What if you break your sacred object?
#witchproblems
Inside: If your protective amulet or lucky charm breaks, don’t despair! Suggestions below. Plus!! Reminder for the Live Chat on Friday.
One of my favorite people, the delightful George Lizos (who joined us on the podcast for our episode on protection magic)…
…graciously sent me a ward against the evil eye awhile back, but recently my rambunctious cat, Graymalkin, broke it. 😑
People tend to freak out when something like a protective amulet breaks, but life happens, and (if you have malevolent cats) sometimes things we treasure like charms, amulets, candle holders, mirrors, and offering bowls break. Then what?
Don’t panic.
When something sacred breaks it means that it fulfilled its purpose — it brought you the luck it could bring you, it protected you from a big blitz of bad vibes — and now it’s ready to be returned to the earth.
Here’s what to do…
Steps to Release a Sacred Object When It’s Broken:
Show your appreciation. Tell it how it helped you (like say, “thank you for protecting me all of these years”). Thank it for the work it has done (use the New Moon in Aries video from last Friday to make a connection with the object before you thank it. It only takes a few moments but there are instructions there).
Clear the object with smoke to release any final residual dregs of energy (make sure to do this outside so the clearing goes into the wind)
Send it on to the next phase of its life. If it’s biodegradable, you can compost it. If it’s recyclable, you can recycle it. If appropriate (use your intuition), you can bury it. If there’s parts you want to salvage (a gem for instance) you can repurpose it. If none of the above work, throw it away.
Say, “May you find the next right step on your journey. Hail and farewell!”
If you dearly loved the sacred object and you’re not ready to let go of it and it can be repaired, repair it! That’s totally fine. Think wabi-sabi.
But remember, everything has a life cycle and nothing lasts forever. Sometimes even things that are dear to us have to find their way into the next phase of their life.
Hope that helps!
Amanda
*If you’re experiencing income insecurity, but want to join Mystery Cult, don’t be shy, please email us at guardian@oracleoflosangeles.com to find out about our scholarship opportunities.
Have you ever wondered what to do with a sacred object after it’s outlived its lifespan? Let us know the story below!
P.S. Don’t forget we’ve got the Live Chat coming up this Friday at 12pm PST on the Substack Chat. You can access it on your phone, tablet, or on your computer. The theme for this month is: Raising Power, and I suggest you try to answer a few of the journal prompts and/or other prompts in the Witch Guide to wet your appetite for the topic.
P.P.S. George Lizos also wrote this awesome book, Secrets of Greek Mysticism. If you love Greek myths and Greek magic, you’ll love this book!
Classic Graymalkin.
Thank you for the book suggestion - each offering, whether it be a book, MC post, or a BTW ep., feels talismanic in itself. For me, yes, showing appreciation has been a tremendous help.
One family mystery, regarding a lost object, has been an icon that dissapeared. Since my mother arrived here as a refugee, nothing could be brought to the US, outside of money and personal documents. Her icon had smuggled out of the country she fled, only to go *poof.* It would been the family heirloom that I inherited as the eldest daughter, but it is long gone. The important thing is that my family is safe and well. At the same time, I do feel a sense of loss.
This post is super helpful, I appreciate the reminder that all things are impermanent.
This year I lost my beloved Hag Stone Amulet. It was so gorgeous and brought me much protection and comfort when I was working in a super patriarchal school that didn't value me or my perspective. (To be fair, they tried, but...)
I still feel grief and loss, and I still talk to her and tell her how much I love and miss her. Definitely the presence of an Ancestor in that one.
I was taught the term Karma Exhaustion for understanding when the task/relationship/effort/feeling is completed. The Karma has been realized. It's over. OK to move on now.
But as a human being who loves, I'm going to feel grief and I'm going to allow myself to feel that stabby memory as long as it's a sore spot in my heart area.
Everything changes. Even the presence of a guardian stone. Even (so called) democracy. When I accept this, I feel more peace. I fell bigger and lighter and more connected.
I still hold out hope that my beloved talisman may turn up - I'm pretty sure the chain broke out there in the world somewhere - so, maybe?
And I still hold out hope that we can build something better than so-called democracy.
Come on, Venus Stationing Direct, we're ready for you.