usual. When you give the spirit of place offerings and recognition you will establish a relationship with them
and they become a member of your circle; at least while you are in their space. Whenever I do not connect with
the spirit of place I can feel their absence. Yes, they are still there observing you, but the lack of energetic con-
nection and participation is felt. It’s as though a member of the family is missing.
So what if you try to establish a connection with the spirit of place and the answer is no? How this happens
is when you talk to the genius loci, tell them your intentions, and give offerings and you get the very distinct
impression that you can NOT perform your ritual in that space. If this is the case LISTEN! Yes, it may simply be
the spirit does not want to be bothered and it feels that you are trespassing on its land. Other times, there are en-
ergetic and magickal currents at play and your ritual may disturb them. I have had experiences when the spirit
of place told me that we could not do ritual in a particular area of the park only to find our later that there were
crimes taking place there. Police lights and sirens are a sure fire way to kill any good ritual.
To connect with the spirit of place is very simple. First, you will want to bring offerings with you. This could be
wine or mead, fruit, bread, milk, honey, or some sacred object. Go to the ritual site and take a few moments to
connect to the land and the natural environment. If you are in a wooded park, connect to the earth, the trees,
and any nearby water formations. If you are in a desert location, connect to the earth, the rocks, the winds and
life nearby. Open your heart chakra and reach out to the local spirits. Open yourself up enough so that the
spirits can “scan” you. When they do this they will know your intensions are two honor the land and the stars.
Allowed or silently, ask the spirit of place to allow you (or you and your circle) to perform your ritual. Wait a
few moments to receive an answer. If you feel that the answer is yes, leave the offerings and proceed with ritual.
If no, find another space and try asking again.
Once you receive the go a head to perform your ritual, give the offerings and spend a few moments connecting
with the spirit of place. Close your eyes and try to see what he/she looks like. Ask a few questions about them if
it is appropriate and allow them to ask you a few questions. Establishing a relationship with a spirit is similar to
establishing relationship with a living human. It’s really not much different. Some spirits, just as some people,
are more talkative than others. I have had many spirits give me permission to do ritual, but really did not want
to talk much. This is completely fine. Sometimes they will open up more the more they get to know you.
This simple technique can be used to connect with any outdoor spirit. I personally
do this every time I’m in new and unfamiliar place. It is interesting to me how
different the spirits are place to place. Spirits on the ocean coasts feel completely
different than those in the mountains. Once, when I was in the mountains near
Palm Springs, I was connecting to the spirit of the place when I discovered the
spirit of an ancient shaman. The shaman told me that he had been banished to
the mountain by his tribe because he had fallen in love with a girl promised
to someone else. He had enchanted all the flowers in the area to make her
think only of him when she smelled their fragrance. When the chief found
this out, he tribe’s council banished him to the mountains. There he stays
echanting all women who come by with the magickal fragrance of the
flowers. By connecting to the spirits of place you will be embodying
one of the core spiritual practices of the ancient pagans-the act of
connecting to the earth and its spirits in a deep and profound way.
mizerella.com
Pagan Living Magazine Litha 2017
33