🌞🌝 @tanamongrel - Tumblr Blog

theoldcottage-deactivated202208

To Close the Doors of an Enemy

You will obtain an long nail that has not been used for anything outside of this ritual. Alongside this, a black thread and an image or taglock of the person you wish to work this ritual on. You will prepare a pot of soil or, if you have access, a small patch of land close to the west. When night comes, preferably on a saturday, you will take the taglock and bind it to the nail with the black thread saying:

I hammer nails into your feet, your hands, your head, youur throat. No paths shall open for thee, no roads, no doors. I say it and it shall be so.

This nail is then taken to the western side of the property or to the pot of soil which has been placed in the western part of the property. You will take the nail and place it in the soil so that it stands up and then slam it down with your hand declaring:

It is done. The nails are set, you shall not wander and no glory shall be yours.

Inspirations

Slavic Witchcraft by Natasha Helvin Backwoods Witchcraft by Jake Richards

lovestereo

Visit Original Link

will-o-the-witch

The Lemon Hex

For when someone has REALLY done you dirty and you just need a quick and powerful burst of baneful energy. This one is powerful, fast-acting, and short-lived, by nature it can really f a person up and can't be undone/reversed once you've cast it. As always, practice responsibly and be safe!

What You Need

A lemon (naturally.)

A knife to help handle said lemon

A leaf or piece of paper with your target's name/identifying info on it (taglock)

Ginger/Cayenne Pepper to help empower/speed up the spell. Both preferred, but just one can do.

Salt/Black Pepper, good baseline ingredients for most hexes

Anything nasty or spicy you can think of. Hot sauces/peppers, old vegetable juices, lint/dust, dish scum, you name it.

Important note: This is not a spell you want to use needles, nails, or other hard things in. Keep it soft and organic if you can. You'll see why.

Steps

Throughout all of this, I find hexes to be a good opportunity to speak your mind, let the target know exactly how they fucked up and how this is the consequence of their actions.

Prepare your taglock and cut an opening in your lemon. Give it some room in the middle.

Roll up or stuff the taglock inside the lemon alongside all of the other ingredients. Be sure to add the ginger and cayenne for best results.

Once it's all in there, give it a little roll/squeeze to make sure those lemon juices permeate all the nasty insides. Let the citrus sting and the spices burn, let the grossness reflect the grossness they've wrought on your own life being sent back.

Chop the whole thing into pieces in preparation for the next step.

Once you're ready, chuck it into the garbage disposal.

If you don't have a garbage disposal, a blender with some liquid should work too. You could even continue using nasties like lemon or pickle juice.

Your lemon is now ground up and liquefied. Dispose of the remains however you please.

casa-de-cadejo-deactivated20220

what is your favorite Solomonic magic book? Whose version(s) of the old Solomonic grimoires do you like?

Grimoire Verum is by far my favorite. I'm not gonna lie, part of the reason I love Verum so much is simply because it's fun as fuck but it also fits into my non-ceremonial practices well. The Verum-family has been quite popular with laypeople since about the 1600s and the advent of the printing press and has been adapted into numerous folk traditions from European witchcraft to Quimbanda and hoodoo. They have distinctly more infernal bent than the Clavicula family, are pact-based, and have wider folk magic applications making it an ideal companion to my sabbatic practice. Plus I find quite challenging which is always fun.

That being said I would strongly advise against starting your demon summoning or Solomonic careers with a Verum book unless you are already very experienced with other forms of spirit summoning and handling hostile spirits. It’s simplicity, relatively modest toolkit, and collection of folk magic spells make it an appealing grimoire for novices but it is a significantly more dangerous procedure. In addition to there being less protection from the demons the system is entirely pact-based and it’s easy to get in a lot of trouble making shitty pacts. Finally it can be quite physically taxing and it can exacerbate illnesses if you aren’t careful. Don’t get me wrong this is not an issue limited to the Verum family, demons can and will make you sick if you misstep. It’s just more likely to happen with Verum so you need to maintain excellent spiritual hygiene.

Stephen Skinner and Joseph Peterson’s editions are my favorite due to the extensive amount of contextual and comparative information presented for each grimoire. As you’re probably aware grimoire texts vary significantly between translations and manuscripts and I appreciate both author’s dedication to presenting as complete a picture as possible.

For anyone looking to get into Solomonic magic I cannot sing high enough praise for Skinner’s two-volume Techniques series. They’re extremely readable but academic histories of Solomonic magic and it’s immediate predecessors, tracing both the history of the style itself as well as individual techniques commonly found in Solomonic grimoires.

littlewitchygreen

Protection Spells (and Hexes) for the BLM Movement

As promised, here is a list of protection spells and similar things that can be used for the BLM protestors, as well as hexes for oppressors, for any hex-friendly witches who wish to do so! All spells and info are linked to the original posters, so please give their posts some appreciation if you use them, too, and please don’t reshare their stuff without crediting them!

Protections

Using tarot to protect someone

Protection spell masterlist

Written spell specifically for protesters

In-the-moment protection spell

Crystals with protective properties

Candle spell for protecting others

Spell for BLM

Sigils for BLM

Emoji spell to protect protesters

Another emoji spell for protesters

Sigil to protect protesters

Spell jar for protection

Spell jar for protesters

Protection charms for protesters

Jinxes, Hexes, and Curses

A jinxes, hexes and curses masterpost

Tips for hexing and cursing

Curse for guilt

How-to guide to curses

Curse that’s fueled by rage

Materials list for cursing/hexing

Reflection hex

Candle curse

Revenge hex

Using tarot to avenge yourself/someone

How to cast a curse

As always, use your own judgement regarding your personal ethics and your skill level as a witch, before casting any spells. If anyone has anything else they wish to include, please feel free to add to this list, as it is by no means comprehensive! This is just some of what I was able to gather together for this.

I drew from a lot of sources for these and did my best to make sure they weren’t from any closed practices, but if they are and I missed that PLEASE let me know so I can either edit the post appropriately or remove it entirely. The same goes for if a post of yours was linked here and you wish to have it removed!

With that said, Black Lives Matter, and let’s cast some spells for them, witches.

bewitched-moonlight

🌙 Moon Phases Masterpost 🌙

Following the moon phases and adapting my magic to their power and correspondences has been crucial to my practice. If you’re interested in connecting to the lunar cycle, here are the links to my previous posts on each moon phase.

🌑 New Moon Magic

🌒 Waxing Crescent Moon Magic

🌓 First Quarter Moon Magic

🌔 Waxing Gibbous Moon Magic

🌕 Full Moon Magic

🌖 Waning Gibbous Moon Magic

🌗 Last Quarter Moon Magic

🌘 Waning Crescent Moon Magic

politijohn

When we say abolish police, that also means take capitalism with it

anarchopuppy

The primary purpose of the police is to defend the owning class and capital. These companies are investing in the police because the police serve them directly

somethingaboutsomethingelse

Remember this everytime you see people attack retailers during riots and strikes. If you’re compelled to cry about ‘looters’, stop and shut your goddamn mouth instead.

Capitalism and state (the cops) are inextricably intertwined. You cannot be anti- one but pro- the other.

twelvehousemoon

The Impact of Each Planet in a Grand Trine

Sun: Adds a sense of identity, awareness, ease of expression, pride. Aids in ability to gain recognition, discover natural talents, maintain an optimistic perspective, and develop a stronger sense of identity. The Sun lights up the Grand Trine and causes it to be emphasized within one’s personality. The talent and harmony created by the aspect pattern is an inherent part of the identity. It’s tied to the ego and gives one a very charismatic persona. They tend to come off as effortlessly charming.

Moon: Adds a sense of emotional understanding, intuition, and subconscious awareness. Aids in ability to sense energy, connect with others, heal, and access hidden parts of yourself. The Moon adds depth to the Grand Trine, and when one works with the talents it holds, it provides great long term emotional satisfaction. One feels strong levels of empathy/sensitivity when the energies of the Grand Trine are triggered. They may be able to use emotional instincts and intuition to develop their talents.

Mercury: Adds a sense of mental clarity, logical awareness, and intellect. Aids in ability to communicate, organize, obtain information, learn, and think ahead. It gives the Grand Trine a mutable feeling, the individual is quick to adapt to any situation when one of the planet’s energies arises to the surface of their consciousness. This creates a wide range of versatile talents; the individual enjoys using the energy of the Grand Trine to be of use to others.

Venus: Adds a sense of flexibility, artistic perspective, and romanticism. Aids in ability to grow benefic traits, meet the needs of others, and think creatively. Can create a lack of motivation to develop the talents created by the Grand Trine, but if harshly aspected by another planet outside the trine, it can provide. a challenge that forces the individual to use Venus energy to create harmony within the Grand Trine in order to find relief. This planet can help the other two work in effortless harmony. It also allows the individual to use their talents to help others.

Mars: Adds a sense of motivation, strength, courage, and passion. Creates great ambition. Aids in will to develop the hidden talents created by the other 2 planets. This planet tends to solve a lot of the laziness a Grand Trine could produce. The individual will feel driven to develop its talents in order to accomplish their goals. There is a great amount of passion behind their talents and they are able to use them to accomplish whatever they desire. They can use their talents as a means of protection and becoming more powerful.

Jupiter: Adds a sense of generosity, worldly perspective, and a larger-than-life approach. Aids in ability to attract luck, be optimistic, teach others, and obtain new experiences. This planet empowers the energy of anything it touches. Jupiter in a Grand Trine can produce laziness with too much harmony present, but it also brings forth good fortune and often a sense of charity. The individual may be able to teach their talents to others quite well.

Saturn: Adds a sense of maturity, immense ability to grow, realism, responsibility, and drive. Aids in ability to self-discipline, learn from experience, overcome obstacles, and put talents to practical use. Saturn also solves much of the laziness produced by the Grand Trine, creating self-discipline and desire to accomplish long-term goals. This adds a sense of balance between optimism and realism; the individual is able to think critically without losing sight of their ability to use talents to overcome obstacles.

Uranus: Adds a sense of innovation, freedom of thought, open mind, and new ways of thinking. Aids in ability to think creatively, eliminate obstacles or restrictions, work independently, and use talents to rebel against social norms. Uranus can cause one to use their talents unpredictably, but this planet in a Grand Trine is special because it can allow one to break boundaries in a harmonious way, which is rare. The individual can use their talents to find creative approaches to any problem, and help others by bringing necessary change in a uniquely positive way. It also greatly energizes the Grand Trine, possibly creating an inability to ignore its potential.

Neptune: Adds a sense of idealism, fluidity, intuition, creativity, and empathy. Aids in ability to heal others, use spirituality to your advantage, imagine new possibilities, and use intuition as a guide. Neptune can make it hard to find motivation within the Grand Trine because one can get more caught up in daydreams than in reality. However, when one does feel driven to engage with their talents, Neptune can bring immense spiritual potential. One may be able to heal with ease, using intuition to sense what others need. The individual can come up with creative dreams surrounding their talent which can be used to come up with unique goals.

Pluto: Adds a sense of curiosity, intensity, passion, intuition, skepticism, and desire to create power. Aids in ability to uncover hidden truths, use talents to create transformation, obtain control, and build strength. Pluto intensifies and empowers the talents of the Grand Trine. It’s energy is difficult to ignore. This planet adds a high level of curiosity, and they will desire to uncover as much information surrounding the energy of the Grand Trine as they can throughout their life, particularly in the first half. They can often use the talent in the aspect pattern to invite harmonious transformation into their lives. This also adds a high level of psychological understanding, which can allow one to use the energy to connect with and heal others.

orriculum

Can you please create a love spell using just one candle since I can't get hold of many materials. I live in a country where I can't find much things required for spell casting. I read on the Internet about love spells getting backfired, what r the reasons of that? Please tell me a way to prevent that from happening. I mean any tips for a successful love spell

Love spells can be considered manipulative and kinda rape-y if you gear it towards a specific person, so it’s better to cast a general love attraction spell. Sometimes people feel these “backfire” because they get too much attention from too many people or from people they dislike, or from some really creepy obsessive people. Attention is not always good. If this spell does turn sour, there are ways to dispel it’s effect on the internet.

Now that you know what could happen, here’s a simple love spell.

simple love attraction spell

Carve a heart shape onto the candle.Light the candle, feel it’s warmth but be careful not to burn yourself.

Whisper or think:

As I watch the flame danceI draw to me hopes of romance. As it warms my face, I’ll warm others hearts,Who graze the feathers of cupid’s dart.

Blow out the candle.

switch-as-in-hit-me

Aww, what's the matter, baby? Are you feeling a little needy? A little desperate, horny enough not to focus on anything else and embarassed enough not to do anything about it?

Do you want me to pin you down? Tease you until I decide you're begging enough to earn relief? Kiss away all those needy little whimpers?

Oh, you're blushing! You're so cute when you're all flustered like that. If you want it, you're going to have to ask...

qedavathegrey

The Serpent Sigil

While serpents ordinarily rule over life/death/rebirth, fertility and the dichotomy of “good/evil” and light/dark, wishes need not be confined to these parameters – apply instead the concept of the kundalini,the force of desire. || for more information on my use of the serpent, see Feeding the Black Serpent ||

A Few Uses

The Wishing Serpent: To use, simply write your desire, beginning where the neck of the serpent meets the head. If you choose to recreate the sigil in favor of printing (when this sigil is used at its exact size, the “uncoiled” measures around 3 feet), ensure there is room to complete your desire. Cut along the lines, which should leave you with a long, serpent ribbon. This is best performed outside, though it may be done inside away from flammables over a large-mouth bowl. Using a candle placed on the ground (of a fitting color – red works as a default), allow the tail of the serpent to catch, holding the snake by its head, allow it to burn from the bottom to the top. If used inside, scatter the ashes to the wind, otherwise they have already been aptly scattered.

The Healing Serpent: Utilizing much of the same procedure as above, write the name of he/she you wish to heal 7 or 9 times upon the face of the sigil – again, starting from the neck of the serpent. Cut along the lines. Coil the serpent back and flip it over, on the reverse, write 3, 7, or 9 times the name of nature of their ailment(s). Using a black, white or red candle, perform the same process as above – reading the prayer:

Coiled serpent, now – Unwound – Behest: My bidding, go about The soil, Viper tongue splayed – Oh, Black Serpent, Recant the poisoned- Tooth venom, And devour that sickness That you hath cast, Recant – by witch’s will – And feed it to the forge.

The Witches’ Watch: Should an event arise that calls for a timed ritual, this serpent might serve as time-keeper –such as for opening the realms, crossroads work, evocations, invocations and possessions. Simply cut along the lines and drive a piece of cotton cord or thread through the head of the serpent and hang it in a safe place. When you are ready to begun your working, ignite the tail with your working candle – burn times vary based on paper used, circulation, temperature, etc. I recommend trying a test burn using the same paper and location, to get a general idea of your time frame. Play with the size of the sigil to shorten or lenthen your working time.

The Poison Serpent: On the face of the sigil, write out your unsavory desires, perhaps something to the extent of: “May the poison serpent rot the flesh and mind.” On the reverse, write your victim’s name nine times, beginning not at the neck, but at the tail. This pairs the elevation of your desire (over your victim) with the symbol of their force of will (to fight) being eaten away as the serpent is devour by the flame and freed into the aether. Collect the ashes and blend with sulphur powder, a poisonous plant of your choosing (ideally one that’s symptoms match the nature of your desire), iron oxide (optional) and bone dust (optional).

There are countless uses! Please, by all means get creative with it! I’d love to hear what some of you guys [would] do with it!

dumbbbunnnyy-deactivated2021021

💀 Curse Correspondences 💀

Crystals:

Agate - for use on a target who has entered a space uninvited, i.e. someone breaking into your home or vehicle

Alexandrite - causes obsession and delusions

Amethyst - causes sensitivity and self-destruction

Astrophyllite - causes those who have died at the hands of another to torment the target from the grave

Diamond - causes blindness, confusion, and disorientation

Diopside - lowers inhibitions and causes secrets to be revealed

Emerald - causes greed, selfishness, and isolation

Flint - causes conflicts

Garnet - leeches energy from a target

Kunzite - induces vulnerability

Kyanite - used to infiltrate a target’s mind

Meteorite - used as a catalyst in baneful magick

Obsidian - used for general aggressive magick

Onyx - causes nightmares and mental torment, and is used to break up relationships

Opal - used to store negative energy, and then to be given to a target

Ruby - used to focus your intent on a target

Colors:

Black - law, justice, manifestation, sorrow

Red - force, energy, confrontation, jealousy, anger

Greenish Yellow - strife, discord, illness, conflict, jealousy, greed

Magenta - catalyst

Herbs:

Ague Weed - confusion

Angelica Root - misery, strife, distress, discord

Asafoetida - drives enemies away

Bayberry - depression

Bindweed - binding

Blackberry Root - distress

Black Salt - misery, strife, distress, discord

Bladderwrack - illness

Bloodroot - substitute for blood

Blueberry - confusion, strife

Boneset - distress, confusion

Cayenne Pepper - anxiety

Chicory - discord

Chili Powder - discord, misery, strife

Cinquefoil - discomfort

Clove - stopping gossip

Cramp Bark - pain, illness

Dogbane - deception

Dragon’s Blood - destruction, strife, misery

Hemlock - discord, sadness

Henbane - illness, discord, melancholy

Jezebel Root - wickedness, ending relationships, punishing unfaithful lovers

Knot Weed - binding

Lemon - sourness, bitterness

Lemon Verbena - a boost of power, ending relationships

Lime - sourness, bitterness

Lobelia - discord

Mace - misery, strife

Mandrake - misery, strife

Mistletoe - isolation, confusion

Mullein - spirit work, nightmares

Mustard Seed - strife, discord

Myrrh - a boost of power

Nightshade (Belladonna) - discord, illness

Onion - strife

Patchouli - illness

Poke Root - confusion, discord

Poppy Seed - discord

Rue - misery

Safflower - destruction

Spanish Moss - bad luck

Slippery Elm - ending relationships

Stinging Nettle - jealousy, envy, discomfort

Sumac - bad luck

Tobacco - a substitute for any baneful herb

Tormentil - distress, harm, discord

Vetiver - silence

Wormwood (Absinthe) - misery, strife

Yew - spirit work

Yohimbe Bark - impotency

Planets:

Mars - power, force, energy, war, conflict, jealousy

Saturn - law, justice, chaos, revenge

Neptune - confusion, illusion, chaos

Pluto - death, mystery, crisis

Lunar Phases:

Waning - binding

Dark - destruction, banishing, justice

Black - power, manifestation

Taglocks:

DNA (saliva, nail clippings, hair, blood, etc.)

Drawings

Photos

The target’s name written on paper

The target’s signature

An item that belongs to the target

Other Ingredients:

Cigarette butts

Broken glass

Razorblades

Vinegar

Lemon/lime juice

Alcohol

Bones

Needles

Nails

Thorns

Blood

Urine

Saliva

Shark teeth

Catfish spines

Murex seashells

Flying Devil Oil

Dead insects

Black sand

Charcoal

Disclaimer: I do not condone the unethical practice of collecting or harvesting animal parts, or forcefully obtaining certain biological taglocks. These are just ideas, and I am not responsible for anything you choose to do with them.

Updated: 3-9-2017

shroud-of-roses

My Death Witch/Spirit Worker Masterpost

Hey everyone! This is my list of resources I have made over the course of the existence of this blog, pertaining specifically to death witchcraft and spirit work. (EDIT: I also added divination because it is such a vital part of my own practice) I hope it helps some of you, and provides a resource for you to use! I’ve also thrown in my death work stuff as well. These posts are all mine, coming from separate blogs at times ( @shipping-the-gods , @the-daily-diviner, and @tarnished-headstone (@witchthatiam/@lonesome-bones are the names of this blog from a while ago)); none of these blogs are active. The only blogs I am active on are @shroud-of-roses and @breathing-in-gilded-dust (dodekatheism blog).

Please note you can do these three practices individually, I just choose to put them together for my own personal practice! Pick what you like and use it if you desire.

Thanks,

Olivia

Resources, Essays, and Tips:

Dead Spiders and Other Tiny Corpses

Connecting With Human Spirits When You Don’t Have Access to a Graveyard

How to Deal With Angry Spirits and Banish Them if You Need To

Ways to Get to Know Death and Its History

Symbolism for Death Witches and Spirit Workers

What to Do When Your House Rules Have Been Violated

Spirit Worker Tip

Fun/Unique Spirit Vessel Ideas

Spirit Summoning Bath Spell

Forgotten Dead Funeral

Death Witch Decor and Crafts

Selfcare for Death Witches

Tips for Setting Up a Shrine/Altar for Spirit Work

Vessels for Death Energy

How to Call Non-Human Spirits

Sweet Passing Potion

Sweet Passing Potion (Pet Edition)

How I Bind Spirits to Vessels

How I Cleanse Spirit Vessels for Their Future Inhabitants

Building Spirit Vessels

Death Witchery in the Dead of Winter

Basic Offering Ideas for Spirits

Fearing Death - A Guide for Aspiring Death Workers and Witches

Death Witch Rituals - My Basic List (AKA What do death witches do?)

Creating and Enchanting Wards

Warding While Watched - A Secret Witch’s Guide

Funeral Bouquets and Correspondences

Dying Does Not Always Inhibit Your Power

Ancestral Recipes

The Butterfly’s Place in Death Witchery

General Tips for Beginner Death Witches

My Methods and Tips for Astral Travel

Advice on Understanding Cultural Appropriation

Collecting Bones Ethically and Legally

Greeting the (Human) Dead - Bronwyn’s Guide

Spirit Work Terminology

Death Witches Digging in the Dirt: Flowers and Funerals

The Elements of Death Witchery/Work

Ancestral Devotional

Spells & Rituals:

“Here Lies the Ashes of My Past” Ritual

Essence of Death Potion (to overcome your fear of death)

Passing on Spell for Deceased Spirits

“Lull Me to Sleep” Ritual for A Passing Person

Divination:

Divining the Future With the Dead

Herbs for Divination

My Tips for Learning Card Meanings for Divination

How to Make a Divination Cloth

How to Cleanse Your Divination Tools

Teas to Drink Before Doing Divination

How to Record Your Divination Sessions

Mirror Gazing to See Your True Self

Beginner Tips for the New Scryer

Divination Chants

How to Wax Scry

How to Do a Nephelomancy Reading (Cloud Scrying)

How to Do a Stichomancy Reading

How to Use a Pendulum

How to Smoke Scry

How to Deal With Negative Readings You’ve Done for Someone Else

How to Design and Create Your Own Cartomancy System

Blessing Water for Your Divination Tools

DIY Scrying Mirror

How to Scry

Meditation to Reveal Psychic Abilities

Halloween Divination Ritual

DIY Scrying Mirrors - The Frugal/Secret Way

Curio Casting - How I Do It

My Cartomancy System

Scrying With Spirits: Bronwyn’s Complete Guide

Free Curio Casting Board Set

Pendulum Map DIY

How to Make a Cartomancy Spread

My Symbols and Artwork for Death Witches/Workers

The Gatekeeper

Ally of the Dead

Metamorphosis Through Death

Other Recommended Resources:

The Order of the Good Death (not witchcraft, but death work is essential to my own practice)

@death-witch-envy (tumblr death witch blog, who I love dearly. Yunan has a few witchy zines, too!)

@darkfyretheumbrawitchreturns (He is an umbra witch, and, again, a good friend of mine)

@nightmarist (has many wonderful resources on shadow work and the like)

Master-List of Death Witches, Spirit Workers, and Necromancers on Tumblr

Some fun things:

Death Witch Aks

Your Official Death Witch ™ Name

Audience of Bones - My 13 Card Oracle Deck

My Small Oracle Deck - The Things I’ve Seen in Holloway

Dark Workings - A Youtube Playlist for Your Rituals

Encouragement from One Witch to Another

Another Encouragement (about defining your path)

One More Thing:

Suicide, Coping, and Selfharm Masterpost (Because I’ve been there, and spreading this type of thing is very, very important to me)

samwisethewitch

Banishing Nasty Spirits

If you’ve been following this series of posts, you know why a witch might work with spirits, how to establish a relationship with a spirit, and how to communicate with spirits. What we haven’t yet discussed is how to get rid of spirits that are bothersome, annoying, or malevolent.

I was planning to talk about pathworking and astral travel before getting into banishing, but in light of some asks I recently received on Tumblr, I think it’s important that we take a moment to discuss how to get rid of spirits that, for whatever reason, you don’t want around.

There are lots of reasons you might not want a spirit in your space. Just like with people, some spirits just aren’t a good fit for you and your practice. Part of being a spirit worker is cultivating a “spirit team” of beings that you can have healthy and beneficial relationships with.

Some spirits are mischievous and like to cause trouble. If you find yourself on the receiving end of lots of spirit pranks, you may want to gently encourage them to move along. And there are some spirits out there who just genuinely hate humans and will go out of their way to cause mental, emotional, and even physical harm.

Don’t get me wrong — malevolent spirits aren’t common. In my experience, the vast majority of unwanted spirits are more annoying than dangerous. I’m not saying this to scare you or make you paranoid. But these things do exist, and it would be negligent of me not to mention them in a series on spirit work.

There’s a reason that one of the most common truisms in witchcraft is, “Never conjure something you can’t banish.” If you’re going to be working with spirits, it’s a good idea to know how to banish them just in case. With that being said, here’s how you can clear out any nasties that may be lingering in your space.

Cleansing

The first step is to kick those unwanted spirits out of your space. There are lots of ways to do this, so choose the one that is the best fit for you.

Cleansing with fire and smoke is a very old and very simple method. If this is the way you decide to go, there are several magical substances you can burn to banish spirits. Burning sulfur or asafetida will clear out just about anything, but they both smell awful and are potentially toxic, so you’ll want to get an okay from the other people living in your home, burn a little at a time, and make sure you have lots of windows open. (Some people say sulfur and asafetida will banish all spirits, not just the unfriendly ones, so you may have to invite your spirit team back in later.) For something that smells a little more pleasant, you can try a mix of frankincense and myrrh resin, or burn a mix of dried rosemary, sage (garden sage, not endangered white sage, please!), and bay leaves — but again, make sure you have windows open, because these get smoky. Plus, you want the windows and/or doors open so the spirits have somewhere to go when the smoke chases them out.

If smoking up your living space isn’t an option for you, you can manually clean your space with a wash or powder. If you have hardwoods, you can make a floor wash with water, salt, lemon juice, rosewater, lavender essential oil, and either bay laurel or rosemary essential oil. (This is adapted from an uncrossing bath in the book Utterly Wicked by Dorothy Morrison.) Use this mixture to mop your floors, as well as to wipe down your walls and furniture. If you have a humidifier or essential oil diffuser, diffusing some of this mix would also be a good idea.

If you have carpet, you can make a powder by combining salt, dried lemon peel, dried roses, lavender flowers, and bay leaves. You’ll need to ground this really fine, so I recommend using a coffee grinder or food processor. Sprinkle the powder on your carpet, let it sit for a few minutes, and then vacuum it up. I would supplement this by also diffusing a mix of saltwater with rosewater, lemon juice, and lavender and/or bay laurel essential oil. If you don’t have a diffuser, at least sprinkle some saltwater around the room and on your belongings.

No matter which form of cleansing you decide to use, it’s important to verbally state your intention to banish these unwanted spirits from your space. Tell them out loud that they are no longer welcome here and that they need to leave. Don’t be rude about it, but be firm and speak clearly and with confidence.

After you cleanse your space, it’s a good idea to cleanse yourself as well to remove any psychic ties to the spirits you’ve just banished. The easiest way to do this is with a ritual bath. The floor wash recipe mentioned earlier can also be used as a psychic cleansing bath. Other options include a bath with salt, frankincense, and myrrh or a bath with salt, rosemary, sage, and bay laurel. You can use essential oils for your bath, or add the resins and herbs to a cheesecloth bag and drop it into the tub for easy diffusing and cleanup.

If you don’t have a bathtub, you can cleanse yourself in the shower. Place two cups of salt in a bowl. Add lemon juice, rosewater, lavender essential oil, and either bay laurel or rosemary essential oil. If you don’t have essential oils, you can add dried lavender and crushed bay leaves. Add some of your favorite body wash to create a scrub (if you don’t have body wash, use olive oil). While in the shower, use this mixture to scrub your skin — visualize yourself scrubbing away any psychic gunk you might have picked up.

Protection

Once you’ve removed any unwanted spirits from your space, you want to lay down some protection to keep them from coming back. There are as many ways to ward off spirits as there are witches, but here are a few ideas to get you started.

One option is to create a ward. You can do this by anointing the door frames, door knobs, and window frames of your home with a protective oil blend and/or by creating lines of salt across your doorways and just inside your windows. You can use other protective substances if you prefer. As you lay down these protections, visualize a protective shield around your home, and speak aloud your intention to keep harmful spirits out.

Iron is said to repel spirits. Keep a railroad spike or other large piece of iron under your bed to prevent nightmares and to keep spirits from messing with you while you sleep. There’s an old superstition that says that hammering iron nails into the four corners of your home protects it from spirits — this may not be possible if you’re renting, but you can create a similar effect by displaying a piece of iron in each of the four corners of your home. Hematite is a crystal that is high in iron, so it can be used in a similar way to ward off spirits.

Aloe is said to protect from negative spirits, and to bring protection and good luck more generally. It’s also a common house plant that is easy to care for, so this method of protection is especially great for witches who need to keep their practice a secret. Keep several aloe plants in your home to protect those who live there.

For witches with a crafty side, making a witch bottle is another option for protection. There are lots of different recipes for witch bottles, but the basic method is to fill a bottle with sharp objects, add something from your body, and hide it somewhere outside your home (traditionally buried on the property, but leaving it in an outbuilding works just as well). The idea is that any nasty spirit that comes looking for you will be attracted to the bottle (because it contains part of your body), get caught by the sharp objects, and be trapped. To create a simple witch bottle, fill a mason jar about halfway with sewing pins, then add a bit of your hair and some of your fingernail clippings, and finally fill it with liquid (traditionally, this liquid is your own urine, but if that makes you uncomfortable vinegar will also work). If you want, you can also include some of your favorite banishing herbs, resins, or crystals.

Religious symbols can also keep nasty spirits away. If you identify strongly with a religion, display protective symbols from that faith in your living space. For example: a Christian witch might hang up a crucifix or set out a statue of Archangel Michael, a Norse pagan witch might hang up an image of Mjolnir, a Hindu witch might display a statue of Durga, etc. Sometimes the most effective way to keep nasty spirits away is to let them know that you’re under the protection of someone more powerful.

When dealing with unwanted spirits, the most important thing to remember is that you do not need to be afraid. You are a powerful witch, and you are more than capable of getting rid of them. Be confident in your abilities and know that whatever happens, you can handle it.

Resources:

Southern Cunning: Folkloric Witchcraft in the American South by Aaron Oberon

A Green Witch’s Cupboard by Deborah J. Martin

Utterly Wicked by Dorothy Morrison

Where the Hawthorn Grows by Morgan Daimler