Martial magic 101 — part 7: how to deal with an attack.
Once you’ve established and confirmed you’re being attacked, it’s time to take action.
18+ article. Mentions of violence.
Welcome to the 7th and last article in this series. You should definitely read the previous articles before this one. The reason is simple: naive people would think “defending yourself” is the only step of the process. They’d assume (out of ignorance, or sometimes arrogance) that everything I said previously in this series is an aside, an optional thing, or that I was dragging on just to make you wait, or [insert other assumption here].
If you think that way, if you expect an easy off-the-shelf instantaneous answer to every one of your “witch wars”, I’ll have to disappoint you. So, DO review the last articles, it’s for your own good. You’ll learn it helps narrow down the focus to your specific situation: are you being attacked? Really? Or maybe you’re hurting yourself and blaming it on others? If it’s really an attack, why? Who is it? Where? When? — I won’t answer any of that today. I’ve discussed all these issues before. The links are below:
Note: what IS or ISN’T a warrior? What does that word mean?
Martial magic 101 — part 1: who are you ready to fight and why?
Part 2: what kinds of people would attack you? Let’s be realistic.
Part 3: why you can’t “wing it” and everyone needs discipline
Part 4: don’t fear the strong. Fear the chaotic.
Part 5: how do you know you’re under psychic attack
Part 6: gathering intelligence to prevent the next attack
Before we get into the strategy you’re probably waiting for, let’s take a look at 2 considerations:
Consideration #1: Are you a fighter or a martyr?
First of all, let me remind you of a reflection from the very first article in the series: the very first thing to do when you discover you’re under attack… is DECIDE whether or not you wish to deal with it yourself.
“What do you mean, Lucy? Isn’t it obvious?” — No, it isn’t. I’ll explain:
In principle, we all have egos. The human being loves protecting the ego, and hates having to admit a weakness — because pretending to be stronger than you are sometimes gives you an edge, even animals do that, it’s a survival strategy old as balls. I said that to reassure you I’m not JUDGING you for it. We’re in it together. But I’m pointing it out anyway because if you wanna be effective in combat, you need to acknowledge the tricks your own mind plays on you. And one of these mind tricks is thinking to yourself (more like fantasising to yourself… but anyway) “oh, I always deal with attacks. I defend myself. I’m strong. Ooga-booga”, but IN ACTUALITY you’re doing everything in your power to downplay the situation, run away from it, pretend you can dodge the bullet by “vibrating high” [or insert other newage bullshit here], etc. So, your actions don’t match your words, now, do they? That’s the kind of ego trip I’m talking about.
I’ll repeat: do you want to deal with the attack yourself? Or do you want somebody else to handle it for you?
The question is non-judgemental. I don’t even need to know your answer; it’s food for thought so you’ll answer it to yourself. You have 2 options here. 1) answer it with honesty, or 2) answer it with wishful thinking. Option #2 is attractive, but it will lead you to stay exactly where you are (or in other words, you’re wasting your time reading this article). Option #1 can be very uncomfortable, but it will get you SOMEWHERE. The choice is in your hands. If you chose #1, keep reading.
Let’s say a conflict is inevitable. Which of the following do you choose?
“I want to deal with it myself” — okay, keep reading this article and maybe it will help you come up with ideas. But ADMIT you’re doing that. Don’t come with any “I’m the purest saint and my enemy is entirely to blame” discourse. That’s bullshit. Ain’t nobody distributing brownie points, gtfo. You’ve got your hands dirty the very minute you enter the battlefield. Good intentions don’t count: you’re retaliating. Saints don’t retaliate. PERIOD. You can’t fool me, that’s guaranteed, but please don’t fool yourself.
“I want somebody else to handle it for me” — okay, go look for help or avoid the situation altogether the best you can. But ADMIT you’re doing that. Don’t come with “oh I’m so above it, nothing can reach me up here”. That’s bullshit. You’re allowed to say it in public, I won’t stop you (I’ll just dislike you for it, because it’s a lie and I dislike lies, but I do understand some people need to “come clean” for the sake of PR) — but please don’t be naive enough to MEAN it. It’s never true. If it were true, you wouldn’t even be taking a side. If you were really “above it all”, you wouldn’t even think or talk about the conflict. And yet, here you are. Look, there’s nothing wrong with admitting you can’t or don’t want to handle a fight. Maybe you can’t because you’re busy or sick at the moment (VERY valid reason!); Maybe you just don’t feel like it, so you enlist help (also very valid). Ain’t nobody judging, so be TRULY honest.
I know the above seems harsh, and it may also sound like I’m talking down to you, but please be mindful of the context here: we’re talking about war. There is no room for “dressing up” (take it as a metaphor), or you’ll just get owned before it even starts. I’m trying to warn you that you HAVE to get honest with yourself in order to even stand a chance during a so-called “witch war”. Lie to others if you really wanna, but don’t lie to YOURSELF. This is important. Don’t overlook this warning.
Consideration #2: let’s get realistic about who CAN or CAN’T be your ally.
Look, I don’t care how many times the Bible mentions “God” defending this specific group of people, how many times Greek gods are said to take sides during the war of Troy, or how many times Celtic myth implies a specific group had divine advantage in an Iron Age conflict. These are myths.
We don’t take myths literally around here. No, it’s not open to discussion in my blog. If you’re a literalist, get out. I can’t help you. I can only help people who are on the same page as me.
(Btw, tangent but can we just take a moment to give a big round of applause to the Yoruba people for not making Orisa conflicts in their own mythology about HUMAN conflicts? I love that. The stories of war are entirely about the Orisa and there’s not a human to be seen. They don’t side with this or that ethnicity ever. They’re available to guide everyone on the planet without tribalism. Way to go!)
Anyway, here’s my point summarised: gods can’t side with you against your human enemy. Sorry. They just don’t. They ARE unironically above it all.
Ya know those myths about gods siding with people in war? Yeah, they’re all speculative. If you get familiar with the Historical context, these myths are about times that predate the civilisations who wrote them. The Ancient Greek hadn’t a clue what happened in Troy; Irish Celts had absolutely no idea about previous conflicts in the land they started occupying; And most definitely, early Christians knew nothing about the actual time period when the Old Testament is supposed to take place. They were all speculating; telling fantastic tales with useful metaphors and lessons, but the actual narrative is something out of a fairytale. That’s WHY you see gods siding with specific groups. It’s a common fantasy of power, but it’s a fantasy. It’s not real.
And to show you how common that fantasy is, look no further than the US elections in 2020. The supporters of a certain candidate whom I won’t mention here believed he was literally backed up by “God” (translating: the Christian god). And in spite of that, it seems like his opponent won.
So… was he backed by a god? Yeah, I don’t think so. That belief only ever exists in the minds of people who leave their wishful thinking unchecked. And these people are a VERY common sight. No, I’m not just talking about “that” political party. This phenomenon can be seen across the entire political spectrum, with the only exception of atheists (for obvious reasons). We all enjoy fantasising about a superhero to come save us (by which “save us” is translatable as “push my agenda and teach that person I dislike a lesson”). As long as you believe in any kind of god, you’re bound to make that mistake at least once. I’m with you there, I recently witnessed a conflict and my first knee-jerk reaction was to think to myself “whoa, this god I work with really spilled the beans there [on this person I am angry with]”. Luckily, I had enough composure to correct myself eventually. “Actually, no. I’m just feeling vindicated because I’m biased”. See? It’s simple. You don’t need to admit to anyone you made that mistake (I just do it because I’m goofy here. I don’t care what you guys think of me). Keep it to yourself if you want. But CORRECT IT regardless.
“What about war gods”, is another question I’m anticipating.
War gods have no qualms with conflict (obviously), but that doesn’t automatically mean they CARE enough about yours. Stop feeling entitled. They don’t care. Plain and simple. They might have the knowledge on how to fight, and they might teach you lessons about that, but that’s not to say they aren’t also teaching your enemy. So, once again, I’ll remind you: stop feeling special and entitled.
“Ok Lucy, so do you mean I’m all by myself?”
No, dear. What I mean is your god does not care. He/she/they is just watching from afar; or maybe not even watching. Chances are your god just wants you to realise it’s futile to be so petty and you should let your neighbour be. Or okay, maybe you worship “the old gods” who in your mind are bloodthirsty and whatnot — same story still. This doesn’t have to come from a wholesome kind of morality. It could just be a natural distance they have from us because they’re plain-and-simple superior to us and don’t care. Or do YOU care about, Idk, conflicts between this and that faction of ants in the anthill in your garden? I bet you don’t. I bet you’re just careful not to step on the whole thing while watering the plants. HENCE, EVEN THE OLD GODS will be like “yea just forget it and try to get along, will ye”. But that’s difficult, isn’t it? We have egos. We have anger. We have thirst for revenge. And every once in a while, I get how that can be necessary. I’m not a god, so why would I judge?
That doesn’t automatically mean you’re alone. Humans care. It’s possible to enlist human spirits if you’re so inclined; Demons *could* care as long as you’re persuasive enough. Maybe the fae, if you’re able to speak their language (and know what I mean by that). The list goes on… It just won’t go as far as deities; But all else is fair game.
No, before you ask, I’m not advocating for anything. I’m just telling you what’s doable and what’s utterly stupid. That’s all I’m doing. Discernment is YOUR job — don’t put it on my shoulders. I never said I’m motherly or willing to babysit anyone in particular. If you’re not grown up enough to take accountability for your decisions, you shouldn’t be reading my blog.
Now that this is hopefully sorted, let’s talk about [metaphorical] martial arts.
CAN you fight? Are you in good physical condition for that? — Well, the same logic applies to “can you deal with a psychic attack”. Are you in good PSYCHIC condition for that? Let’s review a useful article before proceeding, just in case. Maybe I’m being a pain in the arse, but it’s for your own good.
Read it already? Ok. On to it:
You know how physical fights are a thing you simply don’t get into unless you’re confident in your abilities to, well, fight? Well… For some reason, a lot of people forget this principle also applies to psychic attacks. Every newbie overestimates their ability to block and dissipate or ABSORB (yes it’s a thing but it has to be intentional) an attack when it’s not physical, because of that old assumption — “out of sight, out of mind”. We’re visual creatures, aren’t we? Good grief. It’s a bias we could do without.
If it isn’t literally a punch somebody in front of you is physically giving you and you can potentially feel with your five senses… Your knee-jerk reaction is to minimise it. “Ah sure, this is not a physical fight. Not even verbal. They’re just doing magic or something. I’ll simply light an incense and cleanse and go on with my day”. Or, a thing I unironically hear now and again, “I’ll just pray”. Just pray your arse. Have some self-respect.
Are you kidding me? Just a prayer? Just a cleanse? That’s the equivalent of, in a physical fight, giving the opponent some deodorant. That’s how weird it sounds.
Unless you’re outsourcing the dirty work (by which I mean defense. I don’t teach attack. Don’t insist) to a spirit or group of spirits you’ll be rewarding later and already know well enough to tell they aren’t tricking you and are ACTUALLY on your side… Chances are you’ll have to take a hit yourself.
And in order to take a hit yourself, you need to know how to both detect and handle energy. Some people are healers and have this natural “gift”. I use tools. I won’t teach the ins and outs here, this is just a quick guide (and especially, a quick discussion on what makes sense and what doesn’t, in theory only), I’m assuming you already know the details. It’s quite tricky, takes a lot of practice, and also a lot of inner work. By inner work, I mean things like [temporarily] letting go of your anger (yes, all of it) so that you won’t absorb the attack; then coldly handle and redirect it, and summon just the right amount of feeling back to give it a “push” without getting too involved (and thus drained). Can you do that? Very few people can.
Another skill that takes serious inner work to learn is that of assessing an attack (to see if it’s misguided or just “weak” for some other reason), then absorbing it. It sounds crazy, but it’s actually VERY good practice. The overwhelming majority of psychic attacks ARE misguided (because it’s just, Idk, a very strong feeling the person has against you but hasn’t elaborated on magically), or simply weak (because maybe the person has the intention of hurting you but just lacks the competence). It’s what I deal with most of the time. You’re very unlikely to deal with a skilled attacker. Very, VERY unlikely — especially here in the industrial west.
Usually, returning one of these near-harmless “attacks” can be counterproductive because 1) it’s a waste of energy, 2) since their presence is a bit faint, it’s hard to pinpoint WHERE they’re coming from, and 3) you could end up returning not only what was received, but some of your own “stuff” along with it (especially so if you’re too much of a newbie and have an inflated ego), giving it more strength than it deserves, and making the OPPONENT feel like THEY were attacked by YOU. This will only lead to more and more retaliations in an endless vicious cycle. And it’s totally avoidable.
The problem with “absorbing” is, if done unintentionally (like people do when they wrongfully assume a mere incense will take care of the job), you’ll end up feeling suddenly bad for “no reason” and internalise that feeling as if it was yours, although it’s actually an attack from the outside. AND if done intentionally in case you’re unprepared, it could hurt you. It’s not that you’re doing the wrong thing, but you’re just not very well conditioned. And this is why I said and keep saying, if you can’t handle it yourself, outsource the job. Get honest with yourself.
Anyway. IF successful in absorbing an attack that is weak enough to be safely absorbed, you could feel a bit sore — THEN it’s time to cleanse. Cleanse yourself. Never “cleanse” an incoming attack.
Last but not least: recover. Stay protected, anchor or enlist protection, whatever it takes; and do some serious self-care for at least 2 days. During this period, DO NOT (and I repeat: DO NOT) engage any further with the conflict. Not even by talking to the person — because chances are you know them. Again, revisit this article. No, this does not mean a conflict is resolved or over or “past you”. There could be more retaliation in the future, and I’m not here to judge anyone for that. I’m plain-and-simply telling you that we’re talking about an invisible battle. BECAUSE it’s invisible, you can’t SEE the wounds. But they exist. And they’ll only get more and more serious — sometimes resulting in psychosomatic stuff — unless you take these breaks to recover.
And let me make one thing clear: recovering does not mean being all “bitchy” during this self-care. It does not mean bitching about the opponent, or mocking, or obsessively thinking about them for other reason. This is not a physical conflict, this is a PSYCHIC conflict. Know the difference. To disengage psychically, yes, unfortunately, you do have to temporarily pretend other things (more wholesome things) matter more.
But in order to take breaks to recover, you need to keep your ego in check, don’t you, my friend? You need to hold yourself back from being too impulsive all the time. And that’s difficult. It’s something only the well-prepared can do. Most people are NOT well-prepared, they just naively assume they are.
And in order to take breaks to recover, ya know what else is needed? ADMITTING and ACKNOWLEDGING the fact you’re in a psychic fight against somebody else. That’s another common mistake people make because they’re a bit delusional — they try to lie to themselves and fool themselves into thinking they’re “pure” or “too wholesome” to harbour any kind of negative intentions whereas deep down they actually DO have ill wishes for others. That’s not shameful. That’s human! Throw the first stone if you haven’t ever felt that way. It’s a thousand times better to just admit it, own up to it, intentionally attack a prop nearby instead of the person, and move on satisfied; instead of, ya know, letting denial take over and then find yourself “suddenly” in the middle of a war.
That’s why I wrote this series. Too many people are delusional. Too many people wish really hard they were saints when in fact they’re anything but. So isn’t it better to just admit your dark side and learn to satisfy it under control? Instead of, ya know, let it grow beyond a manageable size and snowball into a complete disaster just because you refused to admit you’re human?
Food for thought.
