Angels, saints, ancestors and other spirit allies have been important in folk magick since before recorded history. It’s popular in neopaganism to only consider working magick with deities from various pantheons. However, in many folk magick traditions working with saints, angels and ancestors is common. In Italian folk magick, in fact, statues of saints might be found on a home altar along with representations of the ancient Roman gods. Sometimes saints have been syncretized to other deities as in how they came to represent the orishas that came to the Americas from Africa.
The trend these days seems to be about doing spell work, manifesting, energy work (whatever you prefer to call it) solo with maybe the help of the energy of some of the four elements. However, consider that there’s power in numbers. Why wouldn’t you want all the beneficial help you can get in your workings? Calling in the right spirits might be like “calling in the spiritual cavalry”.
But why not just work directly with gods and goddesses? It has been pointed out that saints are actually deceased humans and are able to understand what we, the living, are going through. Some, such as St. Timothy, have had to deal with certain ailments in their lives and are good to call on for healing such illnesses. St Timothy is good to call on for digestive issues, so burning a candle and doing a novena (a 9 day prayer sequence) to ask for his intercession is one way to work with him. Deities who never lived a human life, might or might not take an interest in our problems and wish to help in our manifesting. If you have a god or goddess that works with you that’s great! The point is, do what works for you! Saints are generally reliable and willing to work with us. You might even have a patron saint that shares an interest with you! St Hildegard is one to call on in your herbal work. Look her up! She was an amazing woman who wrote books about herbalism and healing.
Many non-Catholics might feel that working with angels and saints is only for Catholics. That really depends on your personal views about death, the hereafter and what you are comfortable with. My personal view is that once someone crosses over to the spirit world, all the worldly divisions we have where institutionalized religions are concerned cease to exist. Saints are enlightened people who want to be helpful to those of us on the Earth plane. Some, like St Therese of Lisieux stated in life that she would shower blessings on those on earth in her afterlife. Going by the number of miracles attributed to her, that seems to be what she’s doing.
I also consider Kwan Yin and Buddha to fit into the saintly, helpful spirit category. Numerous times I have chanted to Kwan Yin to help in an emergency. She always comes through. Kwan Yin postponed going to Nirvana until all of humanity could ascend as well. She is a mother of compassion to many.
Then there are the ancestors! I’m well into my crone years and many of my beloved relatives including my parents are in spirit. I have an ancestor altar set up on the mantel over my fireplace (turned candle burning altar ) where I keep photos, momentos and fresh flowers. Sitting nearby in my mother’s old chair makes me feel close to the ancestors. There have been times when I have seen departed loved ones in my dreams and they have given me messages. I believe they have even been there at times when I or my family needed a heads up about some danger. A medium I know informed me that my grandmother in spirit woke up my son in time to get him out of his burning apartment before he died of smoke inhalation. He never knew what woke him up but he escaped in time. Our loved ones are there and they take an interest in us. If you are young and know few people in spirit, start asking your parents about family members who have passed on. Your departed relatives may be watching over you. And don’t worry! They aren’t judging you or spying on you. Remember, when they crossed over they returned to a place of love and peace.
So that’s a brief explanation of where I am on my path where spirit allies are concerned. I’m always learning and evolving. I hope to post more about my spirit ally experiences here, and I would love to hear about who you work with in your magickal practice! Post your thoughts, experiences and questions in the comments below.
If you would like to learn more about the topic of working with spiritual allies check out the following books:
Encyclopedia of Mystics, Saints & Sages: A Guide to Asking for Protection, Wealth, Happiness, and Everything Else! (Witchcraft & Spells) https://a.co/d/cQKNLsW
The Magical Power of the Saints: Evocation and Candle Rituals https://a.co/d/gtS0fis
Italian Folk Magic: Rue’s Kitchen Witchery https://a.co/d/bgw7oGX
Bright Blessings!
Sarina
#saintmagick #angels #spirits #ancestormagick #angelmagick
The Magickal Cottage 