• Hi guest! As you can see, the new Wizard Forums has been revived, and we are glad to have you visiting our site! However, it would be really helpful, both to you and us, if you registered on our website! Registering allows you to see all posts, and make posts yourself, which would be great if you could share your knowledge and opinions with us! You could also make posts to ask questions!

Do spirits categorize themselves?

Joined
Mar 25, 2025
Messages
112
Reaction score
82
Awards
2
I ask because it often feels that we humans like to put spirits in categories that are largely subjective and contradictory. In some cases the spirits themselves contradict the category they're put in. So, I'm wondering if we're forcing false dichotomies onto them.

Often these dichotomies s are cultural. So, one dichotomy contradicts another. I mean, the Christian dichotomy tends to contradict every other culture that is polytheistic or animistic. In that spirits are either this or they're that, no in between.

But if we are dealing with living thinking beings, don't they have their own cultural perspectives? Do they categorize us into dichotomies?
 

Morell

Acolyte
Joined
Jul 5, 2024
Messages
480
Reaction score
853
Awards
9
Humans are spirits too.
That is to say, we do differ ourselves in various ways, by our look, by our behavior, by family and clan... Makes sense that spirits of similar inteligence would do something similar. Not the entirely same, as the "physical" laws of their realm are somehow different, but I think that they might have the same tendency and need to belong somewhere.

You note correct that we differ spirits basing on our culture (Christian culture) rather than experience. Other cultures tend to do cultural differing too and among all cultures there are here and there experiences that sometimes fit and sometimes do not. You won't do mistake by making out sorting basing on your own experience, but always be ready to find out that your sorting is wrong.
 

Ziran

Acolyte
Benefactor
Joined
Oct 20, 2023
Messages
451
Reaction score
926
Awards
6
"Do spirits categorize themselves?"

Traditionally, in the West, spirits are described in terms of "hosts"; It's an old military term which categorizes spirits by rank. As such, If a "lower" order spirit is misbehaving, then its "captain" can be petitioned to compel its "underling" on behalf of the petitioner. ( "lower" "captain" "underling" are in quotes because this isn't literal. A spirit cannot be, literally, above or below. )

However, this is only the traditional manner that it's described in the West. It depends on the belief that there is 1 and only 1 infinite source. This presumes a heirarchy exists, then projects that heirarchy on the forces of nature. Many object to this and its implications.
 
Top