Monthly Spell

March 2021

Protection

Happy March!

Hopefully Spring is close to you at this point.  This month you’re going to ward your home for protection. Siddown kids, this is a longer one.

Here’s what you need:

White candle

herbal floor wash blend- the one in the Patron gift was a collaboration with The Ninth House Shop, which is a local witch shop full of many talented witches. Bash, their in-house apothecary, specially blended it for us! This is what we’re using for the ritual.

For your personal cabinet:

White cactus spines- I use these for protection against living or physical threats.

Black cactus spines: I use these for protection against dead or spiritual threats. (Both come from one dead cactus- I don’t know why they’re different colors)

Creosote: This is for longevity. I will be blending some of the leaves into my portion of the floor wash.

Pepper blend: This is a home-grown (by Ken, not by me) mix of Thai dragons, one Moruga scorpion, and several Chiltepin peppers. They WILL mess you up so use gloves and be careful if you’re crushing them. Also- feel free to save the seeds and plant your own!

Mesquite resin: for protection. I think the woodpeckers have been getting at my trees as I didn’t cut them to get this- I just found it on the branches.

White quartz: from the wash by my house. Neutralizes evil energy.

Tiger eye: Strengthens any working. You’ll be using this in next month’s money spell as well!

Black tourmaline: the big daddy of protection stones! Also good for grounding.

An elemental altar disc to put on your mesquite candle holder from last month. You can also just put it around the bottom of a taper if you don’t have the mesquite holder.

4 tiny mirrors to reflect bad things away from your home.

Finally is the necklace- it’s a spell I worked out and created, that you can wear. If you don’t get the C&C box you can just write the runes on a bay leaf. First is Algiz- the 3 spikes represent reindeer horns for protection, but also a connection from the heavens to the underworld. They protect above, below, and what’s in the center. Next comes Uruz, to strengthen the spell. Finally we have Othala, the home. The spell reads like this: Algiz strengthened by Uruz to protect the home.

Working The Spell

I usually do this on a new moon because I feel like that’s just when beginnings and endings are.

If you cast a circle or call corners, go ahead and do that now. If you’ve previously warded or put up protection you may want to drop it, so you can push out any bad energies from inside that developed from daily life. I do this by holding up the palm of my hand and making wiping or scrubbing motion (like it’s on a window) with my palm, to each cardinal direction.

If you like, you can dress the candle. Pinch from any protective herbs and resins you have as you wish, adding more or less of what you feel you need (don’t use the floor wash please). Tell each ingredient what its job is as you go- most of them do multiple things.

Crush them in a bag, between two spoons, or in your mortar and pestle. Rub a little oil or whatever liquid you prefer onto the candle (if you use Florida or Monsoon water please be sure it dries completely before lighting the candle), pulling it towards you (bringing it in). Sprinkle the herbs over the candle, or roll it in the herbs. Put it in your holder and get ready for your ritual.

Prepare the floor wash herbs as you normally do if you’re going to use them wet- otherwise just continue with the dry ingredients (like if you have carpet and won’t be mopping).

If you work with deities, ask for their assistance in helping you protect your home and family. I even include my cars, and I generally put the Algiz (protection) and Raidho (travel/vehicle) runes on them by dipping my finger into the wash and “writing” it on the back window. You could also call on Thor, Hestia, or the Dagda, for starters.

If I want to drop my old wards I walk the property clockwise to bring them back to me, wiping them down. If you want to work with a candle, go ahead and light it inside while you clean. You can put the stones around it to help strengthen your intent.

Use the floor wash to clean inside, starting from the middle of your home and working outward to push out all the bad vibes and negativity. I actually tend to use either a bone or a popsicle stick and flick instead of actually washing- I just prefer a detergent for that. I might use a cloth dampened in the liquid to wipe around windows and doors though, once the inside is done- just as final “Keep Out” in the home itself.

Put a mirror, shiny side out, on a wall facing each of the cardinal directions. If you have carpet you can tuck it down between the carpet and the baseboard. You can also hide it in a closet or tape it to the back of a photo or mirror hanging on your wall.  Just remember to face the shiny side AWAY from the inside of your home!

Now that the inside is clean and the negativity has been shoved out, you could burn some pleasant incense or marjoram & rosemary to fill it with good vibes and positivity. Then we move to the outside!

When I do this ritual I tend to call on Hekate, because 1- she’s a bad ass, and 2- she’s the goddess of doorways and intersectional areas, which is what I think of when I consider the borders of my property. I use a mixture of herbs, items, and liquids that I think will best serve me. I walk the property 3 times, flicking (or scattering, if you’re using dry) my blend along the way. I usually make up a rhythmic chant to say as I step and flick- if you don’t work that way, it’s OK. I don’t rhyme but I do really react to rhythms. Rhymes may work better for you. I usually end up flicking 3 times per “dip”.

After 3 go-rounds (and possibly protecting the vehicles) I take the rest of the wash or whatever and pour it somewhere in my altar garden as an offering to the entity from whom I asked help, and so the land I live on recognizes that it’s meant for it. I feel like the place where I live may not be sure about me since I’m definitely not from here and have no indigenous ancestry that I’m aware of- so I want it to see that oh, I shouldn’t destroy this particular bit of magic because it’s meant to help protect what is inside it.

After that, close your ceremony as you see fit. Thank everything you used once again, and that’s it! You should feel cleaner and more secure in your home.