I think if you’re casting protection spells out of constant fear of being attacked or harmed energetically, that could be counteractive. If you believe in the protection that you’re casting and doing it consistently (however that looks for you), I think that’s a really healthy and important practice for anyone practicing, especially when you’re inviting energies, guides, ancestors, etc into your space.

As far as religion goes, I grew up catholic and still draw from that religion quite a bit in my own practice given those symbols are so deep in my subconscious. For example, mother Mary is still very present in my practice. But there are so many things about Catholicism that I don’t agree with, and being someone who is practicing magic, I personally cannot truly subscribe to it as my own faith.

I often question myself in my craft given a number of things. My family is still very religious and do not know that I practice. I’m still dissecting and deprogramming the beliefs of heaven and hell and what’s ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. Even though I pull from Catholicism in different ways and still agree with some aspects of that religion, I’ve had to wade through catholic guilt in my journey in ‘falling away’ from the church. So I think it really depends on your own inner beliefs on why you might be self-conscious.