Protection and Boundaries

The mantle of light at the start of the day

To begin the day with clarity and without losing your center.

When

In the morning, after you wash up.

Time

Two minutes

1. Stand, or sit with your back comfortable.
2. Picture a clear light wrapping you from head to toe, without cutting you off from the world.
3. Say the words slowly.
4. Choose one specific boundary for today: a schedule, a conversation you've been putting off or a way of asking for space.

“Presence of life in me, stay with me and keep me clear. May I recognize what is good for me, step away from what harms me and respond without losing my center. May what goes out from me carry respect, and may what comes to me be met with discernment.”

Saint Michael in the six directions

To feel accompanied on every side before something that asks you to stand firm.

Time

Three minutes

1. Hold still and bring your attention, one at a time, to the six directions: above, below, to your right, to your left, in front and behind.
2. In each one, picture Saint Michael standing there in his blue light.
3. Say the words.
4. If you are doing it for someone you love, change the ending: “May they find support and the freedom to choose their own path.”

“Michael, image of strength and protection, stay with me in every direction. May I walk with a firm step, may my decisions protect life, and may I find help when I need it.”

The shield for leaving home

To go out alert and come back with care.

When

Before you step through the door.

Time

One minute

1. With your hand on the door, picture a circle of light around you.
2. Think of whatever strikes that circle turning into a blessing: you don't need to answer one attack with another.
3. Say the words and go out.

“I go out fully present. May my words be firm when they need to be and kind whenever they can be. I allow myself to say no, to look for company and to change direction.”

The circle of the home

To bless your home and the people who live in it.

Time

Five minutes

1. Go through the rooms, on foot or in your imagination.
2. In each one, bless whoever lives there and whoever arrives with respect.
3. Picture a light around the whole house. It is an embrace, not a wall.
4. Say the words.
5. Before you finish, see whether the house needs something real: a lock, a light bulb, a conversation. Write it down and take care of it.

“May this home be a place of rest, of nourishment and of dignity for everyone in it. May each person find here a space that respects them. May our decisions take care of what we share, and may we mend whatever needs attention.”

Salt on the threshold

To mark the entrance to your home as a clean and cared-for place.

You need

A handful of coarse salt · A small bowl

When

When you move in, after a difficult visit or at the start of a new chapter in your life.

Time

Five minutes

1. Sweep the entrance and wipe the threshold with a damp cloth.
2. Put the salt in the bowl and leave it by the door, on the inside, where it won't be in the way.
3. With a pinch between your fingers, draw a thin line across the threshold from side to side.
4. Say the words.
5. The next day, sweep the line outward. Change the salt in the bowl every new Moon and throw the old salt in the trash.

“Through this door comes whatever arrives in peace. Whatever doesn't stays outside.”

Care: Keep the bowl out of reach of children and pets: salt in quantity is harmful to them.

Sweeping toward the door

To clear out of the house what is old and what weighs on it.

You need

A broom

When

On the last day of the year, before midnight, or whenever the house feels heavy.

Time

As long as the sweeping takes

1. Open the front door and, if you can, a window.
2. Start in the room farthest from the entrance.
3. Always sweep in the direction of the door, room by room, never pushing anything back inside.
4. As you sweep, quietly name what you want gone: a weariness, an argument, a run of bad luck.
5. Sweep it all out the door, gather it up and throw it in the trash outside the house.
6. Put the broom away and say the words.

“What has served its time goes out the way it came in. The house is clean for what is on its way.”

A bunch of rosemary on the door

To put a sign of protection and welcome at the entrance.

You need

Three or five sprigs of fresh rosemary · A ribbon or a piece of thread

When

In May, as it used to be done, or when you move into a new home.

Time

Ten minutes

1. Gather the sprigs and tie them at the stems with the ribbon. Make three knots.
2. Hang the bunch upside down on the front door, inside or out.
3. Touch it as you hang it and say the words.
4. When it has dried, replace it with a fresh one. The old one goes into the soil of a potted plant or into the compost.

“Rosemary, guard this entrance. May whoever comes through this door come with good in their heart.”

Wishing someone well in a conflict

To stop feeding resentment and decide with a clearer head.

Time

Two minutes

1. Think of the person. They don't have to be nearby or know about it.
2. Say the words, silently or under your breath.
3. You don't have to go near someone who hurts you, forgive before you are ready or keep the relationship going. This gesture is for you: it gives you room to decide.

“I wish you peace. I wish to find it too. May each of us own our part, and may we live without hurting each other.”

Breaking a chain of thoughts

To cut short a worry that keeps circling.

Time

One minute

1. Say the words.
2. Name three things you can see around you.
3. Feel your feet resting on the floor.
4. Ask yourself whether the worry calls for an action. If it does, write down which one. If it doesn't, let it go by.

“I notice this thought. I don't need to turn it into a certainty right now. I come back to what I can observe and what I can do.”

A blessing for the road

To set out on a trip with your attention awake.

When

Before you start the car. While you drive, just drive.

Time

One minute

1. Buckle your seat belt: that gesture is part of the prayer.
2. Say the words before you pull out.

“May this trip be made with care. May those who drive and those who ride stay alert. May I arrive safely and let others arrive safely too.”

Looking for something you've misplaced

To find something you lost, calmly.

You need

Paper and a pencil

Time

As long as it takes

1. Stop and say the words.
2. Remember the last place you saw it and retrace your steps from there.
3. Search one space at a time and write down the ones you have already searched.
4. When it turns up, give thanks and give it a permanent place.

“I gather my attention to search calmly.”

A request for justice

To ask for a fair outcome in a matter that worries you.

You need

A green light or a piece of green paper · Paper and a pencil

Time

Ten minutes

1. Turn on the light or set the green paper in front of you.
2. Write what a fair outcome would be for everyone involved, yourself included.
3. Say the words.
4. Keep the documents, dates and facts of the matter in a place of their own, and prepare the conversation or the consultation you need.

“May the truth be heard. May I act honestly and see what is mine to set right. May I find guidance, and may this situation move toward a worthy resolution.”

The five-pointed star

To cleanse a place or an object and dedicate it to a good use.

Time

Two minutes

1. With one finger, draw a five-pointed star in the air in front of the place or over the object. You can also draw it on a piece of paper.
2. Dedicate each point to a quality: attention, clarity, firmness, care and peace.
3. Say the words.

“I consecrate this space to respect and good use. May my hands bring order, my words bring clarity and my presence add to the well-being here.”

Handing a problem over to the earth

To stop carrying a matter for a while and come back to it with a clear head.

You need

A card and a pencil · An envelope · A scrap of gold paper · A stone · A potted plant

Time

Ten minutes

1. Write the matter on the card.
2. Slip it into the envelope along with the gold paper.
3. Leave the envelope beside the pot, without burying it, and set the stone on top.
4. Say the words.
5. Water the plant only if it needs it.
6. Write on the envelope the date when you will open it.
7. On that day, open it, look at the situation again and decide what comes next.

“Divine Mother, I entrust this matter to the ground that holds me up. Help me understand what I can do, accept support and stop carrying what is not mine to carry.”