How to Make a Protection Spell Jar

A protection jar is a small, portable shield. You can make one for the front door, the car, a child's school bag or your desk at work. Here is how I put one together.

What goes in a protection jar?

How do I make a protection jar?

1. Choose a small jar with a tight lid.
2. Write what it guards: "This home is closed to harm and open to peace." Fold the paper away from you and put it in first.
3. Add salt, then the herbs and stone one at a time, saying what each is for.
4. Seal it with black wax for protection or white for cleansing.
5. Hold it, say the intention once more and put it in place.

Where should I keep a protection jar?

• Home: by the front door, on a high shelf or a windowsill facing the street.
• Car: in the glove box.
• Work: in a desk drawer.
• On you: a tiny jar or a sealed pouch in your bag.

Keep it out of reach of children and pets, as with anything containing salt and stones.

Protection jar or witch bottle?

A witch bottle is an old English charm, traditionally with bent pins and a strand of the maker's hair, made to catch ill will and usually buried. A protection jar is lighter and portable, a shield you can move. My guide to making a witch bottle covers the traditional version.

How do I keep it strong?

• Hold it and repeat the intention when you feel uneasy.
• Refresh it once a year, or after a hard stretch: open it, take the contents out of the house and make a new one.
• If it cracks, it has done its work. Thank it, wrap it and replace it.

When to add a cast protection spell

A jar holds a steady guard. If the trouble is more persistent, such as a person who keeps causing problems or a home that still feels uneasy, a casting adds strength. The home protection spell wards the whole house; the protection and cleansing bundle clears what is there and then shields.

On my table

For home protection your packet sits inside a circle of salt while rosemary burns in the cauldron. I dress the black candle by hand and leave the salt line in place until the flame is out. Protection work opens with three rings of the brass bell and closes with one.