What would you do if you were told if one of your companions didn't exist?

[Aprophis]

There are also sellers who offer companion readings. You ask a question and they talk to your companions. Not a vessel reading or reading of a binding or anything.
I'm sure a honest seller would tell you there's nobody to contact. Also you could ask those sellers to contact a companion that you know is around with a question about other companions. Although I have read about companions hiding from the rest of the keep so they don't even know they're there, so there is that. Introverts apparently also exist in other worlds.

But as already mentioned, pendulum is unreliable. Just as with telepathy and intrusive thoughts/projection, it will also be influenced by your desires.
For training telepathy, I'd always recommend zener cards or playing cards. Something that can be easily verified but you don't know if yourself you have shuffled the deck and you can't see the card's faces. So the more cards you get right by asking your companions, the better your skill.

You could do the same or something similar with the pendulum.

But I have many things happen, including thoughtforms being sold as entities, servitors being sold as entities, entities being something completely different to what was described, empty vessels. You just learn what you can (if you can learn something) and move on.

[Magnolia]

There are also sellers who offer companion readings. You ask a question and they talk to your companions. Not a vessel reading or reading of a binding or anything.
I'm sure a honest seller would tell you there's nobody to contact. Also you could ask those sellers to contact a companion that you know is around with a question about other companions. Although I have read about companions hiding from the rest of the keep so they don't even know they're there, so there is that. Introverts apparently also exist in other worlds.

This is advisable only if you are going to ask the original seller to read their own conjurations. Otherwise, as stated numerous times on the board, having one seller read another seller's conjurations is not only unethical, it's not in keeping with the foundation of Spirit Keeping canon. Spirits have the right to privacy, they have the right to cloaking bindings to preserve their privacy which keeps any outsider from reading them.

Even in the instance you were to say an unbound spirit is being read, or that it is an old-fashioned form of spirit conjuring with no safeguards for spirit companions, you would have to have absolute confidence in the reader.

[RenFaireMaiden]

Just a little update.

I have contacted the seller and got a channeled message and bond strengthening service. I've also ordered some spells from CH for merfolk communication and a chakra alignment/aura cleanse. I've cleansed my space and also my pendulum. Hoping all will help with any blockage.

I asked my siren companion a few light and simply questions with my pendulum last night. He did answer! I think he was also present when I was in the bath. The flame from the candle on my bath tray grew larger at times while talking to him. Things are looking more promising as I continue trying to bond and communicate with Z.

[Aprophis]

This is advisable only if you are going to ask the original seller to read their own conjurations. Otherwise, as stated numerous times on the board, having one seller read another seller's conjurations is not only unethical, it's not in keeping with the foundation of Spirit Keeping canon. Spirits have the right to privacy, they have the right to cloaking bindings to preserve their privacy which keeps any outsider from reading them.

Well, if the companions agree. It's not like someone would want a seller to forcefully summon a companion and get them to talk. Which would be definitely an unethical practice.

I would only let a seller I trust and know do this.
Beside, what if the original conjurer isn't around anymore? Or if you found out you cannot trust the original seller (anymore). There are several cases I can see where it should not be a problem. Even spirits/entities would hopefully be understanding in these situations.

Again I'm not talking about vessel readings here, I'm basically talking about inviting the companions for a talk. And as much as they have a right to privacy they also have a right to make their thoughts, opinions, etc known to their keeper if they cannot communicate, or just the right to talk to a conjurer if they choose to do so.

[Magnolia]

First and foremost above any argument, trust your companions. Trust that they will convey what you need to know, see, feel, hear, experience - even if you feel you are deaf to them right now and cannot communicate via telepathy, dreams, lucid dreaming, Runes, Scrying, Tarot, pendulum, etc. Trust them.

Trust that your spirit companion came to you for a reason and they will provide their support to you in ways that are meaningful and unique to you. They aren't stupid. They know you can't communicate if you can't, and they don't need an outsider to speak for them. Otherwise, you would trust they are there, they will reach out, they will make themselves known, and they will contribute as they believe you will understand. We won't even do readings on companions we've conjured if the spirit states they don't want to be read, they want their own path of communication with the Keeper. We let the Keeper know and refund the request. These are companions we've conjured, so it's not an outsider or someone they don't know, they simply want their own mode of communication/interaction since they have gone to the Keeper. That has to be respected in order to truly be in accordance with Spirit Keeping. Spirit Keeping isn't just about the protection and privacy of the Keeper, it's about the privacy of the spirit or entity companions, too. That is a key element between the difference of Spirit Keeping and age-old spirit conjuring.

Not to mention, having faith in yourself that you will be able to develop and recognize a spirit companion's communication. I know how frustrating it is for some to read about the interactions and communication of their companions with them, and those who aren't having these experiences are wondering why not me? I understand that, in all this time I've seen practically every scenario you can think of play out, discussed, questioned, and realized. For some, you get the eureka! post where they're saying it's been a year and they had their first interaction, for some it's longer.

Some people naturally have a gift for communicating with spirits, while others have to work at it, and some may never materialize the ability. This is true in anything in life. The odds of mastery, average, mediocrity, and void are all based on countless factors. Just because you want to be a doctor, an artist, a singer, a gymnast, etc. doesn't meant that you are going to be naturally-inclined to any of these paths. It may come naturally, you may have to work at it, you may be able to do it just enough, or not at all. Working within your current capacity is the key to success in anything.

For the following responses "You" means anyone reading this, not specific to any poster. The information provided considers not only established Spirit Keepers, but also more importantly new Keepers who really don't know and weren't here for the history of the situations within the community. You can't look at just the personal scenario, you have to think about the greater good for everyone. Just look at why we're having this discussion and how this thread began and unfolded. This further confirms the greater good to help and encourage everyone (of any level of Keeper experience) to succeed should be the primary consideration.

Well, if the companions agree. It's not like someone would want a seller to forcefully summon a companion and get them to talk. Which would be definitely an unethical practice.

Herein lies the problem. If you are asking another seller/reader/practitioner to read your companion then that means you don't feel comfortable with communicating with your companion yourself. If you have the outlet or venue to communicate with your spirit companion then you don't need an outsider. You would communicate with them yourself and all is well.

All of this aversion to someone else reading spirits has a history of problems in the community, and some were really bad problems. If they don't want to take the advice of those who were here for all that happened then they'll learn those lessons on their own and that's unfortunate. In the last 20 years there have been a lot of problems with this, a LOT, and I could easily spend an hour explaining how people abused this to a point that it dissolved the trust in the community that was irreparable.

If you can't communicate with your spirits, then you have absolutely no idea if the spirit companion has agreed, at all. You have to rely on the person you've hired to do this to be honest about the permission. Again, this presents problems:

Let's take the best-case scenario. The seller is reputable and honest. Great! Maybe they are reading your spirit, and maybe they earnestly believe they are reading your spirit, but you have to put absolute 100% undeniable and unshakable trust that they are. Otherwise, the information they are sharing could be completely wrong, even if it's positive information, and words have been put in their mouths that aren't factual or genuine.

If you feel like you have absolute and unshakable faith in a reader over yourself or your spirit companion, then you're pretty rock solid. Most people only know a handful of people they trust to that level, and they are usually not people who aren't present in your day-to-day life and have earned your trust not only through one single case, but countless scenarios where they have proven they have your best interest at heart, sometimes even selflessly.

However, best-case is not usually what you end up with, and I have 20 years of emails, Forum posts, and documentation showing the usual outcome is trouble, even if it it takes a few readings or a little while for the truth to show. It starts out possibly okay, then you get the bad-mouthing from the seller/shop about the practitioner who bound the spirit they are supposedly reading. Typically, you get trash talk about the other sellers/conjurers, you sometimes get that the spirit was forcibly bound, or the spirit is harmed/injured, or the spirit isn't who they say they are, etc. and guess what? For a price they'll help you. That's right, don't worry, they'll undo all the bad work the other sellers did, don't worry though, they'll do right by you. Except, they don't, because everything they've said is to get you on their side and bilk you with a stream of lies.

And, that's just looking at it from the seller's side. We won't even get into what some "buyers" did to sellers saying they were reading spirits. After all of that why any seller would read another conjurer's spirit completely baffles me, in additional to the unethical practice of it by its nature.

I have to digress, because after all this time I can literally list an hour's worth of reasons this is a terrible idea and the many, many scenarios where this has gone badly.

I would only let a seller I trust and know do this.
Beside, what if the original conjurer isn't around anymore? Or if you found out you cannot trust the original seller (anymore). There are several cases I can see where it should not be a problem. Even spirits/entities would hopefully be understanding in these situations.

Well, you are certainly trusting they are hopefully understanding, because if you can't communicate with your companions then you don't really know what is going on.

Sellers not around anymore? No doubt! This is the issue we've been discussing for 20 years now, as of this very year! Etsy, eBay, Bonanza, etc. are all crammed full of sellers who come-and-go, up and disappear, and leave everyone in the lurch. This is a problem and has been for a LONG time. We get emails all the time about this and it's unfortunate. However, you have to know when you buy from sellers who are only on marketplaces, those marketplaces can remove them at any time. And, you have lost any opportunity to communicate with the seller/shop unless they have shared contact information. Even in those instances, most of the time, communication goes unanswered.

If the babble in the grapevine is true, then Etsy is poised for another sweeping cancellation of shops very soon with their upcoming launch of TOS. eBay and Bonanza, and even Facebook, have already proven they can (and will) shut down shops for violating their TOS. It's random and unpredictable.

Because of this, the only real solutions are:

- Stick with well-established practitioners/shops you know aren't going anywhere because they host and keep their own website (perhaps in addition to marketplaces)
- Cultivate your spirit communication skills to a point where it doesn't matter who you get companions from, you know you can communicate

I know it's an inconvenient truth, but it is the truth. The marketplaces are the most volatile, and even having a website doesn't guarantee anything. People can have unavoidable changes in life and decide to leave the path, or pass away. That has happened, unexpectedly, over the years and it's tragic.

Which is why it is more important to find the venue(s) where you can communicate with your spirits so you don't have to rely on spirit reader services.

Again I'm not talking about vessel readings here, I'm basically talking about inviting the companions for a talk. And as much as they have a right to privacy they also have a right to make their thoughts, opinions, etc known to their keeper if they cannot communicate, or just the right to talk to a conjurer if they choose to do so.

Spirit readings are spirit readings whether there's a vessel or not.

Again, your premise is that you give absolute faith to the reader that they have permission, when the foundation of this argument is predicated on the fact you can't communicate with your companions, or you would just do it yourself and know exactly what they want to say/convey. Ergo, your absolute and undeniable faith in the reader is more important than the bond and privacy of a spirit companion whose permission you cannot verify.

[Adair]

Thank you for your reply here Magnolia, your long experience and knowledge is always appreciated and taken on board.

[Alaric]

Thank you for your reply here Magnolia, your long experience and knowledge is always appreciated and taken on board.

Ditto.

It's a useful reminder of how we got here. And why these recommendations are recommended.

[Szyvágr]

Just a little update.

I have contacted the seller and got a channeled message and bond strengthening service. I've also ordered some spells from CH for merfolk communication and a chakra alignment/aura cleanse. I've cleansed my space and also my pendulum. Hoping all will help with any blockage.

I asked my siren companion a few light and simply questions with my pendulum last night. He did answer! I think he was also present when I was in the bath. The flame from the candle on my bath tray grew larger at times while talking to him. Things are looking more promising as I continue trying to bond and communicate with Z.

That's great news! I'm glad you've connected with your companion.