thedragonslibrary:

serapphire:

Hello anon! That’s a great question. House rules should cover every scenario you can think of, and anything that makes you uncomfortable. Here are some good house rules to start with, and then you can work from there:

1. Do not bring spirits or entities that are not within our family into my home. (AKA, unbounds)
2. Do not manifest when I have company over that are not spirit-workers.
3. Do not manifest in ways that will break my belongings, or otherwise cause me accidental harm (Breaking glass, etc)
4. Do not move or take X item (X being item(s) that are precious to you, or are important, such as tax papers, an heirloom, etc.)

I recommend that house rules are written somewhere, so that they are easily accessible, and easy to point out. It can be in a book, or as a slip of paper at the bottom of your sock drawer. Other rules should include any that have to do with any illnesses you have, anxieties, or special circumstances. For example:

1. Do not manifest in ways that I can mistaken as a serious physical illness, such as shortness of breath
2. Do not manifest with a physical form (If you have a mental illness that causes you to hallucinate and you are unable to tell reality from a hallucination)

Some entities/spirits may also have their own house rules that you will need to follow as well. Be sure to write these down.

I hope you don’t mind me jumping in here and adding my two cents!  These are all very important house rules that can easily be glossed over and forgotten if one isn’t careful.  Rules are very important when it comes to establishing a family, especially a large one, because if you’re not vigilant and your spirits are very active, things can start to get out of hand.  It’s never too late to introduce house rules into your relationship with spirits, and it’s alright if you don’t cover your bases and have to introduce new ones as time goes on!

Here are some other rules that might seem sort of silly, but can really help enhance the enjoyment of your relationship if you’re sensitive about these sorts of things:

1. Please do not interact with me or watch when I am doing something private (i.e., showering, using the toilet, having sex, etc.)
2. Please do not manifest when I am doing something related to school and/or work.
3. If you do not get along with another spirit in my family, please do what you can to ignore that spirit and not let it affect our companionship.
4. Please do not cause me to dream OR daydream about [insert trigger here].
5. Related to mental illness: Please do not manifest or do anything that causes me to doubt my sense of reality (i.e., moving things around when I am not in the room)
6. JUST IN CASE: Please do not do anything to intentionally harm me or someone I love, or anyone I do not give you explicit permission to harm (sometimes protective spirits might get a little overzealous)

And, house rules don’t have to always be “don’t”s, either!  Here are some things you can enlist your spirits with:

1. If you encounter an unbound spirit or malicious entity around me or my home, please protect me/find their purpose/chase them away.
2. Please inform me if you feel that someone around me wishes me harm.
3. Please protect my loved ones (children, siblings, parents, friends, etc.) in the same way you would protect me.

It’s also a nice idea, along the lines of this, to establish routines for you and your companions!  So, for example, if you decide you want to perform X type of magic once a week, and your companion is aligned with that magic, make it a regular event that happens at the same time, same place, same day each week. This will ensure that your companion is always ready for this type of event when you do it, and they won’t feel bothered or blindsided by your plans!  

As always, treat a spirit companion like you would a family member or friend, but keep in mind that they are not always aware of human courtesies, nor what will and won’t bother you if they step over a certain line.  It’s your responsibility to make sure they are informed about what is acceptable and unacceptable.  In order for a companionship to be a symbiotic relationship, both parties need to be aware of each other’s limits.  That being said, make sure you ask the spirit what is is comfortable and uncomfortable with as well!  If there is anything that makes the spirit uncomfortable, they will let you know.

fruitspiritshop:

1. It is better to tell me the truth then it is to lie to me. Yes I will be upset if you did something bad but you will be in less trouble than if you lie.
2. Do not take other’s offerings without asking if they will share, this is mainly for the carbuncle twin children Carni (formerly known as C) and her brother Cardin.
3. Do not make sexual advances on me, my family, my friends or my fiancee or other spirits without their consent. 
4. Do not mess with my Fiancee without his permission.
5. Meals will be nightly however try everything once if you don’t like it I will adapt so everyone can eat together.
6. Sunday is family day and offering day.
7. Do not be violent to any of the spirits I have in vetting, are companions with or in the family sanctuary. However you are allowed to defend yourself if struck first.
8. There are punishments if you break a rule. However if it gets too severe you will be asked to leave. 
9. You are allowed to ask for something if you want it. It doesn’t hurt to ask as long it won’t harm you, me or others. 
10. If you are hurt, ill, or upset please inform me immediately. 

lonesome-bones:

Hey everyone! This is just a list of my house rules, as inspired by @spiritvexer. If you have any other ideas, just let me know! I am probably missing a few, honestly. 

• No spirit may enter any room of my other family members. The living room, kitchen, and my room are fine, but bedrooms are not. This includes the bedroom in the basement. Bathrooms are off limits unless I say it is alright. In other words, unless you have express permission, the answer is no, you cannot go into their room. I have a lot of younger siblings, and I am afraid they would be… startled by the presence of a spirit. 
• All welcome spirits have a right to my room, my altar, and my closet. It is spacious enough for you to chill in, if you want to. I also have individual spirit vessels that are solely yours, and cannot be shared. If you want a different one, would like to trade, etc, just let me know. I will work it out for you. 
• When I work with other spirits, do not interrupt either of us. We will all have one on one time together, so don’t worry. I will definitely allow you to mingle and speak to one another, so just wait a few minutes until I am finished speaking with them. 
• If you have a problem with another spirit, tell me. I can’t fix it if I don’t know what’s wrong. If they are being difficult, malevolent, or dangerous, I need to know right away. Please do not hesitate to come to me about it. 
• You have a right to energy. If you need some, ask me for it. I will either lend you some of my own, help you find a good source, or place charged objects in your vessel. 
• You may travel with me if you like. I don’t go many places, but where I do go, you are welcome to go as well. The only place I would not like to be followed is the bathroom. 
• If my home or self is attacked, if someone else is attacked, or if one of you is attacked, we as a family have the responsibility to protect one another. Do everything in your power to tell me what is going on, and try your hardest to protect the object of the attack. Especially spiritual attacks. If helping would seriously endanger you, please just tell me instead. 
• You may have non-malevolent entities in my room. If even for a second you doubt their intentions are harmless, then they may not come in. Do not share my secrets and my protection systems with anyone, spirit or otherwise. 
• You may communicate with other people, especially witches, diviners, etc. The only things I ask are that you do not leave me without telling me, or explaining why you are going to someone else’s home for however long you are going/staying, and do not share any information I have not shared with them. 
• When I do a cleansing, stay in your vessels. I will pass over them, and you will not be caught up and swept away. You may leave the house if you like, but remember that I have to welcome you back in to have you again. I will do divination three hours after a cleansing to make sure everyone is accounted for. 
• I will divine with you personally once a week, or as a group twice a week. If you ever need me before then, get my attention in some way, and I can try to speak with you asap. 
• Do not attack me, my family, or my friends that are welcomed into my home. If they cross the threshold without permission, then they are not under my protection.

urbanspellcraft:

So for those of you that are spirit keepers/companions, or are spirit workers of any frequency, you may know a bit about house rules. Now keep in mind, you don’t need to have house rules. Some don’t find that they need them, some prefer not to have them. I choose to have a set of house rules because I find that for me, it helps bring a little peace and harmony to my house, and that if anything did go wrong, I have something to refer to. Anyone in my house, be it astral being, spirit or entity, from white arts to dark arts to black arts, is expected to follow these rules while they are part of my household/in my house.

These are my house rules. Feel free to use them if you like, modify them, add/subtract as you see fit. I have had a lot of success with these so far, and no incidents. Depending on who is in your family/keep/court, you may need to add rules, or subtract them. But these are what work for me & my family. What is in bold is my actual rule, and then I will expand upon the rule if I see fit.

1. Never harm or show disrespect to myself, my significant other, any other member of my family, friends or welcome household guests. This is obvious… I don’t want any of my spirit family hurting each other, nor do I want them hurting any human or animal that is welcome in my house.

2. Never harm any children or pets.

3. Never show yourself to anyone besides myself in your true form, unless your true form is something that would not scare them. (Example: If it is a child, appear as something child friendly.) I have a few not so pleasant looking family members, or some beings that in their true form are pretty terrifying. I wouldn’t want them showing themselves to a child or an adult.

4. Sexual contact is only welcome with me and will not be permitted with anyone else. Basically just don’t go touching my boyfriend or anyone else, they don’t appreciate it. 

5. No physical manifestations at work in front of anyone but myself. Patients and coworkers are not to know about you. Some of you may not need this, but I work with the public and don’t need a spirit manifestation scaring patients away.

6. Protect yourself at all times. If something comes up and I can do something about it, I will help. 

7. Do not hamper with communication. This covers and includes communication between yourselves, or with me. If I am working specifically with one or with one group, I don’t need anyone else butting in and hampering that communication. Wait until I am done.

8. Do your part for the highest good of the household, including all spirits, entities, astral beings & other. All living people, spirits, entities, astral beings & other shall work at living together peacefully. Bullying wont be tolerated, if you have an issue, contact me.

9. We work as a team, with me being the team leader. If you have suggestions, tell me. If you are unsure to my wishes, ask me or look within. If they have doubts about something, my family is always welcome to “look within” for my wishes, if I am for some reason unavailable to ask. 

10. No twisting my words.

11. No lying. Do not pretend to be something/someone you are not. Do not make anything up to make someone else look bad.

12. Disarm malicious magic that is sent my way by someone else or that is around by circumstance.

13. Keep watch over property & always be ready to act against any pending issue.

14. Help identify any possible conflicts. Help judge the character of people, spirits, entities, astral beings & other around us. This has actually been a useful rule in several situations. Its really two rules condensed into one, as well, but its how I have it written in my notebook.

 Thats it! They are fairly long, but also fairly basic, and cover the essentials. Most rules are pretty obvious, but I would rather state the obvious then regret not stating the obvious later on. Again, this is just what I use for my house rules (its nice to have a digital copy on here as well) – you can use them if you like, add/remove rules as needed. & if you don’t do spirit work, or have spirits in your regular household, you don’t even need to have this.

Enjoy!