Assembled by Mara, on behalf of Orchard Mountain Glen Protogrove for the 13 May, 2015 workshop
Protection is the act of defending something or someone, and/or keeping it/them safe and secure.
What kinds of things would you need protection from?
A variety of things in all aspects of life could prompt usage of protection magic. These include things like dreams—such as nightmares or even dreamwork—divination, astral projection, spellwork, and rituals. More “mundane” areas include things like illness and injury, travel, personal protection, home protection, or protection of friends, family, or others.
How can you use protection?
Some forms of protection can be found “naturally” in the world around us. They can then be used to make charms, worked into spells, or even used on their own.
“Natural” forms of protection:
A variety of herbs have various associations with protection. These can include (but are not limited to): Angelica Root, Anise, Basil, Bay, Cedarwood, Cinnamon (especially good for uncrossing), Clove, Dragon’s Blood, Frankincense (especially when combined with Myrhh), Geranium (good for breaking hexes), Ginseng Root, Juniper (associated with breaking curses and hexes as well as exorcism), Lavender, Pine, Rose, Rosemary, Sage, Sandalwood, Vervain, and Wormwood (good for psychic protection).
In addition to herbs, a number of crystals or stones are also associated with protection. A partial list includes: Amber (especially for psychic protection - pair with Wormwood!), Amethyst, Bloodstone, Fire Agate, Hematite, Iron, Malachite, Obsidian, Onyx, and Quartz.
How can you use these “natural” forms of protection?
You don’t need to do anything fancy when working with herbs and stones/crystals. It can be as simple as carrying a rock in your pocket, or placing one in the corners of your house or room. Herbs can be grown in pots or a garden. They can also be drunk as a tea (please check before use to determine toxicity and potential side effects, contraindications and ways they may complicate pharmaceuticals), burned as incense, used in essential oils or as dressings on candles. They can be combined and turned into a spray, and crystals could even be added for more “potency.”
What about protection charms?
Charms can simply be something you’ve made from “natural” protection, such as a braid of onion and garlic that you keep in your kitchen, or something you’ve made that uses other things as well. An example could be a dream pillow stuffed with lavender, chamomile, and rosemary that you sleep with to ward off nightmares and promote rest. Charms can also be other objects that you associate with particular meaning: the more strongly you believe in them, the stronger they are as a protection charm or amulet. These types of amulets could be the All-Seeing Eye, a pentacle, Mjolnir, a heptagram, a horseshoe, or even a crucifix. They can also be a rune, an ogam, or other symbol or sigil. These will vary from individual to individual, based on personal beliefs and associations.
How about something more complex, like protection spells?
Not all of what I will discuss here are spells per se, but they also don’t necessarily fit into the other categories, so, this will be a shoe-in of protection ideas.
At the most basic, there is energy work. This can be approached in a variety of ways. Those who are attuned to Reiki can use Reiki on themselves or others. Those who aren’t can seek out Reiki from those who are. But, you don’t have to go any further than yourself for some basic energy protection. The idea of shielding involves raising energy and wrapping it around you. Some may view this as a bubble, and others may have other associations. At its core, however, it is a layer of energy designed to protect you and keep other things out. Some people may choose to create their shields using a mirroring technique, so that whatever is sent at them will be reflected back at the person (or thing) that is sending it. Similar to shielding is the concept of warding. This is essentially using something as a physical anchor for a shield, and can be a way to erect either temporary or more permanent shields. You could turn a gargoyle by your front door into a ward to protect the house, or turn a child’s lunchbox into a ward, etc. Even symbols, runes, or sigils could be turned into wards.
Along with the concept of shielding and other energy work is that of turning to spirit guardians and/or deities. Prayers and invocations can be used to request their help, protection, and guidance. How one does this will depend in part upon what the reason is, what the desired outcome is, and whom one is asking.
Other, more spell-like, things one can do for protection include a witch’s ladder, which is a type of cord magic. A witch’s ladder is often made by adding charms to cords as knots are tied in them. Poppets are another way of utilizing protection magic. Binding is something else that you can hear about: wrapping something around an object to represent binding a person or thing from doing harm. Candles are another good form of protection magic, as wax comes from the earth, which is a sturdy foundation, and the flame is fire, which is often associated with purification and protection. In addition to their simple nature of being, different colors can be used for different purposes. Some people add stones to their candles when they make them, and others dress them with herbs or oils.
Ultimately, your spells, offerings, and charms boil down to intent. What is your intent with what you are doing? Why? Lighting a candle without intent behind it won’t help much in terms of protection. Before doing anything, think about what it means to you: some people have different associations and you need to stay true to the associations you have. Remember: what do you want to do, why do you want to do it, and how will you accomplish it?
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