The Jizo / Ojizousama is one of Japans most loved Japanese divinities, as he is affiliated with protection and the saving of “lost” souls. More commonly the souls of children who have passed before ‘their time’. It is said that Ojizousama helps babies, still borns and children’s souls to pass onto the afterlife, saving them from an eternity of piling stones on the banks of the Sanzu River (a river which is believed to have to be crossed in order to reach the afterlife). In doing so he hides the young souls in his cloak, protecting them from demons and carrying them across.
It is quite common to find these statues in cemeteries, temples and on roadsides/paths and sometimes accompanied with little stones, pebbles and/or coins. These little offerings are given as thanks for saving/protecting someone or in hopes that this divinity with aid someone lost. Ojizousama is also believed to be the protector of travellers, or dousojin, and Firefighters.
Here’s a thoughtful bespelled gift for someone in your life who does a lot of driving. This is technically a talisman (item charged with an intent) and made with items from my Witch Baby Soap winter subscription spell box, plus string and beads I had laying around. Feel free to substitute items you don’t have with similar materials, as long as they symbolize protection for you. (more…)
Anaggressive protection will strike back at beings and entities who trigger it. It may cause actual harm. It is often used as a warning system. Historical examples include witch bottles, which were filled with pins, nails, broken glass, and other nasty things to tear at the spirit or witch who tried to cause harm – these bottles were not mere warnings, they were actually believed to kill witches and destroy spirits.
Aggressive protections can blur the line between defense and hexing or malefica. Many non-warding spells can be considered a form of aggressive protection, such as working over a poppet so its target experiences pain until they leave you alone.
Aggressive protection benefits:
They can help drive away an insistent or clueless being (human or otherwise) who isn’t getting the hint.
They can provide a clear warning that you’re not to be f*cked with.
Beings which may be happy to prowl around a brick wall might change their mind if it becomes an electric fence.
When carefully employed, they can quickly evacuate an unwanted presence.
Aggressive protection drawbacks:
People can respond in unexpected ways. When some people feel themselves being pushed or slapped back, they may redouble their efforts or behave even more aggressively.
Aggressive protections can make you, and the people around you, feel like you’re being aggressive, bossy, or mean – even when you’re not.
If you don’t understand who or what is causing you harm, and you poorly construct your ward or make it too broad, you could hurt people you never wanted to hurt. Imagine someone keeps coming into your room and you can’t figure out who it is, so you made a harmful fiery ward, but actually it was your cat who learned to jump up and open the knob, and the ward triggers and harms them. That would suck.
Loosely defined aggressive protections laid all over your property or home can limit the movement of spirits who already live there, or stop the entry of benevolent and desired spirits. This doesn’t bode well for them, and therefore probably not for you, either.
Where and when to employ aggressive protections:
On the outermost layers of your defensive walls, usually on the edge of the property or household.
Generally outside of the boundaries of your home.
When irritating or exacerbating the actions of others is an acceptable risk.
When harming or injuring others is an acceptable risk.
Aggressive protections should usually be triggered by an event, such as an “unwanted” or “uninvited” intrusion.
How to employ aggressive protections:
Construct, bind, or befriend a spirit to patrol an area and strike back at aggressors.
Ask the land itself to aggressively defend against intruders.
Build a witch bottle or jar filled with nasty ingredients to tear at malefica and unwanted spirits.
Infuse a container spell with fiery, Martian, or harmful energies. They will naturally radiate their power into the spell even if you do not program them to be triggered.
Apply aggressive sigils or energies to a personal energy shield (ideally, a fair bit away from your aura, unless you also want to be empowered towards anger).
Bind intense bolts or blasts of energy into stones, jars, or other containers, which will strike out at those who violate a certain trigger.
Aggressive protection correspondences:
Elemental and physical fire, and its esoteric symbols. The direction of fire in your path, most commonly east.Red stones, such as red jasper, carnelian, and garnet. Minerals with iron content, such as hematite (lodestone’s magnetized properties make it typically used in drawing and attractive spells; be careful that it does not draw unwanted attention to your wards). Stones from your property painted red. Plants of a strongly scented or burning nature, such as asafetida,allspicy peppers,garlic,nettle, and basil.Forged metals, especially ironandsteel (lead is Saturnine, silver is Lunar), which often come in the form of nails,spikes,pins,fishing hooks, and needles, all of which can be found between hardware stores and general stores. Rust. Territorial and aggressive animals which defend themselves in a violent or offensive manner, such as skunks,bulls,stags,moose,badgers,hummingbirds,hippos, and all great cats. Animals and insects which are venomous or poisonous, or cause great irritation, such as fire ants,wasps,hornets,poisonous frogs;venomous snakes,spiders, and scorpions. Chemicals which erode or cause harm, such as bleachorrodent poisons. Figurines, amulets, names, or sigils representing gods and spirits whom are A) violent protectors, B) open to being approached by a person such as yourself, and C) are known to help if asked (or paid), including Aries,Mars,Archangel Michael,Medusa,fire elementals,gargoyles, and certain deceased soldiers or warriors.
Energy: Projective Planet: Mars Element: Fire Deity: Selene Associated Stones: Quartz Crystal, Holey Stones Associated Metals: Lodestone, Meteorite Powers: Protection, Defensive Magic, Strength, Healing, Grounding, Return of Stolen Goods
Magical/Ritual Lore:
Because iron is seldom found in pure form except in meteorites, the earliest iron available for use by humans was obtained from these strange celestial objects. Meteorites, which were observed falling from the heavens, were used to make simple tools, supplementing bone and stone implements by earlier humans.
Throughout most of the world, humans eventually learned how to remove iron from its ore, which made it available for wider use.
Once this occurred, it was soon limited to purely physical applications and was restricted in magic and religion. In ancient Greece, for example, no iron was brought into the temples. Roman priests could not be shaved or scraped with iron during bodily cleansing.
Ireland, Scotland, Finland, China, Korea, India, and other countries have severe taboos against iron. Again and again in ancient rituals fire was made without iron, altars built without its use, and magical rituals performed only after divesting the body of all traces of the metal.
Herbs were usually collected with non-iron knives, owing to the belief that the vibrations of this metal would “jam” or “confuse” the herb’s energies.
The Hindus once believed that the use of iron in buildings would spread epidemics, and, even to this day, a gift of iron in any form is thought by some to be unlucky.
However, iron did have its place in magic. Specifically, it was worn or used in protective rituals. Its powerful, projective vibrations were thought to be feared by demons, ghosts, fairies, genii and other fantastic creatures.
In China, dragons were thought to fear iron. When rain was needed, pieces of the metal were thrown into “dragon pools” to upset the creatures and send them into the sky in the form of rain clouds.
In old Scotland, iron was used to avert danger when a death had occurred in the house. Iron nails or knitting needles were thrust into every item of food-cheese, grain, meat and so on-to act as a lightning rod, attracting the confusing vibrations that death may arouse
within the living and thus sparing the food of possible contamination.
Classical Romans drove nails into their house walls to preserve their health, especially during times of plague.
Because of its protective effects iron was sometimes thought, conversely, to be sacred, and thieves in ancient Ireland wouldn’t dare to steal it.
For heavy protection, place small pieces of iron in each room of the house or bury at the four comers of your property. In earlier times, iron fences were sometimes used to halt the flow of negativity into the home.
During protective or defensive magic, wear an iron ring engraved with the symbol of Mars. Or, obtain a three-inch thick white candle and eight old iron nails. Warm the nails by a fire (or in a red candle's flame), then thrust each into the white candle in a random pattern. Light the nail-studded candle and visualize yourself as guarded, protected, secure.
Wearing iron or carrying a small piece of this metal enhances physical strength and is an excellent talisman for athletes.
Iron is also used during healing rituals. A small piece is placed beneath the pillow at night. This was originally done to scare away the "demons" that had caused the disease but can be thought of as strengthening the body’s ability to heal itself.
Iron rings or bracelets are worn to draw out illnesses from the body. This dates back to at least ancient Roman times.
A curious ritual from Germany to cure toothache: Pour oil onto a piece of heated iron. The fumes which rise from the iron will act on the problem.
In old Scotland, healing stones-quartz crystals or holey stones were kept in iron boxes to guard against supernatural creatures who might steal them.
Iron is also worn for grounding, for closing down the psychic centers, and for impeding the flow of energy from the body. This, of course, isn’t the best during magical ritual but is fine when the subject is under psychic or emotional attack, is physically depleted or wishes to focus on physical matters.
Iron horseshoes and the nails that attach them to the hooves are ancient magical tools. They might have first been used in ancient Greece, where they were called seluna and were associated with the Moon and the goddess Selene.
A horseshoe hung in the home over the front door confers protection.
While theories differ as to the “proper” way to hang the horseshoe, I always place it points up. Ideally, it is to be nailed with three of its original nails.
An old iron horseshoe nail is sometimes bent into a ring (if you can find one long enough) and worn for luck and healing.
If you have had something stolen from you and have a fireplace handy, try this spell. Take a horseshoe nail that you’ve found by chance. Drive this into the fireplace, visualizing the stolen object returning to your home. It is done.
There are still magicians and Wiccans who remove all traces of iron from their bodies before working magic, but this custom is fading into oblivion.
Lead has long been used in magic. In ancient Greek times tablets of this metal were ritually charged and inscribed with ‘words of power’. These tablets were generally used in negative spells because the lead ensured the spell’s long continuance.
In India during the 11th century, charms and figures designed to cause conception or to increase the fertility of gardens and orchards were engraved on lead tablets.
Magical Uses:
Lead is a heavy metal which causes death when it’s absorbed by the body. The ancient Romans discovered this by using lead dishes and cooking utensils.
A curious divination, recorded in the 1800’s in Italy by Charles Godfrey Leland, uses lead. Take three rose seeds (remove them from the “hip” that forms after a rose has lost its petals), three nettle leaves, two rue leaves and three cumin seeds. Put these on a metal plate along with a small quantity of lead.
At midnight, while clearing your mind of needless mental clutter, burn two yellow candles and light a fire. Place the metal plate over the fire. Then fill a large basin with water. Once the lead has melted, pour it, along with the herb ashes, into the water.
When the lead nodule has cooled, remove it from the water and gaze at its shape. The ritual and the lead itself should allow access to your psychic mind. If nothing comes to you, place the nodule beneath your pillow and let your dreams guide you.
Lead is worn or used in protective spells and also plays its part in defensive magic. It can be placed near the entrance of the house to prevent negativity from gaining access.
[Source: Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem, & Metal Magic by Scott Cunningham]
First off, this is not a cursing or hexing spell like thing. Black, as a color, means more than just evil or darkness or negative intent. According to this chart, the color black means “safety, protection, banish negativity, pride and shape shifting”. In this case, I’m focusing on the first 3 meanings and this is really simple for anyone to do if you’re feeling overwhelmed with negative energy, want to protect yourself from someone possibly sending negativity your way or just want to give an extra layer of protection when working your craft.
What you’ll need:
1 black candle (I bought this votive when I couldn’t find black candles in the regular store off the Halloween season)
Sandalwood oil or any anointing oil (one that can represent protection would be best)
a few strands of hair and/ or nail clippings of the intended (yourself or the one you feel will benefit from this)
a place to leave all this undisturbed (altar, shelf or anywhere candle safe)
a spell or series of spells you wrote yourself or you found that feel in tuned with you.
What I did:
Take the candle and use your finger to anoint the candle, top to bottom and under and over, with the oil. You can do this ahead of time as the oil can make the outside a little soft so use just a small enough to cover and let sit so the oil’s essence is taken in.
I use a tea cup to hold my candles in, but any holder is fine. Take that and place a few strand of hair or the clippings on the bottom. I use both and the hair you can take from your brush. You could use trimmings, but I feel whole strands (including the root) are more potent. the clippings I used are from that day and freshest, but a couple days old isn’t too bad either as long as you know they’re from the same source (especially if you’re doing this for someone else)
Place the anointed candle on top of these items. They don’t all have to be under the candle but as long as the majority are, you’re fine.
It might take a bit, but you should feel lighter, emotionally, and feel your energy lift and brighten. Let the candle burn until it melts and covers what you placed in the cup.
If there’s still some wick left, you can just use this and repeat the spells you spoke without having to place new strands or clippings as this now ties you or the intended with this candle until it can no longer be lit. Repeat the entire thing as needed.
For added effect, do this on the new, full and half moons. Each phase will emphasis your new beginnings and growth as you do your best to disconnect and remove any and all negative effects upon yourself and your home.
Whenever you are feeling threatened, in danger, or in harms way visualize a triple ring of protection made of purple light floating around you. See it going around you creating a barrier and chant this incantation:
"Thrice around the circles bound, evil sink into the ground.“
practical and simple ways to cleanse and bless your home
burn cedar sticks or cedar incense. cedar helps drive away negative influences, energies, and spirits. really good herb to work with when moving into a new space. helps with protection on all levels.
sprinkle a blend of salt, sage, and mint on the floors to soak up all the negative energies on the ground and vacuum up when you feel it has picked everything up. clean out all that salt from your vaccuun and dispose of it in the trash outside (not in nature)
diffuse lavender oil. lavender oil is very protective and helps bring serenity and peace into a space.
manifest abundance and prosperity by meditating with citrine and placing it in your home. place a clear quartz next to it to amplify abundant energies
make a crystal gird out of selenite, black tourmaline and white jade. these crystals will create a barrier of protection around your house and they will cleanse the hell out of it.
place pieces of selenite in windowsills, this will purify energy coming in and out of the house. immediately raises the vibration of the room
when burned, palo santo releases a cleansing smoke filled with healing energies. great for filling spaces with good health and fortune
ask your spirits/deities to cleanse, protect, and bless your space and leave them offerings when you are done
sandalwood incense raises vibrations, cleanses, offers psychic protection, and helps to open up psychic awareness
amethyst is not only a enhances the intuition and increases calm energies, it is also very protective and will shield you from psychic attacks
work with the elements for protection, meditation and visualization works well
visualize an impenetrable bubble of protection surrounding your home protecting you from all lower energies
visualize a waterfall pouring into your space washing away all stagnant and negative energy leaving your space with abundant and healthy energy
put mint leaves all around your house, in your windowsills, in your shoes, jewelry boxes, altar, etc. to protect you from evil intentions. also good for protecting your home from misfortune
wind chimes will warn you when a negative spirit is around, there sound will also help drive them off your property
cinnamon is extremely protective, i love dressing candles with ground cinnamon for cleansing and protection
burning dragon’s blood incense will create a wall of fire protecting you and your space, also a really good incense for clearing bad spirits
sleep with a lavender sachet underneath your pillow to protect you from psychic vampires
labradorite protects you and your home from demons
placing a vase of flowers in a room will lift the energy and invite positive energy in. use different flowers for attracting different things example sunflowers for happiness, roses for love, marigolds for success and creativity, etc.
A magickal circle is an energetic construct that you build or envision around yourself before working magick, doing a ritual, some like to cast a circle before meditating or reading tarots. For a solitary practitioner the circle is typically 5-6 ft in diameter, but the size expands based on the size of the group. It can be defined physically, energetically, or both.
Circles provide protection and serves as a container for your personal energy as well as the energy you conjure.
Please remember that this is just what i personally like to do when casting a circle, but that there are many methods.
Preparation for circle casting
1. Determine how much space you will need.
2. Cleanse your area. Vacuum, sweep, throw away any trash in the area.
3.Make sure you have everything you need for your ritual! Theres nothing more frustrating than having your circle casted and realizing you’ve forgotten an herb or any supplies you need for the work you’re about to do.
4. Purify your area. Light purifying incense, sage, sprinkle salt and holy . Most importantly, Visualize the negative energy dispersing. If you don’t focus & visualize, your physical actions will have little effect. Visualization is hands down one of the most important things in any and all magickal workings!
5. Now its time to cast your circle!
Visualize protective energy coming from within you and direct it towards your casting arm. Focus it through a casting tool (Athame, wand, or ✋) and visualize a beam of energy coming from it and settling on the ground. Trace your circle with this energy, 3 times in a clockwise direction. Once for protection, once for focus, and once for power.
Call the 4 quarters
Face North and say “I call to the North, to the element of . Grant me (us if not practicing alone) your endurance, your strength.” Sprinkle salt onto your altar or crumble into a bowl on your altar.
Face East and say “I call to the East, to the element of Air. Grant me your creativity and your intuition.” Light incense, wave a fan,or drop feathers onto your altar.
Face south and say “I call to the South, to the element of . Grant me your passion and your energy.” Light candles.
Face west and say “I call to the West, to the element of . Grant me your empathy and your emotion.” Pour blessed/storm//natural into a bowl or into your chalice.
Now would be the time to call on any deities you’d wish to work with. You can call any Goddess or Angel by personalizing this to them. I typically do not personally work with deities, but if you were to want to, Call to them similar to how the Elements are called. Ex. “I call to Gaia, Mother Goddess, Spirit of .” and then place an offering symbolizing them, so for Gaia you might place grain on your altar as an offering.
If not solitary, now would be the time to invite others to the circle. The group leader typically invites others in by a series of phrases, although i know every coven has their own method fine tuned for themselves, This is just the method i’ve seen used and am familiar with. Ex. Group leader:”Children of the Goddess, I now invite you to enter our circle.” Each member will be asked “How do you enter this circle?” The response should be “In perfect and perfect trust.”
Now its time to raise energy. This is the most important part of this process.
Here are a few ways! There is no wrong way to do this part, and there are SO MANY ways. You can fine tune this all to you.
Witches Rune Chant
“Darksome night and shining ,
East, then South, then West, then North,
Hearken to the witches’ rune;
Here i come to call thee forth.
and , Air and .
Wand and pentacle and ️,
Work ye unto my desire,
Hearken ye into my word.
Cords and censer, scourge and ,
Power of the witches blade waken all ye unto life,
Come ye as the charm is made.
of Heaven, of Hell, Lend your power unto my spell,
and work my will by magic rite.
By all the power of Land and Sea, By all the might of and ☀️,
As I do will, So mote it be;
Chant the spell, and be it done.
Eko, Eko Azarak
Eko, Eko Zamilak
Eko, Eko Karnayna
Eko, Eko Aradia”
Meditating to raise energy. Visualize energy building and building by by warm, yellow light fill your body until its expanding out of your body and filling the dome above your circle and visualize it filling with energy.
orDrumming,DancingandChanting.
Once you reach your desired energy level, it is time to get into whatever spellwork or ritual you desire to preform!
ONCE YOU FINISH YOUR WORK SAY GOODBYE TO THE ELEMENTS AND THANK THEM FOR THE POWER THEY BROUGHT. ALWAYS SAY GOODBYE AND THANK ANY DEITIES CALLED ON.
I like to walk the circle the opposite way of its casting three times, and voila!
Keep in mind that this is just my method! There are many methods and this is just one of them.
Proceeds from the sale of this shirt and sticker are going towards helping trans women be able to take low or no cost firearms training so that they might be better able to defend themselves and their loved ones.
I know that times, are tough, but if you can afford too, I hope you might consider helping out.
