Spirit Magic

Living things are a powerful force of nature, filled with cosmic energy so powerful that it lingers long after death. Spirits are the result of the energy of living things taking form of semi-corporeal entities. Some call them ghosts or wisps, others call them gods. Anything that has ever lived and died can become a spirit; humans, animals, insects, and even plants.
The energy will take on an after image of the form they once had, and will be permanently bound to their remains until they are completely destroyed or rotted away. Spirits can only be summoned and take on corporeal forms through their remains. Their energy is powerful and can dramatically influence the world and physics around them. This manipulation of reality is what's known as Spirit Magic.
Over time, remains will decay and be destroyed, which puts the spirit at risk of fading away completely. However, if the remains are preserved, the spirit will stick around and grow more powerful. Spirits have a deep connection with the world around them after passing on, and regardless of how intelligent the spirit was in life, be it human or animal, it will become more intelligent and wise as time goes on. This leads to the spirit being more powerful the older it is, and having more influence over the world as a result.
For example, a recently deceased flower will have very weak magic, and may not even be able to used for basic spells. However, if you pin and dry the flower for a few months, it's magic will become more potent. On the extreme, fossilized remains contain spirits that are millions of years old, and as a result are far more powerful. Base power and intelligence of the remains also effect its potency, as the remains of a prehistoric ape would be more powerful than that of a sea snail.

Spirit Magic

Spirit energy as stated before is powerful enough to alter reality, and grows stronger the older and wiser the spirit is. However, very few of these spirits can actually act on their own. Outside of the occasional ghost story or fairytale, were strong spirits haunt homes and forests to protect them, most spirits require the influence of living things to manipulate the world.
Spirit magic users can activate remains by channeling their own energy into them to 'awaken' the spirit, usually through physical contact. More parasitic spirits may even draw out that energy themselves against the users will. Some items can be used as charms for luck, while others can be used to repeatedly channel magic from. Recently deceased remains can also often be dried and used in potions for mild magic effects, thought doing so will permanently destroy the remains, meaning they can't be used again.
Spirits can effect anything from moving objects, changing the weather, manipulating elements, altering the body or mind, affecting the progression of time, changing gravity, among other things. This magic is often heavily influenced by the skills and traits of the original living creature. Examples;
Plant spirits can often help with healing and growth. Animal spirits who are strong or swift can pass on those attributes to others. Spirits known for terraforming can drastically alter the earth and sea. Insect spirits known for their complete metamorphosis can allow people to alter their own bodies. Human spirits can give them information of the past or even visions to the future.
Only skilled Spirit magic users should ever mess with this sort of magic, as using it irresponsibly can lead to horrible curses and cataclysm. Spirits are intelligent with emotions, and can act out if disrespected or abused. Spirit magic users need to form a bond with the spirit and learn the correct way of channeling the energy if they want spells to go well.
Some creatures, such as Miinu are born from spirit magic, and thus can manifest magical abilities unique to them and their Bug kin.

History

Ancient cultures such as the Paruparo people used to use Spirit Magic on a regular basis. Spirit magic would power advanced and prosperous ancient cities unlike anything that exists even today, as they had a unique bond with nature and the dead. However, after the disappearance of the Paruparo in a magic related incident, fear began to spread through the population about its dangers. In many parts of the world, the practice of Spirit magic was banned, and those who still practiced were imprisoned, shunned, or publicly executed. The population of magic users dwindled to very small numbers.
Soon enough, people forgot about spirit magic all together. Though some religions still involved paying respects to and honoring the dead, and viewing powerful spirits as gods, many skeptical folk in the growing scientific movement began to doubt the existence of magic all together, only recently rediscovering it in recent years. Even now, it remains hotly debated if spirit magic still exists, as believers and skeptics often argue their points, but few have the skills or resources to prove their theories.
Any still practicing users of spirit magic are often hermits who live alone, or those who practice in private. They often get the title of 'witches' and 'druids', and have a reputation of slinging curses as anyone who crosses them. Other more logic centric folk will accuse such practice of being nonsense, or even scams.

Type

Metaphysical, Supernatural