Accelerate your Spiritual Development.Join the Watkins Wisdom Academy and learn from the best spiritual teachers in the world.

Liza Frank5 min

Household Lore: Thresholds and Protection Magic

November 16, 2025

If we are to believe Plutarch, the 1st-century Greek philosopher, even the tiniest chink in our armour is enough to allow ghosts and ne’er-do-well forces to enter our homes, so you will need your thresholds to be strong.

Household thresholds come in many forms: from the first or last step of a staircase, to the roof, to the doors, to the windows, mirrors, chimneys, garden gate, even the cat flap. While identifying a threshold can be as easy as pointing at a skylight, their physical manifestation is only part of the story. Metaphysically, a threshold occupies the space between what we know and what we don’t. What we allow and what we won’t. What is sacred and what is not. And in the case of the home, what is inside and what is out. To cross a threshold is to leave yourself vulnerable to the unknown, to open yourself up to all manner of weird, wonderful and worrying things, to possibilities that are endless and unforeseen. Unless, of course, you come prepared…

The front door

The front door is one of the most obvious thresholds and our actions above it and surrounding it can make or break a harmonious home, folklorically speaking. There are many cultures that believe spirits and deities congregate at thresholds. For example, in Ireland it’s said you’d be unwise to strain your potatoes over a threshold for fear of scalding the thousands of spirits likely to be lingering there. Similarly, the djinns of North Africa and the Middle East are also partial to hanging out on a threshold. They are said to be suckers for a good story, and a doorstep, much like an eavesdrop, is a perfect place to overhear these. This is why you’re advised to always step over a threshold when entering or exiting a home, rather than stepping onto one, as this way you avoid disturbing any entity capable of throwing a curse at you for treading on them. However, as with all things, there are some people that contradict this by maintaining that if you’d like good luck throughout the day, your right foot should always tread on the threshold when you leave the house.

How to get the most out of your horseshoe

The horseshoe is arguably one of the most recognisable symbols of luck and apotropaic protection. Some say the power stems from the story of St Dunstan, who, when he was just Dunstan, a blacksmith, wasn’t all that gentle when shoeing the Devil. This resulted in the Devil swearing off going near a horseshoe – and, by extension, any house with a horseshoe – from that day forward. However, the 17th-century natural philosopher John Aubrey wrote that the reason iron horseshoes were effective was because ‘Mars is enemy to Saturn’, which, when unpicked in astrological terms, means something along the lines of: iron has beef with lead, therefore watch out witches. To begin with, horseshoes were associated with repelling evil forces, especially witches, but as time wore on, their symbolism shifted to becoming harbingers of good luck. Whichever way you view them, should you wish to pop one on your threshold, there are many factors, mostly conflicting, to consider in order for you to obtain maximum fortune or protection. Acquiring your horseshoe In order for your horseshoe to work, it must not be given, bought, or stolen from a forge, or the charm will not take. Instead, it must be lost and then found, or found accidentally, or given, or stolen (but not from a blacksmith) on a road, preferably with the heel (the open bit) turned toward you, half worn, with at least three nails remaining in it for extra luck. Preparing your horseshoe Method 1: Take it home and tack it up. Method 2: Take it home in complete silence and tack it up. Method 3: Take it home, don’t tell your neighbour and tack it up. Method 4: Spit on it, throw it over your left shoulder, make a wish, take it home and tack it up. Method 5: Heat the horseshoe until red hot and then tack it up. Method 6: Heat the horseshoe until red hot, douse it in a vat of your own urine, do this three times by the light of a full moon and then tack it up. Placing your horseshoe Horseshoes can be placed behind the front door (or threshold), above the front door, on the front of the front door, on the doorstep with the heel facing toward the door, or on the garden gate. For maximum protection, you should tack it up using all seven holes in the shoe, or with three nails and three hammer blows. Either way, never touch it again after attaching. Note, if you’re trying to imprison a witch in their own home, you will need to nail the horseshoe under their threshold so they can’t get out. Horseshoes can also be placed on the thresholds of bedrooms and beds to stop night hags and maras from entering. Prong-position pros and cons Prongs-up pros: You catch the luck; it imprisons the Devil so he can’t enter the home; it symbolises both moon and moon goddesses; it takes the shape of horns symbolising protection and power; it also protects against storms; you can hang a hag stone inside the shoe and double your luck and protection. (Note: some sources say a small tilt to the side with the prongs up is the ideal position.) Prongs-up cons: The Devil can make a seat in the shoe; pixies can make a seat in the shoe; it takes the shape of the Devil’s horns. Prongs-down pros: Wards off bad luck; the Devil falls out; the luck flows freely (blacksmiths only); attracts good luck as looks like a magnet; the luck falls onto you. Prongs-down cons: The luck runs out; it brings misfortune. You can also position your horseshoe prongs to the side, as this way luck is tipped back into the house.

Dates for your diary

1 January There are variations aplenty when it comes to First Footing, the tradition where the first person across the front-door threshold after midnight on New Year’s Day brings luck, good or bad, for the rest of the year. Some believe the First Foot (or Lucky Bird if you’re in Yorkshire, or Quaaltagh in the Isle of Man) should be a tall, dark and handsome man, while others are quite content to welcome a short, genial redheaded woman. It just depends on where you are. What is agreed is that the First Foot should not come empty-handed, with gifts of coal, whisky and evergreens being among the list of acceptable presents to bring the luck. Those who come emptyhanded, or who aren’t in good health physically (or in some cases those who are midwifes or gravediggers), only bring bad luck to the household and should be turned away and not offered the hospitality of the house The Chinese Spring Festival or New Year Festival In China, it is customary to paint your front door red in preparation for the New Year. Unlike the fixed New Year of the Gregorian calendar, the celebration falls sometime between 21 January and 20 February and is calculated by the date of the Lunar New Year. In China, red is the luckiest of all the colours and is symbolic of prosperity, renewal and fortune. Plus it’s said to ward off evil spirits while welcoming good.

Liza Frank

This feature has been extracted from Household Lore: Folklore, Traditions and Remedies For Every Room in Your Home (£19.99, Watkins Publishing), out now.

Liza Frank is a have-a-go folklorist and author. She has written extensively about myth and folklore and spent a year living by the rules of folklore for The Everyday Lore Project. She is also the author of Everyday Folklore: An Almanac for the Ritual Year (£14.99, Murdoch Books).