An anchor is a physical object that a spirit uses to connect more easily to our plane. It’s their loading point, or a way to find a place/person more easily, or just something to help them get a better hold. They are connected to the anchor, but can move/travel freely from it if they wish. They’re bound to it in the more metaphorical sense, not literally.
Some people also use the word vessels, which seems to be the more common use on this site. I personally prefer the word anchor, because to me the word vessel connotates the spirit being held inside it, which often isn’t the case. I’ve also seen many people assume that spirits are trapped by vessels, which I don’t want my speech to imply. More often than not, in my experience, spirits choose their own anchor(s).
Common Anchors and Why They’re Chosen
Jewelry, bones, photographs, figurines, crystals, stuffed animals, and knick knacks are all common anchors! Jewelry seems to be the most popular amongst spirit workers because of its innate subtlety, but spirits can choose anything to latch onto. Often, it’s an object that they just really enjoy. They may like the feeling of a certain crystal, the cuteness of that plushy, or the elegance of that necklace. It may resemble something they used to own or resemble what they look like (or used to.)
For bones and photographs specifically, you’re more likely to find the spirits of animals and humans that have passed on from this plane. It could be their photo, or their bones! Or, it could be a photo of someone who resembles them/ an animal of the same species.
How to Use Anchors in Your Craft
Often, a spirit worker will help a spirit they trust find a suitable anchor, so that they can work more regularly with that spirit or ease their transition to working with someone else. This is a pretty common practice that you can see demonstrated with any spirit companion matchmaking service! But there are other ways to use them too.
You can often find spirits in your daily life, just by trying to sense the objects around you when you’re out and about. A spirit may have already found an object and decided “Yup, this is mine” and set up shop. (Antique stores are great for this.) Once I saw a woman at a festival selling ethically-sourced bones, and ended up taking home a skull because I picked it up and my gut said, “there’s something inside this still.” I’ve found at least two spirits while shopping at Goodwill before, just hanging out with the beanie babies.
You can also reverse-engineer meeting a spirit by starting with the vessel. Find a vessel that is both suitable for your craft-style and the type of spirit you’re looking for, then go out to a place where you can expect that type of spirit. Do your usual spirit working stuff, and see if anybody is interested in companionship in exchange for the anchor you’re offering them.
Bonus points, you can also give yourself anchors on the astral plane for all the same reasons a spirit may get one here! I tend to call them waypoints when I’m using them personally, but that’s just me.
I hope you find this info useful! As always, use protection and practice responsibly~
This is one of the first posts on tumblr to describe how to properly create a spirit anchor.
Spirits hate bound to an item, much like people hate being locked in a cage. But they like having anchors, much like people like having a house or a car.
So i’m gonna change how I do tumblr because i’ve discovered people in general who have asks open, get them, but I rarely do, and I’d actually like to answer questions for folks.
I am not sure how to get more visible on tumblr, but I typically don’t fill my posts with tags and I think that in order for people to know i’m out here, i’m going to have to start doing that.
So this is just a reminder post that my blog is open and people can chat and ask stuff, typically I will answer questions about
foxes, therianthropy, otherkin, fae, kitsune, phouka, Fae Courts, magick, energy work, animism, and spirits and other spiritual concepts.
I’m open to talk about other things at all, but trolls will simply be ignored and blocked, because I want to focus on answering sincere questions. You can also read back on this blog to see what I generally think and feel about things.
Some people can’t even figure out how to log on, let alone afford to pay the subscription. Sometimes their computers are too old or their graphics card isn’t right, which makes the image blurry and the animation choppy and it crashes every couple of minutes.
Most people start out at level one, and they have to grind through the really boring story stuff. Lots of times these people are confused and misled, but also amazed by the open world, and they run around a lot without getting anything done. Many of those people will level up for a while without ever making any friends or joining any guilds, which is a totally perfect and valid way to play.
Some people have one of those instant level 99 tokens, and they level up instantly, and are kind of overwhelmed by how difficult the game was right off the bat. Sometimes those people decide it’s in their best interest to quit now before they stress themselves out, and that’s okay.
Some people get in the game and they already have friends who are in pretty high-ranking guilds, so they’re pulled into giant awesome boss fights. And man, are the boss fights awesome. They play their role naturally and have a really great and fun time doing it. Everyone in the guild really feels how fun and exciting it is, and the people watching them stream the game are also pretty excited, even if they’re a bit removed from the situation.
And the next day, when they’re talking to their IRL friends and they say, “Oh man, killing Archimonde last night was so cool,” their guild friends will totally relate, and agree with them! But their IRL friends, who have never touched an MMO, will just kind of say, “Yeah, that sounds pretty cool,” even though they can’t relate at all. They feel a little left out and almost like they’re expected to play the MMO, even though they can’t really commit the time to learn how to play.
And meanwhile, there are thousands of other players who have beaten the same bosses, played the same games, earned the same trinkets, and had guilds of their own. Some people have explored most of the game without ever beating a boss. Some people spend their time on the market earning gold. Some people play on a trackpad on their laptop and some people own a Razor Naga mouse. And some people never even pick up the game at all.
And all of this is totally and completely valid.
Just because you’re not beating the biggest baddest boss in the game once a week, doesn’t mean your astral travel is less cool or less valid. Do what makes you feel good, and what your abilities allow for, and don’t feel like you have to meet any extra expectations to have a good time.
Some people can’t even figure out how to log on, let alone afford to pay the subscription. Sometimes their computers are too old or their graphics card isn’t right, which makes the image blurry and the animation choppy and it crashes every couple of minutes.
Most people start out at level one, and they have to grind through the really boring story stuff. Lots of times these people are confused and misled, but also amazed by the open world, and they run around a lot without getting anything done. Many of those people will level up for a while without ever making any friends or joining any guilds, which is a totally perfect and valid way to play.
Some people have one of those instant level 99 tokens, and they level up instantly, and are kind of overwhelmed by how difficult the game was right off the bat. Sometimes those people decide it’s in their best interest to quit now before they stress themselves out, and that’s okay.
Some people get in the game and they already have friends who are in pretty high-ranking guilds, so they’re pulled into giant awesome boss fights. And man, are the boss fights awesome. They play their role naturally and have a really great and fun time doing it. Everyone in the guild really feels how fun and exciting it is, and the people watching them stream the game are also pretty excited, even if they’re a bit removed from the situation.
And the next day, when they’re talking to their IRL friends and they say, “Oh man, killing Archimonde last night was so cool,” their guild friends will totally relate, and agree with them! But their IRL friends, who have never touched an MMO, will just kind of say, “Yeah, that sounds pretty cool,” even though they can’t relate at all. They feel a little left out and almost like they’re expected to play the MMO, even though they can’t really commit the time to learn how to play.
And meanwhile, there are thousands of other players who have beaten the same bosses, played the same games, earned the same trinkets, and had guilds of their own. Some people have explored most of the game without ever beating a boss. Some people spend their time on the market earning gold. Some people play on a trackpad on their laptop and some people own a Razor Naga mouse. And some people never even pick up the game at all.
And all of this is totally and completely valid.
Just because you’re not beating the biggest baddest boss in the game once a week, doesn’t mean your astral travel is less cool or less valid. Do what makes you feel good, and what your abilities allow for, and don’t feel like you have to meet any extra expectations to have a good time.
Reblogged due to reason: Accurate analogy.
Bio
Just a (fae) phouka kitsune type thing. I’ve been out as otherkin and therian for over 20 years, and been awakened for even longer than that. I’m demi and lean towards female gender.
Warning: This blog not guaranteed to be safe for work.
Just a (fae) phouka kitsune type thing. I’ve been out as otherkin and therian for over 20 years, and been awakened for even longer than that. I’m demi and lean towards female gender.
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