Hex Twisting Book Review
I remember enjoying this book when it first came out. At the time I thought there needed to be something better than Jason Miller's "Protection and Reversal Magic" (book review coming not soon). I also thought this book was the answer. Let's see if I agree now.
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Contents:
Synopsis
What I Liked
What I Didn't Like
Overall Thoughts
Conclusion
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Published 2021
"Even if you're the most mild-mannered practitioner who sticks to personal development magick, you can still end up getting energetically attacked. Hex Twisting is the key to countering any curse or hex cast your way. Providing a variety of techniques to defend yourself, this indispensable guide helps you drive hurtful magick out of your home, trap malevolent spirits, and more.
Diana Rajchel has spent years handling psychic attacks, ancestral injuries, and work-for-hire hauntings. She carefully studied how each one worked and now she passes that knowledge to you through this book's powerful collection of exercises, tips, and tools. Discover how to diagnose, recover from, and prevent jinxes, hexes, crosses, and curses. Explore countermeasure recipes, reversal spells, and cleansing rituals. Whatever is after you, this book can help you stop it."
-from the back of the book
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What I Liked
The book starts out by saying that "sometimes we must become [the] consequences [to someone else's actions]." Hell yeah. This is a book that doesn't shy away from cursing and hexing, but knows that there is a time and place for it. Though most of the book is concerned with reversals, protections, banishings, etc. The book does explain the difference between a jinx, hex, cross (mostly a term you'll find used in hoodoo and southern conjure traditions), and a curse.
The author mentions "karma," and what I like is that is that she actually talks about what karma is in Buddhism and Hindusim. Acknowledging that what the west has termed "karma" is actually just the consequences of your actions.
The author gives lots of different ways to verify if you are cursed or not, as well as "diagnostic" methods. Most of which include various divination methods, and lists of cursed "symptoms" may be.
When I first read the book, and again this time around, I found Rajchel's idea of "aura holes" to be interesting. I'm not sure that I totally buy into it, but I can see how the concepts of damage and repair could be beneficial depending on the practitioner.
In chapter 3 "Your Magickal Body, Yourself," there is a several pages long list of materials that can be used to cleanse and also break spells. I've seen newer practitioners who want to learn more about spell breaking asking about such materials and this may be useful to them.
In chapter 4 "Ah! Get it Out of Here!," Rajchel talks about the issues surrounding the term "smudging." I have heard the same from Native Americans I've spoken with that smudging is a specific ritual that non-Natives don't know how to do properly because they haven't actually been taught how to do, so the appropriation comes from the use of the term. I have also reblogged some posts on other Native American's take on why white sage itself would be closed. Though if you want to learn more about the environmental impact of the use of white sage, you won't find it here. I suggest taking a look at this website.
There are quite a few good workings in this book that I think would be helpful for those wondering about curse breaking and protection in general. There's talk of cleaning itself being an act of spiritual cleansing (her Basic House Cleansing and Warding method is a great starting point), a really good example of a historical witch bottle (which she separates from spell jars), minor spirit traps, bindings, a long list of simple ways to ward, among many other wonderful spells.
At the end of the book, whether the person is dealing with a curse, a haunting, or something else, Rajchel does encourage seeking mental health services if your emotional and mental wellbeing is in jeopardy. If you're experiencing depression and/or anxiety or any other mental health issue, seek a professional if you can who is able to help you through you medical experience.
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What I Didn't Like
There was more that I didn't like about this book than I had originally remembered. Some of them are minor issues, while others... are larger. I thought about whether I should put these in order from smaller to larger or larger to smaller. Ultimately these will be in chronological order as they begin to appear in the book.
A smaller issue, for me, is that the author uses the magick spelling. I personally think it's ridiculous. The person who picked up the book knows you're not talking about stage magic, and I'm also an Aleister Crowley hater. He got heat for all the wrong things in his life time.
While she understands what Karma is outside of the new age sphere, Rajchel is under the false impression that the misunderstanding in the new age, started with Wicca. It actually stems from Helena Blavatsky and Theosophy. A lot New Age bullshit, comes from Theosophy. If you want to learn more about Karma from Hinduism and Buddhism, I encourage you to read Hindu and Buddhist texts. These would be the Rig Vedas, the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads (which are all Hindu, for Buddhism you really have to pick a Buddhist tradition you're interested in and learn which texts they suggest).
This leads to... chakras. They're all over this book and so misunderstood. From my own research and listening to Ayurvedic practitioners, chakras don't get clogged as the author seems to think, they do not need to be opened, they don't get tethered by energy cords, nor do they need to be "audited." This is another perception coming from Theosophy (though not Helena herself). If you are Hindu or Buddhist and I am wrong on any of this, please let me know. However, for now, I think Rajchel should probably be calling them something else.
I noticed that Rajchel uses some curse diagnostic methods that are used in Mexican folk magic. Specifically limpia con huevos (egg cleansing) and a limpia using candles. She doesn't mention that they're Mexican and no where does she mention if she is of Mexican descent (usually people say that when sharing their own cultural practices, but I could be wrong). While I've seen other folk practices adapt this practice, most have acknowledged it's origins.
Rajchel is really into shabbat candles, a candle which is lit 18 minutes before the sabbath day in Jewish tradition according to the Hasidic website Chabad. I don't understand why she insists on shabbat candles for cleansing. I don't know if she grew up Jewish or anything (as she is now a Gardnerian high priestess), but I scoured the Jewitches blog on candles in Jewish magic and I still don't understand. I've seen this style of cleansing in Mexican folk magic but not with a shabbat candle. Why specifically a shabbat candle? It's just a candle until it is burnt for shabbat, to my understanding.
A smaller issue, is that I wish she had put binomial names next to the folk names for the herbs she mentions as being good for cleansing and curse breaking. Not everyone calls the same plant by the same name so it would clear up some confusion.
There's a lot of hoodoo in this book without any crediting. For example in the section titled "Improving Metaphysical Immunity," one of the ideas suggested is to place Devil's Shoestring oil in your shoe to break any spells you may step on. This idea comes directly from hoodoo, where tricks (a type of working similar to a hex) can be laid by either placing a powder or similar substance where the target would step in it or touch it, and also by taking some of the tracks dust. Devil's Shoestring itself is very much tied to hoodoo. You'll also find the term "tricks" (which she defines as "negative spells activated by contact with you') being used at the beginning of chapter 4 "Ah! Get it Out of Here!: Driving Negative Magick Out of the Home." It very much makes it feel as though this author equates hoodoo with "negative" workings. Again, here she does not say that tricks is a term used in hoodoo specifically. On page 146 and 147, she talks about Reversal Candles with the two colors, which again she does not make mention of being hoodoo except for the quote "If you frequent botanicas... you have seen this tool, seven-day glass jar candles half-filled with two colors of wax." You've seen them in botanicas because they cater to African and Hispanic diasporic religions. At the beginning of chapter seven "Health Protection: Spells to Ward and Preserve the (Energetic) Bodies," Rajchel lists a working she has called "Health Preserving Mojo Bag." A mojo bag is a very specific working in hoodoo. Here she just lists a way to make a basic spell bag. This is NOT a mojo bag. Her section on Domination spells is also just hoodoo (at least she says they are from Conjure here). The last thing I noticed regarding hoodoo, she gives a spell titled "Run Devil Run" which she does acknowledge is a type of working in hoodoo, however, from what I know, this is not a way that it would be done in hoodoo. So, to me (someone who does not practice hoodoo), it feels like she's slapping on the name without being true to the tradition. If you are a hoodoo practitioner, please let me know if I got something wrong.
Skipping back to page 60 where Rajchel is discussing the energy body and it's orders, we have the quote "People with this arrangement align with what Western medicine classifies as neurotypical." It goes on to say that the order she has given that is "neurotypical" is easier to cleanse. Which made me, as a neurodivergent person, feel a type of way. I also feel like this isn't true.
On page 69, Rajchel talks about mirrors being portals or wards depending on how they’re treated. She goes on to basically say if they aren’t cleansed and warded they can act as portals. However, the only time I’ve seen mirrors actually act as portals is when they’ve been ACTIVELY used that way purposefully by a practitioner. I really don’t think people need to be so fussed about mirrors.
In chapter 5, “Chase Off the Small Stuff,” I wish she would talk more about the cultural beliefs of the Evil Eye and not just what it is generally. And I wish she would have acknowledged the cultures the Hamsa used in her spell “Evil Eye House Protection.” She doesn’t even tell the reader what it’s called or where it comes from, its symbolism, etc. Really just saying it’s a “general anti-jealousy protection.” Which is pretty reductive.
On page 160 and 161, Rajchel talks about Milagros saying they are “charms that folk-Catholicism practitioners from around the world place on their home altars.” I grew up Catholic, and it’s mostly a Latino thing from what I can find. You can find kits at botanicas (as she points out) for the same reason you can find reversal candles there.
The rest of these are smaller issues compared to some others I’ve covered. Rajchel talks about forwarding a curse, which I think is a really good and interesting idea! However, she says a popular choice to forward it to is Iowa, my home state. Please don’t forward it here, we have enough problems. Better yet, forward it to your least favorite politician or Project 2025.
At the beginning of chapter 10, “When Spirits are Jerks,” she says that some spirits can be described as “Byzantium.” If you’re unfamiliar, Byzantium describes the time period and empire that was once modern day Istanbul. I don’t know what any of that has to do with whether or not a spirit is friendly.
In the same chapter, Rajchel suggests banishing spirits, and then if that doesn’t work, try communicating with them. I would argue to do the opposite. Talk with the spirit before trying to banish it. It’s like shooting someone and then being like “oh sorry, here’s some milk to make you happy.” I’d also argue, it’s not a very good banishing if it doesn’t work.
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Overall Thoughts
While I do still prefer this book to some others on the topic that I’ve read, I didn’t remember all of the woof moments. There are lots of good advice in here that isn’t appropriative, however you need to know what to look out for. I will be continuing to look out for a better all encompassing, general practitioner book on protection magic and spell breaking. If you are interested in a specific type of tradition, however, that would probably be a better place to look for protections.
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Conclusion
You can find other reviews below. If you want to buy this book it can be found on Amazon, Google Books, the author's website, the publisher's website, Portland Button Works & Spiral House, and more.
Other Reviews:
Under the Ancient Oaks Patheos Blog
