This is my personal take on a pretty conventional hex. In my experience, it’s very effective, and I’ve had some pretty interesting results come of it. I’ll make notes as I go, and do my best to explain the purpose of each action so that you can make substitutions/alterations in an effective way.
I’m calling this a hex, but this can really pack a whallop depending on how you make it. If you feel like you need something harsher or softer, then adjust as needed. If your personal code does not allow for any kind of baneful magic, you may have better luck with a different spell.
Also, the specific actions and words I use are just examples, you do not have to recite them verbatim. It’s just to convey the gist of what’s happening.
A poppet of your target, or something similar to identify them.
A sturdy container, preferably glass. (Note: just make sure whatever you put in can’t seep out of it. I like mason jars because they’re easy to acquire, hold pretty much any material, and also create broken glass if shattered, which is nice for a hex.)
Nails, pins, needles, or something else stabby and abundant.
Thread or twine, black preferable.
Thumb tacks, glass shards, or other sharps
Hot sauce, lemon juice, pepper seeds, or anything else sour/spicy you wouldn’t want to put on a wound. (Note: never fw a witch who enjoys fancy killer hot sauces.)
Dust, grime, or other gross stuff you can scrape up from around your house.
A black cloth or black trash bag. Something thick enough to block light.
Prep your ritual space however you normally would, get your mind ready and have the materials pre-gathered and onhand. (Note: the best time to perform this would be a Saturday night, particularly on a full or new moon, especially at an hour where Saturn is most influential. If all of those can’t align for you in a timely manner, pick your favorites or just do what you can.)
If you haven’t already done so, consecrate your poppet now. Make sure the Universe knows exactly who this poppet is supposed to represent.
Now is the time to air your grievances towards the poppet. Speak to it as if you were speaking to the target with no holds barred. Tell them exactly how they’ve fucked up, how they’ve messed with the wrong witch, and now it’s time to face some consequences.
Take your pins/needles and drive them into the poppet. Name each wrongdoing they’ve committed as you go. “This one is for betraying my trust. This one is for threatening my loved ones. May you feel each like a pin stuck in you until you make right on it.”
Wrap the poppet in thread. Cover it completely if you feel the need to. “I hereby bind you from acting in this way.” Alternatively, “may your web of lies become so thick and tangled that you can’t move.”
Place the poppet in the jar, then fill the jar with whatever sharps, spicies, and nasties you like. (Note: you can forego any of these ingredients if you’d like to make it a more gentle hex, or up the anti to make it harsher. Basically, you’re creating a toxic environment inside the jar either for them to rot inside, or that will harm them if they break your binds. The latter works best if the poppet is wrapped completely so that they’re not actually touching the hot sauce… yet.)
Say any final words about their situation. Be specific and think it through, this part is personal to you. Do you want them to rot in this jar for what they did? Will the curse be lifted when they make right on their actions? Is there a specific way you want to see this metaphor to manifest in real life?
Close the jar and cover it. Make it so the sun can’t reach it.
Storage/Disposal. This part depends on your goal! If you just want to teach your target a lesson, store the wrapped jar in a dark, private place (the back of a closet works great) where it won’t see the sun or be disturbed. If you KNOW you will never want to lift this hex and this spell is an act of war, put it in a garbage bag and fling that shit into a dumpster where it won’t ever see the light of day until it’s ground up into a landfill.
Recovery. If you’ve chosen the dumpster method, there’s no need for this part! If you decided to keep it and feel like your spell has adequately run its course, you can lift the hex simply by taking the jar back into the light and removing the poppet. You can also take out any pins you put in it.