Shields and Wards

A ward is a specific protection spell centered on a location rather than a person or object. Wards are cast around a home, business, or temple to protect from all harm, from intruders to unwanted spirits. Wards can even be specific enough to block out astral travelers and remote viewers. Wards can do more than just repel harm and negativity. It can be done to trap entities and harmful energies. It can divert the energy away from the space. It can allow positive or neutral energy in and repel negative and harmful energy away.

Meditate, or just sit calmly for a bit with your eyes closed, breathing normally but with a slightly deeper intake. The best way for closet, normal, broke, or any witch to easily set up a layer of their protection is forming a bubble of sorts around them.

You can invision protection for you or your activity. Envisioning a bubble forming around you or your area of activity. 

The point of basic self protection through envisioning is using what's most effective for you, elementally or shape wise, circles and bubbles are best recommended for beginners. Shielding is especially important for psychics, or anyone wishing to keep other energies from leeching off of your aura/energy, as well as spiritual defense.

Sigils.

You can either choose a sigil that befits your intent, or craft your own. Crafting your own sigil will work best. Using incense smoke, oil blends or simply your finger and a little bit of visualization and a lot of focus on your intent, draw your sigils on the doors and windows of your home (primary access points), and on door frames and window sills.

Using visualisation, 

Raise your energy in some way to help prepare yourself. You can light candles, light incense, or whatever else helps you focus your intent. 

With an object: take your object, and channel your energy into it. Envision yourself connected to the object, in whatever works best for you, make sure you are channeling and focusing your intent.

If you are more experienced with energy work, you may be able to build a large energy dome or shield that is capable of warding larger areas. Another fine form of home protection is hanging an iron horseshoe over the door. 

A Shield: Raise energy in some way to begin generating the shield. Whatever method works best for you, meditation, singing, reading, dancing, or lighting candles and incense. Begin by visualizing a sphere forming in front of you. That sphere is your shield, starting it small to then begin building onto it. You can visualize this sphere as a cloud, electricity, or other materials like stone, metal, castle walls, or flames. After you have worked on your shield and you have visualized it well, Begin expanding the shield larger and larger.  Allow it to fill the room, then expand past the room and through the walls of your home.  Expand the shield until it’s large enough to encompass the home. Once you are content with your shield and the place it is sat in, reinforce it, thinking in detail. Make sure it is secure and is thick for protection. Wards and Shields both need energy, and energy of them can fade over time. If you are aware you have been defending from numerous attacks, it is best to reinforce or clear and reset your protection. Resetting or reinforcing it once a month or more frequently if needed.

Herbal Ward

First, cleanse your entire space and the space on which you wish to cast the ward. In a magick circle, 

Mix Together, in a large bowl

sea salt.

1 tablespoon frankincense 

1 tablespoon myrrh 

1 tablespoon vervain 

1 tablespoon yarrow 

Charge the mixture for protection. While in the circle, visualize a sphere of crystal white light, like a faceted diamond, surrounding your home or whatever the "target" is for your wards. You don't have to use a sphere, but it is most commonly used. The Witch's Circle is usually visualized as a sphere of protective energy, so the sphere makes a great shape for protection magick. 

Once you release the circle, take the bowl and sprinkle the contents, clockwise, at the perimeter of your property or around your home. 

If there is any leftover, take the bowl and place it somewhere in the space where it will not be disturbed. A variation is to place the contents into four small bowls, and put the bowls in the four corners of a room, like a basement. This causes unwanted energies 

to be attracted, grounded, and neutralized in the mixture. The bowls of salt must be emptied out periodically and the ritual repeated, putting new salt in the bowls. Return the mixtures back to the earth by pouring it outside. 

Candle Ward 

it works best for the indoor apartments, there is no excess and no sprinkling of ingredients.

Gather:

5 black candles 

5 white candles 

1 green candle for the earth element 

1 yellow candle for the air element 

1 red candle for the fire element 

1 blue candle for the water element 

1 candle in your power color-your personal favorite or most magickal color-for the spirit element

Protection potion 

While in a magick circle, anoint the candles with protection potion. You can carve any protection symbol you want into each, along with any elemental symbols you know.

Charge all the black candles to absorb and neutralize all harmful energy. 

Charge the white candles to radiate the light of protection. 

Charge each of the colored candles to embody the blessings of their own element. 

Light each candle, and then release the circle in the traditional way. 

Keep the candles burning and carefully move them to each of the four "quarters" of the house, as best you can, depending on the layout of your house. If you can, keep all the candles on the same floor, even though it will protect a home with many floors.

Place a black, white, and the green candle in the north room of your home. 

Place a black, white, and the yellow candle in the east. 

Place a black, white, and the red candle in the south. 

Place a black, white, and the blue candle in the west. 

Lastly, keep the remaining black, white, and power-color candle in your altar space. 

Let the candles burn as long as you can. Visualize their light creating a field of protection around your home. If it is late at night and you need to put them out, snuff them and re-light them later. Let them burn until they are gone.

https://lindaursin.net/library/welcome/techniques/shielding/

https://elvenwitch.tumblr.com/post/110217040013/a-crash-course-in-warding

The Witch's Shield: Protection Magick & Psychic Self-defense Book by Christopher Penczak

http://glassewitchcottage.com/2019/04/22/defend-the-keep-warding-and-home-protection-practices/

https://ko-fi.com/post/Witchcraft-101-The-Basics-of-Wards--Warding-F1F8X3VG