A Spirit Trap

 How to construct a spirit Trap

A spirit trap is intended to temporarily contain or trap a spirit. During this brief time the spirit will become angry and release some of its power in an attempt to escape. The better the trap, the longer the spirit will be contained and the more power that may be collected. Depending on the size and construction of the trap it is possible to contain multiple spirits at the same time. In order for the trap to be successful the magical person must know the proper enchantment, otherwise the trap may attract a spirit, but it will not be able to hold them. The power released by the spirits is either collected by the magical person who set the trap, or is transferred to an item, such as a wand, crystal or piece of jewelry. The power contained in the item can then be directed and used by a magical person (Witch, warlock, sorcerer, wizard, etc.). The final element in a spirit trap is bait. While some random spirits may be drawn by incantations, the most successful traps include an enticing bait, most commonly a virgin.

The basic construction of a spirit trp. -  A basic spirit trap is very easy to construct. It consists of stones placed in a circle. The larger the stones and the larger the circle the more powerful the trap will be. Rounded stones can be used, but in most cases flat stones are preferred and provide better results. 

Oblong stones provide better containment and when set upright and embedded in the ground will provide a more stable and powerful trap.  The stones should be spaced an equal distance apart for maximum affect. The stones of whatever size or shape should make a nearly perfect circle. The more circular the trap the longer it will be able to contain the spirits. A more oblong shaped trap will still attract and detain certain spirits, but it will not have the effeteness or holding power to gather large amounts of magical energy. If possible, the oblong stones should be flat on top and stand as straight up and down as possible. This will allow for better containment.

For the optimum results, the oblong stones should have a bride stone, sometimes called a cap stone, placed atop it. These bridge stones should stretch from one oblong stone to the next, thus enclosing the circle. In order to construct this type of trap you will need either a large number of upright stones, or a number of long stones that can span the distance between them. Since stops of this size are quite heavy and hard to handle, many will use more upright stones. Due to these difficulties most spirit traps are small in size although some wizarding groups have constructed some very large and very effective traps. 

Once the outer circle of the trap is completed, the inner elements need to be prepared. Fortunately, these are far easier and require much less precision and effort. In the very center of the trap, you will need to either dig or build a fire pit. The fire pit needs to be large and capable of holding a large amount of wood. It is not advisable to add more wood to the fire once the incantations have been recited. - As near as possible to the fire pit you will build an altar. This can be made of either wood or stone and should face east. The surface of the alter should be as smooth and level as possible.

With the alter prepared you are ready to place magical items or receptacles on the alter. It is best not to place more than three items on the alter. The items can be a personal item, a piece of jewelry, a wand, or perhaps a staff. If the trap is successful, these items will collect a portion of the power released by the trapped spirits. The more spirits in the trap, and the angrier they become, the more magical energy that will be released and potentially collected by the items. 

The last item is the bait for your trap. As mentioned, it is possible to attract a limited number of spirits with only an incantation, but most traps will have some type of bait. The most common bait, and that which most believe provides the best results, is a virgin woman. A virgin is considered to be pure and that purity will attract the spirits. The good spirits, or benevolent spirits, will feel compelled to protect the virgin's purity. The more sinister spirits will attempt to corrupt her. The conflict between these two forces provides most of the desired energy. If possible, it is always desirable to have multiple virgins in the trap. The older the virgin the better. - It must be noted that the virgins will be in danger, and many have been physically harmed and some have tragically died when the magical person did not have the power, experience or knowledge to control the power within the trap. It should also be noted that at times spirits caught in a trap have become so angry they have manifested themselves in very harmful forms. These include wild beast, evil demons and flames. A spirit trap should not be attempted by a novice or inexperienced magical person.

The largest and most powerful spirit trap known to have been constructed was by Lord Seatter at his Condir Manner. The results of that spirit trap caused the deaths of dozens of innocent people and was a major contributing factor in the onset of the wizard's war.