Greetings, ladies and gents.
Its been a bit since I last posted, as I've been plenty busy with client work and the like, so I thought I'd post an interesting bit that doesn't get spoken on much. The topic at hand is that of barrier magic: what it entails, how to use it, and the whys and wherefores.
Barrier magic is, in a phrase, preemptive banishing. That means its put in place to keep things that mean you harm from showing up to begin with. Its something that shows up in every magical culture that I know of at the time of writing this, and really can't be overvalued (though its frequently dismissed and undervalued).
Barrier magic is useful because of the fact that it prevents most of the things one would be forced to deal with from showing up in [X] area. While we tend to carry the related charms on us in the forms of protective amulets and talismans, this form of protection generally is specifically-related to one's abode, place of work, and so on. The closest thing one can really get to mobile barriers, in this sense, is in one's car, so bear this in mind when coming up with ideas on how to enact the methodologies herein.
In ancient times, one such related practice was the erection and use of something called an omphalos, or barrier stone. Traditionally, the word translates to "navel", but I tend to look at this through different eyes: the word breaks down into "Om" and "Phalos", the latter of which is remarkably similar to the term "Phallus", interestingly. In various Eastern religions, the term "Om" has a great deal to do with the creation of something, and the phallus serves as a masculine boundary in many ways. Lingams, as a phenomenal example, are used in protection and healing rites. Keeping this in mind, one can reasonably assert that creating a phallus, in this context, speaks to the creation of a boundary.
Incidentally, the omphalos also demarcated points of spiritual interest, so the use as both a boundary stone and journeying stone is quite established and useful, though a topic for another post.
This is, however, only one example of a magical or spiritual boundary; we see the same ideas amongst the Pennsylvania Dutch (Hex Signs), the Finns (similar to the PD Hex Signs), the Norse (Aegishjalmur, rune staves), the Japanese (Torii), and so on.
We can, as one might imagine, use similar signs in today's world, so I thought I would share some of my own methods. The symbols, ways of showing/hiding the symbols, the methods of erection, and so on and so forth are really endless. You can inscribe these sigils on the astral with incense or another magical tool, woodburn them into a charm (feel free to contact me if you'd like this done), carve them directly into the wall, bury an object with the sigil on it in a planter, nail it to the door frame, and so on and so forth. Its a very flexible method of magic, and that's a good thing, as you may or may not want to advertise that an area is off-limits to one thing or another.
Its been a bit since I last posted, as I've been plenty busy with client work and the like, so I thought I'd post an interesting bit that doesn't get spoken on much. The topic at hand is that of barrier magic: what it entails, how to use it, and the whys and wherefores.
Barrier magic is, in a phrase, preemptive banishing. That means its put in place to keep things that mean you harm from showing up to begin with. Its something that shows up in every magical culture that I know of at the time of writing this, and really can't be overvalued (though its frequently dismissed and undervalued).
Barrier magic is useful because of the fact that it prevents most of the things one would be forced to deal with from showing up in [X] area. While we tend to carry the related charms on us in the forms of protective amulets and talismans, this form of protection generally is specifically-related to one's abode, place of work, and so on. The closest thing one can really get to mobile barriers, in this sense, is in one's car, so bear this in mind when coming up with ideas on how to enact the methodologies herein.
In ancient times, one such related practice was the erection and use of something called an omphalos, or barrier stone. Traditionally, the word translates to "navel", but I tend to look at this through different eyes: the word breaks down into "Om" and "Phalos", the latter of which is remarkably similar to the term "Phallus", interestingly. In various Eastern religions, the term "Om" has a great deal to do with the creation of something, and the phallus serves as a masculine boundary in many ways. Lingams, as a phenomenal example, are used in protection and healing rites. Keeping this in mind, one can reasonably assert that creating a phallus, in this context, speaks to the creation of a boundary.
Incidentally, the omphalos also demarcated points of spiritual interest, so the use as both a boundary stone and journeying stone is quite established and useful, though a topic for another post.
This is, however, only one example of a magical or spiritual boundary; we see the same ideas amongst the Pennsylvania Dutch (Hex Signs), the Finns (similar to the PD Hex Signs), the Norse (Aegishjalmur, rune staves), the Japanese (Torii), and so on.
We can, as one might imagine, use similar signs in today's world, so I thought I would share some of my own methods. The symbols, ways of showing/hiding the symbols, the methods of erection, and so on and so forth are really endless. You can inscribe these sigils on the astral with incense or another magical tool, woodburn them into a charm (feel free to contact me if you'd like this done), carve them directly into the wall, bury an object with the sigil on it in a planter, nail it to the door frame, and so on and so forth. Its a very flexible method of magic, and that's a good thing, as you may or may not want to advertise that an area is off-limits to one thing or another.
 | The most commonly known symbol used to ward homes in the US is, simply, the Cross. The Cross, as a motif, has been used for centuries as a means of showing that spirits or people were welcome in a location or not welcome at all, and could be used accordingly. As you'll see below, there are many possibilities. |
| An adaptation of the cross, this "crossed sticks" symbol to the right is taken from the sigil for Jupiter, as it indicates that one has sovereignty over an area and thereby gets to approve or disapprove of any newcomers. This is a good one to use if you are conjuring things regularly, as you want to be able to open or close the door per your Will. |  |
 | Taken, loosely, from the imagery of the Cross, the Crossed Keys symbol to the left indicates that one has the power to bind or unbind spirits to their tasks. While not strictly a barrier sigil, it can be effectively used as such. |
| Now, we're taking on a more alchemical point of view with the symbol for sulphur to the right. Sulphur is traditionally used to banish spirits of the dead and demonic forces. Physically, it is poisonous, but spiritually it is quite useful. |  |
Above, you've seen four different sigils that can be used to create protective barriers over a place. There are literally hundreds of different symbols and methods one can use, so I hope this motivates you to work with these and create your own.
Enjoy!
SE
Enjoy!
SE