Is it possible, through either meditation, astral travel, or ritual to contact those who have passed on? There are two people I’m interested in contacting; one, a member of my family and another a personal idol who I have never met but would love to express my eternal gratitude to for helping shape me as the person I am.  Thank you much in advance! At this point I am not so sure if I’d like to see this published, as it is of a personal nature — perhaps in the future, though, it might be a valuable thing for other folks to read.  Brightest blessings!  ~S.H.

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Yes, it is possible.  However, there is a certain amount of division that is occurring in your mind because you are limited by your human body and its finite and linear perceptions.  All energy is connected, and so those you wish to speak with are really not separate f rom you.  However, I do understand the need to put the process of contact in a meaningful form so that your physical human self can experience that Oneness and find comfort and communication in it.

The easiest time to reach across the Veil or call through it is coming at Samhaine.  I also find the waning moon (when the moon is in hard wane — three days before New Moon through New Moon) works well, too.  At Samhaine, you can set a Dumb Feast for the person you wish to attract.  This is especially potent for someone you’ve known and with whom you have distinct memories that involve the senses.  To set a Dumb Feast, you prepare the foods that the person loved and set it forth with the intention that they are served alongside you at your table.  I typically have a special blessing where I begin the dinner by casting circle at twilight (dinner is served at twilight).  As the light fades and darkness descends, I call to each direction in the Darkness and proclaim that I light the fire of my hearth that my family might be gathered together again on this night that stands between days, between times, and between worlds.  I hold an item that belonged to that person (the more personal the item, the better) and I hold it up high and call their name nine times, once for each of the Nine Worlds.  The effect is pretty pronounced.  I’ll often catch a whiff of perfume or cologne, hear their voice, the wind will blow through… once the chair at their place setting actually moved backwards.

Once they’ve arrived, you need to proceed with your dinner INCLUDING THEM.  In other words, include them in conversation, tell stories about them, glance at their place and include them in your sight — because they are there.  During or after dinner, feel free to take the time to tell them what you long to tell them.  You can also wait until after dinner and do it privately as long as you remain in circle.  Be sure that once you’ve said what you need to say that you don’t just “throw them out”.  Give them leave to stay peacefully and welcomingly.  Tell them at sunrise the circle will dissolve and they will once again have to move beyond the Veil.  Be sure to clean up your own energy afterwards by smudging or sweeping the area clean.

This isn’t the kind of thing you want to do if you’re not comfortable casting circle, so make sure you have that skill down first.  It’s not hard to learn, but you want to make sure that the only things coming through are the things you’ve called… not any and all sundry.  I did a similar ritual when my grandfather passed not too long after I started studying.  I noticed that the specificity of using my grandfather’s name and his favorite foods (and the fact it was MY blood and thus HIS genetic code in my veins calling to his energy) kept most extraneous other stuff out.  I did see other shadowy bits of this and that poke up their heads, though, when I started the rite.  So, get that circle up and be prepared!

I will warn you about one thing — do NOT force the calling.  You are ASKING them to join you.  Don’t use hair or items that contained their physical essence as a way to force them to join you.  You are INVITING them, not SUMMONING them.  There is a big difference between the two.  One allows them to politely decline your request.  The latter gives them no choice and is a sure way to end up with something-grumpy-this-way-comes.  You know what it feels like to be told what to do — imagine what it feels like to be MADE to do something.  It’s not a good thing to do, IMO.

As for the other request… the person you don’t know… that’s harder to do.  More dangerous, less likely to succeed in the way you might want, more to consider.  After all, you have to ask, has the person already reincarnated again (you might have to ask the same thing in regards to your family member depending on how long ago they died)?  You don’t want to call up a soul already in someone else’s body!  That might make for an interesting little “tug” for the person being called up!  Because they aren’t of your bloodline, it will be harder to connect mentally for you.  Even the baser techniques of using food to lure the Dead back won’t really work for you… you might know how to cook okra but you might not know how THEIR grandmother cooked their favorite okra, if you catch my drift.

To do this kind of contact, I suggest making a veneration altar (again, Samhaine seems a good time).  Put up pictures of the person, light candles, make it pretty.  And once it’s set up, speak a prayer into the Infinite, that your words of gratitude might reach the soul of the person of whom you’re speaking, so that no matter if they’ve reincarnated or not, your gratitude can find its way to their soul.  This kind of tender honoring CAN be felt even if the person has come into another body already.  This also doesn’t entail any “summoning” on your part.  It doesn’t force the contact.  It is an outflow from you into a brother/sister soul in this Universe, and very benign.

I hope this gives you a couple of ideas to use in your quest to give thanks to those who have been meaningful in your life.  You can do either or both or neither of these.  However, I would be remiss if I didn’t remind you that all things and people are connected, and simply by focusing on the person to whom you want to speak, you can speak and they will feel/hear/know what you wish to say.  The ritual trappings are more for US than them, usually.  It’s beautiful, it’s real, but speaking with a sincere heart to the Ether is equally as real and beautiful when the time is right.

Blessings!

Author’s Footnote: This post was originally answered privately, but later permission was given to post the question and response here.  My thanks to S.H. for permission to post this question — I’m sure others wonder similar things!

Photo by Eddi 07 (via Flickr).