Before you do anything else you must make some determinations about yourself. Are you someone who is best suited for spirits, enchanted vessels, or both? Are you open to white, dark or both?

What are the pros & cons of each for you? Make a list, it's an effective tool for figuring out what you really want. To start at the top of the list write a sentence, paragraph or keywords regarding what you are looking for in collecting; is there a specific purpose you want to fulfill or are you going to be a die-hard, paranormal collector?

Spirits often require a relationship between Keeper & Spirit. Relationships can be very rewarding for those who want an interactive lifestyle and want another being to actively participate in their life. Spirits manifest in many, many ways providing feedback, guidance, wisdom, companionship, powers & assistance. However, for someone who does not feel they have the time or does not want to make that kind of personal investment it may be better for them to take a path of enchantments & spells only. Spells & enchantments can often accomplish the same efforts as Spirits without the personal relationship. If you are someone who is an optimistic, uplifting, sweet personality it is unlikely you will feel a draw towards the Dark Arts.

The Dark Arts encompasses a far wider range of Spirits than White Arts because the term "Dark Arts" doesn't mean evil or forboding. It simply means a being that has the capability of deciding to be good or bad... just like you, me and any human. Many Dark Arts Spirits are helpful, generous, good beings that can provide a lot for you but they will have mood swings from time-to-time just as any human. You may at the least want to investigate having a Darks Arts Spirit such as Wraith for protection in your home since Wraiths are an extremely low-maintenance, keep-to-themselves sort of beings. However Dark Arts, even at its lightest, is not for everyone.

Another misconception is that if you are looking for Psychic Power, Wealth, Astral abilities, etc that one piece with the powers you want will fulfill your desires completely. That is not true. We collect multiple pieces of every aspect we want because each casting will have its own strengths & its own capabilities, especially when you are talking about different cultures in magic.

For an example if you have 2 different pieces both cast with Psychic Power spells they will work towards the same goal (Psychic Power) but they will go about it in different ways. Where one is weaker the other may be stronger and vice versa. It is because the spells used to enchant the piece will have their own strengths and will respond & behave differently than each other while still providing you your ultimate goal of gaining Psychic Power. Not to mention a Psychic Power piece with French spells will have its unique energies & responses to an African Psychic Power piece. You will find that in different situations that one amulet works better for you than another. It doesn't make one better or worse, it means that the more well-rounded collection you have the more you will experience, learn and grow.

This is the same for any enchanted piece whether it's for Good Luck, Wealth, Love, Healing, Divination, Astral Power, Magic, Cleansing, ANYTHING! We recommend at the bare bones having at least 3 pieces of each enchantment that you desire to work for you. They can be of varying classes or intensities and recommended to be of different cultures or genres of magic so you can experience all there is available to you. Of course the more you have of different aspects the more experiences and varying results you will have.

This works the same for keeping Spirits! All Angels aren't alike just as all Vampires, Dragons, Immortals, etc aren't all alike. They each have their own specialities, their own strengths and your experiences with each will be different, sometimes drastically different. You may find that you respond a lot better to one race of Spirit over another and that is not unusual. Many collectors find that they respond better to one over another and while they enjoy having varying races of Spirits around them the ones they are the closest to are those they find they have more intense relationships with. And it is not entirely unknown or impossible for you not to connect with a particular race of Spirit at all, that happens too. Use your best judgment when it comes to not connecting with a Spirit and before you give up make sure there isn't any other situation present that would prohibit you from making the connection, impatience is nary a virture in the world of the paranormal.

Dark magic vs White magic draws a far clearer line than Dark Arts Spirits vs White Arts Spirits. Dark magic is intended to absolve the person being cast upon of their free will, whereas White magic influences a person in a direction without absolving their free will. Dark magic is not easily cast and not always rewarding. Dark magic, even when cast with good cause, can affect your karma and the unseen, written record. While Dark magic may accomplish what you are set out to do it could also end up costing you a lot more than you intended to pay. If your Dark magic not only affects the person intended to be the recipient but also injures an innocent person in its wake you are held liable & responsible for the innocent party being injured. When Dark magic is not cast properly it can also come back on the initiator... which means even if you are not the caster but the one who requested it you are the source & you are the one who will receive the backlash.

If you insist on using Dark magic be sure you are doing so responsibly and working with a professional who knows what they are doing. White magic can often accomplish what you need done without the injury to your spirit & karma. It influences a person or situation with your desired outcome. It doesn't rob anyone of their free will and allows what you want to happen by shaping a path of destiny. Destiny is a like a large tree... it has a straight point from root to top but it has many branches along the way. When you influence something to happen it is like taking a detour onto a branch, ultimately you will be back on the straight line from the root to the top but in the mean time you are enjoying being "out on the limb" so to speak!

However when you start talking about Love spells or other spells that can affect not only your destiny but directly impact the destinies of others that is when you can see spell results start to vary drastically. Sometimes, no matter how much you want something to happen and no matter how many times you cast or how much money you pay for them to be cast, the spell will never have your desired result. In cases where a spell is cast to not only affect you but others as well we recommend that you have it cast or cast it yourself 3 times within a maximum of a 90-day window & see what results take place from those 3 castings within 30 days of the last casting. If absolutely no results occur do not continue to throw money at the situation, let it rest for awhile and try again at a later date. That may be hard to hear but sometimes it is not the lack of skill of a caster (that is why we recommend 3 castings perferably by 3 different casters even if you are 1 of the 3), sometimes it is just not going to happen. It can be a difficult situation when spellwork is entangling multiple lives at once. Overall and above all else use your best judgment. Really feel about a choice whether it is Spirits or Spells. Trust your intuition and if you feel you need some support truly seek out the community for answers too; sometimes a second or third opinion when you are having trouble can be a good thing.

Every single one of you is going to have your own unique path, no two are ever alike, so do not strictly go by someone else's results as indication of how your results will be with the same Spirit or Spell. We're here for you, the members of the forum are here for you and so are many other practitioners & collectors worldwide!

Having a healthy, well-rounded collection can really make a big difference for you. Do not feel this is going to happen overnight either. For some it may happen sooner than later but sometimes a good, well-rounded collection can take years to build as you find what responds to you and what calls you. Patience! And do not be in a rush, all good things will come to you! As you grow in your journey if you feel there are pieces you have outgrown or are not right for the path you intend to take you can offer them to other collectors via the Marketplace as well so do not feel that you are locked into where you are now. Although it is necessary for you to realize that even though you are not on a certain road today you may be next year or even next month. Enchanted vessels with Spells will keep forever and Spirits are not common-beings, they have surpassed a mental level that humans cannot begin to comprehend and they are not going to be angry, jealous, injured or hurt if you tell them that now is not the right time for the two of you. They can outlast any human with patience. Again, use your best judgment and make the decisions you believe are right for you, not just because someone else tells you it's right.

Thanks, Magnolia. This is an incredible amount of information for us.

Thanks Magnolia, awesome information and a lot of good common sense things too!!!! |* |* |*

starfire :dragons::

Love this post!!

Thank you Magnolia I feel this is exactly what I needed at this point in my journey

Thank you for sharing. It is a timely piece for me.

Thanks for the post Magnolia--you always seem to know what advice I need at any given moment. I am considering getting a wraith--a BIG move for me--very interesting that you should highlight this particular spirit out of all of them in this post!!! I am still VERY unsure whether I should take the plunge or not as all the definitions claim it is a responsibility to own one NOT something to be taken lightly. It makes me wonder if I am really up to the task or not.

My spirit family which is VERY protective and insular and likes things the way they are is against it, so I am torn, to say the least, but still drawn.

Any help from you or forum members would be most appreciated!!!!.........

Thank you! I've never really thought of adding spelled objects to my collection before. I'll have to look into that!

some advice please?????? bump.........

I like what i read..BUMP!