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The Rantin’ Raven: A Little Practical Magic for These Times

The Rantin’ Raven: A Little Practical Magic for These Times

Last updated on: January 17, 2017 at 4:01 am by Dana Corby

The Rantin’ Raven: A Little Practical Magic for These Times 2017-01-17T04:01:03+00:00 Dana Corby

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Hello again! As you may recall, my blog normally appears here the third Monday of every month. That unexpected two-month hiatus was the result of my old computer’s motherboard suddenly dying a spectacular death. Glad to be back! I’d like to begin the New Year, then, by publicly thanking the amazing person who decided that taking care of our elders (something we’re talked a lot about here on the Agora) included giving me the wherewithal to have a custom computer built. May the Gods bless you always, lovely lady! And I also thank my dear friends Trent and Rick who built The Awesome Computer for me and are helping me learn its many bells & whistles. Blessed Be!

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It’s been a wild ride these last few months, hasn’t it? In view of recent political events, a lot of us are fearful for our safety. People are asking what we can do to protect ourselves against the haters who, emboldened by the ascension to power of a pack of racists, misogynists, Randians, Dominionists and Trumpzis, seem to be running around everywhere attacking anyone they disapprove of. And they seem to disapprove of an awful lot of people. I’ve not yet heard of Pagans being the victims of hate crimes as part of this trend – Muslims and Jews and the gender-nonconforming are far handier targets – but it’s not at all unlikely that we could. That we will be, before too long. So we must Take Steps.

Political action is of course vital. Those who can are marching in the streets, contributing to progressive actions, and writing like their lives depended on it. There are common-sense steps also hiding in plain sight: if your home or vehicle is witchily decorated, now might be a good time to be sure nothing is visible to casual passers-by. Bring those pentagrams and Goddess statues indoors, or do as our ancestors did and disguise them. Lawn gnomes, anyone? Peel off that “My Other Car is a Broom” bumper sticker. And ditch the flashy Pagan jewelry. Of course all this feels like a retreat; it is. And it sucks. But as Sibyl Leek famously said, “Witchcraft don’t pay for broken windows.”

Bolivian Rose Salt, Photo by Lifar. From WikiMedia. License.

But we also need to take magical steps to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe. So I’m offering some good old fashioned protection charms, with a modern twist. This is the first of a series of three articles: Protecting our persons, Protecting our homes, and Protecting our stuff. The emphasis is on warding off negative energies, which are always the precursor to negative actions. I’ll assume you have at least basic magical knowledge, or have friends who do, so the associated charms are to be considered just outlines or suggestions. I really don’t like locking magical practitioners into a script; your own words are always better.

One of the easiest personal protection charms covers us whether we’re at home or away, and involves nothing more than a box of rock salt. The kind for ice cream is easily available and cheap. You put it in your laundry, which means it will infuse your clothes, your sheets, your towels – everything you wash that touches your body. Pour it from the original container into a nice jar or box or tin (if you use a tin or wooden container, put a plastic bag in first to avoid corrosion) while reciting something like this:

       Salt, your magical function has always been
       As a protector.
       And as a protector I charge you now:
       Infuse the water to which you are added
       With your protective energies.
       Protect me/us from the attentions
       Of hostile people.
       Protect me/us from hostile spirits
       And from fetches in the night.
       Thus I command,
       So shall it be.

Keep your charged salt with your laundry supplies. Each time you put some in a load of laundry – a tablespoonful will do – repeat a short charm reinforcing its purpose, such as:

Protective salt, work your magic. Keep me/us safe.

The first thing you may notice is that your dreams improve, from sleeping in protected sheets. Fewer death-glares on the streets (what is it with people, anyway?) Less drama at Starbucks. Subtle but pervasive.

For protection in high-stress situations, or where you know you’re going to be the target of negativity, you may want to construct a personal shield charm you can turn on and off. I got the idea from the priest’s robes in Fritz Lieber’s “Gather, Darkness,” in which, when threatened, they slapped a button on their robe and it instantly ballooned out into a bullet-proof, fire-proof, acid-proof (everything proof) ‘Armor of God.” I told you – modern twists.

This isn’t going to be quite that spectacular or quite that everything-proof. But it will deflect unwanted or negative energies from you, quite effectively. Last year I made one for a friend to wear into court but they’re also very useful in job interviews or when shopping at the Mall. Yeah, that exhaustion you feel after a Mall excursion is not from the exercise, it’s from all those random, undisciplined auras rubbing yours raw.

Photo by Mankey.

Acquire a brooch, fan-swag pin, old Boy Scout badge, whatever. Something you can pin onto your clothes. It needs to look innocuous, so no sigils, though you could certainly put one on the back if you’ve a mind to. I favor 1950s rhinestones, myself.

As you would with any magical tool, wash it and banish any negative or just random energies.

Instead of placing it on an altar or work table to charge it, pin it to your clothes in a spot where you can easily tap it with your dominant hand – for most of us, the right. This is where you will pin it every time. Tap the pin, which is your on/off button, envisioning a field of energy suddenly springing out all around you, as delicate and translucent, as iridescent if that’s how it looks to you, as a soap bubble. But impervious to negative energies. Charge the pin with its duty, saying something like:

       Turn my shield on,
       Turn my shield off,
       When I tap you thus (tap)
       Even through cloth.

       Shield me from hate,
       Shield me from harm,
       Shield me from draining,
       Shield from alarm.

Now all you have to do is pin it to your clothes in that spot every time you go somewhere you’re likely to need shielding. At the first sign of trouble, or even as you walk through the door, tap your on/off button. The activating cantrip, another theft from science fiction, is simple:

Shields up!
Shields down.

May you walk in safety everywhere.

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