This Blog post is an expansion of the TikTok Video on Draíocht Ceoil. Like and follow for more content.
Confrontation is hard. Especially if you're sensitive to tone, inflexion and nuance. Like being in a too noisy room, it can prompt a flight/fight reflex. If you have Misophonia it can be painful, physically and emotionally and not necessarily just shouting. Insulting tones, sneering, a condescending inflexion, can be more than enough to grate on your nerves. Sensitivity to sound energy makes such altercations more intense, on deeper levels. If you wonder why you can't shrug off snide comments, or seem to identify the undercurrent more clearly than others, you may fall into this category.
Online is no exception. Have you ever posted something, especially in support of what is clearly basic decency and human rights, only to have a bigot or far right hate goblin attack you? Do you dread opening your socials, when you see angry notifications? feel as if they can reach through the screen - feel as bad as if you were in the room with them? while sound energy is not directly at play here, a sensitivity to words, their meanings, their weight, can lend extra import to these exchanges.
And sensitive people are often sensitive to injustice, and put themselves in the front line, but the backlash takes a huge toll on their emotions and mental health. This is unfortunate, and yet, still no excuse not to do the work.
Confrontation is sometimes necessary.
Situations fester if not resolved. We try to avoid upsetting people, because we're normal decent humans, but often the tactics involved make the situation worse. In suppressing our own emotions or allowing others to break our boundaries we risk turning a small problem into a series of problems into a big issue.
You also have to stand up for what's right. You will attract hateful people whose emotions are invested in bigotry and cruelty, but that's nothing compared to the dangers faced by those directly affected. It can be tempting to use our dislike of confrontation as an excuse, but the work demands that we hold firm. So, in attempting to use our words, our music, our energy for good - we accept that there is a price to pay.
Wards
But we don't have to enter the fray unarmed. Sound energy can be used in so many ways, none more useful than the creation of wards. You can use a physical object, or use an aural trigger, or combine both to great effect.
In my upcoming book Draíocht Ceoil, The Sound of Magic in Irish Traditions (Moon Books, 2026) I go into detail on these subject but this is a little handy guide, and you might want to check out my youtube video with Lora O'Brien of the Irish Pagan School, or my class on Warding and Hexing at the same. All links below :)
A physical ward
Take a small object, something you can keep on your person, and especially one you'll have handy whether walking around or checking social media.
Find a piece of music, of any type of genre, that represents calm, courage and protection to you. It doesn't need to make sense to anyone else. It just needs to invoke those emotions in you.
Place the object near or on top of speakers, and blast that music at it. Let it absorb the sound, the rhythm, the waves of energy. Let it "soak" in it. This is your touchstone, your rock. When you are in a confrontation, hold it in your hand. The more tactile the object the better, it should engage your senses on as many levels as possible. Its purpose is both to help you remain detached and objective, and to erect a barrier around you.
An Auditory Ward
Alternatively you can simply use the piece of music, of sound energy, by itself. The key to this is meditation, and visualization. You need to build an association of instant calm, of objectivity and distance, with that music. It's like creating muscle memory - you should be able to think of the music, hum it, or play it in the confines of your own head, and instantly feel the calming energy.
Combined Wards
Ideally you can combine both approaches. The stronger your association with the piece of music, the more you attach it to your physical ward, the more effective it becomes as protection. The physical ward is deeply rooted in Irish folklore, in the carrying of rowan berries and other lucky items to protect. The auditory ward is rooted in our ancient past, in the work of the filí and the traditions of poetic and musical magic.
Add words, that have meaning to you or words that mean Peace, Calm, Protection. If you like, using Irish (Gaeilge) words are the ideal. Síochán, (peace) Smacht (control) Cosaint (protection)
And keep fighting the good fight
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