COSMIC LADY SIX'S GUIDE TO CONDUCTING A SEANCE
Hello Witchy readers! Tis the Season for all things Spooky, so I have decided to share with you all a bit about what this season represents and how you can make your own contact with the spirit world.
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Monday October 23rd we welcome the Sun entering the sign of Scorpio at 5:28 AM Universal time. The West Coast will be experiencing the shift at 9:28 PM PST on October 22nd, and 1:28 AM on October 23rd EST on the East Coast. The Sun will be in Scorpio until November 21st, giving us a nice long season to reflect on what needs to be let go before the last month of the year.
A little bit about the Month, October was originally the 8th month of the Roman Calendar, and as some of you reading may already know- Scorpio rules the 8th house in Astrology, which is ruled by the planet Pluto.
The number 8 has much symbolism in numerology, including infinity, death, rebirth, the cosmic force of the universe, prosperity, and many others.
It is believed to rule the chakra of the soul and corresponds to what some believe as “Christ” like energy.
The 8th house in Astrology is the house of Death, Sex (creation) , and Financial gain.
When examining the time of Year when the Sun is entering Scorpio, it is important to also examine what Pluto is doing and what sign Pluto will be in during this time, as Pluto is Scorpio’s ruling planet, the two will have a lot of influence during this time.
Pluto moves the slowest through the Zodiac as it is our outermost planet, and it has been in the sign of Capricorn since January of 2008.
Pluto as the agent of Death and Rebirth, transforms whatever house it touches when it is transiting your chart.
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As for this year in October- the most significant Pluto aspect we will all be feeling this month will be on October 28th when Pluto will be making a Square to Venus in Libra, and a Sextile to Mercury in Virgo at 17 degrees.
Pluto in Capricorn Squaring Venus in Libra on the 28th will be a difficult aspect as we may feel a lot of tension between our partners and friends. This could be a time when we reevaluate if a relationship has been working for us or if it is time to move on.
The sextile between Pluto and Mercury on this day will help us open the doors for communicating with our loved ones about these issues, but it may result in either walking away altogether, or building something new out of a difficult situation.
Why is Pluto associated with Death?
Pluto, originally named Hades in Greek mythos, was the ruler of the Underworld, the world where souls went after they died. Originally associated with prosperity and wealth, Pluto has been seen as an agent for financial success in astrology through inheritance. It is said if your lunar North node falls in the 8th house that you could be destined to gain a substantial inheritance from the passing of a loved one or family member. Supposedly through the myth people prefered the name Plouton, which translates to “the giver of wealth”, over Hades because it had a more positive association rather than just being the ruler of Death.
It is important to look at the aspect of abundance and wealth when honoring the dead and our ancestors.
The numerology of 8, the mythology of Hades, the astrology of Scorpio, and the discovery of the planet Pluto all have significant meaning for this time of year.
In Celtic Pagan tradition, October was recognized as the end of the year. Halloween was originally known as Samhain (pronounced “sow-en”) and was the time for honoring ancestors. Catholics later created All Saints and All Souls day on November 1st and November 2nd. Which was already celebrated by Celtic Pagans.
If you are spiritual, and consider yourself a Witch, you can begin honoring the ancestors as soon as Scorpio season hits, although as a practicing Witch you probably honor them year round as there are many different spirits to honor throughout the whole year.
For Scorpio season there are many different gods, goddesses, spirits, and archetypal figures to pay homage to depending on your religious or spiritual beliefs. A lot of them represent the same thing so you can really choose whomever you want as this time of year tends to lend itself to anything revolving around the afterlife and the death and rebirth cycle.
For me I always pick the Dark Goddess who can be looked at at the ruler of Witches. She is the Triple Goddess and can be known by many names such as Hecate, Cerridwyn, Santa Muerte, Persephone, Kali, Lilith, Nyx - there are so many you can associate to her as she is everything and everywhere.
I tend to honor her with Santa Muerte Candles and refer to her as the Dark Goddess or Hecate. I feel a large connection to her as Persephone and Kali as well.
She rules the Moon, death, rebirth, snakes, dogs, horses, lions, fire, key to the doors of our shadows, our psyche, our subconscious, our dreams, our hearts, the fire within us.
The Dark Goddess lives within and around us all, she resides deep in the parts of ourselves we are the most afraid of, but she is actively working to lead us to our greatest selves.
When we deny her we experience inner turmoil, fear, depression, lust, envy, anger, resentment, confusion and greed.
The Dark Goddess will call on us when she is ready to work with us. The secrets to her rite of passage are typically known with spiritual practicing Witches. She visits us in dreams, shows us she’s there with synchronicities in our daily lives, and reassures us through grand gestures when we are on track.
It has been through my work with her that I have truly found myself and discovered my life purpose. And that is why this time of year I will always work to honor that connection to myself through that energy.
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Now if you plan on working with spirits- those who have passed over, or energies that are communicating with us from other realms of existence, that you know exactly how to do it safely. I would recommend not doing this until you have worked with the Dark Goddess energy directly, or until she has made herself known to you.
In elaborate horror movies, they like to exaggerate the working with spirits through fantastical effects and tragic tales of young girls becoming possessed and killing all of their friends or family members to forever haunt a building or town.
I wish I could say that I don’t believe that is possible- because depending on how mentally unstable you are going into channeling spirits- you could walk away deciding you are possessed by a spirit and becoming extremely confused.
The power of the mind is quite amazing, the things our subconscious can invent or come up with is most terrifying. We have plenty of made up stories and books to prove it.
The most interesting and fascinating part to channeling spirits for me, is when you are told things you could have never learned from anywhere.
I have always loved ghost stories and been attracted to the idea of mediums and the “other” side. But I was always skeptical somewhat myself of the ability to communicate with the other side through a Ouija board or other channeling technique.
Ever since I was a young child my parents warned me not to mess with Ouija boards or try to contact the “other side” as it is serious business and not something you should just go around doing, but as I got older, I really didn’t believe anything would or could actually happen.
Last Halloween was my first time using a Ouija board. It was a spontaneous decision, a friend of mine and I were wrapping up a weekly boxing class on Halloween night and she asked me if I had any plans. When I replied “No” I was asked if I was interested in having a Seance.
My Mom’s voice yelling at me not to do it was instantly in my mind, but for some reason I felt inclined to say “Yes” that night and we ended up having a night that would forever change my life and the way that I view this world.
Luckily for me, that friend was well prepared and knew exactly how to conduct the Seance. I felt safe in the environment, and oddly enough, I think I had so much skepticism about the whole thing I didn’t really give myself a chance to be afraid.
Without going into detail about the seance, as I feel it was a special and private night we will always cherish between the two of us, I will say that it was nothing short of mind blowing and that I walked away believing in the power of the Ouija board.
We had a very positive experience, and it was something I have done, and will do again.
I would love to pass on responsible instructions on how to conduct your own Seance for this Samhain and Dia De Los Muertos season, in hopes we can redefine the energy around communicating with spirits and beings from other realms- as you never know who may pop up through the Ouija board, or where they may be from.
Cosmic Lady Six’s guide to conducting a Seance
Things to know beforehand
Create your own Ouija board.
Refrain from using a store bought Ouija board. In this day and age you never know how something was made. The Ouija board is a portal between worlds, you want to know exactly what energy was put into the board. It is best to create your own using your own symbols and oils and ink from sources you trust. Do a blessing on the board before using.
Fear attracts negative energy:
If you are going to have any fear, and I mean even an ounce of fear, going into a Seance, I will tell you right now, don’t do it. Just like people who are still living, the spirit world is riddled with all kinds of different energy. I personally find humans much scarier than spirits, but spirits have a different way of harming us. They can plague us in our dreams, make us sick, cause anxiety, and mental illness. If we have fear going into a Seance we have the potential to attract a negative energy that is looking for a victim to mess with. Fear is almost a portal to what could be considered demonic energy, I also like to think of it as a vampire energy looking to feed on human energy- kind of like real life Dementors. I have seen them, I have been affected by them, and I have had to get rid of them- it isn’t fun when they get in, and the more negative energy you put out, the longer they stick around.
Not all spirits are able or ready to communicate with you.
The best way to think about the spirit world is like an endless amount of energy that could be anywhere. It could be within our realm, or it could have moved onto another plane of existence. Energy could have an identity- like a spirit, or it could be in another body in another dimension and be communicating through telepathy.
Because humans are limited to 3 dimensional reality- we are unable to really understand exactly how the spirit world works, or if it is even real. This could be our subconscious playing tricks on us. We want to go into this with an open mind that anything is possible, and that even if it seems real, there is a chance that it isn’t...but there is a chance it is, and so we need to be respectful of who comes through as if they were in a 3 dimensional body, and we need to take precaution.
Not all spirits are human.
On Earth everything living dies- the physical body that is. But we know with science, that energy never goes away- it is constantly there. If energy can take many forms and at different times, it is safe to say that we could be communicating with anything. It is good to be open minded but careful to who or what comes through the Ouija board. Do not assume who you are talking to is human, or someone who identifies as human.
This was something I wasn’t anticipating when I began channeling spirits. I assumed who I was talking with in the beginning was someone who had lived and died here on Earth, it turned out that I was speaking with someone who identified themselves as an Alien on another planet. This made me even more of a believer in the power of channeling, because it was the furthest thing from my mind, and something I didn’t even know could be possible.
Not all spirits speak English.
Sometimes a word in another language can start out looking like gibberish. It might actually be a word in another language. Be patient and don’t be afraid to google have the person recording also google words you may not understand. You can ask spirits to speak English- if they know English they will speak it to you, if not you can thank them for their time but let them know you do not speak the same language and say goodbye.
Where you conduct a Seance matters.
Energy can hang around certain places, if you are planning on doing a Seance at someone's house, it is good to know the history of the house as much as you can, or at least have an idea of whether or not the energy in that house has been good for the past several years. It would be good to do a cleansing or protection spell on the house before conducting the Seance.
Stay away from doing a Seance in an abandoned building or somewhere with negative energy.
You can conduct a Seance in an apartment complex, but know that other people’s energy in that complex can affect the Seance and the ability for other energy to get through.
Prepare your questions in advance.
One of the biggest mistakes I have made when channeling has been to go into it without knowing what I want to ask. Don’t go to all the trouble of building an altar, getting your board made, only to finally have made contact with a spirit and then have no idea what to ask it. Connecting with spirits through the board is actually kind of an outdated method, and it takes a long time for you and it ends up being quite exhausting. Make sure you have a list of questions, and be ready for your arms to get tired as you may not even have the energy to ask most of them when it takes you an hour just to spell out one sentence.
If you are unsure of what questions you can ask the spirits here are some that I have asked that have been great:
Acceptable questions to ask a spirit
- What is your name?
- How old are you?
- Where are you from?
- Do you have a message for me?
- What is it like where you are?
- What is your reason for speaking with us tonight?
- Are you with others?
- Are there others who want to speak with me?
Yes you can take a break if your arms get tired.
The planchette is the tool for contact, but the spirit won’t leave just because you took your hands off of it, they only leave when you decide you are done talking, they can stick around as long as they want, and they can hear you even if you are not communicating with them through the board. If you need to take a break for a second and come back, just let them know, but never stop the session without saying a formal goodbye.
Spirits may visit you in dreams.
I have had sessions with spirits where they have decided to finish communicating with me in dreams. A lot of the times we can communicate telepathically with other energy, but because the human mind has such a hard time allowing this to happen, spirits know they can get through to us when we are asleep. Doing dream work with with spirits can be positive if you decide to continue a relationship with a spirit you have made contact with.
Have fun and stay happy.
Positive energy, strong energy, and happy energy will only serve you well during the Seance. You can have quite a good time speaking with spirits or other beings, they can have quite a sense of humor about them and also have a lot of wisdom to share with you.
I have been told that I am a “Messy Witch” and also been told I need to work on my confidence and strength as a woman- that was sure fun to hear! Haha! . You want to be careful not to ask questions that may conflict with your current situation. Questions relating to friends, relatives, or love life can not always give you information you want to hear, and it could conflict with things that actually end up happening. It is possible for spirits to be wrong- as they are still energies just like you and me. You also never know when a spirit could be messing with you so it is good to keep a light heart and to know when it is time to say “good bye.”
Seance Supplies
- Preferably a self made Ouija Board- You can use anything you want as long as you feel it has positive energy.
- Altar dedicated to Ancestors and Gods/ Goddesses of afterlife - this should have protection herbs and crystals on it associated with who is being honored as well as offerings.
- Clear Quartz for clearing
- Selenite for raising vibration of room and other crystals
- Obsidian for protection
- Amethyst for 3rd eye connection- helps enhance the energy coming through
- Sage for blessing and clearing
- Black and White candles
- You can incorporate Tarot cards into your channeling experience if you are experienced with the Tarot and working with energies.
- Paper and pen and someone to record what is being spelled.
- List of questions to ask and main person who will be asking them
- Incense
Instructions
Step 1 :
Set up your altar, but also have your table that you will be doing the channeling on set up with it’s own blessings. Make sure the Ouija board is reachable for everyone who will be using it, and make sure to have someone as the designated recorder for the evening.
Step 2:
Protection prayer and blessing. Make sure to sage the space and open the evening with a prayer asking the ancestors and spirits to bless you. You will want to open your circle in a traditional way, making it known that only positive and happy spirits or energies are aloud to communicate with you through the board on this night. Make sure to make it known that negative energy will not be tolerated or allowed into the home. And never forget to make sure you are always imagining a white light of protection around you and the home and the people you are with.
Step 3:
After blessing, perform a 5 -10 minute meditation that is focused on clearing negativity from the body. A guided Chakra Cleansing Meditation from the internet will suffice.
Step 4:
All people who will be involved will then place 1 or 2 fingers on the planchette on the Ouija board.
You as a group will begin to move the planchette in a circle and say aloud: “ We are asking for a kind spirit to visit us tonight and grace us with it’s presence, words of wisdom are welcome, any guidance for us on this night from the other side is appreciated.”
Step 5:
All people involved will want to stop moving the planchette in a circle and you will want to ask “is there a spirit with us tonight?” If the planchette begins to move, you will want to see what it says.
A good question to ask if you get a “yes” is to ask who you are speaking with. Make sure the person recording is getting all of the letters.
Once you have made contact you can decide what questions you want to ask. Be mindful all spirits have different ways of communicating. If the spirit begins to say things that seem hurtful or bad you will want to immediately stop and discontinue the Seance all together.
If you make contact with a spirit who is delighted to speak with you, you can ask it questions about itself and who it is or what their life was like if they were previously on Earth.
If you make contact with a loved one who has passed over, they typically are making contact because they want to deliver a message. You will want to make sure you ask this spirit if there is a message they have for someone who is still alive, if they give you a message it will now be your responsibility to deliver this message on the behalf of the deceased. They will not leave you alone until you have delivered this message typically, so be sure to ask yourself whether you want to be in this position. You can tell a spirit that you are unable to deliver the message if you know it will not be well received.
Sometimes the messages are not always things the other person needs to know about, so it is good to use your best judgment. I have told spirits I do not want to tell people certain things and the reasons why and they are usually pretty understanding.
Step 6:
Once you have determined that you are done with the Seance, it is always important to say “goodbye” and “thank you.” You will want to close the circle down and make sure you do a blessing and sage cleansing afterward.
If you have successfully made contact during your Seance, you may feel inclined to do it again. It is best to wait a few days between channeling and make sure you do more research about the dangers of channeling regularly as not everyone is equipped to deal with everything that can happen.
Some last words of advice before you do your Seance,
I don’t want to end this by saying that nothing bad can happen when channeling spirits. The human mind is capable of so many things, it is always best, no matter what you believe, to respect the information given to you during any session. With that said we live in a society that loses faith in the spiritual world more and more every day, and sharing your personal experiences with channeling spirits can end up making you look quite crazy to most people.
I have close people in my life who I share this part of myself with, but for the most part I keep it private- although now that I have written this blog- I suppose it is not so private anymore.
I have conducted so many channeling sessions on my own in the last year that I have lost count. I have made contact with a lot of different energies claiming to be different people and beings. I personally believe that the experiences I am having a real due to the nature of the experience and conversations I am having. I have been given information that I have later researched and found to be true or relevant to things in this world I had previously no idea about.
Because of this I believe in an afterlife, and I believe in other worlds, aliens, and other dimensions and planes of existence.
I am also completely willing to accept the fact that none of what I have experienced is real, and it could be my subconscious. I would consider myself to be more experienced at channeling spirits than I was 2 years ago, but I still have a lot of learning to do and have taken a break from channeling over the last 3 months due to the exhausting nature it can be to absorb so much energy. Spirits can be relentless in telling you when they want you to change something about your life, and sometimes you just need to be alone and work on yourself without constant input or guidance. Spirits can also have conflicting things to tell you- which can be very confusing. It could drive a person mad I would think if you spent too much time channeling. So proceed with caution, and remember, you are a human in this reality right now having a human experience. It is best to focus on your human experience and cherish it for all that it has to offer you. There is a reason you are here.
Either way, my life has changed significantly ever since I began working with spirits, and I know things about the reasons why, that well, I like to keep between myself and the beings I work with.
I am forever grateful for the knowledge that has been given to me through my sessions and in my dreams and I hope that if you decide to begin your journey channeling spirits that it is just as positive as mine has been.
If you have any questions regarding these instructions or want to share with me your personal experiences with contacting the spirit, or alien worlds, please feel free to email me at cosmicladysix@gmail.com
Happy Halloween! Blessed be,
Analisa Six
Analisa is an intuitive Tarot Reader and Astrologer. She lives in Oakland with her Husband and two dogs. To book a reading visit cosmicladysix.com
