Magick For Defense

As we all know, there are many unethical and just plain bad people who hurt others and often without remorse. Does the Wiccan Rede “Do as you will, Harm none”, mean that you can’t use magick for defense when someone hurts you or someone you care about? Do Wiccans have to turn the other Cheek and allow others to attack them? Are Wiccans required to sit back and do nothing while waiting on Karma to punish the attacker? I pose these questions because so many people seem to believe that a Wiccan’s hands are tied when it comes to things like this. The truthful answer is NO, Wiccans are not expected to allow others to hurt them, they are not expected to wait for Karma to take care of problems and Never, is a Wiccan expected to “turn the other Cheek”.

If a Wiccan is telling you that you are defenseless and are not allowed to defend yourself or that you will be punished for defending yourself, then this Wiccan doesn’t really understand the “rules of magick” or the Wiccan Rede.

It is true that I, as a Wiccan strive to do no harm. However, there are ways to defend oneself from others without harming others. There are things that are “safe” to do to protect oneself or others.

Just as it is wise to take self-defense classes to learn how to defend yourself from a physical attacker, it is just as wise to learn how to defend oneself from verbal, psychic or magickal attacks from bad people who have no ethics or remorse. As a Wiccan, I am not defenseless. It is important to know how to defend yourself in many ways, including magickally.

Just to name a few, I can combat most attacks with wit or quick, clear thinking, reflection-protection spells, binding spells, Justice spells or even a karma spell and let’s not forget simple shields as well as legal means and physical defense when needed. Many years ago as a new witch, I didn’t think I was ready to defend myself against attacks from others who don’t approve of witchcraft. I had only been learning for about two years at the time and didn’t feel I was ready to defend the craft. I only had one foot out of the broom closet. I met a guy whom I had misjudged as a good person. I dated him and confided in him that I am a witch. I made a mistake and trusted him. He pretended to take me seriously and that he understood what it meant and pretended to be like-minded. I married him. I went about my daily routine of practicing my daily rituals of meditating and honoring the Esbats and Sabbats and things Witches commonly do.

He grew upset and I found myself explaining once again that I was a witch and these are things that I do and how I live as a witch. I realized at that moment I had made a mistake that he was not what he pretended to be. He was clearly upset that I really was a witch. He said he was going to tell others and I explained that there are many who are against it and I could face attacks from these people and I didn’t feel prepared to handle these attacks. I asked him to continue to keep it to himself. He agreed then immediately went to every single one of my neighbors and outed me as a witch and who knows what else he told them.

The next thing I knew, the police was knocking on my door, I was confused the first time, but then an hour later there they were again, and again, and yet again, five times in one day. I knew at this point something was up and asked my husband to name everyone he told I was a witch. For the first week, I tried to just let it go and hope it would pass. It didn’t, in fact, it grew more intense. My confrontation with the police came to a head and I told them what was going on. These people were using the police to harass me for being a witch. That I was Wiccan and I spouted constitutional rights to freedom of religion. They Laughed,  I remained controlled and serious as I continued to use my wits.

After spending the night considering what I could do to defend myself, I decided to do a reflection-protection spell, shielding, and patience. I kept the windows open and was quiet as to not give any reasons to have any trouble. First thing in the late morning, I saw the police arrive, I thought, now what? And, here we go again. I watched the four police officers speak to the mob. I was expecting them to head over to my door. Then I heard the officer tell them that the next person to call the police was going to be arrested, then they got in their cars and left. Guarded and with shields up, I was outside talking to my husband when I noticed a different neighbor collapse. I waited a few seconds for her to get up. I looked around and no one was coming to help her. Concerned for her, I ran over to check on her. With the help of a stranger, I called 911. The police came first to secure the scene. It was an officer I recognized and he recognized me. The ambulance came and saved the girls life and no I didn’t get arrested.

The next day, I hear one of the neighbors outside complaining to the landlord about us. I sat patiently and listened. The landlord turned it around on him and told him we were not doing anything wrong, however, he was in violation and if he didn’t comply he was going to be evicted. I was amazed at how well the spell was working. Things went this way for about a week and the next thing I knew, the whole mob of neighbors was at my door. They wanted me out of the neighborhood.

Staying calm and using clear thinking and loving words, I discovered they were afraid I was going to hex them and cause all sorts of bad things for them. They thought I was a bad witch and was intending to cause them all harm. With kindness and understanding, I was able to clear the misunderstanding. The next thing I know, I’m being showered with gifts and as they call the police on each other, they are telling the police how nice I am and that I am a good person.

No one was harmed, I got away with just a bit of drama that was instigated by one person and was able to solve the problem with a combination of types of self-defense techniques including magick. I have many stories like this to tell. When my friend was murdered, I did a justice spell and the killers were caught within three days. I have done bindings and many protection spells to help myself and others I love.

I try not to cause harm and I try to be kind and considerate and I always consider the consequences of all my spells, even when my intentions are good. However, Do not mistake my kindness for weakness because I will defend myself and those I love.

It is perfectly safe, acceptable, and even smart to use self-defense techniques. Just do it through love and without malice, don’t take abuse, be smart about it and your karma will stay clean.

p.s. I am interested in hearing how you have defended yourself in the past. What would you do differently now? Which techniques will you use in the future? Post your answers in the comments below.