Spirit Marriage: Intimate Relationships with Otherworldly Beings

Cover Image
Title Page
Dedication
Epigraph
Acknowledgments
Foreword by Orion Foxwood
	An In-Spirited Life
	The Origins of Genius
	Why This Subject, Why Now, and Why This Book?
Preface
Introduction. Feminizing and Decolonizing Our Perceptions of Reality
Part 1. The Past
	Chapter 1. Hidden in Plain Sight
		A Transcultural Phenomenon
		In The Margins of History
	Chapter 2. History, Folklore, and Religion
		Anthropology and History
		Folklore and Mythology
		Religious Literature and Praxis
	Chapter 3. The Occult and Psycho-Spiritual Practice
		Through a Transpersonal Lens
Part 2. The Present
	Chapter 4. Contemporary Stories of Spirit Marriage
		Telling Our Stories
	Chapter 5. The Faery Seer
		Ritual Invocation and Gratitude
		First Contact
		Brigh: The Faery Queen
		Dismemberment
		The Faery Marriage
		Transformation and Teachings
		Discernment and Sexuality
		The Day-To-Day Relationship
		Requirements
		Benefits and Risks
		Function and Purpose of the Relationship
	Chapter 6. The Shakta Tantric
		Invocation and Orientation
		Who is Kama’s Kali?
		First Contact
		Developing the Relationship
		The Marriage
		Impact on Other Relationships
		Gender and Sexuality
		Purpose of the Marriage
		Requirements of the Marriage
		The Shape of the Deity
		Closing Remarks
	Chapter 7. The West African Shrine Keeper
		Dagara Cosmology
		The Proposal
		The Marriage Ceremony
		The Community
		The Function of a Tingan Sob
		Experiencing Tingan
		Impact Of The Relationship
		Marriage Requirements
		Divination
		Benefits
		Risks
		Community Impact
		Challenges
		A Visit to Tingan
	Chapter 8. The Washington, DC, Witchdoctor
		Background for Spirit Marriage
		Ancestral Ties
		Primary Deity
		First Contact
		Sensory Experience
		Agreeing to Marry
		Marriage Requirements
		Benefits of the Marriage
		Outcome of the Marriage
		Other Spirit Marriages
		Divorcing a Spirit
		A Rejection of Spirit Marriage
		Closing Remarks
		Postscript
	Chapter 9. The New Orleans Voodoo Mambo
		An Extraordinary Dream
		Meeting Baron Samedi
		The Mariage Loa
		Aftermath of the Marriage
		Impact on Human Relationships
		Requirements and Benefits
		Risks
		Haitian Vodou Versus New Orleans Voodoo
		Gender Identity and Spirit Marriage
		Initiation and the Met Tet
		Cultural Appropriation Versus Cultural Appreciation
		Service to the Community
	Chapter 10. The Haitian Vodou Practitioners
		The Louisiana Artist and Houngan
		The Brooklyn Hereditary Mambos
	Chapter 11. The Ceremonial Magician
		A Technology for Spiritual Awakening
		Identity of the Holy Guardian Angel
		The Abramelin Operation
		Benefits and Risks
		Outcomes
	Chapter 12. The Erotic Mystic: Journey to My Divine Self
		The Holy Spirit as Wisdom Sophia
		Deep Longing: The Erotic Nature of Being “Spirit Filled”
		Singing to the Trees
		The Weird Kid
		Losing My Religion: A Descent Into the Underworld
		Erotic Awakening and Spiritual Discipline: Stepping Onto the Path of Self-Cultivation
		The First Proposal
		Embodying the Divine Self Within and Without
		Meeting the Goddess in my Body
		Embodying the Goddess or How I Found Myself Onstage, Naked, and Channeling the Goddess of Love
		Finding a Female Teacher and Shakta Tantric Sadhana
		Learning the Sound of my Soul
		Divine Self, Divine Other
	Chapter 13. The Erotic Mystic: Encounters with My Faery Beloved
		First Contact
		Meeting the Beloved or How I Found Destiny in the School Cafeteria
		Naming and Forming
		Searching for Understanding
		Deepening the Contact
		Embodiment: Devils and Monsters
		Confirmation of the Contact
		Confirmation
		Marrying Gwyn
		Requirements and Purpose of the Relationship
		Trusting the Process
		A Word of Caution
Part 3. The Future
	Chapter 14. Cultivating a Spirit Marriage
		Why Bonded Relationships with Spirits are Needed now More than Ever
		The Importance of Community
		Sovereignty Through Surrender
		Sexuality and Divine Union
		Cocreation and Conscious Evolution
		Entheosis: Spiritual Technologies for Embodying the Divine Self
	Chapter 15. Practices and Precautions
		Create a Solid Container
		Practice Self-Care as Temple Keeping
		Deepen Through Ritualized Movement Meditations
		Explore your Sacred Story
		Avoid the Potential Shadows of Spirit Marriage and Entheosis
		Cultivate Devotion, Discernment, and Discipline
Conclusion. Normalizing the Paranormal
	Our Shared Stories
	Key Takeaways
	Contributions
	Recommendations
	Final Thoughts
Glossary
Footnotes
Endnotes
Bibliography
About the Author
About Inner Traditions • Bear & Company
Books of Related Interest
Copyright & Permissions
Index