Inspired by our recent bespoke talismanic work, and much-teased on our podcast (that more such charms are indeed coming!) I’m proud to offer a new ally to our kind readers and listeners: protection chaplets diligently crafted under lamplight reflected by the watchful wolf-eyes of St. Christopher.
As much-beloved protector and guide for all three of us at With Cunning & Command, St. Christopher is the immensely popular cynocephalic patron of travel by land and sea, athletics, bachelors, and surfing. A deeper analysis of the figure of the dog-headed warrior reveals a deeply-rooted identification with Hermanubis and resultant patronages of the dead, exorcism, treasure hunting, storms, gardening, conditions such as epilepsy and the plague, and of course the mysteries of wolves and dogs (all deserving of posts in their own right).
His most exoteric magical function is, however, situated in his protection of travelers, especially those on long journeys. Images of St. Christopher carrying the Christ-child are said to have excellent protective properties toward this purpose, so great in potency that simply viewing an image of the saint is said to be equivalent in spiritual benefits to receiving the Eucharist, prevent illness (especially plagues), and to avert any sort of sudden death. This lead to a massive proliferation of materials related to his cult, especially throughout Europe and the Americas—in a survey of images conducted for the British Archeological Association in 1904, a Mrs. Collier reports that his images were only outnumbered in English churches by those of the Virgin Mary. As a result, St. Christopher metals serve as the protection talismans par excellence in the popular imagination and find instantiations in folk magical traditions the world over. For these talismans, I decided to fuse the two most common protective modes for drivers and travelers that incorporate these properties: the charm bag and the rosary.
As recorded in Cat Yronwode’s book Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic, “A red flannel mojo containing Mugwort, Comfrey root, and a Saint Christopher medal is said to provide safety and protection to those who visit foreign places or venture away from home, and to make journeys more pleasant by eliminating interference in one’s travel plans.” The full composition of these charms will by necessity remain secret, but the core around which they are built is composed of the same mugwort and comfrey, each empowered and focused in their tasks by additional materia. Rosaries also serve as powerful and near-ubiquitous protective talismans throughout the Catholic world, especially seen hanging from the rearview mirrors of automobiles. This tradition has spawned various forms of rosaries and chaplets specifically made for this purpose, a set of which I repurposed for the construction of these talismans. The prayer that adorns the reverse of the image of St. Christopher reads: “São Cristóvão e São Miguel, protegei este motorista aqui na terra, para que ele não chegue adiantado no Céu!”, meaning: “Saint Christopher and Saint Michael, protect this motorist here on Earth, so that he doesn’t arrive early in Heaven!”
While a little more straightforward in its construction in comparison to other talismans I’ve created, these particular chaplets differentiate themselves through effort: they received extensive daily blessings and lavish offerings on my shrine to St. Christopher over a period of six weeks, culminating in various rosaries being said on each individual set of beads, and the charm bundles being fumigated through a sequence of astrologically elected incenses to further construct the enchantment. This particular diligence reflects the number and nature of the dangers inherent to the act of driving, each of which requires the utmost care in its aversion.
All St. Christopher’s Protection Chaplets are sold out. Thank you for your patronage!
With Cunning & Command 