In Monday’s blog, we talked about symptoms of psychic attack and these may come from intentional malice or inadvertent ill will (like pouting and wallowing in anger). In this post, we discuss how to work with psychic attack without incurring karmic backlash.
It is natural, once we determine that a psychic attack may have occurred, to want to strike back. I say “may have” because short of a person admitting, “I hexed/cursed/attacked you,” you never really know for sure. No matter how certain, a presumption is dangerous territory because what you are presuming is a heavy accusation.
Desire for retaliation and retribution is understandable, but the last thing you want is to end up in a magical pissing contest. This is often what happens with the popular “reflect and return” where the victim mentally surrounds themselves with mirrors of protection so any incoming negative energy is reflected back to the sender. On the surface, it makes perfect sense because the attacker gets back only what they send and if they are innocent, nothing happens. As discussed in the previous post, however, the attack could be inadvertent, in which case the sender may interpret that the victim attacked them first, even though it is their own negativity returning on them. This can result in a game of “Oh really? Take THAT” which does little more than exhaust everyone concerned and open up a karmic mushroom cloud with fallout going everywhere.
By the time a person suspects they are under psychic attack, both people involved are exhausted. The attacker is weakened from the sheer amount of energy such negativity requires, whether intentional or inadvertent, and the victim is depleted because they have been under attack. Even the best energy practitioner can get sloppy when high emotions are in play, so retaliation, even reflect and return, is strongly discouraged.
There are very specific steps to take in the case of psychic attack and they all fall into the (boring) category of what wise magical practitioner should do. Could we completely kick the attacker’s magical ass? Probably…but at what cost? In this case, you are a parent watching a child have a tantrum and you handle it as a good parent would. Sure, you could engage and yell back at them and escalate the situation or you can neutralize the effects and get on with your life. A tantrum is is a demand for a particular reaction. Your job is to not give it to them, so here’s what you do:
1) Banish all fear. Psychic attack, like all negativity, feeds on “negative” emotions such as anger and fear. Those feelings, regardless of how justified, make the initial attack stronger and amplify the symptoms. This gives you a bigger demon to fight, so your approach should be neutral. Do what you must to purge and ground your own negativity. Imagine the attacker becoming smaller and smaller in your mind. Realize how petty and juvenile their behavior is and understand that you are better than that. If anxiety persists, hold a smooth, dark stone in your hand and let the anxiety and anger drain into it, then bury it.
2) Take a ritual bath. Soak yourself in water, preferably with lavender oil or flowers, and try to clear your head. Water will help equalize emotions and calm you, washing away negativity. We tend to feel dirty after an attack.
3) Smudge your home. Use sage, cedar, sweet grass, or another energy clearing agent to smoke out your house from the top corners to the bottom. Open all windows and doors. Pay close attention to other traverses into your home such as vents. Let the smoke push out all the ugly. Monday’s blog post will include a full explanation of how to do this.
4) Call for back up. The positive, supportive energy of people you trust, as well as their objectivity and grounding assistance, can be essential. Let them know what you suspect, then ask for their opinion and their help in dealing with the situation.
5) Receive and ground the incoming energy. Once you have cleansed yourself and your home, light a BLACK candle to absorb any negativity coming your way. Visualize all of the baneful, hurtful energy going directly into the candle and grounding down to Mother Earth. She will take it all. The perpetrator is now removed from your circle of influence and no longer on your radar.
6) Empower the home. After the black candle burns down and the sage smoke clears, close up your home again to comfort levels and burn a purple, white, or pink candle for healing. Send joyful, healing energy to all concerned and refuse to stoop to the level of the attacker. Take a few meditative moments to fortify the protection around your home, your car, or any areas you frequent. Imagine a bright light of protection around you, your home, and your loved ones. If you are comfortable doing so, put graveyard dirt, salt, or brick dust around your entry ways and windows saying, “Nothing except that which is for my greatest good may pass over this barrier.” I have had clients actually rub graveyard dirt or salt into the carpet around their work cubicle for protection and keep an unlit sage stick and black votive or stone on their desk to absorb negativity. If you have a favorite guardian, a dragon or other thought form, wake them up and let them know they have been recalled to duty for a while.
I have often had people ask about taking the negative energy and transmuting it into positive energy. I do not recommend this because it is an enormous task energy-wise and there is no assurance you will achieve full conversion, which means you could be sending contaminated energy out into the world. Grounding this particular type of energy is the way to go. By using these techniques, the negative energy is neutralized without escalating the situation or harming innocent bystanders. Sure, it is more fun and dramatic to think of getting into a high-powered magic flinging contest, but in the long run, grounding the energy is the best possible solution. As always, the most effective way of dealing with a magical bully or tantrum-thrower is to give them no attention and no drama.
Just remember, as always, to learn from the experience:
