ported sleeptalker ritual

Author: tirimid

cmf/tirimid/sleeptalkerritual.cmf

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+DOC-TITLE The Sleeptalker Ritual
+DOC-AUTHOR tirimid
+DOC-CREATED 2023-12-19
+DOC-REVISED 2024-10-11
+
+    Did you know you can talk to supernatural spirits? It's true.
+    Well, of course, there are a few caveats involved. For one, you can't just
+talk to anyone - a conversation, after all, is a two-way deal. And should you
+call, not everyone will be willing to answer. Those who do are typically doing
+so for a reason, and due to this, you are much more likely to reach certain
+*types* of supernatural being more than others, and some will be entirely unable
+to do so, at least through the procedure I will outline below.
+    The Sleeptalker Ritual takes its name from the way in which it is performed,
+as the one calling a spirit must channel its energy through an unconscious host,
+who will be used as a conduit for a possession. While possessed, the conduit (or
+host, as they are sometimes called) will have their body used by the paranormal
+as a vessel through which to communicate with the natural world.
+    In order to perfom this ritual, you will need the following resources:
+
+#A sleeping person who will be used as the conduit for the ritual. It is
+ imperative that they are *not aware* of the Sleeptalker Ritual, preferably they
+ should never have heard of it, but knowing it simply by name is not a serious
+ impediment. This is because, when a supernatural entity possesses someone, it
+ gains access to that person's memories - and many types of dark spirits
+ (demons, phantoms, etc.) are quite likely to refuse to continue with a
+ possession if they think the subject may have wanted it. If you fail to meet
+ the condition that the conduit it unaware of this ritual, noone will be
+ physically harmed, but you will fail to derive the greatest benefits of the
+ ritual.
+#A small canister of *naturally derived* salt. For example, sea salt and
+ Himalayan salt are popular options. Salt is used in the procedure to guarantee
+ a level of procedure, and non-naturally based salts provide a lower level of
+ protection. It is uncertain why this is the case, but it is hypothesized that
+ non-omniscient paranormal creatures have their own systems of faith through
+ which they structure interactions with themselves and other beings alike.
+ Demons, particularly, are thought by some to fear Christian paraphernalia as it
+ evokes their historical banishing to the deepest realms of Hell, rather than
+ any actual in-the-moment danger. Advocates of this idea propose that
+ naturally-derived salts have been historically used by humans, who imposed
+ their antiquated ways of paranormal control on the entities through their
+ faith - and since non-natural salts are a more modern phenomenon, they simply
+ haven't had the same impact, as it isn't really used in the same way.
+ Ultimately, the reason it works isn't important to the fact that it does.
+#A very quiet room. It needs to be so quiet you can hear the blood rushing
+ through your head. If you can hear any background noise, even the gentle
+ far-away hum of highway aggregation, the ritual will be much harder. Not
+ impossible, but difficult enough that it becomes impractical to try. If you are
+ hearing-impaired, this is doubly important.
+#A source of dim, non-artificial light. Most people prefer to use a candle, but
+ really anything - from a red-hot metal bar to a heavily shaded sun - will work,
+ with varying results. Computer displays and overhead lights are strictly off
+ the table. If you use them for the ritual, nothing will happen. The procedure
+ will simply fail to yield a result.
+#A broom. This will be used to sweep up salt poured out during the beginning of
+ the procedure. You may use a dustsweeper, some tissues, or even your hand. Most
+ people use a broom as it is the easiest and fastest.
+
+    Before I describe the procedure, I must outline a few safety issues and
+precautions that you *must* take to remedy them. Fail to meet these standards,
+and you may face anything from pain, to death, to a fate worse than either. The
+supernatural world is nothing to scoff at, and you must put a large degree of
+preparation behind any encounter with it.
+    First, and most importantly, you must be aware of the current environmental
+conditions, as these will determine the possible spirits you might be
+contacting. Remember, this procedure can't call anyone in specific, you are
+screaming out for any otherworldly being to hear that you want a conversation.
+Thus, the possible beings are limited to those currently nearby. For example,
+during rainy seasons you are more likely to contact mogwai. During the night,
+shades or phantoms. During the day, angels - as they are also capable of
+possession, though significantly less likely to actually do so. Still, if you
+want to contact an angel using the Sleeptalker Ritual, daytime is your best bet.
+    Second, you must not use any electronic devices during the ritual.
+Preferably, you will remove all of them from the room before even beginning it.
+Certain types of paranormal entities like jinns or ghouls might use them to
+boost their power, which will lower the effectiveness of your protection.
+    Third, just remember what you're doing. You're talking to beings far beyond
+your own comprehension, and via spoken language no less. They might tell you
+things, including things you don't want (or can't be allowed) to hear. If the
+conduit begins talking about the meaning of life, or when someone will die, or
+any event beyond understanding, *do not listen*. Block your ears if necessary.
+Living with this kind of knowledge will give you nothing but stress. Note that
+certain kinds of spirits (mostly demons) will exploit this fact to mess with you
+to their own advantage. If the ritual ever becomes too much to handle,
+immediately terminate it. In the face of stress, you will take actions you
+regret, and panicking in this context will certainly not benefit you or the
+conduit.
+    If you are certain that you can meet these standards, and know what you're
+signing up for, you may continue reading.
+    The Sleeptalker Ritual can be broken up into three phases: awaiting contact,
+the actual conversation, and bidding the entity farewell. Each phase has its own
+risks associated with it, but if you follow the procedure correctly, you will
+avoid them.
+    At each step of the ritual, you must be alone with the conduit. Failure to
+adhere to this rule during the first phase will result in nothing happening. But
+failure during the second or third phase, after a link has been made, is
+entirely dependent on the spirit you have reached, and most likely far, far
+worse than the simple "nothing".
+
+=Awaiting contact
+
+#Wait until the conduit is asleep. The more soundly they are sleeping, the
+ better, as you will be afforded more maximum time for the conversation. If the
+ conduit awakes during the procedure, contact with the paranormal will be
+ severed, and you will have a lot of explaining to do - but neither of you will
+ be in danger from whatever spirit you managed to reach.
+#Take your conduit to the quiet room. Again, this room must be so quiet that you
+ could hear a pin drop on a carpeted floor. If the conduit fell asleep in this
+ room, that makes your task easier.
+#Darken *all* lights in the room. If it is coming from a source you cannot
+ easily turn off, such as the sun, do what you can to block it out. Close the
+ blinds, the door, etc. It need not be pitch black, but it ought to be dark
+ enough that your eyes will need to adjust to see anything.
+#Remove all electronic devices from the room. As explained, this is important to
+ avoid certain risks inherent in the fact that you don't know who you're
+ contacting - although this isn't necessary most of the time. Even if you take
+ your phone or a camera with you, you won't get any value from it. The spirit
+ won't be visible, so a recording of the event won't prove anything.
+#Surround the conduit with the naturally-derived salt in a continuous, unbroken
+ line. This line should be reasonably close to the conduit, and it must separate
+ them from you. If the conduit is on a bed, it will suffice to simply surround
+ the bed with salt. It is imperative you do this correctly, as this protection
+ *cannot* be reinforced after contact is made.
+#Light your candle, start up your furnace, or open the blinds just a small bit.
+ Whatever your non-artificial light is, get it to start lighting. This is why
+ most people prefer to use a candle; it provides a small amount of light without
+ disrupting the conduit's sleep. The natural light works as a beacon, allowing
+ the paranormal to see someone calling them.
+#Clear your mind and wait. Make no noise. You must wait until you hear a subtle
+ "whispering" in your ear, although the exact nature of what this will sound
+ like appears to vary between accounts. Perhaps you will hear a low wind-like
+ noise, perhaps a murmuring, perhaps something entirely different. The point is
+ to listen for this "whispering-like" class of noise. As soon as you hear it,
+ that means your call has been answered, and someone - or something - is on the
+ other end.
+
+=The conversation
+
+    Your conversation with the supernatural can take the form of any other
+conversation you may have, but experience shows that certain formats are more
+conducive to your goals than others. If you seek knowledge, you should follow a
+question-and-answer approach. If you are doing this for the hell of talking to a
+creature beyond life itself, perhaps you will go for a more "freeflowing" form
+of conversation.
+    During the conversation, you must be attentive to the signs that the
+protection from the salt is fading, or that the conduit is beginning to wake up.
+In this situation, you ought to terminate the ritual. If you are bad at
+determining whether someone is waking up, it is better to err on the side of
+caution. The conduit will be asleep normally, with the only difference being
+that lucid sentences will leave their mouth, and they will be impossible to wake
+by speaking to them.
+    If the conduit awakes, and they find themself in the location they chose to
+sleep, they will most likely assume nothing happened. The only thing you would
+need to do in this situation is to - as quickly as you are capable of - clean up
+the salt and light source. If you have moved the conduit, move them back to
+their original location. This is not strictly necessary, but it will reduce the
+odds of ruining your relationship with them. Noone is happy to find out they
+were disturbed in their sleep, and especially not if they were used for a highly
+risky paranormal ritual.
+    More importantly, keep a close eye on the salt. If even an inch of the salt
+line becomes discolored, terminate the ritual immediately. You should check the
+state of the line at an absolute minimum of every ten minutes, although a
+shorter period is preferable. If the salt has become discolored, that means it's
+no longer providing protection. At this point, the spirit may escape the
+confines of the conduit's body, and enter the physical realm. If this ever
+happens, God only knows what will follow.
+    As a tip, ask the name of the spirit you are contacting. Many basic ghosts
+don't have names, but on the off chance that it's a shade or some other type of
+more advanced spirit, it's worth knowing. If you happen to recognize this name,
+or the family it's from, you will be able to ask better questions.
+    In general, you need to know as much as you can about your partner in
+conversation, as it will improve your safety. Besides, some beings will simply
+refuse to say certain things. If you know it's a demon, don't ask anything
+religious expecting an honest response.
+    Also, you should remember that the spirit possessing the conduit does, in
+fact, have access to the memories of the conduit themself. In theory, you could
+use this to pry any secrets from them, and they won't even know they told you.
+Demons, phantoms, and mogwai will usually lie when you ask them to provide any
+such information, so don't take it for granted. And even if it's not a demon,
+and even if it says the truth, don't be surprised to learn something you wish
+you hadn't.
+
+=Bidding farewell
+
+    When you want to end the Sleeptalker Ritual, there are two ways to do so.
+First is allowing the conduit to wake up - as stated earlier, this is best
+avoided.
+    The second way is to formally "bid farewell" to the spirit with which you
+are talking. To do so, you must follow the initiation procedure in reverse, with
+a few modifications.
+    To begin the farewell, you must recite the following words verbatim:
+
+      You within the halls of mankind's form,
+
+      Serenaded the world with words of beauty,
+
+      Having paid the price of death or birth,
+
+      And born again for your and my unity,
+
+      Are formally,
+
+      And gracefully,
+
+      Dismissed.
+
+    Speak these words clearly. Do not slur them. Rehearse them several times
+before even beginning the ritual. If you fail to pronounce them with a calm
+clarity, or speak them incorrectly, the spirit will perceive this as rude. And
+possibly, very rude. At that point, it will most likely refuse to leave, and you
+will have to wait until the conduit awakes. You will not be able to wake them up
+externally, e.g. by turning on the lights or making loud noises, as the spirit's
+angered state will cause the binding force of the possession to become
+stronger - so you must wait for the conduit to awake organically, i.e., as if
+they woke up after sleeping normally. If this happens, you can do nothing but
+pray you'll be alright.
+    Then, you must do the following:
+
+#Clear your mind. You will hear the same whispering noise as you did during the
+ initiation. You must wait, and you must keep your mind clear and calm, *no
+ matter how loud the noise becomes*. Eventually, the noise will abruptly cease,
+ at which point you can move onto the next step.
+#Stop your light source. Extinguish the candle, pour water on the metal bar,
+ close the blinds, or do whatever it is you ought to. Once again, this is
+ another reason to use a candle for this procedure, as it is the easiest of all
+ to extinguish.
+#Use the broom to sweep up the salt poured around the conduit. Do not miss any
+ of it, especially if it has any discolorment. Dispose of it. Get it as far away
+ from you as you physically can. Any salt used for protection in these kinds of
+ rituals retains a certain foul energy, and keeping it nearby risks bad luck.
+#You may now turn all the lights in the room back on.
+
+    If you have gotten to this point, you have completed the ritual and are no
+longer in any danger. You have done something most people have never done, and
+never will. I would congratulate you, but I don't see a point. You've already
+gained what you wanted from it.