Conversing with the spirits and ancestors is termed as

Concept — the levels of communication. Communication is classified into levels according to who the participants are and where the message is directed. Intrapersonal communication stays inside a single mind; interpersonal communication runs between living persons who are present to one another; group and mass communication widen the audience; and transpersonal communication is the level in which the message is directed beyond the ordinary human and physical plane — towards spirits, ancestors, deities or a higher power.

Application to this item. The stem describes an exchange whose intended receiver is a spirit or an ancestor, that is, an entity outside the ordinary living, physically present human plane. Because the level of communication is fixed by who the receiver is, an exchange addressed beyond that plane belongs to the transpersonal level. Prayer, worship, ritual invocation and a seance are the standard textbook instances of the same level.

Contrast with the near-miss terms.

• Intrapersonal communication: sender and receiver are the same person — inner speech, reflection, self-talk. There is no second party at all, so it cannot describe addressing an ancestor.

• Interpersonal communication: two or more living persons exchange messages with immediate feedback — a conversation, an interview, a counselling session. The receiver is a living human being.

• Face-to-face communication: a mode of contact defined by the physical co-presence of the participants, so that speech, gesture and facial expression travel together. It names a channel, not a level defined by the receiver.

Result. Conversing with the spirits and ancestors is termed transpersonal communication.