WGNS 1
The Properties of Salt
Salt is one of the most ancient and venerated substances in history. It is essential for the function of animal bodies, yet too much can cause illness; thus, it could easily be used in either a blessing or a curse. In the past is was a valuable substance and sometimes even a currency, valued at its weight in gold, so you could use it in place of gold or in prosperity spells. Many cultures and religions used it in offerings to their gods or the dead, and a great many still do. Many cultures use salt to keep away evil spirits, or spirits in general, and to draw in prosperity. In Alchemy, salt refers to physical matter, through which personality and life force are expressed.
Things I might use salt for:
Spells concerning muscles and hydration
Spells to enhance the sense of taste
Curses concerning the heart, blood, or kidneys
Curses for draught, desiccation, or famine
Wards against weakness, dehydration, or famine
Spells to bring prosperity
Offerings to gods
Wards to keep out spirits
Spells to purify energy
Spells to enhance the strength and resilience of the body
Things salt could theoretically be used for:
Balancing an “impure” material in a spell
Spells to weaken spirits
Line curses (via family blood)
Instead of gold in a spell or ritual
Spells or wards concerning water/earth
Notes:
In the first episode of season 1, Sam notes that their father’s room is protected by both salt and Cat’s Eye shells. Since the shells primary function is to prevent the desiccation of the snail, and salt is quite good at desiccating things, this is an interesting combination. Because the shells would not have been powdered (Sam wouldn’t have been able to recognize them if they had been), I would assume they were in use to perhaps defend against the “predatory” spirit of the episode, and/or to weaken her psychic powers. The salt would probably have acted doubly as a ward against spirits in general, and as an amplification of the shells’ spirit-weakening properties.