To Establish Contact with the Spirits of the Land

This rite is intended to establish respectful contact with the spirits of place. Prepare your working space outdoors, at a natural location with: a land-safe offering, a token from your body or home (such as a strand of hair, a pinch of hearth ash, or a crumb of home-baked bread), a small bowl or dish, and optionally a protective charm of iron (like a key, pin, or nail).

When you arrive at the chosen place, stand still and silent, focusing on familiarizing yourself with the spirit of the place. Place the offering dish gently on the earth. Say:

Spirits of land and sky and stone,

Old ones of hollow, hedge, and bone,

I come in peace, with open hand,

To greet the powers of this land.

Hold the token in your hand and say:

From hearth and breath and flesh am I—

No lord, no thief, no passerby.

I leave this gift, a thread of me,

To show respect and courtesy.

Place the token beside or within the offering. Take a moment of stillness, listening and feeling for signs or reply. When you are ready, say:

If you would know me, I am near.

If you would test me, I stand clear.

If you would watch me, I consent.

If you would turn, I take no offence.

Spirits of land, wild and wise,

I greet you now with heart and eyes.

With gift and thread, with witch’s call—

I honor you, spirits, good folk, all.

Leave the offering and walk away calmly without turning back. The sign of acceptance may come in time—through dreams, weather, animals, or other signs. Repeat when seeking to deepen your bond with the land around you.