Safe From Inner and Outer Harm

The thing about amulets is that they presume there are things we need protecting from in this world. Most of us would agree that it is reasonable to take measures to protect ourselves, individually and collectively, from harms such as sickness, injury and poverty. These ills can be defended against without one being accused of superstition. But what about deeper, darker forces that can be conveniently summed up as "evil". Sinful things like greed, hatred and ignorance, personified by the Devil in some belief systems, or as demons, tricksters and primordial beasts in others. Powerful forces that we have no control over. These are things that call for greater protection than immunization or airbags or social safety nets can give us, and that is where the power of magic comes in. Or faith and symbol, if you prefer.

Older cultures than ours believed that malevolent forces could be distracted or averted by materials or objects that, either through the nature of their making or their physical characteristics, were imbued with protective powers. Sparkly, shiny, reflective objects like mirrors and beads traditionally repel the evil eye, as do symbols such as crosses or the hamsa, and shapes with pointy corners. Amulets may also be blessed by a powerful individual such as a priest or shaman, as is the one below, supposedly blessed by the Dalai Lama.

I was given this after I broke my back. I think the kindness of the person who gave it to me was more immediately helpful in my healing, though. But I saved it, even after the end cap was lost, cause it's about as close as I likely will ever get to the Dalai Lama himself. As you can see the amulet contained a scroll with a prayer on it and a few grains of rice.

Our consumer culture is founded on feelings of need and anxiety, induced by advertising. How do we protect ourselves against such an insidious and nebulous evil?

I think one of the best defenses is our own creative power. The magic of bringing into being something that has never been before, of manifesting ideas into concrete reality, of transmuting our energy into a material object - this brings us closer to the core of existence.When these creative acts are conducted with selflessness, purity of intention and an open heart, we cannot fail.

So, I have this nutty idea that I need an amulet to protect me from rampant capitalism. Well, not so nutty, actually, I have just been reading Naomi Klein. I think Earth needs a planet-sized amulet to ward off those intent on raping and pillaging her for profit. What would such an amulet look like? What might it contain? I'll keep you posted.