Spirits of Place - Genius Loci

Ever since I was young I always felt that the world around me was full of energy, of spirit. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I realized that what I was feeling exists, and there’s a name for it. I’m talking about the spirits of place called Genius Loci.

This is going to be a brief guide to Genius Loci. I’ll put links throughout the post so that you can read more if you’re interested!

What does it mean?

Genius Loci is the term used most often and it is essentially a spirit of a place, often cities or towns but can be anywhere.

The name is Roman, the plural being Genii Loci, and they were sometimes depicted in art as human-like beings holding a cornucopia, a patera (libation bowl) or a snake. There would be altars set up for these Genius Loci all throughout the western Roman Empire.

The idea of a spirit of a place exists in so many cultures. In some places like Thailand there areLak mueang (Thai: หลักเมือง)–or city pillars erected and often placed in shrines dedicated to the city’s deity (or deities).

In other places, like in Southeast Asia, spirithousesare created and placed in or near businesses, shrines, and sometimes houses.

The Romans also had household spirits or deities called Di Penates as well as Lares–guardian spirits/deities.

The term Genius Loci is sometimes used in a more modern way to indicate a nonliteral version of “spirit of a place”, similar to the “vibe” or feel of a certain architecture, design, or environment of the place.

How is it different from Animism?

The short explanation of animismis that everything, animal, plant, object, the ground, etc. has a spirit or spiritual essence. The difference lies in that Genii Loci are the spiritual embodiment of a place, meaning they embody all of its vibes and don’t represent only one aspect of it.

How is it different from a Tutelarydeity?

As mentioned before, a Genius Loci embodies the place, whereas a Tutelary deity/spirit is the guardian or protector of that place. Tutelary deities/spiritscan be Genii Loci and vice versa, but they aren’t always one in the same.

Does every place have one?

Yes! Every place can (and probably does) have a Genius Loci, some places may even have more than one. They may have different names for them depending on the culture and lore they come from, though. If you plan on interacting with them make sure to ask what they prefer to be referred to as. (See Types of Household Deities at the bottom)

How do I interact with them?

First of all: you never have to interact with them if you don’t want to. 

If you would like to interact with them, though, there are a few ways that you can achieve this:

• First spend some time with them. Hang out in the area that you’d like to interact with the Genii Loci. Get to know them.
• Make sure you’re being respectful!
• Set up a spirit house or shrine.
• Leave offerings out (but make sure they are safe to leave outside and are biodegradable OR that you come retrieve the offerings later) and let them know that it’s there for them specifically.
• Clean up the area. No one likes when their space is dirty!
• Listen. What do you hear? The spirits may just reach out to you after you’ve shown your willingness to hear what they have to say.

You don’t have to literally hear voices, there are several different ways that you can talk with spirits and metaphysical beings. You can use divination methods like tarot, runes, oracle cards, or you can meditate and see if you get any visions/information that come to you.

Also, you don’t have to wait for them to reach out, chances are they won’t try and contact you first. Feel free to let them know that you’d like to speak with them and that you’re open to communicating with them.

Ps: A Genius Loci likely isn’t going to tell you to hurt yourself or others. If it seems like the spirit you’re speaking to is being very hateful and/or aggressive it’s probably best to back off. Even if it is a Genius Loci (a really mad one) you should leave them be if they are being aggressive towards you. Especially if you’re pretty new with spirit work.

If you’re interested in this, you may want to check out:

Genius Loci: The Ancient Worship of Spirits of Place or Land Spirits

Animism - The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Anthropology

Tutelary Deity - Academic 

Lares and Penates - Encyclopedia.com 

Types of Household Deities by culture (not a complete list)List of Tutelary Deities

Edit: When first posted I wrongly wrote that the plural of Genius LociwasGenius Locorum. Since I have changed it to the true plural form GeniiLoci.

Genius Locorum is a spirit that presides over multiple places.