All of reality is alive when viewed through a shaman's eyes. The wind, the trees, even the very earth has a spirit that we can interact and work with. Considering that, as pagans, we often find ourselves communicating with nature spirits and calling upon unseen entities, it's generally a simple step for us to correlate this concept with the spirits of the natural world.
It's a bit of a stretch for some of us to understand that this concept also extends to any object that is created with intent. For instance, I have a small wooden bowl that I carved for my children's naming rituals. Given that it was created as an integral part of a ritual, the bowl was crafted with a very defined intent. Not only does the bowl have a spirit and is considered to be alive from a shaman's perspective, but because it was created with ritualistic intent, it's spirit is very much "awake" and has a definite form.
What we don't typically consider are the implications of this concept. If we truly live in a reality where everything is alive and everything has a spirit, then we exist in a very rich and diverse spiritual ecosystem.
For instance, the spirits of much of my ritual gear are awake and aware. There's the Native American warrior spirit of my elk-handle smudge pot, the motherly presence of the naming bowl, and a playful juvenile seal that is the spirit of one of my stones. If we stop thinking about these things as objects and start seeing them as being alive, we begin to realize that we live in a spiritual community where our spirit can interact and learn from those spirits around us.
What's even more interesting is that these spirits are also connected to others of their kind. For instance, I recently rescued a bone in a fossil shop that was clearly labeled "Indian Dog." Upon reaching home, I placed the bone in a place of honor and spoke to its spirit, inviting it to run and play outside until I could return it to the earth at Summer Solstice. After ritualistically caring for the dog's spirit for several days, it's owner, an older Native American man showed up at the edge of my property. Upon discovering that I was caring for his dog and learning my intent for the bone, the man has slowly warmed to me and has recently extended an offer of friendship. This spirit has set up a tee-pee close to where I keep the dog's bone and we are interacting on a semi-regular basis. He has already directed me in a ritual to make the dog's spirit more comfortable and has offered to share more of his knowledge and experience with me.
Ironically, the ritual that I performed to make the dog's spirit more comfortable had the unintended effect of "waking up" the spirit of a potted cedar sapling on my back porch. The cedar's spirit led me in a second ritual to help it reconnect to the earth. I told one of my students in The First Cycle about the sudden appearance of the three different spirits in my home, joking that I was now operating an inn for the spirit world!
If you'd like to begin working more closely with the spirit world, it's imperative that you specifically speak your intention for seeking a relationship with them. Find a quiet space where you won't be interrupted. Make sure that the ringer on your phone is off. You can light candles or incense - whatever will help you achieve a peaceful and open state of mind.
Speak (out loud), "I [say your name], seek to build a relationship with those spirits who would aid me and help me grow on my path. Only those spirits who will guide me and teach me with peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, compassion, tenderness and a great deal of love are welcome to accompany me on this journey. I thank you for your presence in my life and your respect for my intent. May you be richly blessed."
Whenever you work with the spirit world, you should do so with three concepts in mind. First, be prepared to give without expecting anything in return. This will put you in the right frame of mind and create the proper intent for interacting with the spirit world. Second, always express your thankfulness, even if you aren't aware of anything to be thankful for. The spirit world is always present - it's our ability to effectively perceive it that can occasionally be hampered. Third, always treat the spirit world with respect, as if they were a wise elder or a cherished teacher. This will provide you with the correct level of humility and greatly ease your interaction with the spirit realm.