Protection spell questions

Q&A
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First of all, I am not in any danger that I am aware of. This is is just a question about magick theory (@ Bry :wink:). I realize that magick isn’t structured, with all kinds of rules and such, but I can’t help but be curious.

If you cast more than one protection spell, do they stack? Do they layer, sort of like a firewall and anti-virus? (Oooh, I just got an idea for a Four Element Firewall protection spell…)

Does the first spell “protect” you from the second, so that only the first one works and the energy of the second is wasted?

Or do they negate each other? (If you believe the first works, why would you need a second? Well, just thinking in case of extremes, like a highly adverse court case, or some hostile person/ entity directing negative energy at you. Just a what if?)

What if you wrote a spell including both protection spells with the explicit intent that they should operate as layers of protection?

Or what if you have cast a protection spell and then ask for protection from a deity? Are they like, “Pfft. Witch, please. That’s redundant.”

How long do protection spells last? For example, my go to protection spell seems to be good for about three days, but it seems to lose energy and be less potent each day.

What do you think? What has your experience been?

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@anon87969570 I like this question & I’m definitely going to really think about how I have done different protections, when, & others at the same time & get back to you with a proper answer. I promise I’ll be back! :sparkles:

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oooh, magickal theory… I like it. I feel like the spells would work however you intend for them to work, but I am definitely not an expert and I’m really just hanging around to learn. Great questions!

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YAY! :partying_face: Bring on the magickal theory! Goodness I love these discussions- they really work the brain in such a fun way :wink::brain:

After sitting and pondering on this for a few minutes, I think my answer is going to be that- yes, in general, protection spells “stack”. But I don’t think they stack like a stack of pancakes with one directly on top of the other :pancakes:. I think they layer on in way where different types of protection spells cover different “holes” or openings in someone’s defenses :shield:

The Protective Alarm Analogy: As an analogy, most homes have a fire alarm (hopefully more than one). But then they also have, as either a separate or as a 2-in-1 device, carbon monoxide detectors. Some homes also have burglar alarms- whether it is an actual alarm system or just a very aggressive chihuahua are different types of anti-burglar protection, but ultimately serve the same purpose :bell: :dog:

Although they are all protective features, each one serves a different purpose. Some people may feel safe only when they have all of them active and in place. Other people may feel comfortable at ease with only one (or, for those living on the edge, no protection at all).

Cancelling Out: If I can continue with the alarm analogy, the protective alarms, like spells, wouldn’t cancel each other out- having a fire alarm doesn’t negate the burglar alarm- and it’s okay to have multiple types within each area of protection. You might (I would say: should) put a fire alarm in each room of the house, just as you could put a protection spell in each area of your home.

In this same sense, I think you can cast (random examples here) a travel protection spell, protection against the evil eye, and an empath shielding spell all the same time and have little to no overlap. A general protection spell would overlap everything, but would be strengthened by the more specific, targeted spells :magic_wand:

“Over-Protection”: In terms of over-protection, I don’t personally think it’s something the vast majority of witches would need to worry about- I think it would be really tough to over-protect. I do think there is a certain point where any additional spells are going to just be “spares”- in place but never used. Like filling a room from top to bottom with just fire alarms, it’s not really “negative” per say, but it does become waste of money, time, and effort.

In the same way, casting the exact same type of protective spell over and over is a waste of energy- it’s essentially just making “spare” protection spells in an area that is already fully protected :thinking:

As for how to tell if an area is already fully protected, intuition and how you feel are going to be the best judge of safety (unless you have a condition such as anxiety or paranoia that makes it difficult to tell).

I wish spells came with an expiration date! That sure would make it easier for us to know when casting :laughing: :+1:

It does seem to be trial and error when it comes to working out when to re-do a protection spell (or any long-term spell, for that matter). I’ve found that when I am actively under “attack” (stressful situations) the protection spellwork needs to renewed more frequently than when I have it in place “just because”.

In general, I’ve found tangible spell products (spell jars, bags, pouches, written or drawn sigils, etc) tend to last significantly longer than just spoken or candle spells.

Full disclaimer: everything above is just my personal thoughts on the matter. I should also mention that I am someone who uses a TON of protective spellwork, so I’m definitely biased when it comes to this haha.

I had a ton of fun thinking this one through and I imagine it is going to be on my mind all day- thank you so much, @anon87969570, for this absolutely delicious session of magickal theory! It’s my favorite :smile: :+1: :heart:

Can’t wait to hear what other coven members think about protective spellwork too! :hugs::infinite_roots:

Blessed be!

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@anon87969570, so for the length of time between answers. There was a lot of thought put into how I use protection. So I’ll explain it as how I do things around the home & myself. :smiling_face:

I spend a lot of time in my bedroom… I’ve been told that my room is, “comfy as s**t to be in” by family members, which makes me feel good. When I am in here doing my thing throughout the day, I light a protection candle & an energy cleansing/healing candle. I also have my Brigid’s Cross hung in my room in the N/NW area. When I use my diffuser, it is usually some kind of cleansing/protection blend honestly.

On my person, I wear jewelry with the intent of protection that I have “asked” for from my deities, my obsidian, black tourmaline, snowflake obsidian, & larvikite braclets. I also carry a pouch with protective charms & stones in it on my person. So no matter where I go I have some form of protection.

Within my main home, I do have an upside down besom by my front door & use a diffuser to cleanse & clear the energy within the main house. I am currently working on a protective hanging for the entire house, but I need my husband to help me drill some of the holes in the pieces that will be added to it.

In my yard, I have a section of my front garden that I have used to return offerings to the earth, but those offerings also offer some protection. I regularly cleanse things with fire in my fire pit & when the weather allows it, I have my pentacle chandelier hanging by the fire pit in the backyard with the 5 little cauldrons that hold tealights.

So I use protection where it is most needed & around my home, but they each have some slightly different protection intentions. If I do use something extra, it has a specific intent. So I would have to say it’s almost layered & specific to the area where I am using it.

I try to promote healing & cleansing properties a lot within & around my home. I will combine the 2 depending on how I am using the protection.

I do ask my deities for their protection, usually during moon cycles. So say for my jewelry, I “refresh” that during the New Moon of the month. My Brigid’s Cross & besom will get “refreshed” once a year. The candles will get burned to completion, but then I start another one with the same intent as the last so while I am active in my room I know it’s there for me. Which may actually be just something that I do for my own peace of mind or comfort rather than anything else.

My crystal pouch, it does contain black tourmaline at all times with a piece of clear quartz. The charms get “refreshed” at the end of the week & each week I draw stones through my oracles, and lithomancy, & add to the black tourmaline that is already in the pouch. I will add & remove pieces of the Black Tourmaline depending on the situations I encounter. So I may have anywhere between 1 & 3 pieces in the pouch.

I have a Selenite wand with smaller stones representing the chakras & a clear quartz hanging from my rearview mirror, mainly for good energy within the car during rides & with the people who may be in the car. I always have my bracelets or jewelry on & carry my pouch with me. I do have a Morrigan & Brigid keychain on my keys, so that their protection & healing & comfort is with me while I am driving or whoever else may be driving. (Whether or not they know that’s what those keychains represent).

So I guess I kind of use it situationally or by the space, I’m in & for my own person. So they each have a different intention or “job” depending on where they are placed, kept, or used within my home or for myself.

The only time I would do something extra or add more to what is around, I is if I know or feel that there is some kind of negativity or energy headed my way or I feel something different trying to come my way. I may add another layer for the area or my person usually.

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Okay, so I’ve been sitting on this question for a bit trying to figure out how to answer it that would make sense when explained with words :joy: I know it makes sense in my head, so forgive me if what I’m about to type out makes no sense or is difficult to understand.

My short answer is yes, multiple protection spells will stack on one another as long as they don’t directly contradict each other. So two protection spells to keep out negative energy would work well together, but a protection spell to keep out negative energy and a protection spell to keep out positive energy would obviously contradict each other – and hopefully no one is around here casting spells to keep out positivity :joy:

I think it’s often a great idea to layer protection spells, especially if you work with the public or are someone that’s in the public eye. I view it as different layers of a security system. I’ll use government security clearance as an example. :identification_card: You have different levels, right? And one level can access one thing while another level can go further. Then you have the highest level of security clearance which can access everything. Layering protection spells can give you multi-faceted protection against just about anything you might encounter during the day.

I have a friend who layers their protection spells like this using their skincare routine. Each skincare product is charmed for a certain type of protection and, by using all of the products during their routine, they are protecting themselves against many different types of encounters. This person also works in the public with a lot of different personalities – they work at an international airport – so layering these protections is vital for them.

I think asking a deity for protection while also casting a protection spell is just extra protection. Granted, this is going to depend on the deity you’re asking, but I see it as I’ve covered my bases but just in case, someone has my back if it fails.

I’ve found that most protection spells last for a few days, unless it is a bigger spell tied directly to an item – like a house protection charm. Personal protection spells can be done every day, in my opinion!

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These are all great answers! It is really helpful to me to see the approaches others take with regard to protection spells.

I think we all agree that protection spells can layer under the right circumstances.

@AileyGrey every so often I ask questions like this, because I am curious and it helps me to explore my practice of magick to think about different things and hear what others think.

@BryWisteria you know we both love these types of discussions! I know I need a balance between “known certainty” and “unlimited possibility,” and these kinds of discussions help me visualize some structure to my practice.

@Susurrus has a fortress! That’s impressive!

@MeganB I really connect with the multi-layer security concept. Charmed skincare products is a really clever way of using magick. I’ve never thought of that. I don’t really use a lot of skincare, but just the idea opens up new avenues of thought for me. Thanks for sharing that!

Thank you all for your thoughts!

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@Undomeher I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and everyone’s responses! We have such smart friends! Thanks again for asking this!

I definitely don’t want to take away from this post, but I really want to hear more about what your friend uses and what it protects about in another post or in a message! I think this sounds like such a great idea!

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Okay so to add to my “fortress” :rofl: I do have oils that I will wear sometimes & soaps with specific intent & crystals within them :smiling_face: Okay, I think that’s it :joy:

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I love discussions like this! It makes us all pause and evaluate our beliefs. Thank you for posting this. All the below is my personal beliefs. I use lots of protection spells as an empath.

I took a little while to think about this and I am agreeing with the other posts here. I often layer protection spells. I love Bry’s analogy to protecting your home and Megan’s analogy of security clearance. Each spell has their own purpose. I have protection spells, alarm/ back to sender (think of it as a mouse trap - it has to be set off before it does its job) spells for my home. I then add additional protection to my sacred space. As an empath, I have spells to protect against negative energy as well as a “filter” and “dimmer” that I use to control the energy I absorb from others. But I also don’t go overboard on my spells. As Bry mentioned, I feel that at some point, you are not adding new protections that are not already covered and you just waste your precious energy; which I think is more vital than the waste of resources, those are usually easier to replace.

Ohh, I love this idea! As an empath, I often have many layers of protection on myself but never thought of it like this.

I agree that this depends on the deity. I work with Hades and Hel, both death deities. I generally only ask one for protection at a time as they often offer the same support/ protection. I have yet to have a negative reaction from either when asking for protection if I already have some form of protection in place.

I feel it depends on the spell and how you feel. My home protections I tie to items (sigils, spell jars/ bags, etc.) and I feel that they last roughly a month. I will rechard the items and recast these spells on the 1st of the month (just easy for me to remember, lol). My personal protections only last a few days. I think there are two reasons for this. First, my personal protections come into contact with more energies of varying types on a daily basis versus my home. This causes the spell to “run-out of energy” faster. Second, when I cast certain spells, I specifically ask for protection through the day/ night. For example, when I veil, I ask that it protects me from negative and unwanted energy throughout my day. At the end of the day, I remove the veil, shake out any energy attached, and place it with selenite to cleanse it. I have many veils so I’m not always were the same one from day to day.

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Of course! It’s a concept I really like, too. And it can be like lotions, body spray, etc. You can even layer jewelry or specific clothing. Or oils! There are literally so many options!

They haven’t said specifically what their protections are like or what they’re for – they tend to be very private with their specifics – but if I learn more I’ll let you know!

I’ve got a kind of oil I’m gonna make soon to help ground me and connect me with the land I live on – and I’m super excited for it! :clap: I love all the things you’ve got going on lol

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@anon87969570 that would be horrible to hear. And if u have im soooo sorry.

As for how long it will last depends on your intent and sincerity. I cast a protection charm on a mojo bag for my husband and its been fine for 3 yrs now. I charge it every so often. But thats it. I cast a repel negativity spell on my home and its like a dome positive engery. And all negativity is left at the door. Ive had people over and tell me at my home it deels brighter and even if they were angry and arguing with someone it stops immediately before entering my home. Luckily the people that come here know im a witch.

Hubs actually told someone that “no she’s not a Baptist like me, shes a witch” him telling made my heart soar. It was the final acceptance from him.

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Nah, I’ve never heard that. I was just imagining how they might respond. :blush:

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@anon87969570 honestly ive never had any of mine speak to me in any other than a loving voice. And even if they say no. Its never rude.

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Generally, mine do as well. Hekate sometimes jokes a little but is never mean.

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@anon87969570 Hekate is like that with me too. Shes awesome.

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