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Title: Protection Spells
Author: Judika Illes
Publisher: Weiser Books
Number of cards: 36
Card size: 5 x 3.5 in
Box size: 3.5 x 2.25 x 1.25 in approx
Guidebook pages: no guidebook
Purchased or gifted?: review copy provided for by Weiser Books
Absolute favorite card: Protection Psalms
Other favorites: (in order from most beloved) Basil Protection Bath, Aloe Vera Protection, The Colors of Protection, The Number of Protection, Rice, Salt and Pepper Protection Powder, Quick Fix Salt and Pepper Protection Powder
Season: Autumn
Sabbat: Mabon/Beltane
Sign: Capricorn
Element: Earth
Tarot Deck compliment: Pagan Otherworlds Tarot
Collective Pull: Protection Oil

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First Impressions

My first thought is that it reminds me a lot of my own little deck of Spell: A Little Deck of Enchantments. It's basically the same format. Aside from that, I thought it makes sense because Judika is the queen of spells and while I love her books, some of them are so large that I often feel just a bit overwhelmed grabbing for them. The nice thing about this little deck is that it only contains protection spells and I imagine she’ll probably come out with many, many more. Perhaps a small deck for love, wealth, peace and so on. And I’d be happy to have each and every one just for the ease of navigating directly to whatever I need for the day. But I’m getting ahead of myself. For first impressions, so far so good. Let’s dive in deeper.

The Packaging

The standout about this deck is the box for sure. I love the sliding box concept so much. It's simple but I much prefer it to the traditional two piece box. And I love the color. A quick look and you’d think the color is black but it's actually a very dark green. Sometimes I feel like anything having to do with witchery is defaulted to black and that really annoys me. It's something I’ve mentioned to my own publisher countless times. Witches aren’t allergic to other colors besides black and technically black isn’t a true color—it's actually the absence of light or the absence of color—but I digress. My point is that it’s nice to see another color.

The card stock is quite nice as well. It's thick enough to be durable for sure and the sides have this really nice bronze color. I love to see a colorful side and I’m often disappointed by how many publishers still haven’t made this the norm.

The Guidebook

There isn’t a guidebook for this one because the spells are printed directly onto the cards.

The Artwork

Likewise with the artwork. There are images of snakes intertwined with moons and each image is different for every spell. Which I actually like quite a bit. Again, it's very similar to my own Spell: A Little Deck of Enchantments deck which has the spells printed on one side and a little illustration on the other.

I’ll still mention my favorites here. My favorite of all is Protection Psalms. I love to see a blend of religion and witchcraft. They really aren’t that different. Prayers are just spells by another name. Tithes are the same as offerings. Saints are no different from deities and the bible is even a grimoire of sorts. I’m not religious but I appreciate the idea of religion and I think these two practices can work together when there isn’t judgment or prejudice.

I also really like Basil Protection Bath, especially this time of year when basil is at its most abundant. I have so much basil growing in my backyard and really looking forward to doing this all summer. Same goes for Aloe Vera Protection. Aloe is like the easiest plant in the world to grow. I remember I cut off a piece of another plant, stuck it in some dirt and forgot about it for like 6 months. Then I remembered it, watered it and it’s now my biggest aloe. It's huge! And this spell makes the most of this all around healing plant.

Own a copy of Protection Spells

*With companion deck - Pagan Otherworlds Tarot*

Reading With this Deck

So as far as reading goes, it's not an oracle deck; it's a deck of spells. That being said, you can pull a card like you would an oracle deck. In fact I did that for the collective pull. Some questions you might ask when pulling a card from this deck are:

What kind of protection do I need most right now?
Where am I most vulnerable, and how can I fortify this tender place?
How can I protect my dreams and longings from external doubt or sabotage?

These questions weren’t included in the deck but I thought it would be nice to include here as an easy way to use the deck.

I do want to point out some specific cards. There are a few with titles like “the number of protection” and “crystal protection.” These cards aren’t spells exactly but a list of correspondences aligned with protection. You get a plant card, one of colors, numbers and crystals as I mentioned, and household charms.

Collective Pull

I drew Protection Oil for you. Here is the recipe provided. Please note, this spell is taken verbatim from the deck and is the sole intellectual property of Judika Illes:

Some ingredients for this classic Hoodoo formula may be found in a grocery store. The rest can be obtained from an occult shop or herbal supply store.

Blend the ingredients together using a mortar and pestle. While grinding, visualize your desired goal as accomplished. Add the resulting powder to a blend of jojoba and sunflower oil. This oil may be used to dress candles, charm bags and amulets. Add a little to a cotton ball and carry it with you to provide enhanced personal protection.

Season, Sign, Element and Sabbat

I chose autumn for the season. The colors, the snakes and the idea of protection really made it an obvious choice. The sabbat was a bit different. Honestly, protection is a year round job and every sabbat has some level of protection associated with it but when I think of protection, I usually think of Mabon or Beltane so I chose those two.

Earth seemed like another obvious choice. For one, it's an earthy deck but also because protection is an earthly quality or theme. And finally, I chose Capricorn, mostly because this sign is fierce about protecting their dreams and goals. However, I could easily see Cancer being a good choice for self-protection. Which actually makes sense because Cancer and Capricorn are directly opposite each other on the zodiac wheel which means their goals are very similar but expressed in different ways.

Who is this deck for?

If you’re doing any kind of protection magic—which should be everyone—then this deck is a must. The spells are really easy to work with and you won’t have to flip through books trying to find the protection section.

If you’re familiar with Judika’s work then you already know the spells featured here are amazing and will set you up for success.

Also, if you’re new to protection magic and need something that’s very easy to use then this deck is definitely for you. Judika makes it very easy to use

Tarot Deck Companion

Protection Spells isn’t really an oracle so I’m not sure that it needs a tarot companion. However, it looks fantastic with Pagan Otherworlds Tarot. The colors really compliment one another.

I’d also offer up my deck Spell: A Little Deck of Enchantments as a similar offering in the event you’re looking for something similar.

Purchase Pagan Otherworlds Tarot

Thanks for reading all the way through. If you found this review to be helpful, informative or entertaining in any way, please be sure to leave a comment down below. It really helps me know what you’re enjoying so that I can provide more content based on what you love. In the meantime, please enjoy a variety of photos from this deck.

And of course, if there is something you’d like me to consider reviewing, please comment below or email me at hello@spiritelement.co