Defensive magic is often overlooked in favor of more aggressive kinds of spells. Banishing, cleansing, and binding are all offensive magics, they are oriented to a specific problem and actively pursue a solution. While these are all excellent skills to learn, I find that defensive magic like warding is equally as vital.
What Is Warding?
Warding is used to create an energetic safe space, it prevents intrusive or unwanted energies from entering your space thereby lessening the amount of offensive magic that you need to perform. Think of it like the firewall on your computer, it allows only benign files onto your computer and blocks anything malicious. Casting a circle is one of the most common forms of warding, used for protecting magical work spaces, but there are many other forms of warding.
Wards are an extremely versatile form of magic, they can protect a single entity or, given enough power, they can extend over vast amounts of space to protect large buildings or even entire towns. They can be semi-permeable, meaning they selectively allow energies through, or they can be completely impermeable, allowing nothing to enter or exit. A ward can be used to keep energies out or to keep them in. Wards are only limited by the imagination and ability of the witch casting them.
Creating A Guardian Ward
Choose an object to turn into your guardian, I generally like to use something small and decorative looking so that it’s less likely that anyone will pick it up and mess with it. My house ward is a little wooden owl statuette. Start by cleansing and charging your object, then set your intention (ie, protection, perhaps from something specific). Carry your new guardian around the space that you want protected while focusing on tying the area to the guardian energetically and visualizing a barrier around the space. Set the guardian in its permanent spot and activate it, perhaps stating your intention aloud. I like to give my guardians a tie in to an energy source so they don’t weaken, generally I pull energy from the earth and just create and energy bridge between the object and the earth.
Please be aware that this sort of ward can often turn the object you’ve chosen into a sentient energy being. If this happens it’s important that you maintain a healthy relationship with it, regular physical and energetic cleaning and potentially the occasional offering can go a long way to keeping your new house guardian happy and strong.
A smaller personal sized ward can be made by simply imagining light radiating from your body, you’ll create a barrier of output energy around you that will deflect any foreign energy (this works well for empaths who have trouble with picking negative energy from those around them as well).
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Updated on August 20, 2023 by Avery Hart
Hi Avery, I have a few questions, how do you know you have turned your guardian into a sentient energy being and how do you go about giving it offerings? What could go wrong if your guardian turns into a sentient being? what are the pro’s and con’s
Thank you
Hi Aleacia!
For most people you’ll be able to tell when you can hear it "speak" or when it develops a distinct personality. How you recognize either of these things is fairly personal though, you’ll be most likely to perceive the sentience of a home guardian the same way you would perceive any other spirit.
Giving offerings is a matter of preference! Find out what the spirit likes and leave some of whatever that may be (food, drinks, incense, and trinkets are common) near the guardian with the intention that it’s for the spirit.
A guardian spirit is more like a pet than other spirits, it’s attached to a physical object so it relies on you quite a bit. As with any pet, neglect or mistreatment can make it hostile. Treat it well and that’s unlikely to be an issue. There’s also a small chance that it could become overzealous and do it’s job a little TOO well, trying to keep you safe from things that aren’t even threats. If this happens you should be able to fix it with a conversation to establish boundaries.
Hi, Avery, i hope this finds you well. Would you please explain what you mean by "tying an area to the guardian energetically" and what is involved in pulling energy from the earth to create an energy bridge?
Thank you for your time and patience.
Hey Jacqueline!
I actually have a blog post on the subject, you can check it out here >> https://theoccultwitch.com/blog/2016/12/21/pulling-energy-from-other-sources
I hope this helps!
What happens to your guardian if you move?
Take the guardian with you! You can reintroduce the guardian to your new home the same way you did the first time and they will continue guarding you.
Hi! What happens if it does become sentient and you want to respectfully take the ward down? How would someone go about it?
Hello, Avery. I have a question about putting down a sentient ward? Can it be done at all and in a polite way? The ward was created by my mother for our house when I was little, and now I sort of inherited it, but cannot use it for my own house for emotional reasons. Or should I just cleanse the statue and that’s all?
You can’t really unmake a sentient being once made without some rather violent and unpleasant magic. I would suggest having a conversation with this being, see if it would be comfortable going to live with someone else, either someone you know or perhaps leave it up to fate and allow the being to choose a new owner through a resale shop. You can also see if it would rather be untethered from the object so that it can go off on its own. Basically, try to find a solution that makes both of you happy.
Thank you, Avery! Your answer has helped a lot, since I don’t have much experience, and this topic scares me a little. I’ll try my best to get in touch with the being and understand it. Thanks again!
I would like to be the male participator to ward off the negative energy from our house
Hi Avery, is it possible to call upon my old familiar that has crossed over to come be my house guardian? He was the original guardian when he was in the land of the living.
Greeting Avery, I am still very new to witchcraft and learning about it all. For some reason, I am hesitant to start my practice, even just doing small things like warding, because I am a bit apprehensive that I may unintentionally invite “bad” entities. What can I do to make sure I attract good ones, or at least those with good intentions? Thank you so much
I completely understand Madeleine! There’s a lot of unknown that you’re contending with at this stage and it’s easy to get paralyzed with doubt. This is a really common experience. So common, in fact, that I’ve written an entire blog post on exactly this subject >> https://theoccultwitch.com/blog/can-witchcraft-attract-negative-spirits-to-you