Talking to Ghosts Without Losing Your Mind
It may sound crazy (to some), but it's often so much easier to talk to the dead than the living.
*oooooo Lydia Deetz vibes*
Remember in the last newsletter, I suggested:
“If none of this is available to you, do not despair. Sit somewhere quietly and ask for beings of light, love, and wisdom to come through with messaging. Don't get overly analytical here, and see if any of your ancestors step forward upon your invitation.”
I'd like to dive deeper into that idea and offer real support. When I talk about speaking with the dead and connecting to the dead, smart people will often ask very smart questions:
- How do I know I'm safe to do this?
- How will I know I'm actually talking to the dead and not just talking to voices in my head?
- Am I opening myself up to something possibly evil or dangerous?
- If I even decide to entertain this as a real possibility, have I lost my mind and all standing in a respectable society?
The list goes on...
The truth is that everything we experience, in so many ways, is a projection of our own previously and presently held concepts and interpretations. Let’s add that “ritual" is an externalized psychodrama used to resolve internal experiences. No, you aren’t crazy. Yes, you should take responsibility for the perspective you have when using ritual to resolve those inner tensions.
Witch Wisdom: The Reality you observe and create are projections of your own mind. The perspective you hold while creating will dictate a lot.
Working with the Dead is no different. That’s why a grounded approach and understanding of what connecting to the dead (your ancestors or otherwise) can do for you. In other words, work out your ‘Why.”
The North Star of this work (the intention I’m presenting) is for you to feel more deeply connected to yourself and to the sense that you are not alone. That you are a part of vast a collective experience that is much bigger than the small minutia of our daily lives. The point is for you to feel supported as you continue to do the work to love yourself, heal yourself, and grow into a benevolent Witch who can help uplift others.
Acknowledging that your people have been part of the cycle of suffering and joy of the human experience throughout what we consider history can be very useful. You don't have to know all the mistakes that have been committed in the past. You also don't have to know the names of all the heroes. All those lessons live within you as they do within all of us.
It's very easy to get caught up in lineage work that isolates us from one another, shrouding us in an illusion of our “differences.” The other option is to feel united with our global human family, which can result in feeling more supported. The more I learn about my histories the less odd or freakish I feel, because I see the common threads we all share are revealed.
One more note: accepting your lineage doesn’t mean you have to like everyone who is in it. It does mean you stop being a victim of it. You take the grit—the survival energy that kept your bloodline moving through the dark—and you use it to fuel your own liberation. Send the rest that doesn't serve you to the universe to be recycled.
Your personal liberation is the high vibe that can elevate an entire society towards more benevolence and compassion.
Continue the Practice in the Vault
If your body responded to this text, if the weight of the dead feels like a heavy chain rather than a support system, or you feel a tightening in your chest...that is your doorway. Don't just sit with the ache.
Inside the Vault, you’ll find Griefcraft: Speaking with the Dead (and Surviving the Conversation). It is a practical somatic framework designed to teach you how to set fierce energetic boundaries with the unseen world. You will learn how to clear a channel of communication, dictate exactly who is allowed at your table, and ground yourself so you can hear ancestral wisdom without letting the ghosts override your nervous system.
→ Pass the Threshold with us. https://blog.melgutierrez.com/tag/vault/
To unlock this full practice and step into the Vault, join us today at our current $5/month entry rate. The school is crossing a major threshold this June with new price tiers and tools, but if you claim your space now, you lock in this foundational price as long as your membership stays active.
See you in the dark (I hope),
Mel, The Body Witch
