Symbols of Protection

If you’re a parent, you know what it is to worry.  It’s so hard to let our little ones go out into the world – to babysitters, to elementary school, to any of the numerous places they go on a daily basis where we can’t watch over them.  It’s supposed to be nice to have the break, but often I find myself spending more time stressing over how my children are doing than relaxing.

Of course, I do my best in the mundane world to make sure my children are safe and happy; but there is a limit to what parents can do.  Recently, I’ve started using protection symbols as a way to not only mitigate some of my own worry, but also to help my children feel more confident and in-control when they’re away from home.

There are so many ways to do this!  A traditional Heathen approach is the use of bindrunes, combinations of runes whose added meanings form a greater whole.  In this example stitched on black denim, I combined the runes Algiz and Wunjo, representing protection and joy, respectively – together, protection of joy.  It’s also useful to repeat one rune in a geometric pattern, making its meaning and effect stronger.

In the Celtic Ogham alphabet, the letter Luis is associated with the tree Rowan, which is associated with protection from evil over and over in Celtic folklore.  I drew this symbol on the tag of my daughter’s favorite shirt; it has the benefit of not appearing occult to a non-discerning eye, and also is a potent symbol.  For Wiccans or many witches, the pentagram is also a fantastic and very old symbol of protection.

There are as many ways to attach these symbols to your little ones as there are symbols.  I already mentioned embroidering a symbol onto a spare bit of fabric. These can be carried in the children’s pocket or backpack.  Little pebbles or crystals can also be inscribed with protection symbols and carried around.  I personally have found the method of writing on a tag particularly effective – it’s hard for children to lose something attached to them!  For kids who don’t like their shirts to have tags, you can draw a symbol somewhere like the inside of a backpack or other inconspicuous location.  These can also be drawn or stitched on to sachets designed for protection to further enhance the effect.  It’s also a great idea to put tiny symbols on the corners of baby blankets or inside of baby hats.

Obviously these efforts haven’t cured all my worries, but being able to take some kind of action has certainly helped my peace of mind.  My oldest particularly feels more secure and confident heading off to school in the morning, knowing she has a special spell that mommy put inside her backpack to keep her safe.  I hope it can be helpful for other children as well!