Depending on your belief system, you may consider magical skills universal, common, uncommon, or quite rare. In my experience, most people possess some innate ability in this direction, but few follow up on it. Without practice and attention, such talents rarely develop to a reliable level, just like any other skills. If you want a reasonable amount of expertise, you will probably have to work for it. This is also essential for protection magic – in order to mount effective defenses, you need to know something about visualization, energy manipulation, and so forth.
Developing Your Skills
Most magical disciplines can prove useful for personal safety. First, determine your area(s) of interest and aptitude. Different people's skills differ greatly. Some abilities seem to be widely available and learnable, such as energy manipulation, while others seem to be based on innate talent such as certain types of precognition. Start your exploration in areas that appeal to you or those for which you demonstrate a knack. You can add more challenging skills later.
Think about which types of magic interest you, then pick one as a starting point. For instance, if you love rocks or gemstones, you might try stone magic. This works well for blocking out negative energy. If you feel a strong connection with the natural world, you might focus on communicating with plants or animals. They can warn you of approaching threats or of nasty places.
If you already get snatches of a particular ability, work on that to develop your focus. Practice, practice, practice! Learning to control magic takes time and energy. Start with the basics of your chosen discipline and work up from there. Many psychic skills relate to each other, allowing you to build on previous experience. Try to devote a certain amount of time to your study on a regular basis – ten minutes a day, two hours a week, whatever works for you.
In general, the more you use your talents, the stronger they grow. Suppose you decide to learn scrying. At first you may see only brief, meaningless flashes of light. Then you may get colored fog which gives you a vague answer to questions: red for warnings of danger, gold for financial concerns, purple if someone is speaking about you, etc. Next, still images could appear, followed by moving images. Your range in time or space will probably grow too, from strictly local to farther away. Developing magical abilities is not unlike developing muscles: use 'em or lose 'em.
It often helps to keep a journal so you can track your progress. While practicing defensive magic, pay special attention to any challenges you face and how you deal with them. Note effective and ineffective strategies so you know which ones to repeat!
An Ounce of Prevention
Use your common sense to avoid problems. Read as widely as possible and talk to other people about your studies, but don't take all information for granted. Cross-check your references for accuracy. Think about what you are learning that you can apply to magical self-defense.
Practice in an optimum state of mind and body; that is, don't work magic when you feel tired, sick, or emotionally upset. Prepare yourself before your begin. Learn and follow the basic precautions for your mode of working. This may involve casting a circle, grounding and centering, raising your personal shields, clearing your mind of distractions, and so forth. Acquire and use the appropriate tools for the job.
Keep an eye on mundane safety concerns, too; if you use a candle as a focus, make sure it can't fall over and set your room on fire. Do not ingest substances, invoke spirits, or perform rituals out of some book unless you know exactly what you're getting into. Don't push yourself too hard; stop working if you get a headache or other uncomfortable symptoms of overstrain. Take care of yourself by having something to eat and drink ready after your session. Ask a more experienced friend to monitor for you if you plan to attempt something especially challenging or risky.
Take sensible precautions in dealing with other people. Think twice before giving away a photograph of yourself, a lock of your hair, a treasured object, or anything else that could serve as a “taglock” – a connection to you for anyone desiring to cast a spell on you. Do not let disagreements fester; settle them as soon as possible. If you hurt someone’s feelings, apologize and make amends. If anyone consistently mistreats you, break off contact as neutrally as possible.
Believe in yourself. Always trust your instincts! If anything feels like a bad idea, an unsafe place, a nasty object, a disturbing personal aura – then you are probably better off keeping your distance.
First Steps
The world is full of challenges, glitches, hostility, and general mayhem. Sooner or later some of that will cross your path – probably sooner. Defensive magic begins at a very basic level, right here, and gets more complex as the problems compound. There are many simple things you can do to keep yourself safe and comfortable.
When something goes wrong, you need to respond promptly and appropriately. Above all, remain calm! No situation is so bad that you can’t make it worse if you panic and do something stupid. Remain in control of yourself and you are that much closer to regaining control of the situation. Witches keep a clear head under stress. That is why other people look to them for guidance.
First, identify the exact nature of the problem. What happened that should not have, or failed to happen that should have? Who did it affect most? Can you think of anyone who might have caused it, magically or mundanely? How might it have come about? How can it be fixed, or prevented from happening again?
Next, determine if the cause is magical or mundane. This is important. Most unpleasantness comes from ordinary sources, such as personal error or everyday chaos. Objects break; people forget things; stuff happens. Chances are, you simply messed up or got unlucky. If you see a persistent pattern of mishaps not attributable to everyday causes, or if something happens far more often or rarely than probability would predict, then suspect the metaphysical. Actual curses or other magical attacks are pretty rare.
More common are inadvertent assaults where someone may wish you ill or simply direct hateful thoughts at you, without doing any kind of ritual. Some people also tend to “feed on” the energy of bystanders, leaving their victims exhausted and cranky. Then there are places or objects that carry some kind of vile aura. These effects can still make your life more annoying for a while. Deliberate attacks tend to require more effort to counter than unintentional ones, but similar methods work for both.
Once you figure out what the problem is, and its likely source, you can take steps to deal with it. Forget about the fictional accounts of flaming walls and enchanted jewels. When it comes to thwarting the forces of evil and entropy – small or large – discretion gets better results than flamboyance. This is because: 1) if you have a real enemy, you won’t alert them to your countermeasures, and 2) if the assault is inadvertent or impersonal, you won’t embarrass anyone, including yourself. The less said about your defenses, the better.
If you need to help a friend defend against a magical or emotional onslaught, you might suggest these things for “clearing their mind” or “a lucky charm.” You shouldn’t do magic for someone else without their permission, but you also don’t have to specify exactly what you’re doing or why. It will still work. Witches are allowed to be a little mysterious.
Troubleshooting
The basic techniques break down into two types: purification and protection. Purification means cleaning someone or something of any negative energy. Protection keeps the nasty stuff from getting there in the first place, by blocking it out. There are numerous methods for each. Magical systems and religions customarily provide some of each type. Here are some things you can do – simple, all-purpose first aid for magical quandaries.
Bathing uses water, with or without additives, to rinse away physical or magical grunge. Check your bathroom cabinet for bath salts. Most of them contain sea salt and work nicely for purification. If you don’t have anything like that, a half-cup of sea salt or table salt will do. Lavender, lemon verbena, magnolia, peppermint, pine, rosemary, or thyme are good herbs for a cleansing bath if you want more than salt. Fill the tub with hot water, stir in the salt, climb in and soak for a while. (If you're using a shower, pour the salt in a washcloth, wad it up, and scrub your body with it.) Imagine the bathwater leaching out all impurities and negativity. Let the water drain away, then rinse off.
Carrying charms can provide a good general defense, although you can find charms to protect against specific threats as well. A stone with a natural hole through it is a grounding and shielding influence. Another fine choice is a horseshoe nail; some blacksmiths make these into rings. (Don't use this one if you're fey or otherwise averse to iron.) A smooth silver pendant, one with a shield design or an image of the moon, bounces negative energy away.
Nourishing builds up a healthy charge, making it difficult for anything nasty to get a grip on you. Take a decadent bath with loads of bubbles. Sometimes you can even find organic stores carrying the fixings for a milk bath or oatmeal bath, the "nurturing" stuff. Aside from the metaphysical effects, those are quite a treat for the skin. Alternatively, ask your friends to send you little tokens of affection such as postcards or pressed flowers. Surround yourself with these. Put them on a special altar or over your bed, somewhere you'll see them often and be reminded that some pretty nifty people care about you.
Smudging uses natural substances, usually from plants, to make energy feel clean and healthy. Stock your incense supplies with sage, sweetgrass, cedar, or anything else that seems to suit the "purification" theme. In a crisis, a half-teaspoon of sage from your kitchen spice rack will do; put it on a saucer and hold a match to it until it smokes. Then cup your hands and waft the smoke over your body. Imagine it removing all impurities and negativity.
Warding protects your house, room, or other space from unwanted intrusions. The simplest method of warding is to take a cup of saltwater and sprinkle it all around your home. Real seawater works best, but you can just mix sea salt or table salt in plain water instead. Make sure to touch all the doors, windows, and other openings especially. Also touch each wall, floor, and ceiling. For extra power, trace a pentacle with saltwater on the main door(s). Visualize a shield of white light keeping out all unwelcome influences. Yes, this is a substantial investment of time and energy: that's why it works.
Pay attention to how people respond after your defensive measures. If someone hesitates to enter your home or suddenly becomes reluctant to get near you – don’t turn your back on them. Troublemakers may sense protections subliminally and want to stay away. This helps you identify who they are. Most people either will not notice or will feel a little safer in your space or company.
Remember that magic is more like a martial art than an actual weapon: intended for defense rather than offense. Don’t get cocky. Don’t get aggressive. Just don’t let people walk all over you. As you advance, you can address more complex ethical situations, such as whether or when it is acceptable to use magic to actively bring down someone intent on harming you and yours. The purpose of this article is to introduce simple techniques. What you have learned here is enough to resolve minor to moderate problems, or serve as “first aid” for more serious ones.
Your first and last line of defense against any threat is your mind. Use it well.
* * * Recommended Books
Amulets & Talismans for Beginners: How to Choose, Make & Use Magical Objects by Richard Webster. Llewellyn Publications, 2004. Charms for the novice.
Castings: The Creation of Sacred Space by Ivo Dominguez, Jr. SapFire Productions, 1996. Splendid handbook for ritual skills: grounding and centering, reality navigation, sensing and manipulating energy, and astral vision.
Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem, and Metal Magic by Scott Cunningham. Llewellyn Publications, 2003. A must-have guide to the topic, this book lists the magical properties of many different stones; some are handy for protection or purification.
Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham. Llewellyn Publications, 1984. An essential reference, with entries on many herbs, also a listing of magical uses and herbs recommended for each.
Earth, Air, Fire & Water: More Techniques of Natural Magic by Scott Cunningham. Llewellyn Publications, 1991. Spells and charms for protection, purification, and many other purposes using the Elements.
Everyday Magic: Spells & Rituals for Modern Living by Dorothy Morrison. Llewellyn Publications, 1998. Numerous techniques for purification, protection, and more.
Johnson's Emotional First Aid: How to Increase Your Happiness, Peace, and Joy by Victoria Ann Johnson. Blue Dolphin, 1997. Practical techniques for coping with troublesome feelings.
Reason To Believe: A Practical Guide to Psychic Phenomena by Michael Clark. Avon Books, 1997. Excellent beginner's guide to techniques, tools of the trade, resources, and background information for a wide range of psychic skills.
Working with Anger by Thubten Chodron. Snow Lion Publications, 2001. Explains how to handle negative emotions in yourself and others.
"The Rose and the Thorn: Psychic Safety and Skill Development" originally appeared as an article in Circle Network News, "Psychic Skills," Fall 1997. In 1998 it was reprinted on the first PenUltimate Productions website. In 2004 it was expanded into the class "The Rose and the Thorn: Defense Against the Dark Arts 101" for the Grey School of Wizardry. It was revised for reprint on the Greenhaven Tradition website 7/14/11.