Courage is the only magic worth having.
Erica Jong
Protection for the Home
I decided to start this last section off with the topic of protection for a very simple reason: one of the most common requests a magickal practitioner receives is typically an appeal for protection work for a home, family, or business.
The spells and charms featured in this specialty chapter are varied and eclectic. Most, if not all, are spun using natural magick techniques. While reading through this chapter you may be surprised by one section in particular: the conjuration of an astral dragon.
Now this topic may seem a little intense and out of character from a down-to-earth Witch who comes across as lighthearted and funny. However, protecting your home, property, and family isn’t a job for the timid. Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. But then again, the most laid-back, soft-spoken woman on the planet can transform into a tiger when her home, children, or family are threatened. Now, while I’ve never been accused of being soft-spoken (ahem), I have had folks be surprised by just how serious I can be. I do like to look at life from a humorous perspective; however, that doesn’t mean I don’t put my game face on when the situation calls for it.
So keep that in mind while you work your way through these specialty chapters. It takes valor and heart to defend yourself and your loved ones. It also takes brains and compassion to work defensive magick wisely. If you combine protective magick with passion, ethics, discipline, and courage, you’ll make for a unstoppable combination.
If you have anything really valuable to contribute
to the world it will come through the expression of your personality, that single spark of divinity
that sets you off and makes you different
from every other living creature.
Bruce Barton
Protection Spells with Personality
Let’s take an elemental look at a few ideas for protection, one that works with each of the four elements: air, fire, water, and earth. Perform these spells wherever you’d like—try your altar or hearthstone setup. Perhaps you’d prefer working at the kitchen table or on a dresser top in your room. Go with whatever works best for you. Look over these elemental spells and don’t be bashful about adapting them to suit your specific needs. Adding your own flair to magick gives spells and charms personality and inherently makes them much more powerful.
Typically these protection charms and spells can be worked with simple supplies found around the home. For the dream catcher you may have to take a trip to an arts and crafts store for a small grapevine wreath or colored feathers.
Air Magick
For protection magick that invokes the element of air, let’s try working with a witchy spin on the dream catcher. Dream catchers are based on the idea that the web of fibers woven in the center of the hoop snare bad dreams and negativity at night. Once caught there, the bad vibes are held in place until the morning sun illuminates the catcher and then safely burns them out. The best place to hang a dream catcher is obviously above your bed. The next best spot would be in your bedroom window as close as you can get to the bed. Just make sure that you hang up the catcher in a sunny spot where the sunshine can illuminate it and burn off those nasty dreams and worries.
a dream catcher spell
To make a witchy dream catcher you’ll need the following supplies:
* A small grapevine wreath (about four or six inches round)
* A spool of thin 1⁄8-inch yellow or white satin ribbon
* A few feathers (look for fallen feathers in the yard or purchase a small bag from an arts and crafts store)
* Beads of glass or semiprecious beads (look in the jewelry-making section of an arts and crafts store)
* A low-temperature glue gun and glue sticks
Start by weaving a pentagram inside of your little wreath. (Don’t cut the ribbon at this point; work straight from the spool of ribbon. Only cut the ribbon after you’ve completed weaving the star and have tied it off.)
Secure the ribbon at the top of your wreath and tie a knot. Then weave the pentagram, adding a bead or two as you go along. You may want to knot the beads in place or glue them if necessary. Thread the ribbon through a vine or two as you create the points, to keep the star neat. Once you’ve gotten the shape you desire, use the glue gun and add a drop of glue at each point to secure the ribbon.
Tie on a few streamers at the bottom points of the pentagram and allow those to dangle down. Decorate those streamers with beads and a few feathers. To create a hanger, cut a twelve-inch piece of ribbon and thread it through the top section of the wreath. Tie a knot with the ends and you’ve got yourself a hanger. If you choose, you may glue a couple of feathers to the top of the dream catcher for decoration (see the illustration).
The trick to working with a dream catcher is that you have to empower or charge it. Once you’ve announced your intentions and have programmed the dream catcher, just hang it up in a bedroom window and let it do its magick. You will also need to recharge it from time to time. Try this charm to empower your new witchy dream catcher or to freshen up an older one.
Wrapped up in ribbon, this wreath is enchanted
Feathers for air, now may my wish be granted.
A magick catcher of dreams now creates serenity
Protect me from nightmares and ward off negativity.
Close the spell. As you hang up the dream catcher, say this closing line:
For the good of all, bringing harm to none,
By the element of air, this spell is done!
Fire Magick
Okay, I admit it. I love candle spells. They are fun, dramatic, and one of those basic skills that every Witch begins working with. For this protection spell you will need a red, spicy-scented candle. The type of candle you use—a taper, a large pillar, a simple votive, or a practical tealight—is completely up to you. But there are a few things I have noticed over the years about different types of candles and the Witches who use them . . .
taper candles: If you typically use taper candles for your spellwork, then you’re a traditionalist. You probably have beautiful glass or metal candlesticks reserved just for magick. You are well-read and serious. This type of Witch likes structure, is intellectual, and prefers more formal rituals.
large pillar candles: If you primarily work candle magick with big pillar candles, you tend to work magick only when it’s absolutely
necessary—and then you go all out. This type of Witch can be moody
and passionate, prefering to use one big candle for several days’ worth
of intense, heartfelt, and emotional magick.
scented votive candles: If you are into scented votive candles
and work candle spells regularly with these, then you are sensual,
creative, and down-to-earth. You like to do your own thing; spontaneity and improvisation are important to you.
tealight candles: Last, but not least, if you are a tealight candle
magick user, then you are a very sensible, thrifty, and no-nonsense type
of Witch. Those fifty-packs of plain white, all-purpose, unscented candles just make you one happy caster. This type of Witch is a no-muss, no-fuss magickal practitioner, practical and thrifty.
And now that I’ve given you something to think about, let’s get into a candle magick spell for protection.
a candle spell for protection
For this spell you will need:
* A red, spicy-scented candle—your choice as to the shape and style
* A coordinating candleholder
* Lighter or matches
* A small piece of lava rock (from a nursery or hardware store)
* A picture or photo of your home, family, and pets
Work this candle spell on a Tuesday. This is a Mars day, associated with the element of fire. If the day happens to fall on a waning moon, then work for the removal of problems and the dissolution of danger. If you’re working during a waxing moon, then work to pull safety and protection toward you.
Set up this spell with the candle in its holder in the center of your workspace. Place the photos of your home on the left side of the candle and the pictures of your family and pets on the right. Center the lava rock in front of the candle. Light the candle, making sure the photos fall within the circle of light cast by the candle. Repeat this charm three times:
By the element of fire, I cast this protection spell
Remove harm and danger, protect the home that I love so well.
A simple lava rock adds magick to this fiery charm,
Bring safety to my loved ones within the candlelight so warm.
Close the spell:
For the good of all, causing harm to none,
By fire’s bright magick, this spell is done!
Water Magick
In the opening chapters of this book we went over a house blessing and consecrating the magickal heart of the home. Now let’s take this a step further and do a cleansing working with the element of water. Sometimes, no matter how diligent you’ve been, your house just feels “off.” Maybe you’ve had the flu bug running rampant in your home, or perhaps there’s simply a lot of negativity building up with quarrels and bickering kids. You’ll know when it’s time to cleanse the house.
Maybe a recent visitor or relative was carrying a lot of negativity and you feel they dumped it in your home. If you’ve had a run of bad luck or a rash of home repairs, it’s time to start thinking about magickal defense. If the plants start to look crappy and no matter how hard you clean it still feels bad, then it’s definitely time to do a cleansing.
This is a simple but powerful way to put things back on track. If you’d like to incorporate lunar energies into your magick, try this spell on the day of the new moon or the full moon. Don’t want to wait? Then how about a Friday? This loving, Venus day would be a smart choice. If things feel really bad to you, then work enchantment on a Saturday and pull a little of Saturn’s protective energy into the spell. Bottom line: go with your instincts and be creative.
a cleansing spell
For this cleansing spell you will need the following supplies:
* A bottle of spring water
* Sea salt—a teaspoon or two
* A bowl made out of natural materials (no plastic)
* A large decorative seashell (clamshell type)
* A small hand towel
* A silver paint pen
Pour the spring water into the bowl. Add the salt to the spring water. Stir the salt with your dominant hand—the one you write with—and stir the salt widdershins until it dissolves. Add the clamshell to the water. Now hold the bowl of water up and charge it with your magickal intentions. Say this line:
By the powers of water, this potion is blessed,
Bring light and hope from north to south and east to west.
Now start in the heart of your home and work outwards. Sprinkle a little water in the corner of each room. You don’t have to soak the carpet, just a flick of the fingers will do. Also make sure you get all of the doorways and entrances. Dip your fingers in the blessed water and draw a star on every window, doorframe, and mirror. Once that is finished, return to the heart of your home and turn to face the west. Remove the shell from the water and dry it off thoroughly with the towel. Now draw the rune of protection, Algiz (
), on the inside of the shell with the silver paint pen. Take a moment to ground and center. Pick up the shell by the edges so as not to smudge the paint, then close this cleansing with this elemental protection charm:
See the silvery rune inside this seashell?
When used like a talisman, all will be well.
Algiz stands for protection, and it seals in power,
From roof to foundation, and at every hour.
By the powers of water, I cast out all harm,
Bringing protection and peace with this simple charm.
Add the seashell to your altar or hearthstone setup. Then close the spell by saying:
By all the power of river and sea,
As I do will it, then so shall it be.
Clean up the area. You may pour any remaining water down the sink. Leave the shell in a place where you’ll see it every day. That shell is now a powerful protective talisman. Keep it on hand and incorporate it into other spells of your own design.
Earth Magick
For our last elemental protection spell we are going to work with crystals. Now it is true that you already have your hearthstone or altar setup working for you. That has lots of earthy energy just perking right along. However, when working protection magick with the element of earth, we start talking about grounding and centering magick. What we are looking for here is to build you a solid, strong, and secure magickal foundation. Once you have that built, it’s really tough for somebody else to come along and throw things off with random negativity or unbalanced personalities. So how do you ward them off? With strength, determination, and a strong magickal base. You achieve that by believing in yourself, by strengthening your own personal shield, and by beefing up your home’s defenses.
tiger’s-eye spell
The tiger’s-eye is an affordable and easy-to-find tumbled stone. It is a projective stone that imparts both courage and protection to its wearer. It was thought that soldiers once wore engraved tiger’s-eye as a talisman for protection during battle. The tiger’s-eye is a great tumbled stone to keep in your pocket to protect you from all sorts of mishaps and danger. It increases your energy flow and boosts your inner confidence and courage, which is just the thing for our upcoming spellwork.
For this spell, the supply list is short but sweet. What are you going to need? Yourself and four tumbled tiger’s-eye stones. First things first: take yourself and the four tumbled stones and then go to the center of your home and sit on the floor. Get comfortable and close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Once you feel all centered and calm, open your eyes and set the four tiger’s-eyes around you, one at each cardinal point or direction. (If you are not sure which direction is where, you can always place one stone in front of yourself, one in back, one on your right hand, and the last stone on your left.)
Now take a moment and visualize that you are surrounded by an earthy, warm, golden glow. Raise up your personal power as high as you can. (Picture your aura expanding out and becoming lush and full.) Now repeat the charm three times:
By the element of earth I work this homespun charm,
Bring me focus and strength and cause others no harm.
These four tiger’s-eye stones cast protection around,
Within these walls, no evil will ever be found.
Sit there for a few moments and enjoy the stabilizing effects of the stones. Then gather up the crystals and place one in each of the farthest four corners of your home. After you’ve tucked the stones away, return to the center of the house and close the spell up with these lines:
From the four corners, I cast protection both strong and true,
Lord and Lady, watch over my home and all that I do.
By the hearth and home this warding charm is sung
For the protection of all, with harm to none.
O to be a dragon, a symbol of the power of Heaven . . .
Marianne Moore
Conjuring a Dragon to Ward the Home
Well, I bet you’re wondering what sort of situation would possibly make a Witch like me pull out all the stops for this type of heavy-duty magick? The type of situation was a masked stalker. Yeah, no kidding. A few summers ago we had a big problem in my neighborhood with some guy who got his kicks by skulking around and peeping in homes of teenage girls. He added a little terror to the mix by wearing a white Halloween mask.
It was the end of June when I first started to notice that something felt “off.” At first it was a few weird dreams about someone trying to get in the windows, which would haunt me during the day. I said nothing about the dreams, which I chalked up to watching too many scary movies on television. Then things got a little more interesting.
As mentioned before, I enjoy sitting on my back patio in the evenings and watching the moonlight filter down onto the flowers. One mild summer evening while I was gathering a few blossoms in my backyard’s perennial gardens for a spell, I felt all the hair rise up on the back of my neck. My stomach clenched and I felt a rush of adrenaline hit. I stood up slowly, armed with a pair of small pruning shears and a gathering basket, and looked around. I automatically tried to sense the yard to see what could account for the feeling of dread, but as I cast my feelings out, I only sensed that it was close. I stood there and silently argued with myself for a few moments. I was a grown woman, this was my yard, I was just being silly . . . and so on.
Unfortunately, the feeling of unease only increased. Deciding to investigate, I cautiously and quietly walked around to the side yard to the back patio area, trying to see what was causing the disturbance. I could see nothing to account for my discomfort. But as I made my way to the patio, my dread increased. For the first time in my life I was afraid of being outside in my own yard. I quietly backed up toward the door and eased my way inside. Once inside I checked on my teenagers, who were all sound asleep. Then I threw all of the locks and double-checked all of the windows.
Now that I was safely inside, my nervousness turned to anger. We have lived at our home for more than twenty years and I had never been frightened to be outside in my own yard at night before. What was up with that? I decided to cast a protection spell around the inside of the house and did so before I turned in for the night.
The next morning while I was getting ready for work my teenage daughter staggered into the bathroom to announce that she had been having bad dreams. “I think we need to recharge my dream catcher,” she announced as she elbowed me out of the way to brush her teeth.
“What are you having nightmares about?” I asked her.
“About some guy climbing in my window,” she spoke around her toothbrush.
“What?!” I demanded.
Once she was finished brushing her teeth, she told me about her dream. “So, can you recharge that thing or what?” she asked grumpily. I followed her into her bedroom to take another look at the purple dream catcher that was hanging above her bed from the curtain rod.
I stared at it thoughtfully for a moment. “Yeah, Kat. I certainly can,” I told her. And while I was at it, I would put one hell of a protection spell on my daughter, I decided.
A week passed and all was quiet on the home front. However, I stopped any moonlight rambles in the garden. Every time I went outside, I felt intruded upon, that my gardens were no longer safe, and that my sanctuary was violated. I then began to notice in the daylight hours broken flower stalks in my rose garden and stomped flowers in the perennial beds, which I immediately asked my sons and husband about. Hmm, maybe things weren’t so quiet after all. My husband and sons started watching the yard more closely.
The next week was the Fourth of July holiday. We did the usual things—watched my daughter’s high school band march in the hometown parade, had a barbecue, went to see the fireworks. Later in the evening we were standing in the side yard lighting a few sparklers and watching the kids set off a few bottle rockets when I happened to see a person walking along the outside of our privacy fence.
I turned to my guest and said, “Do you see that?” We both watched as this person began knocking on the neighbor’s windows. We have six-foot-tall fences and I could only see the person’s face in the darkness but it did look odd. What . . . were they wearing a mask? I shouted over at the person as the kids inside the neighbor’s house started to scream. The culprit turned, looked right at me, and then took off at a run. We looked around, but didn’t see where he had gone off to. When the neighbor’s kids started shouting insults out the windows, I decided to talk to their parents as soon as possible. Thinking it was just a teenage prank, I shrugged it off.
A bit later when the parents arrived home, I spoke to them about it. We didn’t exactly get along. These were the kinds of neighbors you wouldn’t wish on anybody. They had a problem with playing loud music at all hours of the day and night and the police department was always over there for one type of domestic violence problem or another. So I approached them carefully. When I mentioned the guy in the mask, the father went ballistic.
Seems this stalker had been hanging around their house for weeks. The father had even challenged the guy on the deck late one night with a baseball bat and the stalker charged him, knocked him down, and then jumped over my privacy fence and took off through my yard. (Which explained the broken flowers and trampled-on gardens.) According to my neighbor, the stalker kept coming back. He was using my gardens as cover and then cutting through our yard to get away. Because of the ongoing domestic problems next door, the neighbor hadn’t warned any of his other neighbors, or even called the police to report the stalker. Idiot.
I thought about it all night. Well, that certainly explained the dreams, the fear, and the uneasy feelings I had whenever I was out in the gardens at night. First thing in the morning, I called the police department and told them about the problem. When the police suggested that I add more landscape lighting to the gardens and put the word out to the other families in the neighborhood, I got on the phone and started making a few phone calls.
That same day my husband and I added some more outdoor lighting to the perennial beds. This jerk’s days of using my gardens as cover were over. Man, did he pick the wrong Witch’s gardens to skulk around in! The longer I thought about it, the more annoyed I became. Enough was enough, I decided. So that evening I called a Witch friend for backup.
I called my friend Morgan, who is also a mother of three. She’s a Reiki Master and one hell of a powerful Witch. I wanted someone mature, strong, and able to stand with me in case things went “bump in the night” while we were casting this big protection spell. Over the phone I brought her up to speed.
“Sure, I can help.” Her voice came cheerfully over the line. “What do you have in mind?”
“I’m calling in the big guns,” I admitted. “How would you feel about conjuring an astral being to ward the yard and the house?”
“How big are we talking?” Morgan wanted to know.
“Big,” I answered her seriously. “Like in a couple of astral dragons.”
“Jeez, you’ll scare the hell out of the guy if he’s stupid enough to come back in your gardens,” she said, considering.
“That’s the plan,” I agreed. “The moon is waning so I think we’re all set, astrologically speaking.”
“Yeah, you’re right . . . which goddess are we going to call on?” she asked.
“Hecate,” I announced. “Why be subtle?”
“Excellent . . .” Morgan all but purred it. “I’m in. Let me get the kids settled in for the evening. I’ll be there in two hours.”
So a few hours later, Morgan and I set up on my back patio. The new landscape lighting helped to illuminate the shade gardens and was comforting and set a nice mood. What happened next surprised me. My oldest son, Kraig, quietly let himself out the backdoor, baseball bat casually swung over his shoulder. He raised an eyebrow at me, flashed a cocky grin, and then strolled over to have a seat in the shade gardens. From there he could keep an eye on Morgan and me and still see the entire yard. At six foot four, it’s hard to imagine him blending into a night garden. But he settled in silently and kept watch on things. He became our sentinel.
Morgan and I blessed our working altar that was set up on the patio and then cast a circle. We called the quarters, lighting a large, coordinating-colored pillar candle at each point and invoking a different aspect of the Goddess at each direction. We also took a separate white pillar candle inscribed with a triple moon symbol, set that inside of a large iron cauldron, and charged that together.
By “charging” I mean that we both held the candle in our hands and then envisioned the goddess Hecate coming to our aid and that the stalker would be caught or leave and never return. We set that charged candle in the cauldron and lit it at the appropriate part of the ritual. What follows next is the ritual that we used. Look over this ritual before you start casting, as there are a few supplies that you will need.
a dragon protection ritual
* Consecrate the altar.
* Cast the circle.
* Light the illuminator candles and call each of the quarters in turn: “Hail to the guardians of the watchtowers of the ———, I do call the element of ———. Lend your strength and magick to us this night. Hail and welcome!”
* Light the triple goddess candle.
* Call to Hecate: “Hecate, triple-faced guardian of Witches, hear our call. Turn and see the one who would spy upon our families and cause terror in our neighborhood. They cannot hide from your all-seeing gaze. Bring your focus on this stalker. May the stalker fall by their own actions, causing the web of fear that they have created to turn against them and to hold them tightly. Allow them no shelter, no haven, until they are apprehended and justice is served. Come forth, great Hecate, Goddess of the Crossroads and patroness of Witches, and bring justice. Assist your daughters and guard over those whom they seek to protect.”
* Conjure an astral dragon:
I conjure a dragon outside of this circle of mine
To bring justice true and to trip you up, come rain or shine.
I conjure a dragon with sharp eyes and the breath of fire;
Step on my property again and you’ll feel more than my ire.
I conjure a dragon to move silently and quick as a snake,
You’ll feel his breath on your neck and terror in his wake.
I conjure a dragon to search for you both far and wide,
No matter what mask you wear, you won’t be able to hide.
I conjure a dragon to haunt every move you make,
Your days of stalking are over, and justice is your fate.
* Take a moment and visualize the astral dragon. (Since I had a working partner for this ritual, we each envisioned a dragon. Mine was black, and Morgan’s was red. We both silently reinforced what it was we wanted our dragon to do: to protect, to guard the neighborhood, and to scare the hell out of the stalker if he came back onto my property.)
* Release the dragon(s): “Go now, my dragons of protection and power—find the stalker and help bring them to justice. Return to your native habitat when you have finished your task, harming no innocent along the way. Many thanks. Blessed be.”
* Visualize the dragon(s) soaring off to do its duty.
* Thank the goddess Hecate for her assistance: “Hecate, I offer my thanks for your assistance. I leave you this offering and my love. Hail and farewell.” (Leave a small offering. Pour a bit of milk or wine on the ground, this works nicely.)
* Spin the circle widdershins, snuff the candles, and ground the protective energy into the yard or garden. Allow the triple goddess candle to burn out in a safe location.
* Clean up.
I guess you’re probably wondering what happened next. That evening’s ritual turned out quite nicely. I will admit that the wind picked up a bit when we called in the dragons, and then as we sent them off on their task it became very still in the garden. Later that evening, as I walked Morgan out to her car, baseball bat in hand, a police car pulled up. No, I assured him, I wasn’t looking for a confrontation, I was only being careful. The officer let us know that they were increasing patrols as promised. He was very enthusiastic and sincere. But he did seem to want to reinforce the idea that the police would take care of things. As we waved goodbye to the nice policeman, Morgan started to chuckle.
“Um, Ellen . . .” she began. “Our pentacles were out.”
I looked down—sure enough, Morgan’s was glistening quite nicely against her black tank top and mine showed up really well against my black t-shirt. Then we both laughed even harder. Why? Well, my t-shirt had the word “Witch” emblazoned across it in hot pink letters.
The very next morning the police department called to let me know that the masked stalker had been spotted three or four blocks over from my home. This time several people saw him, chased him away, and called the police. Over the next few weeks the stalker had a tough time of it. Everywhere he went, somebody spotted him, the police chased him, or—oddly enough—somebody went after him with a baseball bat. (I guess the image of the baseball bat got sucked into the spell.) He never came back to my property or bothered the neighbors again. By the end of the summer, he had disappeared. A few months after that, the problematic neighbors moved out.
To live in right relation with his natural conditions
is one of the first lessons that a wise farmer
or any wise man learns.
Liberty Hyde Bailey
Backyard Magick
For herbal items to include in your protection charms and spells, you may not have to look any farther than your own backyard. There are lots of protective plants available to you that are easy to find and probably right at hand.
Take a closer look at the trees in your neighborhood; for example, you could work with the foliage of the following trees: ash, birch, cedar, dogwood, elder, hazel, holly, juniper, linden, oak, pine, rowan (also known as the mountain ash), and, lastly, the willow. All of these trees have protective properties and a leaf or two (or needle) would be a fabulous addition to any protection spell that was listed in this chapter.
a dogwood charm for protection
One of my favorite and easy-to-find magickal trees to work with is the dogwood. Not only does it have four-season interest in the garden, when it is planted in the yard it wards the property and the family who lives there. Try working with the blossoms in the spring, and the foliage in the summer and fall months.
Tie up a small bundle of fresh or fallen dogwood leaves—I’d say three leaves would work out nicely—or gather two small twigs (no longer than a few inches) and fashion these together into an equal-armed cross. Bind the twigs or leaves with red thread and hang it up inside your home. If you prefer, tuck it into an altar setup to boost the security of your household. (Please remember to be a courteous gatherer and harvest the smallest possible amount for your protective amulet.)
Here is a charm for enchanting the leaves or the twig protective amulet. You can work this charm on a Tuesday for problems with the neighbors and family squabbles, or on a Saturday for protection, no matter what the moon phase.
The dogwood is steeped in magickal tradition,
It grants wishes and bestows household protection.
Lord and Lady, bless this amulet, fill it with your power,
May my home be secure every day and during all hours.
Close the charm with:
By the hearth and home, this warding charm is sung,
For the protection of all, with harm to none.
a violet flower fascination
For a little protective magick that incorporates flowers, try working with the violet. The violet pops up everywhere during the spring. Best of all, nobody cares if you pick a few purple flowers while you’re out and about. The flowers and foliage of the violet will wilt quickly, so if you are planning on gathering some, take along a small cup of water. Sacred to the Faery kingdom, the violet comes in handy for all sorts of protective work. Gather three of the heart-shaped leaves and several flowers and tie them together with a deep purple ribbon. Slip the stems into a small glassful of fresh water and set this little bouquet up where you and your family or housemates can enjoy it. Enchant the violets with this charm to strengthen their natural protective qualities. Work this charm on any day during the spring months, during a waxing moon to increase your protection, or during the waning moon to push away negativity and problems.
Violets are a quiet little spring flower,
They bestow protection, love, healing, and power.
Long after the flowers fade, this fascination will last,
Bound with a purple ribbon, this protective spell is cast.
Close the flower fascination by saying:
For the good of all, with harm to none,
By leaf and flower, this spell is done!
Bibs, Bobs, and Whatnots
This last section of the chapter is designed to give you some ideas for magick using everyday items that you’ll find around the house. Sometimes magickal accessories are much more simple than folks believe.
Here is an easy but powerful trick I picked up years ago while working the local psychic fairs. It’s deceptively easy and very discreet. Back in the ’80s they used to line all the psychics up at tables arranged end to end. There was one local psychic in particular that no one wanted to sit next to. This person was always crabby, complaining, and had a sour disposition. Unfortunately, if you ended up next to this psychic, you typically had few, if any, readings for the day . . . unless you went in loaded for bear.
Back in those days, the topic of Witchcraft was a no-no here at the Midwest psychic fairs. I was the exception to that rule because I never made any bones about being a Witch. I even lectured on the topic at the fairs. (Yeah, I know . . . I’m such a renegade.) But it was amusing to watch all the other psychics—none who would admit to practicing magick—break out all the protective crystals, candles, and incense if they were unfortunate enough to get stuck next to the crabby psychic.
As luck would have it, one of my favorite psychics, Mary, ended up next to the person in question. Mary was a hell of a gal—street smart, deceptively soft-spoken, and very talented. When I first started working the fairs she basically sponsored me. In other words, she kept an eye on me and if anyone had a problem with me or my Craft, they had to go through Mary first.
So there we sat, the crabby person on the end, Mary in the middle, and then me. Now Mary, she wasn’t one for props. She just laid her cards out on the table and gave you a great reading. She traveled light and other than a tablecloth and a tape recorder, that was pretty much it.
Imagine my surprise when she came strolling in balancing three full glasses of water, a huge smile spread across her dusky face. She quietly set up the three cups equally spaced apart, across the end of her table, between herself and the grouch. Then she sat down, shuffled her cards, and grinned. After a moment, she beckoned me over and quietly explained what she was doing.
“Girl, you see those cups there?” she whispered to me.
“Yeah,” I whispered back. “What, are you really thirsty or something?”
“Those cups there are making a fence,” she explained. “They’re gonna hold all the negativity you-know-who sends out and reflect it right back.” At my chuckle, she wiggled her eyebrows at me. “You ain’t the only one here who knows how to do magick.”
And they worked—well, like a charm. Here’s an easy protection spell and all you need are three glasses and some tap water.
a magickal fence spell
Take three glasses and fill them full of water. Arrange the glasses in a line between yourself and the problematic situation or neighbor. Think of this as a magickal fence of sorts. What the water does is collect all the negativity the other person is sending to you and reflects it back. There’s just one catch—don’t drink the water! (This is a nifty spell to do while you’re at work, too.) When you’re finished with the cups, pour the water down a toilet and flush. Run the glasses through the dishwasher or wash them by hand thoroughly. If you used plastic cups at work, dispose of them. Try this charm to go along with this simple spell:
Three cups of water make for a magickal fence,
The water reflects, sends back and creates defense.
A psychic’s clever old trick that works like a charm,
It teaches a good lesson but doesn’t cause harm.
a witch jar for protection
Witch jars are quick, fun, and typically created with supplies found around the home. For this Witch jar, incorporating items that come from the house is a great way to link the protective magick for your home back into the spell. Look around and see what you can find to personalize this spell. Work this spell on the night of the full moon.
For this protective spell you’ll need an old glass jar, like an old pickle jar or jelly jar. Wash the jar and lid out thoroughly and allow them to dry. Take a permanent black marker and draw a pentagram on top of the lid. Add to the jar several of the following items:
* A clove of garlic
* A few stray pet hairs (to add protection for your pets)
* A cobweb from your walls—I know if I check, I probably have a few
cobwebs hanging around somewhere
* A few leaves from one of the trees in your yard or close to your property (check the list of protective trees listed earlier in this chapter)
* Old nails
* Straight pins
* Small bits of broken glass or a few colored marbles
* A small pebble or rock from the yard
* A straw from your household broom
* Sea salt or table salt
* The stub or drippings from an old protective spell candle
Finally, fill up the rest of the jar with dried beans, barley, and dried rice (to absorb any negativity that is lurking around your home). Now screw the lid onto the jar and give it a good shake. Hold the jar in both hands and enchant the Witch’s protective jar with this charm:
This Witch’s jar is filled with homey and simple things,
Now absorb anger and malice, rice, barley, and beans.
All negativity is drawn straight into this jar,
My household is protected with the seal of the star.
Keep the jar tucked away under the kitchen counter or in the corner of the most lived-in room. After a full lunar cycle has passed, at the next full moon, dispose of the jar in a garbage can off of your property. After you dump the jar, turn your back on it and walk away from the negativity. Don’t look back. You are moving forward and on to bigger, better things.
