i apologize for the silly question but how can you protect an already created item or make it protective? i don't know why it's not really computing in my head
If you can't/don't want to modify the item at all, some ideas:
Consecrate it. Through a consecration, rebirth, or baptism ritual, kill the object's old fate (let's say, as a class ring), and then give it new life as a protective object.
The physical body stays the same but you have changed its fate and its life; you've made it into something else.
This consecration should focus specifically around protection. So you are consecrating it to the purpose of protection; you are changing its fate to one of being a protector; you are rebirthing it into a life of protecting.
Another option is to consecrate it unto a protective god or spirit. Suppose you get along quite famously with the protection work that Mars (planet) does. You can consecrate the ring to be a Talisman of Mars, a Martial Shield, a Protection Amulet of the Red Planet.
The function of consecration in this context is to set a very rock-solid ""mental"" body within the physical object. (I believe it goes beyond that; I believe you're literally fucking around with fate, which is a good thing.)
Enchant it. I think at this time I would not consider consecration to be the same as enchantment. We can take a class ring and give it a new life as a protector.
But the enchantment is like outfitting the protector with weapons, armor, and a warhorse.
So just consecrating something on its own I think does something, but maybe nothing spectacular.
To do an enchantment, find powers or correspondences which do the same kinds of things you want the protection amulet to do. Maybe we want clove for space, basil for bravery and strength, and oak for a mighty defense.
During the casting of the spell, you might empower/charge/evoke power into the plants, and then direct that power to infuse into the class ring.
"Oak, you build an infinite wall that goes in every direction. None can pass you. And this power does not remain in this oak twig, but it goes into the ring. And within and around the ring, the wall is raised." That sort of thing.
Charge it. You can take a lot of protective energy, program it to do the kind of defense you want, and pour it directly into the ring. IME if you only do this, and you don't do enchantment/energy work to actually build a secure energy structure within the ring, the charge will fade quickly.
You could do just 1 or 2 of these things. You don't have to consecrate a ring to be a protector before you enchant it to protect.
But I believe it's like this:
Imagine a king (you) needs a knight. You could choose a random civilian off of the street and say, "you're a knight now!" and give them a horse and sword. This is like enchanting without consecration.
But you could also consult the oracle and find a person fated and foretold to be the most powerful protector in all the land. The key is, you're not only the king who can knight; you're also the god who assigns fate. This is like consecrating before enchanting/charging.
Finally, you can go down to the pub and say, "look. Free rounds all night to whoever goes and beats up the guy down the road." It'll cost a bit up front and your protector won't be around for long, but it'll work. This is like charging without enchanting or consecrating (or building energy structures, etc).
Overall I believe the most powerful artifacts are born under special stars (minding astrological timing when you create the vessel), consecrated to fate, enchanted with purpose, and charged with power. But you can skip any of these steps and only do the ones you can manage. It will work anyway, it just influences how long the magic will last, and the magnitude of the effects.
(Also btw this was not a silly question at all)



















