Protection and Safety

Protection, on a Esoteric or Magical Level. Do you do It?

I will admit, I do it! I am told that saying HOW I do it leaves me open to malicious practitioners, so, I will not reveal my personal protections, But I will describe what I have heard from others, no names, so that we can discuss what may work, and what may not. As well, we must all realize, what "works" may be personal!

Asatru Runes are considered by many to grant powerful protection when carved into door frames, worn on your body, carved , hidden into the jewelery you wear, or even the leather you may wear.

Some Use Potions and Oils and ungents to anoint their homes. A Line drawn in oil across lintels, and windowsills. Perhaps you carry an Oil soaked cotton ball, a poppet in your Purse or pocket?

Many Do a Meditative very Eastern thing. They ask spirits, either of the House itself, and the Items that are in their houses, or Ancestor Spirits, to watch over, warn, and protect!

I once read of a man whom had his bed circled in salt and iron filings! He felt that It protected him from what he felt were "Malicious Fae" and he stated that after his Ward, and circle he felt he could sleep well for the first time in years!

After your home, or personal self , is warded, do you feel better, or more aware of yourself? Do you feel that wards and protections may need reinforcement, or are a "Charged " one time thing? And, have you ever felt your protections tested, did they hold up?

Dreams

Dreams. Do they guide you, or do you even listen? Are they our subconscious speaking to us, or just our minds sorting the days information. Some dreams are absurd, and some are less dreams and more nightmares!

I will share with you 2 dreams of mine, and you may decide absurd or perhaps informative. I do realize that dreams are subjective, and prone to much personal interpretation.

The first dream I will speak of is as Me as a farmer. The Plot I have to grow things on is immense, and the borders are un-seeable, they are marked with a Tall, split rail fence, made of splintery grey wood. I am kneeling in the middle of the field, crying, because I have tried every method to grow things here, and they will not grow, not even weeds. In the dream, I have tried everything, and now, not even the tears I am crying seems to water the light, loos,e sandy grey soil. The sun overhead is healing and warm, Other fields seem to be growing well, but they are not my fields. As I look up, the only thing that is growing is a single vine of Some ivy like plant that is coiled about a nearby fence post. It is a bright vibrant green, and it has 2 leaves. It saddens me that Something that is growing that I did not plant. As I reach to touch it, the dream fades.

Now, on the outside, this was a dream that I had within weeks of deciding to walk a path of Pagan exploration. If that helps you to define the dream. What helps you decide, as a pagan, a Cabalistic follower, a Christian, that the dream is more than a dream?

The second dream I will speak of is rather...surreal, and what I would consider absurd, but, I had it, so that is worth something, I would guess.

I am in a Underground parking lot, It is crowed, and the cars are parked haphazardly some on top of others. The Florescents are dim, and flickering sometimes bright, sometimes almost out. I am running, full tilt, as hard as I can, almost breathless, as I seem to be being chased, by Adolf Hitler, dressed as a Catholic Nun, shooting at me with a Big, yellow, semi automatic Banana.

Perhaps there are more to both dreams than I am aware of, who knows if it is My subconscious, or something more external. Hoe do YOU decide?

As well, sometimes we might put to much effort into what might very well just be a dream. Remember as Sigmund Freud said, "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar,"

path

Path, Journey, Travels, Call it what you will, but they all mean that we move. Movement hopefully means we go forward. I have always thought to NOT move is stagnation, and to me stagnation is bad.

How do we move forward? How do we not stagnate? We learn, we explore, we try, and yes, it might very well hurt. We could say that "Pain makes me not want to try" But, how will you learn, if mistakes are not made? I would say "what pain did I get from that Mistake, a pain I can learn from, and not do it again?"

As it is said in a Children's TV show , "The Magic School Bus" , Get Messy, make mistakes! I mean, we tell our children this, yet set the bar for ourselves way to high, and when we fail, we blame ourselves for failing. We never take into consideration that we set our selves up for fail.

From a Pagan, alternate religion point of view, were do we set that Bar to high? Do you ever say that "I will never miss a Sabbat" and then when life intrudes, making you sick, or busy, you get angry that you failed, or hurt, perhaps dissapointed?

Rather it should be "The Sabbats I CAN observe should be special, and I should be happy when I can get a chance to celebrate them!" That way, you have set an achievable goal, and one that make you feel good as well!

So, Go on! Make your mistakes! Learn, grow, and most of all, do not stagnate!

First Post

Lets start us all off by sharing where I am starting from.

I am new to the whole blogging thing, but I feel that there is a place for my point of view. I started my religious views as a child asking what I was told are awkward Questions of people I was told "Knew More" and "Had More Experience" In the religious world. Questions like "No Graven Images? What are Saints?"

For a long time, I accepted that there was a God, and he was all knowing, but I never asked why again, cause I was not getting any answers that made sense. Then, for 12 years I was involved with a woman whos religious views seemed concrete, Her past was in organized religion. "Great!" I thought" Here are the answers I seek! And, I asked them, but, to no avail. Asking her my questions just sent her into a panic, and I got angry answers of "Its just that way" and "Accept it, or do you not BELIEVE?"

Believe? In what? I had not wanted to disrespect anyone's belief, but no one seemed to want to let me ask questions. So, after parting ways with her, My common-in-law-wife, I fell back on what I felt were child like, simple beliefs. The grass was green, wind blew, and the sun was yellow. As well, gravity seemed to work. THESE were concepts that worked in my world. But, where were my answers?

Why did I find it necessary to "invite " people into my home?

Why did I Hold door frames and Imagine them glowing and protecting me?

Why cook food, and try to fill it with the Joy and warmth that was in my heart?

Why? Why? So many "why's!!!

I have many friends from many walks of life, and they all have their on views, But I was shocked to discover that this "pagan" path was just as full of pompous people as Judaism, and Christianity!

Then, honestly, by chance, which I will expand upon in later posts, I had the book, "The Way of the Hedge Witch: Rituals and Spells for Hearth and Home by Anne Murphy-Hiscock", Fall into my hands, and I cried reading it.

THAT explained so much about me, what I was feeling, and seeing! And still raised many more questions. I will say now, that they are questions that I am happy to ask, and happy to learn

So, tell me, share, what has started you on your path?