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Sunday, August 8

Protection

When doing any sort of magickal work, or anything that stretches your comfort zone, it is essential to use some form of protection. This could be an elemental barrier, or a number of other types of shields. For now I am just going to overview the elemental aspect, but I will go over more later. Directional correspondences don't particularly matter in this exercise. The first step is to call upon the elements for protection. There are various ways to visualize this. It could be useful to see pentacles in the 5 directions (we are including spirit here, but you may choose not to, as above) surrounding you. These pentacles move around you forming a shield. While you could just empower them with universal energy, you could also visualize each pentacle taking on a different color as the element takes on the duty of protecting that part of your personal circle. Another way to use elemental protection is to first visualize a sphere of protection around yourself. This may be void of energy until after the elements are asked to participate. As you welcome each element, imagine it entering the sphere as a colored mist or a more visual form of the element if you prefer. Watch the mist swirl through the sphere around you. When all the elements are present, the mists will swirl and interact but still maintain their color and unique identity. The pentacle exercise is a version of the wider known Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentacle, but can be used in a variety of ways other than just a default shield used in daily practice. If the shield is temporary, release the elements when the work is done by thanking them for help. I always ask the elements to stay if they feel so inclined, but that is because the extra guidance is always welcome and I would rather not offend by telling them thank you for being here when I wanted you, now go away. In any case, some shields will dissolve on their own after use and some need constant connection to keep them together at all. It's a process of figuring this out on a situational basis, but never forget to thank the forces you have asked for help.