Home Wards
Witch's Bells
To make, use an O ring made of your preferred material. Attach your small bells with holes in the handle to ribbons in the color you'd like.
Ribbons also can be specific or novelty.
My personal witch's bells are unfinished.
I intend to add to it, two rabbits' feet. In the 1800s the rabbit's foot was used in Europe as a charm of protection against witches. It has been suggested the foot of a rabbit was a substitute for a dead witch. Namely, the individual, whom those felt they needed protection against.
The folklore does not however begin here. It begins with the cutting off of the left hand of a hung criminal to bring the possessor of the hand luck or protection.
Further, in North American hoodoo, there are certain ritual requirements for taking the foot of a rabbit.
One of which is taking the left foot of a rabbit shot or killed in a cemetery.
I intend to add rabbits' feet to my witch's bells to protect and guard against other practitioners who wish me or those I love harm.
Witch's Bells are a modern method of home warding. As I am writing this I am unaware of where or from whom this tradition originated.
I adapted the rabbit foot folk charm to be used on the witch's bells. Thereby bringing traditional folk methods from the past into the present. This has become a large part of the way I practice.
Goose feathers are another charm I intend to add.
Goose here has a strong connection with the family. Geese form strong ties to their companions.
The goose feathers on my bells are to represent protection of home and family.
Witch's Bells for me can serve as both a ward and a warning system. I charge my own daily to effectively ward the home, yet I watch them from time to time. They tend not to ring unless the door is opened, yet they move slightly at certain times.
I use them to determine whether negative energy or malice has been sent my way in this manner.
Warding With Standard Decor
One can easily conceal wards by using the general decorative elements in a home, room, or space.
One does this by choosing an item for a ward, let's use a painting for example. Visualize an energetic circle forming around this item, and growing larger until this energetic circle envelops the home, room, or space you'd like to ward. Add as much energy into this circle as you can manage. Tether this circle to a time frame, moon phase, or solar cycle.
Warding in this way, with everyday decorative pieces found in a space, is a wonderful method for the broom closet practitioner and obvious witches alike. Even if one is relatively open about one's practice, using unassuming decor in home warding can deter those aware of your practice from determining the difference between a ward and a trinket box.
Warding with unassuming decor isn't necessarily a new idea. If we look a bit into the past we see from folk traditions adapted to suit the Christian take over, that many folk protections of the time were concealed or took another form, to blend in with society at the time. An example of this are lavender stalks in the form of a cross nailed by an entrance. Another example is the crucifix. Hung on a wall to protect the dwelling one can very well ascertain from a folk practitioner standpoint the usefulness of these items in home warding.
They can conceal a practitioner's protective measures ensuring safety within a society with an increasingly changing world view, in essence keeping the practitioner from harm.
Other Wards
I like to use wormwood as a fumigation to help me sense energies. I have developed this as a warning system and a deep space cleansing agent.
Witch's Balls, can act as wards that contain spirits or energies.
Servitors can function as effective wards. One can program a servitor to feed on negative or malicious energy aimed at them to guard or protect the home, room, or space.
Ideally the reader should consider housing this spirit with a vessel. Unassuming decor can be great for this purpose. Figurines, statues, or other items with shape can both house and help the practitioner visualize the servitor.
Boxes are a little more unassuming. Mirrors can help protect the servitor by reflecting spellwork aimed at them by meddlers.
Periwinkle. A folk ward is to craft periwinkle wreaths and hang these on doors.
Highly protective, especially against the departed, remember not all passed human spirits are going to be pleasant, periwinkle is great for a home entrance ward. This too can be done for individual rooms.
During Spring or early Summer when the periwinkle blooms again I intend to craft a small wreath ward.
This too can be done with other protective ground cover or trailing plants.
This article is a culmination of research and personal practice. I hope it helps to give further ideas on house protections.