Love Your Spirits

This article was originally written for and published in Witch Way Magazine -another publication for which I write. 

February is the month when we celebrate all forms of love, from the romantic to the friendly, from the familial to the spiritual. I find this to be a time to express gratitude and give little gifts to the people and spirits who make my life better. These gifts for the spirits are an addition to regular offerings.

When working with spirits it’s not uncommon to develop strong bonds. There are some special things you can do this month to honor your spiritual friends, whether they are the underground fey folk, animal spirits, spirits of passed loved ones, or other entities.

Often our passed loved ones will visit us in our dreams. One way to connect with and honor them is to actually invite them to visit you in your dreams. You can brew a cup of mugwort tea and set the intention that you are open to your passed loved one coming to visit to commune with you during your dreamtime. It can be a lovely, no pressure way to connect if they are interested in coming around to chat. Don’t be offended if they don’t stop by- after all, they’ve got lives to live too!

Set up an altar that honors your animal guides specifically if you don’t already have one. Choose candles that reflect their coloring, items that reflect their unique personalities, incense that you associate with them. Write them a note of gratitude with a food offering that is appropriate to them (seeds for certain birds, for example) and leave your altar up over Valentine’s day.

Enter a deep meditation to connect with faery friends out in nature in a “between” time (like twilight) and leave an offering under an oak tree of fresh cut flowers, or a beautiful stone. If February is usually bitter cold and filled with snow like it is where I live, you could build a faery house instead. Use a mini terra cotta planter and make a faery home that fits your unique faery friends.

My rules of thumb for honoring the special connection between me and the many spirits that grace my life are love and thoughtfulness. Choosing something extra to do as a token of appreciation or gratitude should be based on your unique bond with your spirits and what you know about them. A little extra effort to show that you appreciate someone (in whatever form they are in) goes a long way in growing and strengthening the bond.