There's a lot of flying, floating and being thrown around. Desperation can cause people to do strange, harmful, needy and well, desperate things. Life hasn't been easy, especially over the past few months, maybe even years, for most folks. Relationships are intensifying and/or changing and breaking apart. Who we are, understand ourselves to be and what we want, may all be up for review, renegotiation and regeneration. Change. It's time for internal and external change. Growing up isn't easy. It can be downright sore. But growth also involves pain with a purpose, if we allow it to.
Over the past few months, I've encouraged everyone to get clear on their unique calling and purpose and to engage with it. I've also shared the importance of meaningful self-care--both individual and collective-- as to move succinctly through these challenging times. I've talked about the importance of togetherness: praying together, eating together and a general revaluing of togetherness. But we sometimes have to deal with people and things, which aren't in order. So, where does protection fit into all of this and how do we go about it?
Protection is another key element for wellbeing and positive interrelationships with ourselves, family, friends and larger communities. Protection isn't simply about keeping bad "stuff" out but keeping good "stuff" in too.
Boundaries
Psycho-social protection may involve setting clear boundaries with others, being able to say "no" and choosing where and how we spend our time while avoiding getting caught up in other people's, what I call, dramas and traumas. Of course, it's easier said than done sometimes.
We may step back from certain people, places and things yet, still "rent out rooms in our minds" to it/them. We may also be consumed with worry and inundated with unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviours. We may sometimes need to set boundaries or limits with ourselves too!
Boundaries aren't concrete walls, they are pliable temporary or permanent limits established by a person or persons to create no, limited and/or healthy engagement and interactions. We all have different boundaries and its important to respect that.
Boundaries help us to protect ourselves and sometimes others, in the best way that we have determined. Boundaries can change over time too and are not always permanent. Sometimes boundaries may need to be (re) negotiated, other times they are requirements for interrelating. Respect, care and kindness go along well with boundaries.
Getting clear on your boundaries is an important step in psycho-social, emotional, physical, psychic and spiritual protection. It's useful to get clear on who, what, when and where you give access to you.
Physical Protection
Physical safety and protection can look like wearing masks, hand-washing and avoiding deemed unsafe people, places or spaces. Even if you are not entirely physically safe--due to COVID or other life circumstances--that doesn't mean that elements of protection cannot still be sought.
Protection also means meeting yourself where you are today.
Whole-being protection cannot be neatly labelled and categorized as simply mind, body and spirit because we, as individuals, and our interrelationships are so intricately interwoven and interchanging all the time! It's therefore important that we invest in practices that tend to all of our needs. How we take care of our body, for example, affects our spirit and vice versa. Our mindset can affect our emotional state and so on. Therefore, drinking medicinal teas that keep the body working well can be two-fold and also assist in warding off ill-intent.
Washing is important for us and those in our proximity, but using special medicinal baths to aid aches and pains, as well as to keep unwanted energies, conflicts and problems away; is another. Washing your house to have a clean living space is important as is, praying, burning special medicine, and using socio-culturally appropriate methods; also help to keep away harm, fires, burglaries, sickness and unwelcomed guests/spirits away. These methods shouldn't just be done as cleansing tools but as preventative or protective strategies.
The Body Talks, Are You Listening?
The body is often the first place that informs us that we are uncomfortable or have a response to something. Pay attention to what you feel. These sensations or experiences are surfacing to bring your attention to something and maybe even to help you.
A body sensation...a tightened throat or gut, may be telling you that a person, place or thing isn't' resonating with you and that you need to proceed with care and caution, if at all with the person or situation.
Spiritual Protection
Boundaries can also involve energetic, or seemingly less tangible elements. Spiritual protection may be part of your everyday routine or may occur at distinct times of the month and year through candle lighting, medicinal baths, teas or ceremonies including making animal offerings, praying in specific places, and/or closely interchanging with in-order ancestors, spirit helpers and the God of your understanding.
Protection is as personal as your healing and life journey. Your socio-cultural and ancestral identity may play a role. What you learned from your grandmother directly, or through observation; may prove useful. Your spiritual/religious texts and chants may also be used too. Seeking guidance from an esteemed counsellor, guide or healer may also be needed. What's important is that regular efforts are made to ensure that you and your space are protected because you value yourself and your life so much that you are prepared to make regular efforts to ensure that you are safe and protected.
Tips for Protection
I'm not a big believer in giving general advice because of the uniqueness of people, I will, however, say that your greatest shield, defence, help and protection comes in the form of in-good-working-order ancestors. You can use traditional medicine, prayers and efforts and countlessly spend on healers and helpers to protect you, but if you are not collaborating with engaging and cultivating interrelationships with helpful ancestors; it may all be in vain. Your in-order ancestors and spirit helpers are your greatest allies for whole-being protection. Never underestimate the importance of cultivating these interrelationships and relying on them for all matters.
Here are some additional tips:
~ Don't avoid doing protection practices because "I don't have what I need" or "I don't have the time". Get the items you need, make use of materials and items accessible to you and create the time and space!
If you can make the time to wash your body, you can make the time to implement self, home and family protection habits.
~ Do regular protection-focused prayers, rituals and practices, as well as larger monthly/ yearly things. Doing this helps to "cover all your bases" and keeps you protected on an ongoing basis. Prevention is better than cure.
~Wherever possible, spend time with folks that you don't need to guard yourself against. It's good to have a close circle of family and friends that you don't need to protect yourself from.
~ Focus on what you want to protect i.e. yourself, your spirit, home, car, family...all of the above? Once you have some clarity on what's needed, you can start to take action.
~Throwing (proverbial) shade at others, not only adds to your own problems but creates drama. Mudslinging with medicine, words or actions, isn't ethical or necessary. What you reap you will sow, so only give to others and to the world, what you are prepared to receive yourself and for your progeny and loved ones.
~ Ask trustworthy people to pray for you and to help you, when needed.
~ Rely on traditional plants and medicine to do some of the heavy lifting. Plants are our helpers and they can assist us a great deal in our well-being and protection efforts. Access them and use them! Psst...osha root (available in the Americas) is great, and so is mfusamvu (available in South Africa).
~ Envision and use your own capabilities and gifting for protection. Trust your dreams, inclinations, sensations, visions and such. If you dream a colleague is speaking ill of you, they probably are.
~ See it, feel it and know it...repeat, "I am protected, no harm can touch or affect me and my loved ones!" and/or, "I hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil and feel no evil!"
© Rebecca Rogerson, 2022
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