On the Locality of Spirits

[iseht]

I searched a bit and couldn't really find anything on this. I'm curious what thoughts you all might have on evocation of spirits and the location of the ritual. The Neoplatonic traditions have the framework where spirits occupy a universal medium that is accessible from anywhere, like a fractal unfolding. On the other hand, we have the genius loci that are present in just about all Animism frameworks. I've sort of always reconciled these by associating the genius loci more as manifestations of objects and places, localized egregores I suppose, whereas more universal spirits like the many faced deities would of course be reachable anywhere, so in this sense all are local, it is just a matter of strength of the signal, so to speak.

What really muddled this for me was contemplating djinn which seem to break my current model. One can conjure a djinn from cold and rainy Oregon, but they strongly associate with the use of the Islamic language and are also deeply tied to physical place in Islamic tradition, implying that location and culture strongly influence either the chances for them to appear, or the diversity of djinn that one can reach.

 

[Morell]

Love the question. Jason Muller speaks about this in his Consorting With Spirits. There are definitely spirits that are connected to the certain places and there are those that are loosely connected and those not connected at all.

Some examples:
Spirits of ancestors or relatives - tend to be connected tot he place where they used to live. Can also be summoned by descendants, but might refuse foreign people, it also seems that they would refuse faiths and traditions they did not have.
Spirits of the places - those tend to be strictly connected to the place that is their home. Either they simply live there, or they were bound to that place. White lady can appear in the castle and can be summoned there but nowhere else. Spirit of one certain lake will appear at the lake or close to it, if it is possible, not not in distant places. You can even think about dryad that is connected to one tree and to no other place.
Local gods - Usually all tribal gods are local gods, because their myths are related to some specific place. Like Celtic and Norse gods are primely connected to north part of Europe. King Arthur and Merlin are connected to England. In history they were local myths and legends and beyond their area of influence they were not known really and were connected to the known world of the people that worshiped them or worked with them. Kind of issue today, because it's hard to tell if they are working with people that only are from bloodline or are in the location. That seems to be not really true anymore, though it can still be problem for example with Norse myths in southern hemisphere. There are less known deities that are way more locally bound so probably fame among humans is a factor... in the end Hebrew people wrote their legends as local spirituality too.
Global spirits - angels live in Heaven so they do not in the basics have any location they would be restricted to or restricted from. And those "universal" gods, like the god of Abraham. Or Buddha, I believe... This is relatively new thing actually, that is present only thanks to information sharing and global culture and pop culture if I may say so.

It might be kind of disadvantage that you can learn about any tradition without ever getting in touch with that tradition. Spirits don't have it easy with us. It almost looks like we are starting to demand them to come to us as an ordered package instead of going to the place where they themselves live. But then it has an advantage too, when we can actually really learn and find the tradition that we want to follow the most. An Age of Chaos... Lol.

 

[glaive]

In my opinion, a lot of the spirit categorizations that humans have are lenses or modes through which we can access certain beings, but not the entirety of that being.

Three people may go and summon a spirit on the same mountain, one calls it a djinn, the next calls it one of the Fair Folk, and the last calls it a genius loci. The information they receive is filtered through their own knowledge and context.

I think that different mythologies can be different tools to access specific "currents" instead of building them from scratch......I do agree that it can feel weird, though. This is partly why I try to use local herbs, etc for rites. It seems odd to ship (for example) blackthorns from England over to my US home for a protection spell, since they aren't from the actual land I'm on. Similarly, I don't really attempt to categorize local spirits based on European folklore, though I could if I wanted to. I will reach out to specific gods, though, maybe because they provide a larger "framework" than individual spirits.

 

[iseht]

I think that different mythologies can be different tools to access specific "currents" instead of building them from scratch

I'm fond of this idea as well, although I admit it presents its own problems when one gets into the more nuanced regional practices. Thinking more about djinn, they are one of the categories of spirits that operate through hierarchies, where one might need to make contact with a higher djinn and have them relay one's commands to a subordinate djinn. This paints the picture of regional manager djinn which is quite a funny concept, but it appears to be how they operate.

So then djinn operate within their own spiritual heirarchy, perhaps some are indeed bound by place, but they are able to be released from these bonds with the aid of a higher being. This raises many interesting parallels that I'm eager to explore. For instance, can a higher Norse power release a landvaettir from its stone? The Aos Si have their own courts and hierarchies, can we deploy territorial spirits through the same means?

 

[Morell]

I'm fond of this idea as well, although I admit it presents its own problems when one gets into the more nuanced regional practices. Thinking more about djinn, they are one of the categories of spirits that operate through hierarchies, where one might need to make contact with a higher djinn and have them relay one's commands to a subordinate djinn. This paints the picture of regional manager djinn which is quite a funny concept, but it appears to be how they operate.

So then djinn operate within their own spiritual heirarchy, perhaps some are indeed bound by place, but they are able to be released from these bonds with the aid of a higher being. This raises many interesting parallels that I'm eager to explore. For instance, can a higher Norse power release a landvaettir from its stone? The Aos Si have their own courts and hierarchies, can we deploy territorial spirits through the same means?

Fascinating thoughts about he Djinn.

I remember that for example Driyad, a spirit living in tree is connected with the tree and actually dies when he tree dies, yet cannot leave it. So for some spirits it might actually be something like an incarnation, when they are connected to some place, it might be the same way as we ourselves and our bodies.

 

[Angelkesfarl]

The Jinn: An Operative Analysis of Aetheric Entities (From the Arabic Esoteric Perspective)
Allow me to elaborate on the Jinn. In our definition, the Jinn are, of course, entities of fiery origin. This fire subsequently transformed—much like the transformation of the sun—into an Aetheric medium, enabling them to inhabit the Four Elements.

The Western concept of the Genius Loci is, in our terms, simply the family of Jinn inhabiting a particular location; we call them the Inhabitants of the Place (Sakin al-Makan) or the Jinn of the Place (Jinni al-Makan).

Let us now expand this perspective, diving deeper like a leap from the highest sky:

The Nature and Hierarchy of the Jinn
In the Arabic definition, Jinn are like us—creatures of limited power relative to the Angels. However, their power is greater than that of humans due to their fundamental physical (aetheric) properties.

The Jinn are broadly classified by their domicile:

Jinn who inhabit the Earth.

Jinn who inhabit the Water.

Jinn who inhabit the layers of the Air.

The Spiritual Ones (Al-Ruhaniyyun): These are the highest degree of Jinn, formed from pure fire. If we were to use a scientific analogy, they are like a laser beam focused on water, creating a pure sun from the fluid. They are the supreme class among the Jinn, possessing the technology of Atlantis and are believed to be its true inhabitants. They live in complete space cities that fly at superhuman speeds through the cosmos.

The Laws Governing Territory and Authority
The Inhabitant of the Place (Sakin al-Makan), similar to the Western Genius Loci, is an entity (like a father) who possesses a family. Due to laws protecting creation, their space is secured by their ownership, which can be inherited across entire generations as a birthright.

Their nations have borders, but these are not purely physical like ours; they are temporal and spatial (Time-Space) borders. Thus:

Some Jinn move according to the course of the stars and planets.

Others are the Jinn of the Place, who do not leave their location except by explicit summoning, or with permission to attend or depart.

The Hidden Secret: The Chain of Command
The hierarchy in the terrestrial kingdom of the Jinn is strict:

Tribal Kings: There are 44 tribal kings (the Jinn families inhabiting the Earth).

Directional Kings: Above them are four kings governing the cardinal directions.

The Supreme Terrestrial King: Above them is a terrestrial king named Tarish.

The Supreme Celestial King: Above Tarish is a celestial king named Karakil.

Note on the Occult Secret: This specific chain of command (Tarish and Karakil) is the hidden secret in all powerful magical adjurations (Aza'im and Aqsām), defining the highest authority being invoked.

Belief Systems, Governance, and the Flaw in Western Definition
Jinn, like humans, are diverse: some worship higher Jinn, some worship the same idols as humans, some inspired the worship of planets in humans, and some are Christian, etc.

To clarify the chain of governance: The Jinn inhabiting an apartment falls under the partial jurisdiction of the building's ruler, who falls under the district ruler, and so on, escalating to the continental ruler, and ultimately to the global governance which includes the seat of the demons (Shayatin) and others.

Crucial Distinction: Not all Jinn are Shayatin (demons); this is a major shortfall in the Western definition.

Summoning, Covenants, and the Rules of Engagement
The protocols for summoning are strictly enforced:

Covenants (Al-'Uhūd): Jinn inherit frameworks for summoning through oaths to obey the one who calls upon them using those established covenants.

Gifts and Offerings: They may accept customary gifts, or they may simply ignore your request.

Modes of Appearance: Appearance can be personal (visible to the eye), auditory (heard by the ear), within scrying mirrors (Mandals), or through the possession of a medium's body (the most common, and the most dangerous for those who do not know whom they are summoning, especially if the summoned are blood-feuding, human-hating, or malicious families).

Operative Laws and the Cost of Error
Sorcerers have long understood the need for specific environments: calling the Jinn who flee from humans in abandoned places, or summoning blood-loving Jinn in places like slaughterhouses. Their food is material, but they take specific essences from it.

Regional Specificity: The trees in your local area will summon your local inhabitants. Even the specific patterns of fruits, sweets, and cooking will be valued by the Jinn of that region.

Protocol for Travel: The speed of attendance depends on the Jinn's travel capacity and your standing with them. This is why some lengthy magical adjurations take extended time for their servants to attend.

Law and Mercy: In the fiery world of the Jinn, Mercy is the least common word in the application of law.

The Price of Protocol: Spiritual incenses, Sharaba (spiritual drinks), and materials depend on the Jinn's origin. If you summon a Jinn from a distant place (e.g., Black Hellebore from Europe to South Africa), failure to provide the exact materials may lead to them rejecting your call, citing an incomplete ritual: A missing condition on your part justifies their negligence in answering your request.