Ritual is a means to come into contact with divine or supernatural will or forces . . . Ritual raises energy." (Rosemary Guiley)

Do you need psychic protection? Do you want to feel more grounded in your life? Do you work as a healer and therefore have a need to protect yourself during your interactions with your clients? If you answered yes to any of these questions, please read on. Simple rituals exist that you can use to protect yourself. I use many of these techniques in my tarot reading practice, but they can be used in any work in which you seek spiritual protection and guidance, including your every day activities.

Carolyn Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit and Why People Don't Heal calls this emerging species "Homo Noeticus." According to Myss, the Homo Noeticus human is a new species of humanity, an evolutionary step on the ladder of human development. She says that the Homo Noeticus human does not have just five senses, but multiple senses. Such multi-level perceptions makes Homo Noeticus highly sensitive and aware and able to tune in to inner spiritual patterns and soul lessons. As a highly developed spiritual being, Homo Noeticus is not only telepathic, but is less limited by the influences of environment, hereditary, childhood experiences and even his or her own body. In short, Homo Noeticus is the offspring of the evolution of consciousness on our planet. Myss describes the new identity as one in which our spiritual and physiological chemistry has changed.

The transformation that Myss describes has been called by various names – the New Age Movement, the consciousness revolution, the human potential movement and the Aquarian Conspiracy. Whatever we call it, we are seeing a planetary shift in which we are struggling with our development into this new identity. The events of the September 11 terrorist attacks on our nation have brought the issue of our spirituality even more into focus. Could this tragic event in fact be a turning point in the ongoing emergence of Homo Noeticus? There are many who believe that such cataclysmic events are part of the cosmology of our consciousness evolution. This evolution relates to our development on a soul level versus the personality level and presents us with a very new way of viewing out lives and events. In fact, some might even say that those who died in September 11^th agreed, on a soul-level, to make their transition at this event as part of the planet's evolution. Such a concept is completely alien and difficult to accept in our every-day awareness of life, especially in the midst of our loss, grief and anger. And of course, to view those deaths from such a perspective is a highly personal choice and a decision that each person must make for themselves. Nevertheless, at such a difficult time, many people are examining their spiritual beliefs and seek to frame this tragedy from a more spiritual perspective.

In terms of our need for protection, it is important to remember that as we evolve as a species, as we open ourselves up to these higher vibrations and energies, we need to ground and protect ourselves. If there is a new humanity and a new spiritual path, as we open ourselves up to these more subtle energies in the universe, as we open up our intuition, our spiritual channels, we also open ourselves up to be more vulnerable to other kinds of psychic energies. We need to ground and protect ourselves from energies that can damage us. And we also need to protect ourselves from taking on too much energy, even if the energy is inherently good. If you do any kind of healing or spiritual work, if you are a message therapist, acupuncturist, astrologer, tarot reader, polarity therapist, Feng Shui consultant, chiropractor or a member of any other "helping" profession, you probably need to find ways to keep yourself strong and balanced. You need to protect your psyche, your energy, your essence and your power in order to not be drained by your clients and students. If you have ever worked with a client and felt drained, exhausted and emotionally spent afterwards, then some of the techniques which I offer may work for you. And please note that everyone can benefit from these protection ideas. Anyone's natural defenses and resistance can be lowered by sickness, daily life stress, interactions with people and the bombardment by media and technology,

There are many simple little rituals that you can use to protect yourself before doing any kind of energy work. These rituals will insure that you are protecting yourself and that you are focusing on Spirit. Ritual is a symbolic behavior. It releases psychic energies and enables the releasing of inner blocks and obstacles. It can serve as a bridge between the conscious and the unconscious. Performing a ritual may even allow you to access new and creative solutions to a problem. When done with sincerity, ritual operates on a cellular level or at the level of your protoplasm. Further, ritual can also help name and set your intention.

• Cleanse or purify the area in which you will be working by "smudging" the area with a smudge stick or stick of incense. As you wave the smoke around, offer your prayers for protections. State clearly and aloud that your intention is to clear away any blocks or negativity that will interfere with hearing the messages from Spirit.

• Cast a circle of protection in the space where you will be working, meditating or praying. A circle can be cast with salt, stones, flower petals, tarot cards, crystals, or even just walking in a circle. Once you have set your intention as to where the circle forms, say a simple prayer such as, "I charge this circle with light and love. I call upon those good spiritual energies to come forth now to guide and protect me. I hereby banish any negative energies -- anything that would block the voice of Spirit. In the enclosed circle of protection, we welcome the love and guidance of Spirit. Thank you Father, Mother God and Goddess. Amen."

• Place a bowl of water on your alter or table and using your fingers, stir up the water in the bowl, symbolic of stirring up the "waters" of the unconscious mind. Light and "launch" a floating candle into the bowl of water to symbolize your desire to move through the unconscious with ease and safety.

• Imagine white light surrounding yourself and your client; place healing stones or special power objects next to you as you visualize the light.

• Place your hand over your tool (such as the tarot deck, the rune stones, or the Feng Shui bagua) or hold a crystal in your hand, breathe deeply and offer a benediction or blessing on the tool. Invoke the highest and the best spiritual energies to come forth and bless the work to be done.

These are some simple rituals that have worked for me and that you can use to insure that you are protecting yourself and that you are focusing on Spirit. Such rituals may help keep you balanced and help you to be more discriminating in your abilities as you open yourselves up. Probably most of you are extra sensitive and hopefully these rituals will allow you to become stronger and less easily influenced. However, it is important to remember that any ritual that you use should be one that you can "own." Simply because someone says that a ritual is a good one, or that it "works" does not mean that you should adopt that ritual. Ultimately, the best rituals for you are the ones that you create yourself. There are many methods for protection and grounding. Find the method or combination of methods that are effective for you and for the situation you are in. Honor the Spirit that resides within you by trusting your own inventiveness.

As you experiment with these powerful rituals, my wish for you is that you will know the love and compassion that Spirit has for you.