Connecting with the Spirits of the Land

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Emma Kathryn, author of Witch Life and the new Season Songs.

When you think of spirit work, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? If I were a betting woman, I’d wager that the spirits of the dead top the list, or thereabouts. But as an animist, I believe that nature and the land itself is imbued with spirit, is alive with the stuff in fact, and just as we can connect with and work with the spirits of our beloved dead, so, too, can we connect with nature spirits and the genius loci to enhance our witchcraft practices.

This ritual is a great way to begin to form those all important relationships with the spirits of the land where you live. If you can do this ritual outside and it is safe, then I encourage you to do so; however, you can do it indoors if you need to. If doing it inside, you might need a day or two to prepare by going out and collecting items for your altar to represent the land spirits. Stones, twigs, any natural items you find, are all great finds to include. Aside from these items, you will need:

• A Candle (white, brown, or green)
• Bowl of water
• Lighter or matches

Gather all the items you need and if inside, set up your foraged items in a way that suits you or that you just find pleasing to the eye. Let your own aesthetic tastes lead the way! Set up your ritual space. If you are doing this outside, then you might wish to create a sacred space by casting a circle. You can do this simply by walking clockwise around your working area and saying, “This is my sacred space. I fill it with love and with grace; let no harm come to those within.” If at home, it might just involve giving the area a quick tidy to clear the energy; after all, our homes are already our sacred spaces.

Light your candle and call to the spirits of the place by saying, “Spirits of this land and place, filled with love and with grace, I call to you as equal and friend to join me now, in this space.”

Now simply sit within your circle. You might wish to chant the words above, repeating them over and over to help enter a meditative state, or you might simply wish to lose yourself in the moment, of just being in nature with your intent. Observe your surroundings. Close your eyes and let your senses take over. What can you feel, hear, smell? Suspend judgement and expectations, of self and of spirit, and simply allow yourself to be, a part of the land and nature and not separate from it.

When you feel ready to end the session, simply stand and hold the bowl of water. Thank the spirits for joining you today and offer the water as libation, pouring onto the ground. If you are doing this inside, then you will need to pour the water outside somewhere, preferably from where you gathered your items. Walk the circle anticlockwise this time, and say aloud, “I release the energy and intent within this sacred space.”

You can repeat this ritual as part of your animistic practice or simply as a way to work with and honour the spirits of land and place.

Our thanks to Emma for her guest post! For more from Emma Kathryn, read her article, “3 Practical Principles of Animism.”.