by Ash Wennsday Everell
When you live in the city, you often find that you need heavy-duty protection that’s rarely prescribed in basic texts. Just today, I was yelled at several times and spat upon during the two-block walk to the grocery store, something that doesn’t really happen when I’m outside of the city center. For every lucky duck who can escape into their own yard when in need of a respite, there’s another who has to brave two hours of public transit to get to the park.
A particular point of interest for Witches in the city is the sheer amount of stimuli that barrages us from every quarter. Aside from adjusting your lifestyle to ensure your own personal safety in the city, by avoiding dark alleys alone or locking your door when you’re home, the mental environment for a city Witch can get quite tough. If you’re an empathic type, being subject to literally thousands of people vying for prime psychic space is tiring as all get-out.
The result is that adjustments ought to be made to the way we protect ourselves in the city. Closing ourselves off entirely is often not an option in the city, as many of us live in these hubs to network and partake in the greater city community, whether it be at a work function or an industry mixer. The city environment offers a host of unique opportunities to flex our personal protective muscle!
Around the Apartment
The easiest way to get psychically protected is to secure your home. Beyond the usual locks and alarms, living in the city offers a whole slew of options for apartments.
The inside of your front door is a great place to put a protective ward. A small, stick-on hook, usually sold in grocery and convenience stores, can be temporarily stuck on to a wall, where dried herbs, wreaths, or even a broom could be held, warding the doorway from negative energies. It would be lovely to hang a bundle of rowan berries for protection, perhaps on a broom decorated by everyone in the house. It can be secured by a brick-brown ribbon for security and can even be sealed and stamped with wax to make a neat bundle. You can buy herbs from the supermarket and tie them upside down to dry in windows, if you live in an arid area, and incorporate them into bundled wards for other doors in your house.
Every apartment (and home) has a unique soul. Find your apartment’s special nooks and crannies and work with them to protect both your home’s spirit and yours.
A Little Natural Magic
Don’t let apartment space keep you from growing a container garden! Rail planters can be bought and hung on the bottom or rail of your window or balcony. If you’re above the ground floor, this is an excellent chance to grow vining plants. For an extra kick of protection magic, choose plants with a grounding or shielding element. Yarrow is a great choice, and basil and sage make for friendly container plants too. You can even plant smaller globe radishes in between your taller crops. Not only will they be practical, you’ll be able to catch their magical scent when the breeze blows by your open window as well!
If your apartment is secure but you still feel a little exposed psychically, a cleansing may be in order. Expose every corner of your apartment to the elements: A candle for fire, incense or a scented oil for air, salt for earth, and water for the ubiquitous water. Sprinkle mixed saltwater and waft the incense through your house counterclockwise, to rid it of negative energies. Finish by drawing a line across your threshold with the saltwater to seal the circuit. This should bring your home together and help it draw from the elements to protect itself and its inhabitants!
Self-Protection
Leave all that negative energy at the door when you come home. Envision any little nasties that have clung on to you dissipating at the gate to your home as you cross the threshold. If you need a quick shower after going out to wash off all the pollution gunk and any lingering residual negatives, cold water will break any psychic links and leave you cool and refreshed.
Of course, one needs the most protection when out and about. An easy way to help with this is to find a gemstone that is known for its grounding or protective qualities, such as hematite or amethyst, and consecrate it on your altar, envisioning a protective crystal layer of the gem solidifying around you. You can see through it, but it is completely bulletproof. It’s the hardest substance around!
Once you’re done, you can take the stone and touch it whenever you need to summon the protective crystal. You can also wear bracelets and jewelry with chip and inset gems in order to more actively “put on” your crystal armor before leaving the house.
A Heavy-Duty Banishing Ritual
If, on occasions, you do feel inundated with negative energies, choose this spell on a waning Moon. This is a strong, stark, yet effective banishing that should wash away all energies maligning the user. It’s particularly effective on the dark Moon, whose position behind the dark veil of sky is particularly suitable for protection. Using the element of water, we can banish and block negative energies to keep them from accumulating—especially those that could get picked up along the way in high-traffic areas.
It’s a good idea to start with a nice, long salt bath to cleanse yourself and relax—light some candles of your choice while you do, if you like—before embarking on this spell.
You will need:
A large, shallow bowl: glass is best, but a cauldron also works
Three black candles: 4-inch or chime candles are perfect
Salt
Water
A brown paper bag: these can be scavenged after grocery shopping or getting food delivered
Matches
If your tradition calls for a circle to be cast, you can do so now. Add the water to the bowl and sprinkle a pinch of salt into it to cleanse the liquid.
Take a black candle, and light it, realizing it represents all that seek to break your protection. Slowly, push it farther and farther away from you, watching all swipes at your home and person wane away. If it helps, say these words:
You are going!
You are fading!
You are gone!
When the candle is as far away as you can reach, take it and push it into the water end-first. Extinguish it and watch it go out completely. Break the candle in half and put it in the bag (you may like to sprinkle some salt over it to cleanse between each candle).
Repeat this with the other candles, for a total of three times, breaking them all and discarding them in the paper bag. Once done, sprinkle salt over the candles in the bag to decharge them, roll up the paper bag, and throw it out of the house. This is key—make the trip to the dumpster or the trash chute, and feel the negative energies just wash away.
The key to protection in the city is working with the resources you have. Frequently, when books make mention of not needing protection magic “this serious” and you live in a place where brains cross wires like telephones, don’t be afraid to break out the big guns. After all, your most precious asset is yourself!