I've been very confused lately and unsure of where to go or who to turn to.

Most of the people that i know and that work with the metaphysical and paranormal tell me that spirit keeping is a bad idea and that I should avoid it at all costs.

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"Why would you want to keep spirits?"

I just want a friend and mentor to help me develop and guide me. The people in my life are often so busy and I feel like the things I ask them are stupid. I want to believe that a spirit wont judge me harshly and can help me to be a better person.
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"Can't you work with the ones already around you?"

I am naive and want to see the best in everyone and everything. I am also very inexperienced. I want to be certain I'm working with something positive and not something thats going form a negative attatchment and later harm or kill me. I also want to be sure that I'm working with something non-deceptive.

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I have some worries about a lot of things.

For one, a trusted guide came to my a friend of my cousin (who was unaware that I had placed an order and that I was trying to meditate to connect to a male concuan) and told her to pass the message on to me of "She knows they can kill her, right? They don't seem like it, but they can. Whatever she is trying to connect to isn't for her"

This scares the hell out of me, yet there is some sort of inner calmness I feel about it too. Maybe I was in contact with something else entirely that was acting as one. This all seems so scary and I feel like I can't find answers anywhere.

I REALLY want to spirit keep, or entity keep, and I keep getting drawn back here even after leaving several times, the strongest being around halloween.

I am worried that, again, I'm opening a door that I want to keep shut, and that If I decide to spirit keep, it will be detrimental to my health and my life. That it could kill me or really mess me up, even with white arts spirits. I'm worried that even if I keep white arts spirits and entities that I am opening myself up to attack from malicious spirits or coming "on the radar" of monstrous other things that would have regularly passed me over.

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This also raises questions about my path, as it feels as though I've lost sight of where i am going entirely.

I started with the metaphysical, gemstone collecting, when I was 14, however I collected rocks like granite and shale long beforehand. When I was 17 I started practicing Wicca and my own forms of Magick. This are still confusing on that path and I often feel unfufilled even when helping others or doing spells. Most of the time it is fun, but it is hard to find things to do within it as I don't have a book of spells or a grimoire and I want to make sure that the spells I do will not harm anyone, even with unexpected side effects. Around this age I also made my first wand from female parts willow wood with tangerine quartz (the strongest wand I've ever had), and got my first tarot deck and set of runes.

Back then I used spells to help friends and keep myself physically safe from my stepdad and it came so easy to me.

at 18 I started reading Tea and collecting herbs for spells, mostly sendoffs for my rats that passed away or were close to passing. I remember one thing I did was i got some paper and wrote a letter to my rat, then put rosemary, rose petals, and rose and rosemary oil on it, rolled it up, and burned it like incense with the intent of love surrounding her as she passed and that she knew she was loved and not alone.

At 19 I started with sigil magick. Just writing sigils and burning them.

But then I ended up living with my grandparents when my mom and stepdad split and my mom moved states with my sisters. Whatever power and motivation I had in my old house felt muffled, like pills in a bottle with cotton in.

Ergot, I came to a dead end on my path in the woods and come to a clearing and I have no idea which way to go.

I've been strongly told that I need to be using my natural animal communication skills and empath abilities but I have no idea how to develop or use them conciously. Just like I have no clue how to psychically and emotionally protect myself. Heck I wasnt even aware I had anything special until a few months ago... I just thought everyone felt the way I did.

I can't find classes in my area and with the online classes, who can you trust to teach out and not spout crap? And I can't find spirit keepers in my area to talk face to face with either and find out if this is for me.

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Originally I was drawn to spirit keeping when I had been searching for protection magick. I read a spell online (that I have yet to find again) that talked about summoning a hell hound and binding it to your Athame as a protector. All i remember is that it had to do with graveyard dirt as well. I had pondered on it a long while and decided not to do it for two reasons: I didnt have an athame, and I didnt want anything that could be demonic.

Later in life,at about 19, I thought of that spell again when my stepdad had to stay with my grandparents and I for a week. I really flipped out and was ready to take drastic measures to keep myself safe from him. I couldn't find the spell after days of searching, but instead found myself here at creepy hollows.
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Creepy Hollows is very thorough and understanding, however part of me wonders how much is true. I'm not talking in the spirit sense but rather in the "How do I know that this can't hurt me" sense. I can't find any other paranormal shop or spirit keeping shop at all. period. So I can't see other practitioner's answers to questions either, making this site my only source.
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I'm hoping you guys can weigh in and talk, maybe ask me questions to help me figure out where to go, or perhaps weigh in with your own experiences, thoughts, or stories. I really don't know if this is for me, and I have been told a couple of times that being drawn to this site could be a false draw, like something bad drawing me in when I'm not ready to handle it. For all I know, I could be meant to spirit keep in the future but just not now, or perhaps im not meant to at all. I wish I had the answers, especially if this is on the path I need to go down and I wish I knew what to do without getting myself neck-deep in tar.

Difficult questions firefly. Good questions, but difficult.

Let's start with something easier to answer.
forum8.html
This is a section of the forum for seller reviews. Here you'll find a tonne of different metaphysical sellers that deal in a wide variety of specialities.

I understand the confusion part. Feel like I'm in a somewhat similar situation myself with the "where/what way to go next"...for myself I was introduced to CH after connecting with "something" very powerful while defending some people in a metaphysical way. I dived right in, and aside from a string of bad luck that lasted for a little while (a potential warned of when you get a hellhound) I can't particularly say I've experienced any real negatives.

The friend you mention who warned you is right to an extent. There are some very powerful and negative beings in the meta verse, just as you'll find in humankind itself. To taint them all with that brush however...

As for if spirit keeping is right for you...ultimately it's something you'll have to decide for yourself. Going into this negative or fearful will undoubtedly create blockages that will make connections difficult regardless. If it's something you don't feel ready for yet...what else can be said?
Read the forum, chat and ask questions of the members, consider why you would be interested in spirit keeping, spend time looking thru the listings and see if anything calls to you (and why it may do so), even consider doing what I've recently done and get some readings to try and get some clarity on your next steps. As I said above, your friend may have some points...but it is a *very* big universe/meta verse/words out there, and "there is more then is dreamt of in your philosophy".
Everyone has their path, after all

I'm not sure if I can give you any relevant answers, but I can at least give you a glimpse at my own story...

A year and something ago I was bored and somehow desperate not seeing anything happen in my life. I just started playing with magic for no real reason, just to see something happen. And something really happened. I got attacked by some unknown being at night, got hurt pretty seriously physically (I almost broke my neck) while practicing martial arts and possibly even got a feeder attached to myself...
It really got me scared and while looking for some ways to get out of it, I discovered CH.

At first I tried some of the banishing spells listed in the encyclopedia and ever since then I believe the feeder is gone and the being that attacked me never returned. And before I knew anything, I was a keeper of absolutely wonderful unicorn spirit D. She's a total sweetheart and I'm 100% sure she saved my life at least once. (She warned me, so I was able to avoid car crash with a truck)

Now, a year later I'm a keeper of 6 spirits (mixed WA and DA) and an entity. I haven't noticed any negative impact on my life, besides occasional headaches (DA adjustment time) and slight exhaustion, but I have very demanding job, so it just might be caused by that. There was no "bad luck" so far (well, not more then before), no unpleasant night visitors, and even not a single nightmare (I had those occasionally before my first spirit came.)

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And as far as the "friend's warning" goes, perhaps it just meant the concuan is not the right one for you at the moment, or it just isn't the right time to get a spirit. You seem to be really concerned about your protection against both metaphysical and physical threats- and I believe a Unicorn would be a great spirit to start with, if you ever choose to. They are very friendly and protective. Or a Volkh- that's a dedicated protector and even though I don't have one, I've read all positive about them (I'll be getting one myself eventualy.)

I can only advocate for what was said above, but allow me to also sprinkle some healthy seeds of warning. Spirit Keeping isn't a walk in the part, there's a lot of ups and downs spiritually, emotionally, and even physically. There will be times where you'll angrily push aside a Vessel, or ignore a Spirit, or get scammed by one of many sellers who are more than happy to look at the money you put into their work over double checking the actual work they provide. There is rumors. There is lies. There is miscommunications that will be made, and they will be made multiple times - especially within your first year.

Yet, underneath all of that...there is a real beauty to working with spirits. There is a sense of wisdom and understanding and assurance that - for me - no other spiritual path can give. Everything from mental strength to sudden Astral adventures would be closer than it otherwise would have been if you were alone. The spirits who step forth, wanting to find a Human friend just as much as you want to find a Spirit friend, genuinely want the best for you. Better yet, the Spirit Keeping community for all its horror stories, does have some astonishingly good people. Practitioner or otherwise. People who, after you've hit a rough spot in your path will be more than happy to sit in that spot with you until your ready to walk again. People who encourage the good, fight off the bad, and tell you like it is - should you be willing to hear it.

I can't go into this thread and tell you that your fears are invalid. What I can tell you, is that some myths are true and some are not. Just like some Spirit Keeping stores are real, and some are not. Some practitioners speak from the heart, and some do not. Some spirits wish to befriend, and some do not. It is not so different from our every day life, right?

If you are afraid of Spirits or Beings trying to do some despicable thing like taking your soul, here is a quote from the left hand priestess Akelta (also a well regarded meta seller, basically the CH of demonics) about the "selling your soul" myth:

There is this concept that has been big throughout history on selling souls to demons in exchange for favours. This is a fear tactic that was spun by Abrahamic paths to paint demons as evil and sinister creature who would temp you for a high cost. There are pacts that can be made with demons, but this is more like a working contract, where you request something from the demon in return for services. The most I have ever been asked for from a Demon is a construction of an altar or honouring them in a way that is special to them.

I have never been asked for my soul. That concept is wrong. Why would a demon or any spiritual being want your soul? What would they do with it? Maybe there is one demon out there who has a collection of souls on display in his home, but they really have no use for souls.

They are Divine beings themselves, Dark Divine beings and the goal of any divine being is empowerment and awakening, not restriction and containment. The goal with working with demons and walking any Left Hand Path is to free yourself from the restrictions and limitations of the world and allow yourself to be free of the programming and influence this world places on you and allows you to uncover who you are at your core. The whole premise of the Left Hand Path is freedom and embracing freedom of the self. Demons help guide us on this journey, they would not take our soul because that would be another imprisonment when what they want is to guide us and show us how to be free.

Here is a quote from a highly regarded left hand practitioner (EA Koetting) on the same topic:

None of these demons, none of these devils, none of these spirits that you can interact with want your soul. They don't care about your soul. Think about what that statement actually would mean, "to sell your soul". Your soul, being a fragment or the holographic piece of the eternal - of the all - it's not yours to sell and it's nobody else's to buy.

I cannot direct you to other sellers webpages as it's against board rules, but if you dig through the review section you're likely to find links to said sites. A word of warning though --- every seller works differently, and there's no way to tell if what one seller does will work for you or if there information holds true for you. In the end, this is your journey. It's up to you to grab ahold of your personal truth, grab it by the throat, and run with it.

Ferro wrote:I believe a Unicorn would be a great spirit to start with, if you ever choose to. They are very friendly and protective. Or a Volkh- that's a dedicated protector and even though I don't have one, I've read all positive about them (I'll be getting one myself eventualy.)

Allow me to make a recommendation for a Courtwind Angel, if I may. They're highly protective white arts angels that seem to be one of the most well regarded protection based beings. If you want to work with a Spirit, and have worked with your own Angel's before, this spirit might be a good first step for you if you're just wanting to dip a toe in the water and explore slightly while still having ample protection.

Muse wrote:Allow me to make a recommendation for a Courtwind Angel, if I may...

Of course my post was just a recommendation. There are many more spirits one can begin with. I just happen to have a great affinity towards creature-type spirits, rather then human, vampires, elfs, angels etc. There are as many paths, as there are spirit keepers and it is up to everyone to choose, what suits them best

@ Ferro

A unicorn certainly sounds nice. Back when i first started and was going to go "overboard" with spirits, i was thinking of seeing if I could get a triple binding to share with my sisters. Basically a trio of unicorns bound to me, until they were old enough to decide if they wanted to keep, but still have one assigned to protect them and keep them safe through me.

I feel really drawn to Arkan Sonney, Pheonix, and dragons, though, as with other animal-esque spirits. I don't want to say creatures, because there are still some humanoids in the creatures area. What spirits do you all have? or rather what kind?

I feel like there is an Arkan sonney calling tome because I get little "images" in my head of kissing piggy feet (like as if the pig is laying on my bed and I'm giving it a tummy rub, much like if you've ever kissed a pet dogs feet in a cute way) and laughing and feeling a little warm and tingly in my heart.

I feel like it is a certain prebound in the store as the name also makes me smile. I have a lot of trouble trusting my intuition though and know if its that or not, becausre my intuition isn't very strong. At least i dont think it is. It's just simply "Hmmm, I think i should do that" rather than a strong feeling. It makes things confusing.

@ Muse I don't have a desire to work with demons at all really. Even if your soul isn't on the market... I still feel like they could really hurt you if given the chance. In fact there are only a couple DA entities I have even considered in the past two of which being the Chalmas Dragon, Farfy, and the Catoblepas. But as I continue to grow and change, I feel myself changing my alignment closer to white arts. I'm not cynical like i used to be, less stubborn, and a lot less angry about a lot of things, though I am still angry. I also dont emotionally hurt as much. But instead now I have a lot of panic and fear and anxiety-based problems even though i am a lot more positive and happy.

I also dont have much desire to work with angels. I'm drawn more to animals.

@ Soltari

Honestly I don't know if it is right for me. It feels like something I should do, but I'm also worried about it. Then again, I'm practically worried about everything. I also get really panicky after placing an order. I have tried twice now to order a spirit. The only other order i did ( and completed) was the "Which spirit could benefit you most at this point in time" reading.

Spirit 1: DARK ARTS, FARFY
Spirit 2: CREATURE, ALYA
Spirit 3: DARK ARTS, LESHII
Spirit 4: DRAGON, PERSIAN
Spirit 5: FAERY, GARDEN

Honestly this had shocked me (got this halloween of last year). I mean I think a farfy would be a cute and loyal companion. AS for Alya and Garden faery i dont have much desire to work with either. A persian dragon? Maybe. I don't feel especially drawn to it.

What blew me away was the Leshii. I couldn't ever see myself owning or working with one. Although my personality would line up with it (protector of forests and forest creatures) I just had a hard time with knowing that they would lure women into the woods and make them their wives. That just didnt sit right with me.

I kind of want to stay away from dark arts spirits. I feel like it would be too much, even though I would like to work with a farfy one day.

In the end, Spirit Keeping is a very personal choice and path. I keep a very good mix of White and Dark Arts spirits. Dragons, Succubae, a couple of Elves, Fae, Ancestors from In my Blood Readings, and even a Catoblepas and a Hellhound. Several others as well. And that does not count the living entity bindings, some of whom are additional protectors, guides and confidants.

All of them have been wonderful guides, protectors, and companions. Some are very active and constant friends. Some are very much silent guardians or observers. Some are adamant and moody teachers. Some want to work with my personal life goals. Others want to work with my spiritual goals. Some of them come from my past lives and have helped me learn some amazing things about myself. (Due to some of that I've actually found the meaning of my life here and my true self's purpose with all of these lives. This is probably the single most important life I've experienced, if only because I have had the blessing and open mind to see what it is my true purpose is. But I digress...)

If you're going to keep a spirit, whether White Arts or Dark Arts, the first thing on your mind should be protection. Learn to banish, shield, ground. You have a background with spells. Use armor spells, wards, and shields to protect yourself from malevolent spirits and magic.

Other than that, use an absolutely trusted and experienced practitioner. The seller review section has several, but of note are Creepy Hollows and Mystic Morning Treasures. These are the only two that I've worked with other than S&S, but you are not interested in demon or imp companions so S&S would not be up your ally at the moment. They do offer a few other creatures like hellhounds and hell cats and I think even a few angels too, though. If nothing else they have a perspective and wealth of information in their listings, blogs and encyclopedia that is great knowledge to simply expose yourself to.

Your friend is correct to be careful about spirits, but one thing to be very clear about is a trusted practitioner is not going to conjure and bind anything harmful or that has intent to hurt you. In addition, depending on the binding process, it is actually very difficult for anyone to properly "read" your spirit, if they even detect them at all, especially if any Cloaking or other protections are placed in the binding. Also, your spirit companions are not likely to just let anyone see them, let alone reveal their true selves to others, especially if they are intent on protecting you from "prying eyes". I mean, a Hellhound is not going to make itself into a friendly puppy when they detect someone trying to spy on you or the spirits around you.

In the end... trust your instincts. Do what feels right to you. Do what you feel called to do. No one else can verify or tell you what is or isn't a true calling, even through a reading. You have to learn to trust your instincts. That's something that you have to decide for yourself.

Before I reply firefly, I just wanted to thank Muse for her post. Very insightful with much to ponder on. Certainly have had some ups and downs on this path - little to do with the spirits, and much to do with myself.

Had that reading done myself recently. One that shocked me was Bronwyn angel. Was never drawn to working with angels - but after looking at the listings, feeling a call from a prebound, and contemplating what my aversion was I've realised it has much to do with my views of Christianity, and little to do with the spirits themselves. Similar with Fae creatures - my first two bindings were "open" customs with CH, whatever came thru first. When a waif fairy was one you could have knocked me over with a feather! But as a close friend who knew what I was doing said (and knew I was expecting more "dark arts" style) "Perhaps she is more who you need at the moment". And not only was she right, but "T" has been an absolute boon to have connected to. Perhaps a "big scary" guardian of forest and animals is something you could use in your life....and like the reading says, "These are the best companions for your journey right now and bring the most enhancement to your life".

You keep being drawn back here firefly...maybe that alone should tell you something. Nothing wrong with a little bit of healthy fear - that insures we remember to grab a parachute when we go skydiving

Soltari wrote:Before I reply firefly, I just wanted to thank Muse for her post. Very insightful with much to ponder on. Certainly have had some ups and downs on this path - little to do with the spirits, and much to do with myself.

No problem, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm pretty sure all Spirit keepers fall into their personal dark pit when they begin their journey. It's a tough road, and sometimes the way out isn't towards what we percieve to be the light, but towards deeper still. Inward and into ourselves, our darkest depths. It is there that we find our truth, and it's also there, that we're able to connect with things we otherwise wouldn't have.

[quote="Regholdain"
If you're going to keep a spirit, whether White Arts or Dark Arts, the first thing on your mind should be protection. Learn to banish, shield, ground. You have a background with spells. Use armor spells, wards, and shields to protect yourself from malevolent spirits and magic.

Other than that, use an absolutely trusted and experienced practitioner. [/quote]

In response to these little snip-bits of your post:

Do you have a place that you could reccommend for protection spells for me to cast myself (not like bound spells). I used to have a real knack for finding what i was looking for on free spell sites. i think it was called like spells of magic or something. But tnow theres so many that are just made up and not tested or that are like "Never tried it" or "Let me know if it works." nowadays its hard to find anything. I also never kept a grimoire before because I didnt want anyone to know that I was practicing when i started. The only spell i off-hand remember was for a good luck charm. I had cast and "uncast" that spell loads of times as the object I wanted enchanted was constantly changing. With the spell there was a way to release the energy as well, but i cant remember that either. I've never worked with armor or wards, but i have worked with banishing people from my life, so long as they were going to behave maliciously toward me. I tweaked a spell to use black salt instead of white, so that it would have more of a banishing effect. I even cast this particular one on a full moon and he hasn't been back into my life since.

I've been working on grounding a lot, and its slowly getting easier. I have a lot wrong with my root chakra, I believe, anyway. Just a lot of the problems i have align with that chakra being out of wack. The way i visualized this problem was like a sound wave picture of someone tapping on a microphone. the flat line being inactive and the spikes being overactive.

Heres a question. besides reviews, how do you know if you can trust a practitioner. CH i feel is trustworthy, but yet I dont know that from experience, which also makes me a little leery.


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Here's a question for those of you who keep DA spirits. What kind of side-effects have you personally experienced? How long did they take to go away? Did they go away? Is it just headaches and nightmares or can it be more. Are these side-effects unintentional and do they always happen?

And in more general questions:

Is there a way to know what strength/class of binding you would need? Like i'm very energetically sensitive but also very not. Like if there was a spirit here, I wouldn't know unless it was moving stuff around or pushing me or harming me. Yet when there is a lot of energy or if there are a lot of spirits or a few, "strong" spirits around I get physically ill, yet i don't know what the spirit is or could be or why it is there or where it is. It's like i kind of know but I also have no clarity. Is there a way to improve on this or to know if I need a weaker binding that class IV or if I should go with a Dynamic spirit?