I love dredging up old conversations as well. Sure the original post might be old, but the conversation stays relevant as long as there are people to weigh in with new information.
My own thoughts and experience on this particular topic lead me to throwing my hat into the ring by saying that both sides of the discussion are right. But I am going to explain how and why so I promise this isn't just a fence-sitter cop-out! (Also, this means that I might be putting together a bit of an essay. Get your Visine while you can!)
The crux of this discussion and the whole "who is right and who is wrong" debate is boiling down to a matter of perspective, and experience. However both ideas actually operate on the exact same core principle, and that principle is a legitimate idea that renders both methods as valid. It is this core principle that I am going to tackle first;
When travelling on the astral planes, you are shifting your conscious awareness to energetic levels that operate more and more on energy, vibration, consciousness, and will than on physical ideas of form, material, and physics. The higher in planar vibrations you reach, the further you get from the ideas of physical influences and the closer you get to the mechanics of perception will and intent.
However no matter how 'high up' you go, you are still operating by default through a mind that is currently used to human experienes, physical perception, and earthly ideas and laws of action meaning and symbol. In short, you remain as a mortal mind with mortal perceptions while visiting an immortal perspective.
Because of this, while you may experience everything around you as impression, color, vibration, and emotion the human perspective of your mind hs to translate all of that into a familiar frame of reference so you can make conscious sense of the experience. This is also why travelling astrally can be compared to one's awareness in dreams where you might only experience or remember bits and pieces. You might -know- there is more information or that you have had -more- experiences, but they are filed away into the subconscious because they are untranslated and remain as basic information without any context to put it into just yet. (This is also why you might not remember a single thing about a recent effort of astral travel or experience, yet a later conversation might touh on a particular topic or event and you might suddenly get a flash of insight or understanding, as if the information was always there, just below the surface and just waiting for the right trigger to make it sprout up and come to light.
Because of this, what one sees and experiences (or at least remembrs seeing/experiencing) is more or less a symbolic translation thanks to the efforts of your mind to put things into a familiar frame of reference.
By example, travelling to the astral might give sensations of patchy coolness and warmth, a sense of flow, and an atmosphere of earthiness and peace. So an individual's conscious mind attaaches those sensations to images and memories. Like walking through a forest. And then that becomes what you consciously experience.
How that validates the idea of having 'weapons' translates to having a personal idea or image a method of protection. Our physically oriented mind calls on physically oriented images that have personal familiarity and meaning. Just as with energy working in general, visualization exercises, and magic, symbolism is a regular part-and-parcel of the process.
So if a person connects with the idea of a sword and shield as a method of safety, then those images will come to mind whe engaginf your intent to protect yourself. While if a more experienced person has gotten used to the ideas of energy working and the influence of intent and energy, they might not need to call up specific imagery and instead simply cast out light and intent. On the surface, both might seem like fundamentally different practices but when you dig in to the root of the matter they turn out to be essentially the same.
As for ideas like 'finding your weapon', I suppose a more accurate way of putting it would be 'Finding your expression of protection'. Because that process when you start out is just that. Finding an image that defines itself as a symbol you connect with action, movement of energy, expressions of will, and all geared to the core idea of stopping, deflecting, changing, or grounding out incoming attack and of course sending out willful force of your own. And then using that imagery until you grow in awareness and experience enough to no longer need to rely on specific images.
When I was first starting out in things I used to rely on images of weapons associated with the classical warrior; shield, spear, sword, knife, armor, and the like. As time went on I learned to let go of those images and use images of fields of energy like shields, projections of light (and sometimes lightning), and the like. And of course from there I let go of images, and also ideas of bespoke/active defense entirely as being unnecessary. But it was a journey to reach that point of awareness, connection, and confidence. Everyone begins somewhere. ^_^
That's quite succinctly put, and touches most of the themes I put in my own response, the only thing that I would add is that personal codes and moralities of these entities is just as alien as their senses, and a failure to translate a gesture of friendship from one is just as lethal sometimes as being the blatant target of ones wrath
Define "spirit weapon" for me. Personally, I'm a person who is quite drawn to weaponry and since I began on energy manipulation years ago I've noticed that when I attempt an energy construct in the form of a weapon I'm am particularly drawn towards forming a certain one.
I suppose that in the context of this particular conversation, a spirit weapon is a construct formed of will that you use as a method of protection while astrally travelling. It is usually a kind of weapon you are familiar with physically, and one you can visualize and understand in form and function.
Some people have weapons they own that they 'bring' with them because they are intimately familiar with them, their image and form and use. Some go as far as to bless and awaken a particular weapon from their collection, and anoint and attune it to themselves. (Like a favorite sword, axe, spear, etc)
Naturally this doesn't allow a person to take the weapon with them in a literal sense, but it lays out an amount of charged energy within the item that picks up the essence of the blade and what it represents. Then when you go astral, the idea is to take that energy with you; impressioned as it is with the purpose and feel of the item it came from.
Dead thread I know
I believe that a spirit weapon is found through the process of discovering ones personal sigil.
I find that my friends and I have a sigil made specifically for each of us. Everyone has a different one but the general idea is that the sigil represents your spiritual power element and traits.
Take mine for example. I have the dagger as my weapon. I have an angelic symbol, a blood moon, the cadeusus, and a satanic pentacle. The angelic symbol and satanic pentacle represent my connection to angels and demons. The cadeusus represents my devotion to Apollo. The blood moon representing my power in relation to the moon.
Disclaimer: The sigil is generally abstract and it takes alot of research to Learn what each little piece means.
