I finished this like three days ago but have had lots of jumbled thoughts because my ADHD brain does not know how to concisely word and I didn't want to just vomit words randomly like I have tourettes lol.
So for necklaces, I do have one that I wear every single day. The only time it ever comes off is for water. Meaning bathing or swimming. I sleep with it on, eat with it on, workout with it on, it is a part of me. It's very sacred and precious to me. Why? Because it's a gift from Ares. Yes, deities can give physical gifts. How? Through mundane means in which oppurtunities manifest themselves. If he wants me to do something, have something, or go somewhere...he will guide me there and shove it in my face.
I had gotten my necklace from a peddler outside of the local grocery store near my house. I always find this to be all mystical and mysterous. The reason why is it's not a formal shop. They are there for one time only and then often times never again. So once in a lifetime oppurtunity type shtick. The man had approached me and not the other way around. I get it, dude needs money. But I have noticed for years now Ares as lord of abundance and giver of food sends homeless people my way to help out. I'm not a saint and I'm not well off. So I can't do much, but I do what I can. I know what it's like to be poor and not have enough money for necessities and for nobody to care and look down on you.
This necklace has a black cord which is like a thin rope but it's pretty sturdy and comfortable. It's not super thick or made of metal so it's not like friggin' armor sturdy lol. But it won't rust, turn my skin green, or strangle me in my sleep either lol. It has a blue sort of imperfectly perfect rock in it, think royal blue colored. It is held in place by metal wires that are not super thin or super thick. Like don't think arts and craft metal you buy at Michaels you can easily bend and shape with your hands as if it were mere string. Think of thicker metal you have for like high quality hair pins that you would need proper jewelry making tool to bend into place and wrap around things.
The necklace reaches the perfect length hanging down to my heart. So it's not tight like a choker or so loose it hangs down to my stomach. The blue rock in it is bigger than my thumb length and height wise but not in volume meaning it's not fat or heavy. So it is a good size. When it comes to blessing it, as it is a religious gift I have it blessed mainly through him perodically. A lot of times I just set it on my Ares shrine and walk away. I don't usually feel the need to say anything. He wants me to put it there from the impression I get, so I do what I am told and he blesses it how he sees fit. Whatever he thinks I am in need of is up to his discression.
Keep in mind I never really feel right asking for anything when it comes to deities. If they want to do something...they will. I'm not saying you can't ask because if you know them and have a bond/relationship with them and really need the help than by all means. It's just good to be thoughtful and not ask for trivial things. So think, is it worth their time? I mean, I have asked Aphrodite for help in beauty spells which can be considered trivial but not very often and I pay her my respects and do not do it excessively. So having a balance of not coming to them for every little thing is more my point and providing approprate offerings.
But back to the necklace. I know some of you might be thinking, "you just leave it there and expect shit? How rude!" Now calm down...I leave it there because I never ask for anything and he wants me to leave it there because he of his own free will wants to bless it. I don't believe in bribing spirits or deities. You don't give them things for their services in every case. Some have working relationships where when they ask for something you must do something for them in return. But when I do devotionals, give offerings and libation, help those he wants me to help both on SoM with Hellenic information and feeding homeless in real life...I never ask for anything any of those times.
Now I know you might be thinking, "okay...fair enough but it's still rude to not say anything!" Different people have different bonds with their gods. The way I bond with most people including humans is with them knowing how I feel and words not always needing to be spoken. Actions speak louder than mere words to begin with, which I do. Not everything needs to be verbalized or overtly formal. Being formal is in my book putting up walls and barriers. I see Ares as a father figure. Therefore as family, in some cases being too formal puts distance rather than showing respect. Time and place for everything.
Now onto the usual blessings. It is exclusively or almost exclusively for protection. Both for physical and incoporeal. In my life I have had humans (mostly men) attack me. Strangling me for my sixteenth birthday and punching me in the face on the way to school, spitting on me and locking me in my room, punching me in the chest and sides leaving bruises, twisting my wrists, etc. I've been attacked by a pitbull and had a few other dogs get out of their yards and chase after me trying to attack me on walks.
I have also been attacked by spirits before. No, not horror movie shit. No, not overdramatic edgelord type stuff. I mean the real deal. When in altered states or astrally projecting psychic attacks are very real and possible. I've been in such situations a few times when I was half asleep and paralized and felt like it was sitting on my chest strangling me and yes, I saw the entity that was doing it. The other time was like the first year I moved into my current appartment and the spirit of a man was like slapping and clawing at me or rather my spirit I guess. It didn't hurt, it was just terrifying.
I've also had some pretty bad nightmares. It's never been a constant thing in any bad dreams or psychic attacks. But some of them were particularly unsettling and traumatic for me. I don't have nightmares anymore. I haven't for years now. I am no longer attacked spiritually. Much of this can be due to me and my spouse shielding, cleansing our home, etc.
But a good deal of it I owe to Ares. I'm also not being attacked physically anymore by humans or dogs. A lot of that I can contribute to never going anywhere without my husband but things like major car accidents have stopped as well. Besides one minor fender bender I have been fine. The worse car accident we had this year I was not even in the car for. I don't believe in coincidences, I wasn't there because I was not supposed to be.
Point is, my necklace works just as it is supposed to. For those whom are looking for a more magickal sollution, I would recomend protective sachets with stones and dried herbs you carry in your purse or pocket. You can also add incense ashes and white rice with essential oil soaked in for it's protective properties. But for sachets I recomend cutting up the end of an old sock and putting the stuff in there first and either tying it of by double knotting or or sewing it shut. The actual pretty sachet bag works better as a pillow case to keep it in prestine condition.
For jewelry, not only can use use corrosponding colors, gemstones with certain properties, and particular metals...You can also pass it through incense to let the smoke empower it and do it on a full moon for protection and dab a few drops of essential oil on it. You can even leave it out on a full moon to recharge it. Just remember that a lot of gemstones fade in sunlight so don't leave it out for too long. A lot of gemstones also erode in water so that is not always the best way to cleanse it if you intend to cleanse and rebless.
Oh, and if you are using cheap metal that's not necessarily bad for a while but...if you get it wet it will damage the chain and start turning your skin green. Eventually it will do that and you'll have to replace the chain but I have had cheap dollar store necklaces and rings last me YEARS before that ever happened. It's just guranteed to speed up the process if you get it wet.
For jewelry, it's not always got to be for wearing anyways. In middle school I would simply charge cheap necklaces I got out of fifty cents machines and hang them on my bedroom door and window. I just charged it with my own energy. I was a kid and knew nothing about witchcraft. This just felt like the right thing to do and it did help.
That was after the first spirit attack. This is what I did to make sure it would not happen again. It was a success. Never read an occult book, just felt like the right thing to do so I did it. Wasn't a witch back then and frankly I do not formally count that as experience or part of my years. I have always had a thing for astrological stuff so they were moon, star, and sun necklaces.
You can also make a dream pillow which is basically just a sachet you use specifically for dreams and put under your pillow or hang above it. A dream catcher can also work. I'm not big on the whole cultural appropration thing and for some reason I guess dream catchers are deemed acceptable and it's just everything else that makes you a horrible oppressive racist.
But yeah, I remember mentioning shielding which is really good for negative energy and all that. Also, not much into ceramonial magick as it's very long, complex, and intricate in my opinion but...lesser banishing ritual is hella good. If you have a pest problem of the spirit kind of negative energy do that and tell it bye Felicia! That or war water them hoodoo style. I might be a Hellenist when it comes to religion but practice wise, pretty diverse and electic. If it works, it works!