Working with Entities, Deities, and Non-Physical Beings (Part 1: Foundational Principles)
This post is compiled from a newsletter series I published in July 2024. The information below is rooted in my personal practice and experience. Please ensure that you take what resonates for you and leave the rest.
From weaving Sekhmet's healing energies into my dream and nightmare interpretations to walking the paths of Inner Earth with Odin, I've built several relationships with entities, deities and non-physical beings over the years. The connections I have developed with these entities have been fulfilling in deeply personal ways and have directly helped me in my work. So let's talk about the foundations of working with entities from foundational principles to long-term practice.
Leading with Respect
The Oxford dictionary defines the word 'entity' as, "a thing with distinct and independent existence."
All entities are their own sovereign beings with their own essences, histories, cultures, uniqueness, and relationship with Earth. It is this understanding, that all entities are their own sovereign beings, that forms a respectful foundation from which to connect.
For example, the Greek god Zeus and the Norse god Thor, while both sharing similar characteristics, are not the same entity. They have experienced their own unique trials, are part of different cultures and belief systems, and have their own histories. It's important to honor and respect their individuality.
In addition to respecting the entity themselves, it is also important to respect their culture or belief system. Part of working with entities involves the development of respectful awareness which can help you identify appropriation or where acknowledgement is needed. This is where you need to follow your heart and lead with conscious love.
I believe that anyone across the world has the potential to work with any entity from any culture (if that entity so agrees), regardless of their belonging (or not) to that culture. However, there are respectful and disrespectful ways to do so.
As a personal example, I am not of Egyptian descent or culture nor have I lived in Egypt but I work with several ancient Egyptian deities in my personal practice. I do not offer goods and services based on my connections with these deities, nor do I create content about them from a place of cultural knowing. Every time I share information about my connections with entities I do so by informing my audience that it's from the perspective of my personal practice and personal beliefs. I intentionally step into my practice with respect for not only the entity but for the people associated with their point of origin.
Recently, while in a group conversation, a woman asked me who was on my necklace. It was Sekhmet, the Egyptian goddess, and the woman wanted to know more about my work with her. I opened the conversation by saying, "Sekhmet is an Egyptian goddess and as I am not Egyptian nor a part of Egyptian culture, everything I'm about to say is from the perspective of my personal experience with her." I try to do this every time a conversation follows this flow. It's what feels right and respectful to me while allowing myself to share the experiences I've had which are a facet of my reality.
Respect is subjective but as long as you lead your entity relationships from a place of heart-centered awareness and conscious respect, I believe you'll build a solid foundation.
A Healthy Relationship
Your respect for a particular entity and that entity's culture is only part of the equation: respect should be mutual within your connection.
A healthy relationship with an entity should never cross your personal boundaries. An entity should always respect your space, thoughts, feelings, and everything else about you. If you ever feel coercion, manipulation, or anything else that is not of the highest good from the entity then it is not a healthy relationship.
In my personal practice, I declare my boundaries aloud from the get-go. There's a power in stating your intentions verbally as it both brings the intention into your physical world by creating sound and activates the energy of the intention within your body through the vibrations of your vocal chords.
When I begin a new connection with an entity I state several boundaries aloud including a note that my dream time is my private space and they are not welcome in there unless invited. As a dreamworker, there are some nights I do ask for entities to join me and guide me through dreams but for the most part I prefer to do my own thing in the dream space.
A healthy relationship begins by setting clear boundaries and letting each entity know what is most supportive for you.
The Importance of Learning
While most of the entities I work with are connections I directly sought out, Sekhmet approached me first and I chose to answer her call.
It started with signs and synchronicities: lions frequently started popping up in my social media feed, random friends started sending me articles, memes, and messages that had something to do with lions, and lion imagery began coming through in my dreams. It escalated to book recommendations for ancient Egyptian deities, books on Sekhmet specifically, and then a friend even named her in a reading she felt compelled to offer me.
There was no denying that Sekhmet was trying to get my attention. But I'm a naturally cautious person so before I entered conversation with her I sought out knowledge to help me make this decision.
For about a month I looked up everything I could about Sekhmet, read books on her, watched videos and devoured any information I could about her. Finally, I accepted her call and our relationship has developed ever since (we'll get into the specifics of connecting in the next article). This was my decision and I could have respectfully said no.
When seeking out an entity to work with I believe the best way to start is to begin with curiosity and learning. What do you already know and what do you want to learn more about?
When I began working with angels I already had a solid foundation of knowledge regarding them as I was raised in the Catholic church. I started with that basis and expanded my knowledge of them from sources outside of Christianity. Once I felt ready I posed the question to a particular angel I wanted to work with and waited for a confirmation that my request was accepted.
Learning and attaining knowledge regarding entities is, to me, a sign of respect. The act of learning and seeking information can also create thoughtful space for that entity to enter your life if you so desire.
Practice
Working with entities is a choice, and an empowering one at that. If you feel called to work with a particular entity or want to develop a relationship with one then I'd like you to spend some time thinking about who you'd like to connect with and what your relationship might look like before proceeding to the next article in this series which will focus on getting started with an initial connection and building a personal practice.
