Wards: Who are they, and What do they do? (Blog)
What does the word Ward mean? For the mundane definition we turn to Merriam Webster who defines it as such;
"ward: noun
: the action or process of guarding
: a body of guards
: a division in a hospital/ a maternity ward
: the state of being under guard"
For many of us this is still what we envision the word ward to mean, but in pagan, esoteric, and witchcraft centered communities the word and its pluralities take on new, yet similarly aligned meanings. In the context of these communities the word takes on a more noble approach to the prior definition of being under guard. For now to ward is to guard. It now holds the weight of action and stoutness. When someone speaks of placing a ward, or setting wards (also referred to as warding) it can be anything from a spell, sigil, Bindrune, ritual, construct, talisman, or anything else that can be used in a context of the protection, defense, and well-being of any person, place, or thing.
It doesn't stop there either; the term Ward is also applied to a subset of practitioners who specialize or are called to whether innately or through study to the ways of being a guardian or protector of those around them seen, and unseen. Most often we see someone acting as a Ward in ritual context, setting circles, or invoking certain deities and setting up perimeters to keep other deities or beings out. But to be a Ward is so very much more: they are the first line of guidance and defense for many mundane situations as well as spiritual, but what happens after ritual when someone needs the calm hand of a person of safety? The Ward is there.
If it appears that I am passionate about this topic, then I'm doing my job, as it is very near and dear to me as a Ward myself. The creed that I personally follow, which I wrote for my class for those aspiring to be Wards, can be found here:
https://bearblog.dev/liaswyrd/dashboard/posts/PeixRmoCXBuRgjKviJGP/
In that class, I go on to further define who a Ward may be responsible for, referring to them as their Charges:
A Charge can be classified in much the same way as a noun: a person, place or thing. Where it changes for us is the situation such things may be in. A person , place or thing becomes a charge of a ward when in duress, in need of care, guidance, protection, or support.
Examples include:
Ritual attendees
a being with a deity question
a being with questions about spellwork or worship
A being who becomes ill during a working
a plot of land that needs cleansing
a building that needs help
fellow sacred role colleagues
Oftentimes those who are comfortable or feel called to be a Ward will say they feel called to protect those who can't protect themselves. It's with that innate thought process that we need to keep them safe, and tend to gravitate towards the offensive side of protection. But simply put this is not always the best option, and we can see that just from the examples of who and what we could be taking care of.
To be a Ward is to carry a sense of responsibility and a desire to serve their fellow beings. To help do that without immediately going on the offensive, I created a set of five easy to follow strategy questions so as to better determine the proper response of the Ward to the developing situation at hand.
The Who - Who or what is being affected?
The What - What exactly is happening to the charge identified?
The Where - Where did the charge undergo the primary duress, and can we remove them from said area?
The How - What techniques and resources should be applied to the situation?
The Aftercare/Debrief - How do we check in after providing guidance and support?
Some of the techniques you may see a Ward use for a developing situation may fall among those listed below:
Active listening/Motivational interviewing
validating a charge's emotions and what they're going through
Walking a charge through a cooldown breath exercise
encouraging a charge to speak with their team, Spiritual or Mundane
Provide guidance utilizing your own internet or book resources for pastoral or mental care
Refer to another member of the organization or team at hand
Wards will also be seen applying these techniques when interacting with the vaettir, making sure to be respectful and listening to their voices. For those situations, it may be as simple as cleaning up garbage or it may be closing a portal, but by listening and validating, those Wards are providing invaluable help.
When it comes to Ward acting on their duties, ethics have to be at the forefront of their mind. Akin to the first responders of the spiritual community (I am an active mundane first responder, as many Wards are) they are up close and personal with triggering topics that our charges need support with. How do they handle that? Where is the line beyond which they have to report? How does confidentiality and the duty to keep our charges safe interact?
Where do they draw the line when they can't provide what the charge needs, nor can another member of the team? How do Ward's determine when trying to keep the charge safe it may in fact pose a greater risk or danger to our community or even the greater population? Unfortunately there is no end-all-be-all answer for such. All operating procedures are going to vary from Ward to Ward and organization to organization. What matters is that the Ward responding has a procedure and a code they abide by.
Outside of these aspects of the Ward, you will see them setting protections, most commonly in the form of either sigil work or in Bindrune form. For longer purposes they may compose spells, but to react fast, and set up defenses fast, it's much easier to pull a sigil from the toolbox versus reciting and chanting a spell. That said, they very well may be chanting something as they apply their warding measures; it's important to not interrupt that flow if you observe such.
To be a Ward is to take the weight of the community upon the shoulders of you and those like you, and be the guide and protector that those who come searching for find. They have taken oaths of responsibility to the public at large, before deities that will bear no mercy should they betray those oaths, because it is what they are called to do. Ward is not just a role in ritual or a mere word; it is the title and class all itself of the humble figure in the background watching everything and saying nothing until the time arrives that they are needed.