them for protection and guidance as you commune with spirits.

Circles for Protection

Another option for protecting yourself during spirit communication sessions is to cast a circle. Many witches use circles for protection and energy containment during spells and rituals. You can also use a circle for protection and spirit containment during communication sessions.

How to Cast a Circle of Protection Wicca
How to Cast a Circle of Protection

Opening the Connection

In general, trying to connect with someone you’ve never met and don’t know that much about won’t be very successful. For example, trying to connect with Elvis Presley – even if you do know the title of every single song he’s released – isn’t going to be easy.

Instead, it’s much better to try connecting with someone you do know – a past loved one, for example. This is because you know much more about them – how they look, their quirks and features, their characteristics, and certain phrases or words they used. As such, it will be much easier for them to pass you a message.

Creating An Altar For Ancestors
Creating An Altar For Ancestors

Many people don’t recommend using tools like pendulums or Ouija boards to start with, as this can open up the channels too wide and allow all sorts of spirits to connect with you. Instead, simply focus on your breathing and your intention. This is what will create the pathway to connection.

Your intention should be somewhat focused – you want to clearly picture who it is you want to connect with. Think of it like trying to tune into a specific station on the radio. You might have to keep tweaking the antenna slightly to get a clear signal, but eventually, with enough patience and focus, you’ll create that connection.

What to ask? What to look out for?

Knowing what to ask isn’t as important as you may think. Oftentimes, especially to begin with, we’d recommend going in without any specific questions in mind because it will likely be difficult to fully understand the messages you’re receiving anyway.

To start with, simply sit and be with the spirit you’re connecting with. Let them show you what they feel is important and learn how to decipher the clues they’re giving.

Is this a sign?
Is this a sign?

Commonly, those who talk to spirits don’t actually ‘talk’ in the normal way of conversation. Instead, they may pick up on temperature changes, they may see an image of something specific flash across their mind’s eye, or they might smell or taste something.

We all have our own strengths when it comes to the ‘clairs’ – they are clairaudience (hearing things), clairvoyance (seeing things), clairsentience (sensing feelings and emotions), claircognizance (knowing things), clairalience or clairolfactance (smelling things), and clairgustance (tasting things).

Start noticing what changes you sense when you go on your journey of connecting with spirits because the messages may come through in unexpected ways. You might also notice messages coming through to you in your dreams.

Another common misconception is that spirits will only communicate with you when you’re trying to communicate with them (i.e. when you’re meditating), but it may not be the case. Take note of any particularly emotive or vivid dreams and start writing them down. If you begin to see repetitive patterns or messages emerging, this could be your spirit talking to you.

See also: Create a Book of Mirrors

Channeling and Communicating

There is a difference between connecting with and talking to spirits and channeling. Channeling is a process in which the person involved becomes whoever they are connecting with. Their voice and vocabulary may change, the way they move and their mannerisms may change, and mentally they will feel as though they are that person. They often remain somewhat conscious of the world around them, though not always.

There are many deniers of channeling (or mediumship in its entirety), but with the right intention and concentration, almost anyone could do it for themselves. Channeling is thought to be a more advanced practice but may be something that happens naturally for you. Just make sure to have lots of protective energy around you and clear boundaries to end the session.

Mexican-decorative-divider

Closing the connection and protecting your boundaries

To end your sessions, you must close off the connection and reset your boundaries. This isn’t because you wish to cut off your spirits, but you simply need to protect your energy. A cutting cords meditation would be a great thing to do to end a session, or even a simple chant or prayer thanking the spirit for their time and thanking your own guides and angels for being by your side.

Easy Banishing Spells for Negative Energy
Easy Banishing Spells for Negative Energy

For example, “I draw this connection to a close now. Thank you for communicating with me. Thank you, guides, for being with me and protecting me throughout this. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

If you created a circle for your spirit communication session, now would be the time to thank the spirits for coming, dismiss them, and then open your circle.

This will signify the end of the session and seal off any psychic bonds that may have been forged.

Finally…

Remember that connecting with spirits should be fulfilling and done for a reason. If you feel uneasy at any point, we recommend coming back to it and trying again later. It’s a delight to be able to connect with those who have passed on and with a bit of perseverance and practice you’ll be able to pick up on clues and signs in no time.

Enjoy developing and discovering which of your ‘clairs’ is strongest. Most often we each have one or two that we are more easily able to pick up messages with, so practice and look, listen, or feel for anything that feels just that bit different…it could be your message coming through.

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Dab a drop of Divination Oil on your forehead (between your eyebrows) to help open your Third Eye for meditation or divination work. This oil can also be used to anoint candles or for sigil work.

Get the Printable!

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You’ve probably heard about the Four Elements of Nature: Earth, Water, Fire and AirWiccans and other Neopagans also work their Magic with a fifth element called Spirit (also known as Akasha or Aether). But have you ever invoked an elemental being?

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4 Comments

  1. Cinnamon Castenir

    Hi, I am a new witch, but feel it has been my “calling” so to speak for longer than i can remember. I’ve had spirits try to connect with me and we have communicated through our thoughts. however, I always turned them away. It wasn’t in fear, but a path i wasn’t sure about. I am feeling more intrigued and comfortable now, but it also wasn’t something I was consciously seeking and it was just a natural occurrence, so, now that I am more confident I am just wondering what should I do next? Should I actively pursue or just be open to what may come my way. Thank you for any thoughts and advice.

    • Hello there Cinnamon! In cases like these, I think it is always important to trust your intuition and go slow. If you are lacking direction, I suggest being a bit more open to what may come first before jumping head first into actively pursuing a life of spirit communication. This way you can get an understanding for what you’re comfortable with and if it is the right decision for you.

  2. Nichole Landry

    I’m looking for a spell to bring back a dog I was pet sitting, that I know was being neglected,& abused. The “owner “ came back after 7 months, I thought to just visit, but she opened the door after we had a few choice words spoken and took the dog. I’m afraid she’s going to use her , over breed her. What can I do , is there a spell. That would help? Please , I know she is lost as I am….

    • That’s a terrible situation to be in, Nichole – I’m so sorry! I’m not sure of the laws in your area, but my first piece of advice would be to reach out to local law enforcement. You can also do an uncrossing or road opener spell to clear any obstacles in the path to bring the dog to safety. I wish you all the best!

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