Psychic Protection Guide

how i strengthen my center in times of distress

I promise to think before I speak
To be wary of who I give my energy to
Because it is needed for a greater cause
Greater than my own pride
And that cause is to spread the enlightenment
Of love, compassion, and humanity
To those who are not touched by its light I stand to protect and focus myself
In the betterment of my fellow being 

— "13th Century Metal," Brittany Howard

Brittany Howard’s perfect record, Jaime, found me at a time when I called on its protection. I was nineteen and traveling across the country alone during the pandemic, desperately in need of good principles and a backbone. I found the backbone in Colorado — a whole deer skeleton picked clean by nature, I took the spine with me — and Jaime became somewhat of a sermon for me. I listened to “13th Century Metal” every morning, feeling like I was collecting quills for my armory.

Out there, in the middle of nowhere (and in the spaces in-between nowhere such as gas stations and motels or the sidelong glance of a stranger), I had the sense that I was up against something. I never felt the presence of this “something” to be malicious, just a gentle press from the outside in. That year, I learned to press from the inside out.

I think I found my center that summer, and certainly worked to improve its strength over the course of my next few years in California. Although I consider myself to be a very grounded person, there are of course times when centeredness becomes trickier — times when it feels like outside forces are overstaying their welcome, psychically.

As someone obsessed with living in the grey areas of life, I’ve never found it terribly important to draw harsh boundaries, and feel that a life well lived is one that accounts for the flexible and chaotic nature of experience. Still, there are times when I recognize my center as needing a little maintenance.

Whether it’s too much time spent in the virtual hallucination of social media, a specific interpersonal situation that I keep turning over in my mind, unspecified “dark energy” that I picked up from somewhere, an obsession that feels more crazed than creative, or just a general feeling of being “off,” I can sometimes feel a leakiness in my center. In these periods, I find myself being set off easier, defaulting to paranoia rather than good faith, and generally feeling more unstable than usual.

Because I’m needing it right now, I spent the day putting a little guide together for myself — for these times when I need some psychic protection and centered reinforcement, and I thought I’d share it with you in case it can be of any help.