Offensive/defensive magick.

[Dumunzi]

I'm posting this and asking anyone to share any experiences with the two magic types above. Most people here probably haven't hexed, but they probably have binded or banished something at some point. Defensive magic would fall under protection spells, either right in the moment of need or more in the area of wards and property protection, or just general "protect this person" type spells.

The reason I'm asking is because my University group(The KU Cauldron), is meeting this evening and this is our topic of discussion for the night. I have some things to share, especially in the area of offensive magic, but not so much in the area of defensive/protective magic.

If anyone has any thoughts they'd like to post I'd love so. :)

- Dumunzi

[~Elise~]

I'm moving this to advanced paganism...you'll get better answers there.

Elise

[Dumunzi]

Thanks! ^_^

[Sequoia]

Offensive magic is something you won't hear spoken about as often, at least, not "out loud" to a general audience on a message board. Doing it effectively takes special skill, but just about any ol' fool can send out negative energy. People do it subconsciously all the time.

A lot of pagans seem to believe in a "rule" wherein if you do something negative, it will come back to bite you in the arse. This, of course, is usually a self-fulfilling prophecy, and there are obviously ways to avoid that. Not to mention the quandaries you get into when you're doing something "negative" in reaction to another attack or otherwise negative situation.

But I believe you wanted more information "defensive magic", yes?

Any good defensive magic starts with GOOD and PROPER shielding. Yup, personal shielding, home protection (do a cleansing first, damnit), etc. "A good defense is the best offense," and all that jazz. Now, I will admit that I may not be the very best person to ask about this. I went through an event that caused my entire energy-working nature to completely change, and as such have not been doing as much good and proper shielding as I should be doing. Luckily, I have a loved one that does it for me... but he's trying to get me to take it back over on my own. I digress... 8O

Anyway!

Personal shielding can be very basic, or it can be very elaborate. The best kinds are based around your self- that is to say, NOT around an amulet or anything like that. But you can do that too. Pendants work nicely. That would probably be a good way of protecting a child - an amulet of sorts that you have blessed, charged, and designed internally to protect and shield them. A few good sessions of meditative energy work on such an object would probably work well. Bonus if you make it yourself. Sometimes such a pendant can serve as a reminder, to older children and adults, to consciously devote some energy to their own shielding, if it is difficult to remember. I have a wrought-iron key that performs this function nicely for me. Anytime I think I will need some extra protection, I wear it. It reminds me to focus energy, both subconsciously and consciously. Not to mention that it is a nice "comfort object" to clutch. ;)

Personal shielding can be as simple as imagining a "quicksilver bubble" around yourself, or as elaborate as creating layer upon layer of energy that all do different things. I have heard of some people designing their shielding to work like something familiar - for example, someone familiar with Star Trek may envision and design their protection to work like the defenses aboard the starship Enterprise. Believe it or not, it can work. (Ah, the nature of human creative imagination.) Basically, you are looking for an end result - the exact way you come to it and imagine it is not necessarily the most important part. But BE THOROUGH. Don't leave loopholes. For example, you'd want to envision that "quicksilver bubble" to reflect only negative energies, otherwise you'll start loosing contact with all the good things that you WANT to have energy contact with. Our Trekkie friends may imagine that they've configured their shields to a certain frequency. But as with any other energy workings, remember to BE SPECIFIC, BE THOROUGH, and BE FLEXIBLE.

Moving on...

Banishment is, I believe, a last resort. A desperate act. Something you do when communicating with whatever-it-is just has utterly failed, and you've gotta get rid of the thing. This could be as complex as a months-long sessions of attempted communication to no avail, or as simple as walking in, saying hello to the thing, and getting greeted by a gaping maw of negativity. It really depends on your situation. But I personally believe it should be a last-ditch effort, as you usually end up "banishing", IE totally whoop-assing and getting rid of, neutral critters, too. Not necessarily bad to have around, but they kind of get stuck in the line of fire. Not to mention what banishment does to the energy in the surrounding area... it's not something I like to be around. A lot of people claim that it simply "neutralizes" the area, but for me, it's always felt more like creating a void space, with negative tinges (Because, hullo, you just opened up a can of "I'm making you get the hell out RIGHT NOW, while beating you senseless, and hopefully destroying you."). Some people simply use banishment as a way of clearing space, for the very reason that it gets rid of all pre-existing energy and creatures in a given area. As to my knowlege, there are usually ways of getting rid of nasty critters that are gentler than banishment, which do not harm the surrounding energy flora and fauna. But that, of course, takes more skill and more time, of which many people aren't willing to dedicate the energy to.

Okay... now I've gone and lost my train of thought. Do you have any specific questions I could try to help answer? Instead of going on a self-important, opinionated rant, like I appear to have done?

[~Elise~]

I also want to say that if you had MORE time for this...you should join MWDark because you'll find people have done hex work and will talk about it freely on that side, without judgment.

Elise

[CzechWoods]

done it all

no regrets

[Sequoia]

Wait, I thought MWDark was like Fight Club... you can suggest that people join? :foh:

I totally would have suggested that, had I realized... -_-;

[Rick]

Wait, I thought MWDark was like Fight Club... you can suggest that people join? :foh:

I totally would have suggested that, had I realized... -_-;

MWDark doesn't exist... :hehehehe:

[BlackLili]

MWDark - if this is your first time at MWDark, you must fight. :thumbsup:

[Dumunzi]

And I'd love to join MW After Dark but last I checked you have to not only send in a small amount of cash, but also a copy of your drivers license(Which makes me nervous, trust me, I can buy liquor). <_^

That being said it's probably something I may very well do some day!

Now, what about wards? I was always under the impression that wards are essentially a form of shielding, or are they more like symbols/power you set on a spot? Sometimes I think of just a symbol blazen into a place that acts like a light beacon, scattering darkness.

Any thoughts on that?

And I appreciate your thoughts on utilizing jewelry/objects as a means of magical protection. I actually think the enchanting of things is something we in the supe community tend to gloss over doing.

- Dumunzi

[CzechWoods]

MWDark doesn't exist... :hehehehe:

i second that ... at least not for me

[~Elise~]

MWDark is free...you just have to be over 18.

go register and send a PM to GEBS, she'll get you hooked up on Dark

[BlackLili]

Ok, since I was already a smartass in this thread, I might as well make a comment of some substance.

I totally agree with Sequoia - the best offense is a good defense.

On the topic of "darker" spellwork, I put a defensive mechanism into my spells that prevent them from being messed with. I used to live in a household of practicing Pagans, mostly Witches, and we didn't always agree about what was morally "right."

To avoid having one of them - or anyone else - interrupt or interfere with a trick I'd already laid, I started adding an automatic "chaotic seeker droid" to all my work. In this method, if the trick I've laid "senses" outside energy or intent trying to intersect with it, it grabs ahold of that energy pattern and follows it back to the source. Then it takes off - its designed to cause random chaotic events in the source's life for an indeterminate amount of time. :evilway:

Its usually not too hard to tell who has been attempting to mess with my work after that. Just look for the poor sucker who suddenly had their life turned upside-down and looks blindsided. :thumbsup:

As for home defense, there's wards and whatnot you can put up around a house, but I see those as about as important as locking your doors at night - just good common sense.

Let us know how your round-table discussion goes!

[Dumunzi]

I absolutely will tell you all how the discussion went! ^_^ And I will PM GEBS after this and ask to be allowed into MW After Dark! Thanks for reminding me it existed and telling me about the changes. :)

Also, what one poster above described reminds me of something called a servitor. Basically, forming something via your energy, giving it a directive, and sending it off to do that. I don't mind the notion of it but I personally wouldn't touch it because I don't think that it's something I could probably get to shut down and mayhap even properly direct and control. Plus, to be honest, I've done very little magical practice. :/

Also, I remember some people making it apart of their practice with that type of magic to actually try and give the creation some form of consciousness. One of the members of our group has a years worth of Golden Dawn training, and he knew a friend who had made a servitor with the purpose of meddling with his perception of time. According to the story he left the servitor alone for awhile and it then decreed it's independence and declared war on Chronos. <_^ Or so they say!

- Dumunzi *

[Sequoia]

"Servitor", eh? When I was a teenager, I used to make energy "butterflies" and let them go... my experience was that they dissipated after a while. I figure that this is what would happen with MOST constructs. No constant energy supporting them = no more construct.

[Dumunzi]

I am just paranoid. :weirdsmil

[Sequoia]

I am just paranoid. :weirdsmil

Oh sure, I can understand that. For example, what if someone else found your "servitor" (where'd you get that term, btw?) and "powered" it themselves? What if the "servitor" gained a form of consciousness, and latched onto some elemental power source? What if, what if, what if!

But generally speaking, I'm pretty sure they just dissipate. :)

[~Elise~]

I absolutely will tell you all how the discussion went! ^_^ And I will PM GEBS after this and ask to be allowed into MW After Dark! Thanks for reminding me it existed and telling me about the changes. :)

Also, what one poster above described reminds me of something called a servitor. Basically, forming something via your energy, giving it a directive, and sending it off to do that. I don't mind the notion of it but I personally wouldn't touch it because I don't think that it's something I could probably get to shut down and mayhap even properly direct and control. Plus, to be honest, I've done very little magical practice. :/

Also, I remember some people making it apart of their practice with that type of magic to actually try and give the creation some form of consciousness. One of the members of our group has a years worth of Golden Dawn training, and he knew a friend who had made a servitor with the purpose of meddling with his perception of time. According to the story he left the servitor alone for awhile and it then decreed it's independence and declared war on Chronos. <_^ Or so they say!

- Dumunzi *

Dark and afterdark are TWO completely different things. afterdark does cost money.

[BlackLili]

"Servitor", eh? When I was a teenager, I used to make energy "butterflies" and let them go... my experience was that they dissipated after a while. I figure that this is what would happen with MOST constructs. No constant energy supporting them = no more construct.

I'd have to agree for the most part about the servitors. The fun thing about the "droid" one that I incorporate is that it can go one of two ways - it can either peter out on its own once its run its course, or it can gain "steam" by attaching to the Meddler and drawing energy off of them - this happens if the Meddler is thinking about the interrupting trick they laid, or about the trick I laid, or considering perhaps "maybe if I hadn't stuck my nose where it didn't belong, my life wouldn't be throwing up on me now?" sort of thoughts. It's ultimately designed to make a person think before attempting to impose their Will over someone else's Intent.

Basically, a lesson in "know thine enemy" - if they can cancel out my tricks and prove to be more determined, more intent, more "powerful" (for lack of a better term), then nothing happens to them. They obviously want their end goal more than I do in those situations. But if they are uncertain, or apprehensive, or on shaky moral ground in their own head - (and many are) - it eats them for lunch, and what's more, it keeps eating them until they GET THE POINT. :devil:

I have one droid who has been going strong for almost 7 years now. The person it effects still doesn't understand why it is still attached to her, and I really don't have any control over it anymore. Oh, and she's known about the droid since a week after she stuck her nose into my business, so it can't be said that I've withheld information from her. Some folks just aren't fast learners. :rubhead:

My droid isn't so much a textbook Servitor in that it will never develop a consciousness of its own - it was built more like a program that collates behavior patterns and information and reacts accordingly. "If Action 'A' occurs, default to Response '1' - if Action 'B' occurs, default to Response '2'." Then just wash, rinse, and repeat! ;)

[Sequoia]

I'd have to agree for the most part about the servitors. The fun thing about the "droid" one that I incorporate is that it can go one of two ways - it can either peter out on its own once its run its course, or it can gain "steam" by attaching to the Meddler and drawing energy off of them - this happens if the Meddler is thinking about the interrupting trick they laid, or about the trick I laid, or considering perhaps "maybe if I hadn't stuck my nose where it didn't belong, my life wouldn't be throwing up on me now?" sort of thoughts. It's ultimately designed to make a person think before attempting to impose their Will over someone else's Intent.

Basically, a lesson in "know thine enemy" - if they can cancel out my tricks and prove to be more determined, more intent, more "powerful" (for lack of a better term), then nothing happens to them. They obviously want their end goal more than I do in those situations. But if they are uncertain, or apprehensive, or on shaky moral ground in their own head - (and many are) - it eats them for lunch, and what's more, it keeps eating them until they GET THE POINT. :devil:

I have one droid who has been going strong for almost 7 years now. The person it effects still doesn't understand why it is still attached to her, and I really don't have any control over it anymore. Oh, and she's known about the droid since a week after she stuck her nose into my business, so it can't be said that I've withheld information from her. Some folks just aren't fast learners. :rubhead:

My droid isn't so much a textbook Servitor in that it will never develop a consciousness of its own - it was built more like a program that collates behavior patterns and information and reacts accordingly. "If Action 'A' occurs, default to Response '1' - if Action 'B' occurs, default to Response '2'." Then just wash, rinse, and repeat! ;)

You are a naughty, clever girl!

[BlackLili]

You are a naughty, clever girl!
Aw shucks, thanks girlie! :bigredblu

[Dumunzi]

Thanks for all the responses guys. :) And I appreciate this information about servitors that was posted.

As for the poster who asked me where I got that term, it' something that the leader of our discussion group said. I suspect it has some linkage to the Golden Dawn or ceremonial magick, to be honest. I think it's still a bit different from a construct, but ultimately the same effect in mind.

I'm probably going to head off to wait for everyone to gather together but you all have given me a ton of things to think about throwing at the table!

I appreciate the discussion. :) You guys all rock!

- Dumunzi

[Dumunzi]

It was pretty nice. A journalist writing a story about the religious life of students on campus came to observe and ask questions while we had our discussion. It was very deep, had a talk about warding, but most of it was about offensive magick. <_<

- Dumunzi