What Spirits Actually Want (And Why Most Witches Get It Wrong)

Most spirits aren’t out to get you.

They’re not demons. They’re not curses. They’re not plotting your destruction. They’re like wolves, or bears, or cougars—wild, reactive, instinctive. They don’t operate on human morality, and they sure as hell don’t care about your sage bundles and good intentions.

But here’s where witches mess up: they assume every intense encounter means a spirit is malicious. They treat fear as proof. They posture, threaten, shield, and banish without ever asking why something showed up in the first place.

And when you come at a spirit swinging, it will swing back. It has nothing to prove. It has nowhere to be. It can outwait you. Outlast you. Undo you. You cannot "win" a fight against something made of storm and silence.

Most Spirits Aren’t Evil—They’re Wild

We live in a culture that tells us anything unexplainable must be evil. Haunted house? It’s a demon. Bad dream? Must be a spirit attack. But most of what people call hauntings are just wild spirits behaving like wild things.

They guard their territory. They respond to disruption. They lash out when startled. If you stepped on a cougar’s tail in the dark, would you assume it was evil? Or would you realize you made a mistake?

This is where nuance matters. A slammed door, a growl in the shadows, a chill down your spine—these aren’t signs of hostility. They’re signs of presence. Of warning. Of something that existed long before you arrived and doesn’t owe you friendliness.

The moment you enter a wild or haunted space and assume it belongs to you, you’ve already made your first mistake.

Spirits aren’t monsters. They’re more like apex predators. They don’t want to pick a fight—but they will defend what’s theirs. They will respond in kind to the energy you bring. Show fear, and they smell blood. Show arrogance, and they bare teeth. Show respect, and they might watch you from the trees—and let you pass.

The Cost of Declaring War

Witches love to throw around banishing rituals like grenades. But here’s the truth:

You declare war on a spirit, you better be ready to lose something.

This isn’t Hollywood. This isn’t a boss battle with XP and rewards. When you fight a spirit, you lose time. You lose clarity. You might lose your mind. And most importantly, you lose trust.

Spirits communicate with each other. Energetically, intuitively, ancestrally. Word gets around. The way you treat one will echo through the Others. Spirits are not solitary. They are networks. Ecosystems.

You burn one and walk away proud? Good luck getting any of the others to speak to you. Good luck getting clear signs, dreams, or help when the road darkens.

Even if your banishing "works," you've broken a natural order—and the spirits around it will notice. The land will notice. And something will notice you.

You don’t gain power by fighting spirits. You gain power by learning to walk among them without disturbing the ground.

The Crooked Way: Make Allies, Not Enemies

I don’t start fights with spirits. I make introductions.

When I walk into a haunted space, I don’t bark orders. I observe. I listen. I leave offerings. I introduce myself with humility and curiosity.

I act like I’ve entered someone else’s home—because I have.

And let me tell you, when you approach spirits with honesty and respect, they respond. Not always right away. Not always with sweetness. But with recognition.

I’ve had spirits guide me through dangerous territory, wake me before harm came, send omens that saved my skin. Not because I demanded their help. Because I earned their attention. Because I listened when others screamed.

Allies don’t show up for free. You build relationships. You feed them. You keep your word. You apologize when you overstep.

And if you do that?

You don’t walk haunted paths alone. You walk them escorted.

You walk them as someone known. Someone watched. Someone guarded by powers older than fear.

Allies who warn you. Allies who guard your work. Allies who whisper truths no book could ever give you.

A Final Word

Spirits aren’t here for your performance.

They’re not there to test you or play nice or follow your rules.

But they’re not your enemies either.

If you stop trying to dominate every encounter and start listening, you’ll find that most spirits don’t want to hurt you.

They want to be understood.

And if you can do that?

They’ll walk beside you.