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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.