Being a witch is not the same as it used to be. In our romantic version of our heritage and in many of our past-life memories, we used to have some space to breathe. Remember? I know there's a large portion of my soul that cries out for isolation, for space in which to meditate, for oceans of unstructured time, for freedom from other minds and their chaotic thoughts. It longs for the quiet hermit cottage in the woods.
Tough luck, eh?
We live here, now, and most of us modern pagans exist in busy, stressful urban environments. We go to work with people who are wonderful or crabby depending on the day but who are almost universally unaware of the psychic waves they create around them. We go home to people who may behave in similarly unaware ways, dumping whatever they can't handle on whoever happens to be handy. Cars, radios, cell phone signals, TVs, noise, stress, psychic garbage. All of it around us, all the time.
There is one awfully attractive option for dealing with psychic overwhelm that it is important we don't take. The idea of shutting it all off, turning back into a psychic brick wall, is very tempting from time to time. And yet we know that we incarnated as psychically aware witches because we could do some good with our abilities. We chose to be able to see, feel, hear, smell or touch the pain of others from a desire to help heal that pain. I want to honor all of you who hang in there and stay open, despite the side effects.
How can you diminish those side effects? How can you be a hip, urban, new millennium witch and be happy about it?
For the energetically sensitive, life is overwhelming. There is a constant background stream of sensory overload. On top of that are stray waves of emotion and thought from most people around you. On top of that are directed streams of energy from others -- people who want something from you, are angry or vengeful or even just weirdly fixated. The background stuff is a slow drain on your resources you generally don't even notice until you get a chance to crawl into a cave for an afternoon. Alone. The spikes you do notice, suddenly feeling drained, uncomfortable or as if you have to fight off something you don't even have a name for.
I'm going to generally refer to all of these events, and more, as psychic attacks. This doesn't mean they're necessarily prompted by bad feelings or done by an evil person. Someone having a bad day can be rude without really meaning any harm, or a very strong adolescent can hurt someone through not knowing his own strength. Similarly, psychic attacks can be accidental or intentional. Regardless, any of them can get to be too much, very quickly.
When you're under any kind of psychic attack, first you have to figure out what is going on. To do this, you need to calm down first.
Breathe. If you use your breath to connect you to Spirit and ground you, much of the psychic stress will disappear. Connect yourself to earth and sky, imagining you're the battery between two sources of current. Inhale energy from the earth, up your spine, and into the sky. Exhale energy from the sky, down the front of your body, and into the earth. Repeat this at least three times, or for as long as necessary. The movement of clear, clean energy through you will sustain your own resources and help clear out any crap you've been collecting.
Next, do a quick self-assessment. Is there anything goingon with you thatis making you more vulnerable than usual? Did a phone call from your ex or an inner-child tantrum leave you off-center? Are you pissed about your day at work and therefore drawing angry responses into your field? If you conclude there are significant things you're doing or feeling that are helping create your situation, deal with those first. Clear your field yourself, ask someone for help or go someplace you can be with your own feelings without distraction.
If you've concluded that you're okay and your energetic distress is coming from outside you, there are two main categories of effective response in the moment. You can fight 'em, or join 'em.
Fighting a psychic attack refers to anything you do to remove the invasive energy from your energy field or aura. You have lots of weapons in this arsenal.
The simplest one is to move away. If a psychic vampire is sucking all the joy out of your day, leaving that person's presence could cause him or her to lose interest and move the vampirism elsewhere.
You can undercut the reason for the attack. If you sense someone is radiating anger in a bid for attention, paying attention to that person might stop the blast effect. Or someone might be jealous of your membership in a group he admires. Including him could lessen his resentment and therefore lessen your distress. Think creatively here. Pulling someone's fangs by making him or her happy is a remarkably satisfying guerilla warfare tactic, without unpleasant karmic aftereffects.
Confrontation has its place. Simply walking up to someone and letting them know their energy is being perceived as invasive could end the issue.
Warding and shielding refer to energetic means of protection -- generally, building psychic filters and barriers. You can create a bubble of white light around yourself. Just don't tell anyone, because it's such a cliché. But still an effective one! A sphere of protection can be mirrored on the outside or made of Teflon so invading crap will bounce off it. A filter is a sphere around you created with the intention that it admit only beneficial energies and repel harmful ones. To create any of these, check in with your intuition as to which form is most appropriate, visualize it clearly as you hold your intention in mind and then refresh it when needed.
Casting a circle can protect one or many people from outside influence. If you know how to do this, I'm mentioning it as a reminder to think of it and do it in the moment, when you're getting that third-eye ache and wanting to find a bunker to get away from it. It's easy to get distracted from what you know by an unexpected attack. Stop what you're doing and set up your defenses when you need them. If you don't already know how to do this, there are many resources available to you. This is a skill that should be practiced in a quiet, controlled setting, before you need it.
You can, however, ask your angels for help even without experience. Some people hold that angels can't help you without a direct request. I'm not sure I buy that, but it does seem that any kind of prayer produces results. Asking God, Goddess, Spirit, your guides, teachers, angels, guardian alien or whatever for assistance will focus your intention on your desired result and open the door for outside intervention.
In extreme conditions, you can do a send-back spell. This spell is similar to a shield, except it's got a specific direction to "return to sender" any crap coming at you. Careful with your karma, and remember to take it down when the crisis is past. It can distract someone who's consciously wishing you harm, as that person suddenly has a boatload of personal crisis to deal with. On the other hand, it seems to lock the caster into a holding pattern as well as the castee. If you find you haven't had sex in the two years since you set up a spell directed at someone (yes, this really does happen), perhaps it's time to take it down. But hey, if they send happy thoughts your way, they'll win the lotto, right?
That's a broad range of possible actions you can take to fight off attacks. What do you do if you're feeling that action is not appropriate?
Surrendering completely to an attack can remove its ability to harm you. I'm going to demonstrate my complete sci-fi geekdom by quoting Frank Herbert from Dune:
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will allow my fear to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone I will turn my inner eye to see its path. And where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
Recently, in a chaotic environment I was having a hard time focusing on what was going on with me, as I was being distracted by waves of emotion coming off a group next to me. I tried to block them but wasn't effective. The energy was too intense for me to handle while simultaneously doing the personal work I needed to do. I didn't want to interrupt my flow or the flow of the person working with me to cast a circle or create a strong enough shield. I also didn't want to close down my energy, as my openness was necessary for my own healing. I decided to just let the neighbor group's emotion wash over me and through me. It was intense, so intense I cried. But after I did that, it didn't affect me again. The rest of the time was mine alone. I used the Gandhi response to psychic attack.
The last set of tools you should have in your kit relate to cleanup. If you've been blasted or gunked up, here are some suggestions for getting the stuff off you. Once again, it's all about intention. Whatever you do, just do it believing it will help you and holding your intent for clearing firmly in your mind.
Smudging is wonderful. If you didn't pack sage into your purse today, you can bum a cigarette. Any kind of smoke will clear your aura. You don't need to inhale -- just suck some smoke into your mouth as if you were smoking a cigar. Puff it out, and use your hand to waft the smoke over your heart and crown. Or anyplace else you feel you need clearing. In a pinch, a Camel Light will do. Although I do prefer a fine Cuban.
You can use water: Run cold water over your hands or other affected parts; bathe with sea salt, cider vinegar or Epsom salts in the water; and drink lots. Hug a tree, or lie on the earth. I've gotten relief from pressing my hands onto the dirt of a potted plant. Visualize cleansing violet light or a laser of white removing what does not belong. Apply Tiger Balm to your third eye, or take Rescue Remedy. Breathe some more.
With any of these techniques, do whatever you feel comfortable with. If you're going to try something, do it with confidence. You are certainly capable of more than you know, and you'll never find out what until you try new things. If you find yourself in real trouble, please ask someone for help. Seattle is awash with talented energy workers and generous witches. Many resources are listed in this publication.
And of course, don't wig out. With a little effort, you will find what works for you. Develop some new habits, and this century can become a much more relaxing place for you to be. Relaxation leads to fun, and fun could lead anywhere. Enjoy!
Freya Ray is a professional psychic, shaman, writer and teacher. She teaches energy work, shamanic journeying, Tarot reading and how to live a more blissful life in general. She recently relocated to Seattle after working at Phoenix and Dragon in Atlanta and Rainbow Moods in Tucson. Her writing has appeared in the New Times, the Awareness Journal and the Magical Journal. She can be reached for comment or psychic readings at (206) 276-4290 or freya_ray@yahoo.com.