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fadingskies' guide to: Warding

So, what are wards?

Wards are protections set up by a practitioner to prevent negative entities from invading a space or draining/harming the practitioner. Wards can take many forms and can be permanent or just temporary. The difference between cleansing and warding is that cleansing removes unwanted energies, whereas warding prevents them.

What are the different types of warding?

Warding can be done through three different methods. The first is trapping; meaning to capture or "trap" a negative entity. Circumventing is the second; to divert negative energies and entities away from a space. Lastly is filtering; separating good, positive energies and entities from ones that are negative with ill intent. There also the different types of uses for wards. Some wards can protect places and spaces, while others can be carried around with the practitioner to protect them specifically.

How can I ward?

You can ward using just about anything, as warding is a form of protection and witchcraft is entirely based on how you interpret it to be. Make sure you cleanse beforehand, and charge your preferred method with your intent of protection. Below I will list however, popular methods for warding:

Circles - Circles meaning a physical (using salt, chalk or other) or visualized boundary to enclose energies (like the powers and energies for a ritual) or to keep and divert other energies away.

Candles - Candles charged with the intent of protection are good wards. Personally, I like to rub my candles in oil and lather them in protective herbs, I think it just boots the affect of the ward.

Décor - You can use items that are commonly used for decoration as a way of protection. This can be a tapestry, an embroidered piece of art, a cute little jewelry dish, literally whatever you can charge to be a ward and serve as protection will work!

Plants - Plants serve as great wards, and are super helpful to have around as they have many assigned properties. This form of ward can be planted in the earth or in a pot.

Sigils - Sigils are great forms of wards, and can be written on different medias, have other uses aside from warding and they look super cool as well (not that witchcraft should be practice because it's aesthetically pleasing)

Waters - You can use charged waters to help ward a space.

Dirts - Different dirts from different locations can be used as wards. As most of my family have been cremated, I don't use graveyard dirt in my practice as I find it disrespectful to take from those I don't know without consent. I prefer to use the muddy water near a stream by my house, where flora and fauna is abundant and I feel most welcome.

Crystals - Crystals can be used to ward spaces

Spell bottles - Spell bottles can trap, circumvent and filter negative energies, which is why I love this method so much. They're portable and they're small and easy to hide if you're still tucked away in the broom closet.

Blessed Be, my little witchlings!