communicating with the dead.

[xbreath.michaela]

is there any way to communicate with the dead? I've heard about it, but i'm not sure if it's just fluff (is that the right word?). if it is possible...how do you do it? i'm asking because a friend of mine died recently. and i hadn't talked to him for a few months before that, so i never got to tell him so much stuff. is it really difficult? and does it open yourself up to being possessed by demons and such?

[watersprite]

Um, no. The demon thing is a right wing Christian thing.
I have had dead relatives and even pets communicate to me. I have lost two friends recently. I remembered that it took months and even over a year to hear from some of my beloved family members. While my grandmother is gone now, my Dad has taken over.
My Mom, grandmother and myself have been quite spiritual for as long as I can remember.
Give your friend a bit of time to adjust. Their timing and ours are different.
Go ahead and tell him how you are feeling, and that you miss him(privately). Give him a little time to realze that you are open to talk with him.

[Louisvillian]

Originally Posted by xbreath.michaela

is there any way to communicate with the dead?

I'm on the fence with this. On one hand, I absolutely do not believe in ghosts or things like that.
On the other hand, I think it is possible to channel a spirit, whether a deceased soul or an independent entity, from beyond the physical.
I believe that the "bulk", so to speak, of a soul exists in a wholly spiritual plane of existence, but one can communicate with that reality through concentration and a the right state of mind. Hell, that's how I think communication with the gods works; this would be similar, just with a different, and far less powerful, entity.

and does it open yourself up to being possessed by demons and such?

I wouldn't think so, since I don't believe demons exist.

Originally Posted by watersprite

Um, no. The demon thing is a right wing Christian thing.

Sometimes ,yes. But Christianity isn't the only religion that believes in demons, or malicious spirits.

[DCLXVI]

I'm also very interested in any methods of contacting the dead, or other beings, but not just people I've known. I've been reading heavily on Necromancy, but it seems to be an advanced path, and there is almost no information about how to begin studies in that direction. There are many books about communion with the dead, but most involve common methods such as scrying mirrors, and I'm looking for something leaning more towards practiced magick. If anybody has a suggestion on a book, or a school of thought that suites my interests, it would be appreciated.

[meowmeow]

Becareful trying to communicate with any spirits, dead or not- use protection spells and ALWAYS wear your skeptical wig. Just because the thing you're talking to says it's your friend, doesn't mean it IS. Also beware to clear your mind, often times any communicating with a passed love one is just our own subconscious, because we miss them so damn much..

An easy way is to write a letter to your passed one and burn it, asking them to send you guidance about what you wrote.

Another way could be tools, like tarot or crystals or pendulums.

A mediation way.. Focus on a picture of your loved one, remember what it's like to be in their presence. When you have that steady, ask them to visit you in your dreams.

[Simply Puzzled]

Originally Posted by xbreath.michaela

is there any way to communicate with the dead? I've heard about it, but i'm not sure if it's just fluff (is that the right word?). if it is possible...how do you do it? i'm asking because a friend of mine died recently. and i hadn't talked to him for a few months before that, so i never got to tell him so much stuff. is it really difficult? and does it open yourself up to being possessed by demons and such?

If you really feel the need to let your friend know something, I would set up an ancestral altar to him. A candle or two, some water (traditionally the dead are described as being thirsty), a metal bowl on a heat-resistant trivet, and things you associate with your friend. Whatever you feel you need to say, write it down on a piece of paper, preferably something thin like newsprint, tracing paper, or onion skin. Then, sit or kneel or stand in front of your altar. Dip the piece of paper in rubbing alcohol, and place it in the metal bowl. Take a few minutes, let yourself be still. Think of your friend. Then, whenever you're ready, light the paper using the candle flame. Sit as long as you'd like.

Using the rubbing alcohol with fire can be dangerous. This ritual assumes that you're a responsible adult capable of handling fire in a safe manner.

[LunarSoldier]

Hello,

There isn't a way to communicate with the dead until you are, even though that sounds so cold and horrible. Dreaming is probably a way that our loved ones talk to us when they appear. If you want to say something to your dead loved one, try to concentrate on what you want to say and say it out loud, or write it down. They may hear you and they might respond to you in your dreams. As for communication with the dead in a way such as having a conversation with them, no that isn't possible.

[Rae'ya]

There are several ways to communicate with 'the dead', but you can't necessarily communicate with a specific dead person. Not all people who have passed on are sitting around available to be spoken to, and not all the dead that are sitting around waiting for people to open up have your best interests in mind.

Whether it opens you up to possession depends entirely on the technique you're using. Some forms of mediumship and horsing can definitely open you up to possession, as that's the actual purpose of the exercise... to allow a deceased spirit or other entity to communicate via possessing you. There are several levels of possession, but this is not something that inexperienced people should try on their own. Generally, it's not a safe practice unless you have guides helping and protecting you, and acting as a filter as to what comes through.

Things like Ouija boards and pendulums etc can draw the attention of lurking spirits, and if you're silly enough to open yourself up without protection then they might latch on, but it's not something that is likely to get you possessed by anything unless you've mixed up your techniques and intentions. It's also not likely to get any useful contact with the person you're aiming for (though really, not many techniques of necromancy are likely to get you the person you're aiming for straight off the bat).

My advice is what Simply Puzzled and Meowmeow said. Set up an ancestral alter to your friend, write what you want to say and burn it on the altar. Personally I feel that's the only thing that an inexperienced person can safely do without the aid of other people or spirit guides. Even if you gear up with as much protection as you know how, you can't necessarily protect yourself against being tricked or fooled by a lurking spirit; and once you have their attention, it's possible that they'll just follow you around until you drop your guard. There are spirits out there who do that sort of thing for kicks. That's not to say that they're the 'demon' kind that you're talking about (which, by the way, isn't the term I would use, a Demon is something quite different to a malevolent possessing entity)... but there are spirits and entities who like to latch on and drain your energy, and the occaisional spirit who likes to cause mischief.

The reality is that you are highly unlikely to be able to communicate with your friend in the way that you want. Even if you went to an experienced medium (presuming the person wasn't just a fraud ripping you off), there's not much chance that your friend is hanging around waiting to talk to you. Setting up an altar to them and making offerings and burning messages is your best bet of getting what you want to say across to them. But remember that your friend has passed on, and may not be inclined to hold back just to speak to you. As much as we like to feel that our deceased loved ones are waiting around for final messages from us, sometimes they aren't. They can still recieve messages, but they can't always return our calls or give us signs or come through to have a tangible conversation. And sometimes bugging them and bugging them until they do come through is just a selfish act of holding them back and preventing them from moving on.

[Daecon]

Necromancy, the summoning and interrogation of the spirits of the dead, has a long and varied history. The practice has a certain shady reputation, mostly because of fear of death and the dead, but also because it's so often been faked by unscrupulous con artists preying on the recently bereaved.

There's the classic seance, of course, though that needs a natural medium and a number of people to make up the circle, so it's of limited use to a solitary spellcaster. The Ouija board is capable of dealing with a specific ghost, but this isn't really its typical use. Then too, the answers come one letter at a time and work better for getting specific answers than for talking to someone. For that, I prefer the Orpheus Meditation. You use the astral plane to bring yourself to the edge of the land of the dead and speak with the shade of a specific person.

The spell can be found here.