What are some simple things that you do that you think would help another witch?
My list of daily or easy practices requires little to no prep-work
•Use a protection plant ally like a witch’s burr, cloves, thorns, motherwort, black pepper, garlic, or onion. Close your eyes and place your plant ally in your hands. Ask the spirit of the plant if they will offer you protection to see you through the day. Carry it with you.
•Alternatively, you can also use crystals. My go to combo is black tourmaline and red jasper!
•Use a protection archetype tarot card like the Nine of Wands. Nine of Wands, for myself, symbolizes boundaries and protection when it comes to our growth/life path. Place it on your altar with intention since it is a portal to our intentions, our guides, and the liminal, or carry on your person.
•Smoke cleanse the thresholds in your home, yourself, and your loved ones. I personally like rosemary and lavender for this purpose.
•As you leave an offering for your guides/ancestors/deities during your daily conversation with them ask them for their help when it comes to protection.
•Write the word protection or a symbol of protection on a black candle with intention and light.
Simple Everyday Things You Can Do For Protection Source | https://www.instagram.com/mariathearcane/?hl=en I had to delete my old tumblr of the same name, give me an add if you were previously following me :]
What are some simple things that you do that you think would help another witch?
My list of daily or easy practices requires little to no prep-work
•Use a protection plant ally like a witch’s burr, cloves, thorns, motherwort, black pepper, garlic, or onion. Close your eyes and place your plant ally in your hands. Ask the spirit of the plant if they will offer you protection to see you through the day. Carry it with you.
•Alternatively, you can also use crystals. My go to combo is black tourmaline and red jasper!
•Use a protection archetype tarot card like the Nine of Wands. Nine of Wands, for myself, symbolizes boundaries and protection when it comes to our growth/life path. Place it on your altar with intention since it is a portal to our intentions, our guides, and the liminal, or carry on your person.
•Smoke cleanse the thresholds in your home, yourself, and your loved ones. I personally like rosemary and lavender for this purpose.
•As you leave an offering for your guides/ancestors/deities during your daily conversation with them ask them for their help when it comes to protection.
•Write the word protection or a symbol of protection on a black candle with intention and light.
a simple spell bottle to protect yourself mentally, physically and spiritually
WHAT YOU NEED :
salt - protection, purification
cinnamon - protection, speeds up spells, courage
rosemary - protection, purification
chilli flakes - ward of unwanted energies
bay - protection against hexes and curses
basil- peace, protection, drive away evil
ginger - make spells more powerful, protection
black pepper - protection
oak leaves- protection, wisdom
egg shells - protection
lavender - peace, healing, protection
sage (please don’t use white sage) - protection, purification
paper
pen
spell bottle jar
candles : i used a white one and the also the wax from my deity candles on my alter
WHAT TO DO:
as always, ground yourself and cast a circle in the way you prefer
light all your candles, you can also light some insence if you’d like
in no particular order, add all your herbs into the jar (using a funnel - even if you make one from paper, can be really helpful), focussing on intent
create a sigil with the intent of protection using your own words and method. draw it on a small slip of paper, fold and add to the jar.
speak affirmations into the jar focusing on the protection of yourself ( or whoever will be wearing this). You can also repeat the statement used for the sigil
put the lid on and place the jar on something you can pour the candle wax onto.
pour all the candle wax onto your spell jar, allowing it to run down the sides and even create a pool at the bottom
allow the candle wax to mainly dry and remove the bottle. it is now done. i like to put the left lever wax that’s not attached on a wax melt thingy and melt it for further protection
I hope this will help some of you! As always, change herbs or add herbs to your preferences or what you have available. Blessed be (leave any questions below as well x)
Warding is considered an energetic field one creates through ritual and other means to protect themselves, their home, and their scared places. Warding is used to keep out negative and malicious intents or things specific to your intentions.
Do I have to learn how to Ward as a baby or intermediate practitioner?
You don’t have to learn anything you don’t want to. However, warding is a major staple of protection work. Learning how to protect yourself magically, I believe, is one of the first things someone should learn. I say this because you don’t know who might be unhappy with you and try to throw a curse your way or what malicious spirit might attach to you. Your wards will act as your first defense, as a wall between you whatever negative energy is trying to come to you.
Do I have to Ward everything I own?
No. Generally, one ward over your home can protect most within it and protect from things try to come in. However, warding is something that should be kept up with and maintained often. Energy dissipates and those who do not practice energy work often, might struggle with the long term up keep.
Okay, I’m convinced I need Wards. What now?
You start by grounding yourself and your magic. You always want to ground yourself before doing any kind of spell work. Next, you want to cleanse your space, self, or object that you want to protect. You don’t want to trap negative energy or anything you don’t want inside the wards. The next step is to figure out a method that works the best for you. Over time, I’ve taken bits and pieces from different methods and that is what has worked the best for me. This may not be the case for everyone so, please experiment and figure out what works the best for you.
The method I first started with was Incense Warding. With this, however, I created a sigil that was specific to me and my cause for warding. I drew this sigil by doors, windows, and the main corners of my home to create a ward that would match the shape of my house. I put emphasis on there I needed the wards to be the strongest. If you cannot use incense, you can use water and essential oils to spray VS walk the smoke around.
Now, for a small object you’ll want to spray or hold over the smoke of the incense. Reach out and feel the object and try to connect with it. You’ll want to begin to imagine a field of energy incasing the object snugly, protectively. You’ll want to put your energy and intent to protect from XYZ into the ward. Be as specific as you can be - warding from negativity may not necessarily ward you from danger or from mischief. Repeat until you feel your message has gotten through the ward is staying put.
The method for something larger stays about the same but you walk around and spray or walk the smoke around multiple parts. If you’re warding your home or something large, be sure to ward not only a wall barrier but create a floor and ceiling for it. Completely incase the object.
Don’t be afraid to do layers! Layers are good and will provide more of a defense.
Does it matter what direction I go in when I Ward?
Yes. As a preference, I start North, but no matter where you start you want to make sure you move around clock-wise; to the right. By doing this you’re essentially promoting progression and creating things. By going counter clock-wise, you are doing the opposite - destruction and reserval.
Do I have to ward to keep everything out?
No. You can ward out whatever you want. You can be as specific as you need or want to be.
What incense, herbs, or essential oils can I use?
You want to use things that protective properties such as…
Bay leaves Cinnamon Black Pepper Mustard Seed Black Salt (non-ingestible) Vervain Mugwort Rosemary
Do my Wards last forever?
Unfourtently, no they do not. Energy dissipates over time and your wards will begin to grow weak before completely going away. However, if someone or something in particular is trying to bring down your wards, this will also weaken them and cause your wards to fade.
How do I keep my Wards from fading?
Keep an eye on them and do routine maintenance on them.
All in all, wards are a practitioner’s best friend, next to cleansing and grounding of course. It’s one of the fundamentals everyone starting out should learn to some capacity. There are billions of ways to ward, you just have to begin experimenting with what works best for you! Not everybody’s practice will be the same; as it shouldn’t be. If anyone has any questions about warding or more, please send me an ask!
Not to be confused with volcanic salt/Himalayan black salt/kala namak. Black salt has strong protective properties, especially when combined with other protective/uncrossing herbs (herbs meant to undo a curse or hex). It’s used to absorb negative energy, create wards, and undo curses. It’s also good for banishing and binding. Here’s my recipe:
What you’ll need:
Cleansing items, such as smoke, bells, spray, whichever you personally use.
Sea Salt
Charcoal Disk (or charcoal powder)
Black Candle
Rosemary
Garlic Powder
Chili Powder
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Paprika
Black Pepper
Black Candle
Bowl
Mortar & Pestle
Black stones/crystals
Any additional protective items you may have. (Here I gathered dried red peppers, dried chili peppers, lemon, sage, and ashed from a Litha bonfire.) These items are for You to draw some extra energy from, and won’t be directly added to the salt.
Frankincense and/or Dragon’s Blood incense.
Instructions:
First, cleanse your space using whatever best works for you.
After cleansing, start your frankincense and/or dragon’s blood incense, this will be going for the duration of the spell.
Light your black candle.
Gather your supplies as seen in the picture.
As always, make sure your intention is strong, and continuously draw from it. Return to your intent no matter how often your mind wanders (which it will, that’s ok).
In a bowl, mix the salt with the herbs first.
Remember your other protective items are there for you to use. If needed, refocus on their protective energies and draw from that.
Use a mortar and pestle to crush the charcoal disk separately. This takes a lot of physical energy, and it is very messy. If you prefer to use charcoal powder, that’s ok, though charcoal disks will be cheaper. I like charcoal disks because I feel more energetically involved in/connected to the process.
Mixing counterclockwise, mix the very finely crushed charcoal into the salt. Mix. Use as many charcoal disks needed to get to the level of darkness you want.
Mind wandering? Remember your intent! Refocus!
When you’re done, transfer the black salt into a jar and set the crystals around it in a circle. Let it continue to build and charge this way, until you feel it is ready. If you’re not sure, it can also be until the candle or incense goes out.
Done! Sprinkle this around the parameter of your wards, such as along doorways and windows. It can also be used during unhexing/curse breaking spells, general protection spells, banishing, and binding.
This is NOT FOR CONSUMPTION.
Even if you used edible activated charcoal, know that 1. charcoal interacts with many medications by basically absorbing them and rendering them useless, including birth control, diabetes medications, cancer drugs, and more. and 2. I’m not sure this would taste great?
In eighth grade, I met a girl who took covered and sewed a bag of salt into the bottom of her purse. I thought that was so clever. It never caused a mess either!
Keep salt packets in your bag; it’s discrete and easy to carry.
Sachets full of lavender, rosemary, or any other herb you use for protection and cleansing. You can make them for aromatherapy reasons, anyway, so it shouldn’t raise suspicion. I make cloth sachets to fill with lavender and rice most of the time. I dab other essential oils onto them if I feel I need a kick.
Draw a sigil for protection on the bottom or side(s) of your bag and charge before using.
Take a very small figurine (perhaps one of those green army guys, a polly pocket, a dragon eraser, etc.) and enchant it to hold protection energy, particular defensive protection. If you make thought form spirits, you can use the figure as a spirit vessel.
Keep a sphere of dried grass, nettles, weeds, and twigs inside a tiny ranch dressing container or something similar. Compost/break it apart once a week to neutralize energies caught within it, and replenish when done.
Keep two paperclips together in the shape of an “X”. This is a small shield charm that you can enchant however you’d like.
In a wallet:
A photo of yourself wearing a mask or cosplay outfit to trick malevolent spirits and psychic energies from anyone looking to curse you.
A coin, which you probably already have! As a circle, something that shines, and the fact that it bears a figure of authority or protection, I find coins to hold a ton of protection properties. Make sure to cleanse it first!
A laminated or otherwise life proof sigil. It can slip right down into a pocket, just like a card!
In (and on) your shoes:
If you wear gel inserts, you can place pretty much anything thin and light in your shoes. Coins, herbs, pieces of paper, etc! Just test them out before leaving. Make sure you won’t fall and the shoes are still comfortable!
Sigils can be charged as you walk; draw them on your shoes in a like colour or use something such as water so it will fade and become unnoticeable fairly quickly.
You can replace laces with ones you find to correspond more with protection. You can also use knot magic each day you wear them.
On your keychain:
You can create wards that can be carried on key rings. String dolls immediately come to mind, but you can make it out of whatever you have. Simply enchant it and you’re golden.
I know many pop culture/fandom inspired witches use symbols from their favourite shows, books, etc.. Use the protection emblems and symbols from these fandoms to discretely add a ward to your keychain. You might have some already. Enchant as you wish.
On your body:
Create a bracelet using knot magic, patterns with a meaning to you, or with morse code in seedbeads.
Draw a sigil on the underside of your watch, or take the functioning pieces out, place a thin slip of paper with your sigil behind it, and replace everything. I know this doesn’t work all the time, but it’s worth a shot. You can also open the back and draw on the metal plate that keeps it all together.
You can enchant any piece of jewelry you like, but my personal favourites are bold rings and necklaces that open and close, such as lockets and diffusers.
I use lavender essential oil as a perfume; it acts as a ritual in and of itself. If you want to do the same with perfumes that make you feel strong, I highly recommend it!
I recently moved into a new flat, so now seems a good time to share my personal methods of warding!✨
DISCLAIMER - warding is a deeply personal thing - although these are my preferred methods there is no single ‘right’ way to ward - do whatever works best for you!✨
✨CLEANSE✨
Always a good idea, particularly if you’re moving into rented or shared accommodation. Normally I would have used incense smoke but as I didn’t have any to hand I did an energy cleanse.
✨The First Layer✨
My first layer of warding is an energy ward designed to Shield My Space From Unwelcome Eyes - to create this I gathered my energy and focused it on constructing a barrier (I visualise it as solid white glow) which follows the contours of my room.
✨Side note - when creating your wards, don’t forget to cover all bases - you don’t want to put all your energy into a ward that leaves gaps such as corners or the floor and ceiling ✨
✨The Second Layer✨
My second layer of warding is another, more powerful energy ward, constructed the same way but imbued with much more energy (PLEASE be very careful not to exhaust yourself) designed to Rebound Physical or Emotional Pain Aimed At Me Onto Those Who Would Cause It - this is a slightly more offensive ward and should deter malicious entities by reflecting their negative intentions back into themselves.
✨The Third Layer✨
Instead of creating a third energy ward, I reinforce my protection using a protective ‘potion’ (the ingredients can be found below) with which I annointed the doors and windows, added a range of specific sigils for protection to various spots and sprayed the perimeter.
I may add further layers of energy warding in the future but I find it best not to expend too much strength in any single session.
Disclaimer: This is all based on my research, path, opinion & experiences! Intro: I really was holding out on doing this post because it’s such a big, important topic to cover and I really don’t want to mess it up or get anything wrong. This post needs to be done though, people have asked if I have such a post and an anon suggested it. So finally, here it is. - What Is Warding? Warding is a type of magick, it is the act of creating an energetic barrier around you, your home, an object, ect. They can be temporary or permanent, although typically they are cast with the long term in mind. They can banish or turn away whatever you choose. Warding is an excellent skill to have because it can keep you, and even others safe and with practice you can do it anytime with just about whatever you have on hand.
When Should I Ward? Whenever you want an energetic barrier around you, most people consistently ward their home, themselves or their place of practice. Some people even ward their space every time they prepare for a spell. It should be done consistently in any area you want protected, but exactly where and how often is entirely up to the practitioner.
What Should I Do Before? Cleanse, a ward is a barrier of energy and in the same way that it keeps things out it also keeps things in. You don’t want to trap anything inside of it. Cleanse yourself before you ward yourself. Cleanse your space before you ward your space!
Tips Before You Ward-
Phrasing Keep the phrasing in mind! You don’t want to keep anything out that you want in, or let something in that you want out. If you’re chanting or using sigils ect keep in mind exactly what you want to keep out both in your methods and in your mind. Covering everything Make sure to cover everything, a ward is useless if there’s a weakness in it or if the ceiling & floor aren’t probably covered. Be super thorough!
Layering Your Wards One small little wimpy barrier? Ha, the spirits say as they scramble into your home to wreak havoc! You need to layer your wards, don’t just use one method one time, there’s no such thing as too much warding.
What Are Some Ways That I Can Ward? Now we’ll get right down to the methods you can use to ward yourself and your space! Remember that warding is important and needs to be effective, don’t try anything that you don’t have experience with for warding. At first, focus on the stuff you know. If you like sigils, use sigils at first and slowly work your way into using other more complex methods or methods that solely rely on your abilities.
Chanting/Speaking Come up with a protective chant you can use to ward your space. This chant could be someone else’s or your own as long as you feel it’s effective. Speak it aloud and visualize a layer of energy protecting your space.
Incense Burn a protective incense in the space you’d like to ward and visualize a barrier protecting your space.
Athame Draw out the line of your ward with your athame, visualize the wall appearing, covering everything with a thick layer of energy.
Spraying Spray a mix of blessed/magickal waters and or herbs with protective properties in the space you want to ward.
Sigils Create a sigil using your favorite method with the intent to “ward” or “protect/protection.” Then charge and activate it as a layer of protection! Here’s my post on sigils if you’re interested in that: -Sigil Post
Jar Spells You could mix up a jar spell for warding, set it in your house and forget it as a layer of warding. -My protective jar spell post
Anointment Anoint the doorways of your space, you could also anoint the ceiling, floor, walls, corners, honestly go for it.
Salt Sprinkle salt all around the edge of your home or space. Make sure to sprinkle salt on the INSIDE of your harm as salt can harm plants & wildlife if used outside. If you’d like to make a barrier on the outside of your home, you can use dried & crushed eggshells in place of salt. - Post on how to make eggshell powder here -
Hag stones Hag stones are stones with holes in them that have been corroded into the stone because of rushing water. It is believed rushing water is protective & cleansing so if you wear a stone that sat in it long enough to have parts corroded away, that the stone will maintain and keep those properties with it. It’s a great way to personally ward yourself, and an excuse to go out in nature.
They look like this!
Energy Manipulation If you’ve got a knack for manipulating energy, you can create a barrier through work and visualization that surrounds yourself or your space. This isn’t recommended for beginners though!
Personal Wards Also remember not just to ward your space but yourself, if you layer your home with wards, what happens when you leave? Exactly. Keep yourself safe too! Circle casting & hag stones are great methods I mentioned above that are good for personal warding. Can I Ward Specific Things And Not Others? Absolutely! I mentioned this in the phrasing section of this post, keep in mind exactly what you want to keep out when you’re warding. I like words like “negative” or “harmful” or “with ill intent” because they don’t necessarily keep out the Fae or positive/neutral spirits but it does keep out anything that wants to harm you in general. Just think about it ahead of time, find wording or a phrase you like and keep that in mind as you ward. What If I Live With People? If you’re out of the broom closet, explain to your family/roommates what you’re doing and why you’re doing it and make sure they’re cool with it and are aware of what’s going on. If you’re not out of the broom closet, you may have to resort to only warding yourself/your room, & that’s okay!
I hope this helps someone or teaches them something new! Enjoy! Have a lovely day
Warding is a form of magick intended to protect a person, place, or thing from negative/parasitic energies/entities. Wards are like energy and will fade over time.
There are 3 types of wards-
Trapping- Trapping negative entities.
Circumventing- Diverting negative entities.
Filtering- Allowing positive energy in while keeping negative energy out.
It is important to note to cleanse before warding, otherwise you will be keeping anything negative within your space.
I’ve discussed warding and covered the basics, but now lets get in to some practical techniques your protecting yourself, your home, and your family.
This is going to be a long one, so buckle up.
Iron: A powerful tool against fey, most other spirits, and against evil and malevolent spells.
Sew bits of iron (such as nails) into the hems of your clothes. Only works while wearing those clothes.
Wear an iron ring or bracelet.
Wrap an iron coffin nail in brown silk and carry it with you for protection against curses.
Wearing a pentacle is another simple protective practice amongst witches. The pentacle represents the five (yes, five) elements of fire, water, earth, air and akasha (spirit). Therefore, a pentacle provides the protection of all of these elements. Water guards your emotions. Air guards your intellect. Fire guards against actions brought against you. Earth guards against physical harm (especially physical harm from magickal sources). Akasha obviously guards against negative energies and spirits.
Circles
Circles are also powerful protective symbols. An unbroken circle can be designated as a “safe-zone”, allowing only that which is allowed into it. Of course, this is best used when practicing magick, as the raising of energy can occasional attract the wrong kind of attention. However, only those energies that have been specifically invited into a circle are welcome to stay.
Circles, however, can be cast with a number of different things:
Chalk
Charcoal
Salt
Fiery Wall of Protection powder
Red brick dust
Vervain
Vermilion
Whiskey
Rum
Flour
There is much more, but these are some basics. You can also cast invisible circles using a wand or Athame (Made of iron or steel is best).
When and where to cast a circle:
Draw circles during rituals and spells.
Draw circles around sickbeds
Draw circles around women in childbirth
Draw circles around your own bed, and the especially the beds of infants and young children.
Salt
Salt is a powerful protective tool. Salt represents the earth, and therefore also represents that Earth Mother. Salt is also cleansing, and repels malevolent spirits.
Sage your home often, cleansing it of negativity, being sure to leave a window open for the negativity to escape. Be sure to get in corners and in low places as well as in high places. When finished, close the window, and then pour salt on all window ledges and in front of all outside doors. Natural sea salt works best. I also, for added protection, draw a pentacle with my wand over the doors and windows.
Re-do this once a month for best results.
Spiritual Protection
Spirit guardians and guides serve as excellent protection against anything unwanted. However, do not make the mistake of thinking their protection is good enough. It is absolutely essential to learn how to protect yourself instead of relying solely on your spirit guide to do it.
Your Spirit animal/familiar may also provide protection to you as well. Usually, your spirit animal isusually separate from your spirit guardian. For example: My spirit animal is a Wolf, but my Spirit Guardian’s animal (yes, spirit guardians have spirit animals too) is an Owl.
There are also more advanced theories of magick such as thoughtformsandtulpas that are created with a certain purpose. Usually these spirits are created within your own astral temple and then made stronger over time. Again, this is advanced magickal theory.
NOTE: I would not, unless you know exactly what you are doing, enter a contract with any spirit/deity/demon/angel for use as a protective measure. Often, these contracts contain dangerous “clauses” that cause more harm than good.
However, if you happen to have a connection to your spiritual ancestors they are usually willing to provide protection without entering a contract. At the same time, this protection only lasts as long as it suites them. It’s possible that your ancestors are loyal to you. Or it’s possible that they will abandon you the first time danger arises.
Spells and Such For Protection
This list of spells will likely grow over time as I find/write more spells for the purpose of protection.
