Any good warding or protection techniques anyone could share? Ive tried hanging up sigils on my tree in my front yard. I'm trying to deflect or protect myself from other magick user who may want to negatively affect my work.
There are so many methods for warding, protection, shielding, or whatever other names for the same and related things.
I have some favorites, and know of a few more.
One favorite is something I learned about while I lived in Turkey: the Nazar.
In Turkey, the locals described it as Medusa's eye, relating it to the Greek tale of when Perseus killed Medusa and took her head with him. They see the eye as one of hers, reduced in power against turning people into stone, but still potent to stop the 'evil eye' [1] from others, and offer general protection and basically be a good luck charm. I have one hanging above my bedroom door, and am considering at least one for my car (the most common use in Turkey).
A related item used for warding is a Hamsa (other names found online: Khamsa, the Humes hand, the Hand of Fatima and the Hand of Miriam), which can be found with no inscription, or inscriptions typically of blessings in any of several languages. Without inscription, it is often adorned with an eye (sometimes with a stylized eye, sometimes with a Nazar). The purpose is to banish negative entities and evil, and to welcome blessings into the home. I do not have any myself, but I have considered it.
Also do not forget any other physical objects which may have significant meaning to you in that regard. Purchasing some random thing because someone else said it does some sort of thing does not mean it will do that thing for you. It is not so much the object, but its meaning to those who use it, which hold significance. For example, some people will use a horseshoe over the door, opening down, for good luck, while some use it as a ward against mischievous spirits from entering the home, and some just see it as country kitsch.
As for rituals, there are many. A simple 'bubble of light' visualization, renewed frequently, is meant to protect a person, home, or plot of land. There are other methods similar to casting a circle, but with a more lasting purpose, and renewed rather than being undone at the end of a brief purpose.
There are also jar spells for protection, similar to a witch's bottle (which may be another decent option), some of which are meant to be buried at the gate. But research will give a lot of options to choose from.
Some people will do things such as drive or bury a large iron (steel these days, since it is mostly 90% iron, and much easier to find these days) at the corners of one's yard, or periodically along its perimeter, with the points facing outward.
Frequent banishing rituals, which some traditions suggest as a nightly exercise any way (and some practitioners will do weekly rather than daily), can be good to keep a space clear.
Sometimes walking a perimeter can also be good, as it traces the outline of the protected area. Choose a chant, mantra, prayer, poem, scripture, or what-have-you, if you choose, to repeat as you make progress. Some traditions may suggest doing such a thing three times, either clockwise (to evoke protection for the space, and draw in protected, positive energies) or counter-clockwise (to banish negative or unwanted entities and energies, and create a deflecting barrier). So on specifics, I'd suggest referring to whichever tradition you primarily study at the moment.
Two more traditions space clearing and protecting methods are salt and sweeping. Sprinkling salt around the home, then sweeping it from the back of the house to the front, ending at the front door, is believed by some to rid the space of (spiritual) things not wanted. Some will ward their homes by sprinkling a little salt on every window sill and external door's threshold. Salt draws water from things and to itself when it is at quantity, so the correlation was made that it will also draw out spirits to itself. Salt is also a very harsh chemical, and many unwanted creatures such as ants and snails may avoid it. This was drawn as a parallel of unwanted or unpleasant spirits being unwilling to cross salt. As above, so below, and all that great stuff.
There are so many great options out there. If you keep researching before doing, you could read forever without making a decision.
[1] The 'evil eye' is a way to express unintentional bad luck or, as some even called it, accidental cursing, by someone who felt some offense by you for whatever reason, and glared. Superstitions abounded that this accidental curse could be specific ("Oh, that jerk! I hope they die!" Then some time later the person gets in a vehicle collision), or not at all specific, just resulting in some bad luck incidents. A lot of people recognized that driving a vehicle was the most dangerous thing most of them did, for themselves and for others, on a regular basis, and how they encountered the most people, so a Nazar was common in many vehicles.
In an odd, converse to expectations kind of way I find it most effective to just concentrate on uplifting myself. I suppose it is more of a new-age perspective, but it does really help to simply work to foster a sense of positive energy. Personal growth, Self-awareness, positiveoutlook... These all help to breed an attitude of personal authority and quite literally raises you 'above' the reach of negative attack.
It is a slow process, of course. It's one of those things that become a part of your personal journey. But as you use your protections one worthy goal/mindset would be to work towards a time when you will no longer need them because you recognize you are already protected.
Have you ever noticed bow the more measures of protection people surround themselves with, the less safe they feel? Putting up protection... mundane or magical, serves to display a sense of vulnerability. That you acknowledge something you have to protect against, because there is a fear of that thing.
Eventually thoughts can be obsessed with protections. Is it strong enough? Did I miss anything? What if it doesn't work? Maybe I should do more. How do I know it's working? And so on.
Don't get me wrong though, Protections are still a valuable tool- especially when used in the moment against a specific attack, and used to restore a personal sense of authority and strength. I just try to bear in mind that it is a tool to remind me of the overall journey. Something to remind you of your own power over your choices and Self to deny or allow the effects of an outside force.
There are many different types of warding & protection techniques, spells, and rituals you can do.
However, one way and the most effective way, in my opinion, is to surround your house with black tourmaline, it's a very powerful crystal which blocks out any negative, or unwanted energy. When placed around a house, room, objects, etc... it creates a protective shield blocking out any unwanted energy.
However, most people such as myself place it on top of any entrance to get in the home since it's acting as a shield making sure all the unwanted energies stay out.
