Magical and psychic protection are two areas of spiritual and witchcraft practice that are topics discussed with some regularity and detail within my blogs, talks and workshops. In many ways, this is because it forms a large portion of the foundation practices a witch, any witch, will (or should) formulate when they begin on their journey. I honestly cannot tell you how many times I’ve witnessed both amateur and, supposedly, experienced practitioners share posts on social media asking for help with dealing with hauntings, negative paranormal encounters, spirit attachments, psychic attack, the repercussions of ‘dabbling’ or purely because they have never made time to build up the very basics of safe and well-rounded practice. Such as psychic protection, understanding the world and the natural cycles around them, the old adage “know thyself” and so on. And it is not just on social media, I have on occasion been asked to help others who have become energetically tangled in some way, usually because of a lack of a safeguarding practice. As such, I firmly believe in encouraging all occult practitioners to build a strong foundational practice in Psychic defence, after all… “a stitch in time saves nine”…

There are several areas of psychic and magical protection that I often touch upon when I teach this expansive topic, and they include: spiritual protection, energetic protection, psychological protection, magical protection and house protection.

Today I have chosen to touch upon the important area of house protection, after all, our home is our castle! It is a place where we spend a lot of time living, relaxing, making memories, and for the folk witch, practicing magic and spirituality. As I often explain to others, we would not go out and leave all of our windows open, the oven on and the front door unlocked! As such, nor do we leave our home spiritually unprotected either. Instead, we safeguard it from spiritual and psychic intrusion, as well as casting workings or hanging charms for it’s more mundane protection; such as protecting the home from fire or burglaries.

Over the years, I have tried and tested many charms, workings, prayers, rituals and psalms that supposedly aid in the safety of the home. Some of which have worked remarkably well, others have proven themselves ineffective at best.
Any charms efficacy mentioned in this blog comes purely from a place of my own individual opinion only. So, if you find a certain charm has been missed from this list, one that you personally know, love and trust, don’t despair. It may be that it’s one I have not yet tried, or just has not personally worked for me. I have listed these charms or tools in order of what I have found to be most effective, but this by no means makes number five useless! Enjoy.

1) The Nazar (The Evil Eye).

Contrary to some misunderstanding, the Evil Eye charm does not attract or send negative energy towards another, rather it actually protects one from the influence and attack from others’ malicious intentions, often said to be others casting an evil eye your way. The Evil Eye in the form of a protective art or talisman can be found in many cultures around the world, from Egypt and Israel to Europe! However, perhaps the most easily recognisable version of this protective amulet is the Nazar, a term deriving from the Arabic meaning ‘sight’ or ‘surveillance’. Over the years, the manufacture of these charms has been most found in Turky, where you can purchase them at practically any gift shop or market stall. In Turkish, the charm is known as ‘nazar boncugu’, and variations of the term nazar can be found throughout Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. In Greece, charms that repel the evil eye are known as ‘mati’ and in Italian, as ‘malocchio’.

It’s likely that if the belief in the concept of the Evil Eye was not already a universal phenomenon, then it’s customs likely spread to Europe and the Celtic lands via religious superstitions within Judaism and Christianity, colonisation from the Romans to the Britains, and possibly via customs learnt and observed by English and French knights who went off to fight in the Crusades during the 12th century. However, the concept arrived here, or was adapted and moulded in with already pre-existing beliefs, references to the Evil Eye can be traced back several hundred years and was mentioned within Witch trials; that supposedly some Witches were able to curse people, cattle and so on with just a glance.

One of the origins of the cast Evil Eye is said to come from other people’s jealousy or anger, that a simple envious look can cause the person they look upon to suffer illness, bad luck and even death. For those who study the art of psychic protection, you will know that a person’s inner emotions, when left unchecked, can be the cause of both intentional and unintentional psychic attack. Humans, whether occultists or not, have an incredible knack of projecting psychic emotions and manifesting their desires at will. There are five main ways, I have noticed, that Witches can manifest their will (for good or for ill) and these are, spoken words/sound, pointing (hence the belief that it is rude or dangerous to point), written word (supposedly why historically speaking, many women’s dresses were made without pockets, so that they could not easily hide written spells and charms in their clothes), hand gestures, and by gaze.
Many believe that the eyes are the window to the soul, and there is no arguing that they certainly are expressive! Eyes can look on incredulously, they can look on longingly and lovingly, they can give ‘dirty looks’ and so on. Not only this, but our psychic self has the amazing ability to pick up on when we are being watched…
How many times have we been stood minding our own business, perhaps in a busy place, only to find the hairs on the back of our neck stand on end, and the unsettling feeling of “I’m being watched” creeps through our mind. Then, when we turn around, we find ourselves looking in the exact direction where someone, known or unknown is observing us. I believe that this is both a primitive, yet effective form of psychic and physical protection. After all, some animals in the wild have eyes slightly to the sides of their head so they can spot predators stalking them from their peripheral vision. Perhaps humans have a psychic equivalent for when a person, animal or unwanted energy is watching us.

As well as supposedly stemming from a gaze of jealousy, the Evil Eye is also said to include the intentional wishing of bad luck or having been spotted by a dark spirit or demon who wants to attach itself to you.
Most Evil Eye charms you will see will be various shades of blue and this is because blue is seen as a colour of protection, in part because it represents the clear sky, protection, wellbeing and good ‘Karma’, therefore having the ability to reflect back all that is not good and only allow what is beneficial to draw near.

I first began to incorporate the use of the Evil Eye charm about two years ago when I moved into my current home. I was searching for something special to gift my home, something I always do when I move house, when I saw a beautiful large Nazar on Etsy. I bought it knowing some of its history and use and decided that it would look beautiful hung out by the front door (with the added benefit of protecting the front entrance too). I was surprised to find on its arrival that no matter how or which way I tried to hang my nazar, it would always force itself around (quite unnaturally) so that it could face a specific direction down the street! In the end I decided to leave it, thinking perhaps it had a reason for demanding to face the way it was.
It often takes time to settle into a new home. There is unpacking to do, modifications to make, and the home itself needs to settle around you too. However, no matter how much I cleansed the home energetically and did things to make the space a home for my family, nothing seemed to fully work. We had echoes from previous occupants, ghosts and even some boggart activity. A boggart I ended up nicknaming ‘Mr Clickety Clack” (which I discuss in a previous blog). In short, Mr Clickety Clack would cause banging and knocking all through the night and largely from the extension roof, which mine and my husband’s bedroom overlooks. In the end, I managed to get hold of another Nazar, specifically for my bedroom window. And where the charm certainly worked to stop the banging that seemed to come from inside the walls, it did nothing to stop the odd noises out on the extension roof. Until one day, when I knocked the damn charm out the window accidentally while cleaning! It fell right in the middle of the extension roof and I was unable to reach it. However, from that night on, all bangings, knockings and other strange noises stopped entirely! Consequently, I’ve never gone up on a ladder to retrieve the charm. It’s working perfectly fine where it is! Since this incident, which occurred last year, I have taken to hanging a Nazar in every window and at every door that leads in and out of the house (three in total). This, combined with the use of rosaries has led to a very quiet and well protected home, and I now swear by the efficacy of this particular charm! It also makes me wonder what the front doors Nazar is working to protect us from, as we tried to re-hang it last week on Samhain for a family photo. But no matter how much my husband tinkered and repositioned, the Nazar always refused and purposely turned to face down the left side of the street…

Nazar hanging outside of my home, 2022

2) The Rosary.

The Rosary is a Roman Catholic tool used in its religious form for prayer to the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus. However, to some in the Romany communities and also to some of us in either the folk witch or Catholic witch camps, the Rosary is also a charm for divine protection! Much like the wearing of holy medals or St Christopher pendants. Although I no longer identify as a Catholic, rather as a Druid, Folk Witch and Priestess, I do acknowledge that I was raised in a strict Anglo Irish Catholic family, and as such, my mother’s Catholicism influenced her own folk way practice, which in turn, of course, also influenced my own. As someone who also works closely with the Ancestors, it makes sense to me to also keep one foot in the door of my Catholic roots, especially as that is the faith that so many of my Ancestors would have identified with.
Within some branches of folk ways and Catholic folk magic, the Rosary is used for both protective and cleansing purposes. I was brought up being taught that, whenever you move house, the Rosary must be the first thing brought into the home and it should be used and prayed with in every room of the house prior to moving in. The purpose of this was to cleanse and bless the home in preparation for living there. Then once you had fully moved in, the parish priest would be invited round to formally bless the home. As well as this, girls were encouraged to carry a Rosary with them anywhere they went, especially after having taken the vows associated with their holy confirmation, as the Rosary (especially if given as a gift for their confirmation) would protect the girl from harm, especially harm caused from boys – read into that what you will. Another form of Rosary magic was the hanging of a Rosary (discreetly or obviously) by any main doorway or window at the front of the house. This was believed to protect the home from the influences of the Devil and prevent him entering the home. I have found Rosary magic a very powerful form of apotropaic and personal protective magic, despite no longer being a Catholic, it is a form of spiritual protection that has always worked for me. Whether this is because I was baptised a Catholic, and also had to take part in the rites of first holy communion and holy confirmation, and therefore, in the eyes of the church at least, will always be a Catholic even if I am ‘lapsed’, or if perhaps I am drawing upon some collective ancestral energy from all of those who have used a Rosary in a similar way. But by the by, I have found the use of Rosaries in home protection very powerful!
Another reason for this tool’s potent energy may be that it is an old and well used tool and symbol. The Rosary was supposedly created in the 1200’s, with some arguing that it goes back even further to the 9th century! Either way, that’s nearly one thousand years of very concentrated energy and prayer building up a power of it’s very own to connect with a benevolent Goddess-like figure who protects those who pray to her for intercession to Jesus Christ…

Amber Rosary beads, Original photography by ZBK

3) Witch Bottles.

Witch Bottles are a popular form of apotropaic magic found throughout the southern parts of England, as well as parts of Europe and America. In fact, Witch Bottles are still actively being found throughout England when old houses or buildings are being refurbished or having major building works carried out. The reason for Witch Bottles being found more commonly throughout the South, especially the South East of England is thought to be because of the Bellarmine jug and trading routes. The southern ports of England were where the vast majority of all trading came into England, as such, pretty and unusual Bellarmine jugs were very popular in the southern counties and found themselves being adopted for the use of Witch Bottles within apotropaic workings.

The purpose of the Witch Bottle was twofold, it was curative and protective. They were often employed only when a person or family were experiencing a run of very bad luck, extreme ill health, multiple family deaths, and so on. In such cases, the afflicted were often advised by local folk workers, pellars, cunning folk etc to adopt the use of a ‘Witch Bottle’. There are several recorded methods and examples of how to use this custom, but the most common was to fill the jug or bottle with the afflicted persons urine, along with bent pins, nails, thorns and other nasties. The Witch Bottle was then sealed and placed into a pan for a slow boil for any number of hours or days (slow low boil as to not evaporate the contents or to uncork the bottle with pressure. Once this was done, the bottle would be buried or deposited upside-down somewhere on the victim’s property, and was said to represent the attacking witch’s bladder. Once the Witch Bottle was set to work, the attacking Witch was said to become ill and not be able to pass water without experiencing extreme pain. In this case, she would either release her curse against the afflicted, or would come around and beg to be released. Ultimately, turning the witch’s own evil ways back upon themselves.

There is certainly a powerful form of magic at play with this form of protective apotropaic magic, however as it is a curative form of protection, I find it’s only useful to someone experiencing an attack of some form. I am much more a fan of preventative magic workings (back to that “a stitch in time” quote mentioned at the start of the blog). So, where I can attest to this working being the genuine article, I much prefer students of magic to never need this drastic form of protective magic, and instead already have psychic and magical protection in place to protect themselves, so situations where a Witch Bottle may be needed never arise.

Contents of a found Witch bottle shown on X-ray, taken from NBC news.

4) Horse Shoes.

The use of horseshoes for protective purposes has been a well-documented form of apotropaic magic, with references found in old Romany Gypsy customs, as well as within regional folklore, especially here in Lancashire. The use of the horseshoe for protective purposes is another charm, like the Witch Bottle that has a dual function. Firstly, to protect the home from witchcraft, faeries and bad luck, and secondly, to invoke good luck into the home. The beliefs and superstitions around using horseshoes to bring luck to a home seemingly has very specific lore surrounding it. In many customs, it is said the horseshoe must be a real horseshoe that has been once worn by a real working horse, that it must be made of iron, or iron rich metal (to keep the faerie folk at bay) and that the horseshoe must be either bought or freely given as a gift, it could never be stolen or from a horse that’s been injured or thrown a shoe.
As well as this, the horseshoe must be hung with the points facing up so that it forms a ‘U’ shape, this is said to hold and collect luck, where hanging the other way is said to drain and empty a home of luck.
It is likely that the horseshoes protective element comes from both the use of iron, a metal that apparently witches and faeries are supposed to not be able to tolerate and that the art of blacksmithing is said to be a sacred craft that cannot be outdone by witchcraft or the devil. In part because a blacksmith can forge chains and historically speaking, vows taken over a blacksmith’s anvil were said to be unbreakable, meaning it was a magic unable to be undone by any witch or demon. Some of these beliefs may stem from old Irish Celtic beliefs around the Goddess Brigid, her protective qualities and her association around the craft of smithing.

I have had mixed experiences with using horseshoes for protection, this is often echoed within some folk tales where the protagonist hangs a shoe for protection against witches, only to find it ineffective. But I have found it helpful for some general low-level protection when a home has experienced hauntings or faeries like misdemeanours. As such, I’m fairly ambivalent to the horseshoes ability to protect, but have observed it is excellent at bringing in and holding good luck. It could perhaps be argued then that if a person is lucky, they will never experience threat from external energies such as dark witches or unseelies fey? Perhaps then protection of the horseshoe is an extension of luck? I will let you make your mind up on that one.

I have found that in order to make a horseshoe usable for protection, it must be bolstered with other intentional magic, as seen below in an example of a working created by my husband where traditional red thread and plant magic have been utilised to aid in protective qualities.

Example of horseshoe magic, bolstered for protection with rowan and red thread. Original photography by ZBK.

5) Hag Stones.

Hag stones can be found on the coastlines of all over the British Isles, especially on the east coast. They have long been held to hold special magical qualities of being able to bring healing and the second sight (for those who look through the hole and protection). Hag stones, also known as ‘Adder Stones’ and in some parts, ‘Druids Stones’ or ‘Druids Glasses’. Hanging, carrying or wearing a hag stone is said to ground the person using it and shield them from all harm. To hang a hag stone by one’s front door is thought to stop all faeries, demons and ghosts from entering the home, especially when hung from either red or blue thread or cording. Where it is difficult to deny that the hag stone does indeed have some interesting protective qualities, I find that sometimes they can work a little too well. Especially if like me, you like to allow space for the Ancestors, spirit guides and other helpful spirit energies to enter the home. I have personally found that the hag stone mutes and blocks all spirit entry and activity, which is great if that’s what you want or need, but not really ideal for a folk witch who likes the visitation and chatter of friendly and beneficial spirits. With this in mind, I have started to hang hag stones upstairs in my home, instead of downstairs by front and back doors. This means that if friendly spirits want to visit, they can do, but the upstairs of the home is completely off limits. This ensures no one is woken up at night by spirit visitations, and is very effective, especially when combined with the use of Nazars. It’s been noted by guests that the upstairs of our home feels like a “quiet sanctuary”, and that is very much by design!

I hope you have enjoyed this week’s blog and found it informative! The next instalment will be that of the grimoire series where I will be demonstrating how you can make a red bell ladder for protection against spirits that walk the dark half of the year.

From the time, mists and distance between us, blessings from me to you.