All of us, no matter our religion or lack thereof, can feel as if we are under attack, either psychically or energetically. Physical protection is also highly sought after. I find myself interested in basic magical practices, such as self-protection, charms, amulets and talismans. I am also a fan of simple candle magic. However, some Hellenists may not consider what I do to be magic, but more mysticism, while modern Pagans and Witches would absolutely call it magic. It is not the kind of magic that contradicts the virtues of Hellenism, though. Because it is merely the use of one's own energy to either protect or advance themselves in their own right. It's not something that attempts to dictate nature or usurp the power of the Gods. Every day, we use our energies for these purposes in our lives. Everything that we do for the good of ourselves or the people and places we love, we must put forth our own energies, in one form or another, to accomplish the goals. This kind of magic or energy work is no different than putting up your hands to defend yourself against an attacker, or doing yourself additional favors to help you reach your desired destination.
Psychic and energetic attacks are quite real, we just call them different things from culture to culture. Most of them may not even be intentional, the unfortunate one just happened to come into contact. I myself have felt them many times. While energy cannot be created nor destroyed, it can be repelled, changed, moved and transformed, and this is the purpose of the charm, amulet or talisman in one sense, which is to reflect the attack away from you and send it either back to the sender, or into the universe to be dealt with. You don't want to absorb it, not even into your protective object, because it will contaminate it. The goal is to knock it back.
The first step is to find an appropriate object, usually a religious or spiritual one that is fitting for you. For example, in the picture at the top, you see my Shield of Athena, which is also the head of Medusa. Granted, this piece is quite large. Yours doesn't have to be. But sometimes, I like to live by the philosophy of, Speak softly, carry a big stick. The talisman can be worn around the neck, or stuffed in a pocket or some sort of carrying bag, like a purse, computer bag, or backpack. You also don't have to be a Hellenist to use a talisman such as mine. Any kind of Pagan can use it if they feel so inclined. Every Pagan religion, however, has its own symbols that can be used for protection or advancement. The Egyptians have the Ankh and the Eye of Horus, the Norse have Thor's hammer, the Celts have their Eternity Knots, and the Romans have the Aquila, to name a few.
Begin by cleansing the talisman with either purified water or sage; both would be superb. You want to knock off or out of it anything dirty that may have been picked up between the time you found it and the time you are preparing to use or "activate" it, if you will. Now the way to charge the object for your intention can be done in one of two ways, or both. You can call on a Deity, infuse it with your own energy, or try to accomplish both the infusion of the Deity's energy and your own, the former being for when your own powers just aren't enough to repel an attack. By attempting to get the Deity's power as well as your own into the object, I think is quite pious and reverent of the Gods, because you are literally acknowledging that you're not a God, and therefore there are somethings you cannot do on your own. For those things, you turn to the acknowledgement of the Higher Powers.
If you wish to only request the assistance of a God upon the object, turn in prayer to the Deity, giving sacrifice. Then, holding the talisman up to the heavens, recite a prayer like this,
O' great God/Goddess (insert name),
upon this talisman (insert name of object),
I request that you bestow your strength,
surge through it your Divine power,
that it may stand guard for me,
in your blessed name,
against all evil and ill that comes against me.
If you wish to simply infuse the object with your own personal energy, hold it in your closed hand and close your eyes, although if you have good visualization and direction, you can do it with your eyes open. Envision and direct energy from your body and mind, moving through your arm, to your hand, and into the object. You should add by reflecting your intent with a certain color for your energy, like red for fire as it repels, and/or green for the earth, as the earth is solid and therefore protects like armor or rock. Charge and infuse the object completely, making your energy stronger and stronger with each surge, until your maximum level of power possible is reached.
Charms and amulets can also be charged to bring you favor in a given situation, or life in general. They don't have to be exclusively used for protection. Take the second picture to the left of my necklace. One is a coin of Athena, a replica from the 4th century BCE. The other is a modern pendant depicting the Vergina Sun, which is a PanHellenic symbol that many associate with ancient Greek religion, the 16 points symbolizing the 4 elements and the 12 Olympian Gods. Consider first the Athena coin. One might say it can obviously be used for a protection charm or amulet, but also think on the fact that it was part of Greek economy, and therefore could be linked to Hermes, the God of commerce. Hermes is also a God of luck and fortune. So I could legitimately charm it with that intention of bringing luck and fortune to my life. Athena could also be involved as a protector of said luck and fortune.
To do so, follow the same cleansing and sacrifice format as before, but the prayer for Divine favor upon the object is a bit different.
O' great God Hermes,
as you fly about the world,
pay visit to me, I humbly request,
and anoint with your caduceus this charm,
that it rest upon me always with luck and fortune,
every single day of my life.
And also that Athena be a protector of all things good that follow me.
If using your own energy, follow the same format as before, but this time, make your energy gold and/or orange. Gold for obvious reasons, but orange because the color reflects progression and attainment in life.
On a final note, natural things can also act as cleansers and chargers, such as sun and moonlight, although intentional direction would work best, I would imagine. As for how often you should repeat the cleansing and charging, I'd say whenever you feel it's necessary. But generally speaking, I would do it once a week.
In the Goodness of the Gods,
Chris Aldridge.
