I’d suggest The Star and The Hierophant for protection. The Star is great for the front door - it brings a protective, hopeful feel. For other entrances, the Hierophant works well… adds a sense of spiritual protection and clear boundaries.
I’ve had the Hierophant over my bedroom window for a few months, and the energy feels grounding. I place the cards with the image facing inward to draw the protection into the space rather than outward.
For protection, I’d go with Temperance if you like the angelic vibe. The angel in that card represents divine protection and balance. Plus, the imagery with one foot on land and one in water works well for doorways, like guarding between spaces.
I like thinking of protection cards as picking a bouncer for each entrance, you want someone whose energy fits what that space needs. I put The Hermit at my basement door and storage areas. His lantern seemed right for illuminating dark corners and keeping weird stuff from hanging around down there.
I do think the energy in my home got lighter after doing this and some weird noises stopped.
Something that helped me was holding each card up to different entrances during the day and paying attention to how I felt. Like, The Chariot felt right at my garage door, and the Six of Swords worked well for my bathroom window. You kind of get a sense of where each card wants to be if you pay attention.
Using The Star on your front door sounds like a solid pick for hope and protection. For other entrances, try The High Priestess to guard thresholds, or the Nine of Wands for a watchful feel.
If you haven’t cleansed your deck before setting cards out like this, it’s worth doing. A quick reset keeps the energy clear and focused.
The Chariot is usually seen as the main protection card, but I think we get stuck on these fixed meanings sometimes. Protection can look really different depending on what you need.
I do like The Chariot for main entrances. It has that feeling of keeping things moving but also setting boundaries, kind of like a doorman for your space. For side windows, I’ve tried different Knights (not the Knight of Swords, too aggressive for protection work). They each have their own vibe. Cups help with emotional boundaries, Pentacles keep things grounded.
I do agree that cleansing the cards is probably good. You don’t want them collecting negative energies and just keeping them locked inside rather than out.
The Tower reversed works really well as protection when you place it upside-down above doorways. I think someone mentioned this though, you have to be really careful and really specific about who/what you’re protecting against. It basically reverses any negative energy before it can come in. If you pair Justice with any protection card, it creates this mirror effect that sends bad intentions back to whoever sent them, supposedly seven times stronger.
The old method says to trace the main symbol from the card three times in the air before you place it. Then you seal it with your breath and intention. Best times are dawn or dusk when things are supposed to be more receptive to this stuff.
I like using both upright and reversed cards for protection work too. The reversals can add some interesting protective qualities. THE CHARIOT reversed works well for doorways, it’s like an immovable fortress that won’t let anything pass. With your STAR placement, it creates a nice balance.
For windows, try TEMPERANCE reversed. When it’s reversed it creates stronger boundaries, kind of like angelic protection but more forceful. The 7 of Wands reversed is good for protection. Instead of defending from above, it digs in and creates a barrier from below. The 9 of Wands reversed works similarly, turns into an automated defense system.
4 of Swords reversed wakes up the sleeping guardian, so it’s alert and watchful instead of resting. Queen of Swords reversed becomes even more protective. Her boundaries turn into steel walls and nothing gets past her. She’s uncompromising when reversed. The 10 of Pentacles reversed can work here too, it breaks up stagnant energies trying to enter while keeping your home stable. Since you have the STAR already placed, I’d suggest THE CHARIOT reversed for your back door. It blocks entry from behind pretty effectively.
Here’s something most people don’t know: if you’re using The Star at your front door, try putting the Two of Cups at your back entrance. It creates an energetic circuit that protects the whole house.
Strength card for inner protection!! not physical protection, but when you need to stay centered around difficult people or situations. I keep a mini one in my wallet. That infinity symbol above her head represents unlimited inner resources