Protection Rites

There are times when we feel the necessity to withdraw from the world and focus our energies inward, strengthening our Will, fortifying our resolve. When we feel challenged or threatened we can allow our magick to work in our favor, providing us with the necessary support and security. What follows are a couple different rituals that you can use at your discretion. For best results I would recommend performing a Cleansing Rite prior to these workings.

Protection Rite #1

Items:
An earthy, "grounding" incense (sandalwood, copal, myrrh, etc.)
A small pocket sized stone (black tourmaline or another similarly dark stone will suffice)
Some salt
A black candle

Ground and center. Light incense and fumigate the working area. Cast a circle by sprinkling salt in a ring around your working area. Imagine a protective wall springing up from the salt and forming around you. Hold the stone in your power hand and focus your awareness on it. Feel the hardness of the stone and notice how its energy flows differently from your own. It is slower, denser. Focus on these qualities of the stone and chant the following 3 times:

The Horned or Inverted pentacle is used to represent the Horned God, manifestation, and the powers of fierce protection.

I summon forth the strength of stone,
and conjure up these walls of rock,
Protect my soul, my flesh and bone,
My will the key, this stone the lock.

Allow the feeling to flow from the stone and into your body. Feel the strength and steadfastness of the stone and imagine that this same power is present in the walls around you. When you have sufficiently generated the necessary energy then focus your attention on the candle. Black is the color of banishing, and also of grounding, of ultimate manifestation. Feel the power of the protective stone flowing from you and into the candle as you light it and say:

Tower of light,
Fountain of force,
Circle of purity,
Ward of infinity.

Imagine that you can feel an affinity with the candle flame and that it's light is also being generated from within you, shining outward in all directions. Allow this light to reach up to the heavens like a tower, flowing up and then cascading around you like a fountain, falling down to and charging the ring of salt as the power flows beneath the ground, encasing you in a protective ward of your own making. You may wish to repeat this process several times, chanting the above in repetition until a sense of power is achieved. Walk away and allow the candle to burn completely out.