Tags
charms, cities, deity, enchantments, oils, protection, ritual, sacred places, spells, spirits, spiritual, wandering, witchcraft
I get the sense that with my writing on here, I am tending to come across as having much more of an idea what I am talking about than I really do.
My actual practice is really quite a wild mush of trying things out. Picking up new activities, dropping old ones.
Early next year I am setting off to explore Europe and possibly the rest of the world. As such I am in the process of putting together a system of protective travel sorcery that I can carry with me/perform on the road.
So to give you good folks a more rounded view of my practice I am going to post now what I have come up with so far in my research.
And will post again a more polished version of the system in a few months when I have put everything into practice.
I personally find the exploring new ideas, and trying new techniques to be at least half the fun of the whole magical operation!
Carrying the Gods with me
So my first line of defense is simply that of holy protection. I have the benefit of practically all the gods I work with having travel connotations!
I will be making offerings and saying prayers before I leave and at various times during my travels, as well as carrying tiny statues, or representations of Them.
Archangles
As far as I have found so far Raphael seems to be the Archangel to go to with matters of travel.
BUT I quite like the idea of invoking a bunch of them and asking each to protect from their given direction.
Will have to mull over which way to go, or if I do both perhaps?
Psalm 121
A prayer from the good book.
This psalm apparently has a long history of use in the tradition of using psalms as spells.
Commit to memory and use as a spoken spell when feeling threatened? Or perhaps write down and carry as a written spell.
Swallow’s Blood
Swallow’s blood (a magical recipe, no bird killing) is said to comfort and protect travelers.
Dragon’s Blood
Red sandalwood
Rose petals
Jasmine
Orrisroot
Dry and powder the above botanicals and use to fumigate travel clothes, bag, self, and any travel charms.
My main issue with this one is that red sandalwood is endangered- I am thinking of using paprika as a substitute as it has similar colour and properties.
Garlic and Mirror
There is a spell where you simply rub a garlic clove onto a small mirror and place it under your bed.
This one I am a bit on the fence about. Maybe if I take a small travel mirror, I could use this technique to charge it up every now and then.
Compass Rune
I don’t know why this wasn’t the first thing I thought of when I started coming up with ideas for charms.
I’m aware enough of its historical ambiguity to not get it as a tat. But as a small “doodle”, somewhere on my bag, for instance. Gold!
Condition Oils
I will probably have to make simple versions of these when I get over there, as I can’t see customs being too please with bottles of oil and botanicals!
But I think a money oil, a protection oil, and a luck oil (van van?) would be the way to go. Could even mix them them all together into one little bottle after making the to save space and for ease of application.
Then simply anoint self daily or as needed. Could also be used on belongings and surroundings.
Working with the Spirits of Place
Here I am talking about invoking… the places you are traveling through? to be your guides and protectors.
So start big. I will begin with invoking europe as a whole. Then making offerings and asking the blessings and aid of europe.
Then get smaller, invoke the country, then the region, then the city or town, then the specific building/park/whatever.
If the very land beneath your feet is on your side, then you are at a big advantage!
I would suggest visiting power sites as a way to deepen the connection with the land. Also make offerings to the nature/land spirits, spirits of the roads and crossroads, and any wandering spirits in the land.
Basically get everyone on side!
Eyes
Eyes are great, paint them on your bag, hang them off it as charms, doodle them on your skin.
Eyes everywhere. Eyes to watch, Eyes to guard, Eyes to alert, Eyes to find.
Blessed Padlocks
I will be blessing my padlocks by the God of Thieves himself. A little engraving and a short prayer that all thieves be kept away, and all my belongings stay with me.
So that is my layered system of travel charms/spells/deals as far my research as gone so far. I will likely change a lot of things. Add in, take out, rethink.
I will also be creating a mundane protection system to compliment this sorcerous protection system. Cover as many bases as possible for ultimate safety!