How to Summon a Ghost or Spirit

Last Updated on May 31, 2021

Did you ever want to reach out to someone who died, or find a way to bring the paranormal to you? It’s a desire that is as old as humanity itself, and for thousands of years, people of all religions have tried to find a way to speak to ghosts. Sometimes, the methods they use fail. Other times, they succeed.

If you believe in ghosts and want to summon one, word is that you can. However, it may be more than what you bargained for. Here’s what you should know about getting a ghost or a spirit to come to you.

Before We Begin

It’s worth pointing out that summoning a ghost or spirit is rarely a good idea, even if the ghost you’re trying to summon is a loved one. What you summon might not be who you think it is and there is no guarantee that you will know what to do in that case.

Summoning a spirit means that you are opening yourself up to a world that is unknown and unseen by humanity. We do not have complete control of what happens, nor do we always have the knowledge necessary to keep things safe. By unlocking the door to the spirit world, you could potentially open yourself up to possession and spirit visitors that just don’t want to leave.

Still want to go through with this? Okay. You’ve been warned.

Setting Up

Though there are multiple ways to summon spirits known to humanity, all of them tend to have certain things in common. You should never just blindly go into a ritual without preparation, and you should never try to do it alone. Ideally, you will have at least two or three other people with you in case something goes wrong.

You will need to be confident and fearless when trying to interact with spirits. Showing fear can attract the wrong type of spirit or cause problems later on. If you can’t face a spirit without being terrified, you shouldn’t attempt it.

Additionally, it’s worth pointing out that you should always have a candle or two nearby. Light can repel darker energies and attract positive spirits. Even though light is important, it’s wise to dim a room as too much light can make it difficult for spirits to arrive.

Inviting A Spirit In

Regardless of which method you use, it’s important to verbally invite spirits in. No invitation means you likely won’t get a result. It doesn’t have to be an overly flowery invitation, a simple “[Name of spirit], we invite you to enter our area.”

Now, Onto Methods

There are several ways to communicate and summon spirits into your home, each which has its own method. These include the following:

Ouija Boards and Planchettes

This method is known for being very risky, but highly effective. However, it’s not always the safest method out there. There are countless stories of people who have used ouija boards, only to have the summoning go terribly, terribly wrong.

To use a ouija board or a planchette, bring participants together and let each one place a fingertip on the planchette. Place the planchette on the board, and let the planchette guide you to whatever messages you receive from the spirits you summon.

Seances

A seance involves having everyone sit around a darkened room, at a table with a candle on top. This involves verbal invitations to summon a spirit, and involves asking the spirit to make itself known through cold spots, physical phenomena, sounds, and full-bodied apparitions.

Seances usually start with every participant sitting in a circle around a lit candle. The seance leader then asks the spirit they want to summon to arrive, and to give people a sign they’re here.

Meditation and Automatic Writing

Mentality is the most important part of the game when it comes to summoning a spirit. If you are able to meditate and focus on the task of opening yourself up to spirits, you may end up getting contact. With this technique, asking spirits to show up aloud isn’t enough. You really have to get into the mindset of seeing them.

Communicating with spirits through meditation can be difficult, but it’s doable. Some mediums will also meditate with a pencil in hand as a way to encourage automatic writing. This gives spirits a chance to use your subconscious to write out messages. That being said, it’s not always easy to figure out who’s the spirit you’re communicating with.

Mirror Gazing

It’s often said that mirrors hold a gateway into another world, so it’s not surprising that people end up using them as a tool to summon and communicate with spirits. Mirrors can be used in conjunction with ouija boards, or they can be used as a gateway.

You will need to use a verbal invitation to let spirits communicate with you or make themselves known to you via a mirror. It’s best not to use this method if you aren’t mentally prepared to see a ghost. You might not like what shows up in that mirror!

Banishing The Spirit

Regardless of which method you use, it’s important to realize that you cannot just summon a spirit then walk away. Spirits that are invited need to be asked to leave. Otherwise, they won’t leave and may become restless. If the door between the living and dead is left open too long, it’s also possible that other (much more dangerous) spirits can enter your area.

To banish spirits, it’s best to ask them to leave. Most spirits will not stay if they are politely thanked for their time and told to go. However, some can be stubborn. If you get the feeling that a presence is sticking around despite a request to leave, you may need to do a cleansing ritual to urge them to leave.

Clearing the Area

Part of ensuring that things are properly wrapped up is ensuring that no residual energy sticks around after a summoning. Once you have finished your business with the spirit, burn some sage and ask negative energies to leave your home. Then, open up a door and tell negative energies it’s time to go.

If paranormal activity persists after you’ve made an effort to cleanse your home, you might need to reach for outside help. Summonings can and do go wrong, and if you summoned a spirit that is particularly dangerous, asking for help from a priest or experienced channeler may be the only way to make activity cease.

Important Things To Remember When Summoning A Ghost Or Spirit

Much like with any other kind of interaction with the paranormal, dealing with ghosts and spirits means that you will need to follow certain rules. The ones below are the most important to remember:

• Never, ever insult the spirit you’re summoning. Spirits and ghosts are still “people,” in their own way. Disrespecting a spirit will anger them, just as disrespecting a person would. An angry ghost is not something you want to deal with, so don’t insult them.
• This is not a game. This should go without saying, but for some groups, it doesn’t. Any attempt to reach out to the unknown is a risky attempt. Acting like it’s harmless fun is not only foolish, but dangerous. Do not summon a ghost unless you absolutely, positively will take things seriously.
• Be careful of what you ask. Never ask a ghost to hurt someone else, and be wary of asking for information dealing with the future. You never know what can happen!
• Remember that what arrives might not be who you think it is. Terrifying as this may be to consider, it’s important to remember that there are entities that mimic loved ones as a way to gain trust and wreak havoc. Even if you are desperate to speak to a loved one who passed away, you should never assume that the spirit is them unless they give you proof. Even then, it’s still not a wise idea to believe it’s them.
• Always do this with others around you. This is crucial. Having others will keep you grounded so you don’t psyche yourself out, and also can prevent a spirit’s energy from overwhelming you.
• Always have a particular spirit in mind when you summon. You wouldn’t invite a random person off the street into your home, would you? Of course not! Inviting a random spirit into your home is no different.
• Always ask spirits to leave after your summoning, and always clear the air. Even if you don’t think anything happened during your summoning, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
• Belief fuels summonings. Psychic and paranormal phenomena tend to gravitate towards believers. No one knows why this is true, but it’s the overall trend energy workers have noticed. If you are skeptical of something working, then it’s very likely that your summoning won’t be as successful as it can be.
• Practice makes perfect. Just like with any other skill, summoning a ghost or spirit will require practice in order for it to become easy to do. So, if at first you don’t succeed, try again.