Protection Magic
Protection magic has historically been done for many reasons; those reasons hold as true today as they did for our ancestors. While science has made great leaps in expanding human knowledge and understanding of how the world works, we are far from knowing everything there is to know about our own planet or even our own bodies, let alone the vastness of the cosmos. The mystery and magic of the unknown, the potential danger of the unpredictable and uncontrollable forces of the universe and the energy of unseen spiritual realms is as present with us as it has been for thousands of years.
So, why is protection magic performed?
Protection magic is undertaken to safeguard aspects of our lives; physical & geographical, mental, emotional, spiritual or situational from passive or active harm from forces seen and unseen.
Some of the oldest protection magic involves establishing the boundaries of property with magical talismans and markers; the ancient Romans, before they evolved into a mighty empire, were conglomerates of farmers who would, when necessary, take up weapons to defend hearth and home. Mars, the fabled Roman God of War, began His relationship with the Romans as a God of defensive boundaries. The edges of Roman properties were marked with tablets that called on Mars to protect the homestead within the boundaries of the stones. Agriculture is a rigorous and backbreaking labour; preparing and tending the land so that it can sustain life and civilization takes a huge amount of work. When we put that much effort into something, it is natural to want to protect it from being taken from us or damaged.
Ancient cities were often surrounded by high, thick protective walls pierced with well- guarded gates. These gateways became the focal point for the cities’ protective magic, as they were the channel for all to enter and exit the city. The point of intersection between ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ or ‘ours’ and ‘not ours’ is a nexus point of potential spiritual danger and turmoil. In addition to strong gates, the entryways were protected with statuary, symbols and signs designed to protect against intrusion- to maintain the civilization within, against the potential danger and chaos without.
This idea of intersections being crossroads of flows of different energy is held true in many different cultures. The importance of these places can be traced in a direct line from the most ancient deities of crossroad and boundary, such as Terminus, Hermes, Hekate and Ganesh up through Papa Legba and straight to the modern 20th century folk lore of meeting the Devil at the crossroads to sell your soul for talents and powers. We have been acknowledging the power of these points of energy, and their spiritual guardians, for thousands of years.
These deities are known as ‘liminal’ deities. Liminality comes from the Latin word Limin, or Limen meaning ‘threshold’ or ‘gateway’. Liminality has come to mean in modern parlance, a place that is neither here nor there- a space between spaces where anything can happen. It is precisely because of the undetermined energetic nature of these spaces, that they need to be most heavily spiritually guarded.
Today, we can protect our homes, businesses, land and other spaces with techniques that are taken from the practices of our ancestors. Even if we don’t have a piece of land, the boundaries of our home are the edge of our personal domain and can be magically reinforced and established to create energetic protection for those who dwell within. The same idea of the gateway being the point of connection to external energies, as well as the place where these energies enter into your domain holds true in the context of your own personal space. Therefore, special care is taken to place protection on and around the front doorway or the entryway that is used most commonly.
However, we can’t and don’t want to stay in our home all the time! Therefore, protection magic for the self that is portable and discrete is the flip side to the protection of the domain. It is protection of our spirit’s domain- our bodies. Travel, while much safer than it was in centuries past, is still not without potential danger; people are mugged or kidnapped while travelling abroad, or even on their way to work. Car and bicycle accidents happen frequently and you never know what or who you’re going to come across on your daily journeys. Humans have been wearing or carrying protection amulets, or even getting tattooed with protective symbols, for many thousands of years. Mummies in ancient Egypt were entombed with dozens of different protective pieces of jewellery to safeguard their final journey to the afterlife; a practice that was common throughout their lifetime. Magical protection charms were considered an every day part of living, as common and as necessary as a pair of shoes. These can take the form of a piece of jewellery such as a ring, pendant or bracelet; a stone or charm bag tucked into a pocket or purse, or a flat talisman folded into a shoe or wallet.
Physical protection means more than protection of your physical domain and physical body- it also means protection FROM physical danger. Inasmuch as many forms of physical harm can come from accidents- being in the wrong place at the wrong time; dropping or breaking something, slipping and falling badly, magic can be used to direct the flows of probability to avoid these circumstances.
SPIRITUAL PROTECTION.
This can be a controversial topic- there is a great deal of discussion and debate over the nature of the spiritual realms. Some people refuse to acknowledge that there can be any danger at all when interacting and working on the different astral planes; others seem them as so potentially dangerous that they won’t acknowledge their existence at all! The middle ground is the most sensible and practical. Much like the physical realm that is a reflection of the less tangible realms, there are beautiful places, and helpful beings- and dangerous places, and unhelpful or even obstructive beings. Not every spirit or energy you encounter will want to be your friend- just as not every person you meet is going to be nice, or in a good mood, or well disposed towards you!
If you are spiritually sensitive, the possibility that the energies around you that you may encounter will effect you either for good or bad is much higher. Some people are naturally protected by their built-in buffers of natural shielding, and are often highly skeptical of such things as they themselves have never felt or experienced the presence of these unseen forces. Others are so sensitive that they are almost incapacitated by the constant buffeting of different external energies around them, and need to develop more shielding to protect their spiritual selves and to be able to function more happily and completely in daily life.
Negative spiritual energy can come from several different sources.
- energetic resonance that has become linked to a specific geographical location (the so-called ‘haunted’ house). When something horrific happens in a place, if it happens to or with someone who is capable of projecting energy then it is possible for that place to become imbued with their emotional energetic outburst.
- energetic resonance that has become linked to a specific portable item, such as a piece of jewellery, furniture or decoration. If something is worn or used for a long time by someone, then it can hold the spiritual vibration of them after they have relinquished it. Precious metals and jewels, natural fibres such as silk and wool, and certain types of wood and stone hold these energies more easily, which is why jewellery, vintage or antique clothing or antique furniture and decor so commonly holds a stronger resonance than more modern items. Plastics are energetically inert, and cannot hold a magical charge for any length of time.
- energetic resonance from a person that is not actively malicious, but is simply a reflection of their current mood or greater nature. We all know at least one person that can ‘fill up’ a room with their bad mood without having to say a word- all you have to do is enter the room and you can tell exactly what’s going on, even if it’s not directed specifically at you.
Unfortunately, sometimes it is also possible to require spiritual protection to guard against energy directed from a person or spiritual entity that IS actively malicious. In people this can take the form of anything on a sliding scale:
- active daily resentment and constant negativity directed mentally against you by someone who just doesn’t like you, for whatever reason.
- negativity directed at you or about you to others verbally or physically. Mudslinging, rumouring or gossiping, spreading lies about you or engaging in smear campaign against your nature- or worse, physically abusing or intimidating you.
- actively directing negative spiritual energy at you in the form of casting the evil eye, cursing, or ‘crossing’ you.
- Energetic entities that may or may not mean you harm as you work on the different etheric planes of existence. Much like a diver wearing a protective suit while exploring under water, magical practitioners are well served by ‘wearing’ spiritual protection while exploring the more etherial realms.
The good news is that protection magic is highly effective against all sorts of energetic nastiness that people are capable of directing at each other, and I make a wide variety of spiritual products to help you with your workings.
Use my Circle of Protection Spell Candles, available in three different sizes - along with the Circle of Protection Powder, anointing oil, floor wash, incense & spray; if you want to do a simple single ritual, use my Protection Spell Kit, or the Protection Crystal Kit and keep the crystals with you, or by your front door.