

Spirit, according to the book is "derived from the Latin word, spiritus, meaning "breath"". It goes on to indicated that it is a Western term for either ether or akasha. The most rarefied of the five elements. Pattern or essence and refers the reader to the entry on Akasha; quintessence; model 5. It also suggests that spirit is an immaterial being or entity. Any concept, force, event, object, place, pattern, or person can be thought of as having a spirit. It then refers the reader to the entry on Soul; model 10 (Subtle anatomy), And lastly it states that spirit can also be thought of as information perceived as existing distinct from its medium.
Wow!
I could continue to share with you the information I found when I turned to the entries that I was directed to by the book, but it leads further and further into the depths of the pages and other topics, which are fascinating, but not what I wanted the subject of this blog post to be. I want to focus on the discussing the concept of xeni nephidei.
Upon further searching the internet for more information and definitions for xeni nephidei I discovered that Paracelsus the Swiss physician, alchemist, and astrologer of the German Renaissance made reference to xeni nephidei referring to them as elemental spirits that gave men occult powers over visible matter and then fed on their brains causing insanity. He also suggested that it was these spirits that assisted mediums in moving physical objects without visible means. When I read this I couldn't help but smile. Of course I would be guided to read about Xeni Nephidei! It is exactly what I have been aligned with since moving to our new home.
Since moving to Seattle, Washington I have found that the energies and spiritual entities here, of this land and specifically the house and yard, which we are renting are different from the land and house we lived in when we were renters in New Bedford, Massachusetts. In the East the land felt over-populated or saturated with human energy, the spirits of The Dead. The home we lived in also was occupied by people who had lived in the home and died while living there. I wrote about the vortex that existed within the house in a previous blog post. Here, in Seattle, the energy is completely different; it is primal, primordial, untamed. The land is untainted by human spirits and is wild. I feel the presence of the elemental forces easier, there is less interference so less effort is required of me to align myself with them. In fact, it was one of the reasons I felt drawn to name our kitten Oberon, the name of the Lord of the Fairies in Shakespear's play, A Midsummer's Night Dream.
It is clear to me that my relationship with the Elemental Spirits, the fae, the Xeni Nephidei, has just begun and I anticipate that they will be playing a large role in my Witchcraft. I am eager to work with them, to nurture a relationship with them and share the experience ... even if it leads me to insanity.