This post is not intended as curse/ill-intended spell shaming. This is for anyone who is uncomfortable using a curse for any reason. In my case, I don’t like to curse people I live with, and the deities I worship are very specific about when curses are appropriate, so I have to have alternatives on hand.
All associations are based on my personal practice and research.
I do not write my spells down when I create them (I am a fountain of bad witchy habits), so most spell links are from natural-magics lovely collection.
1. Cast a protection spell
The first step to handling someone you cannot curse should always be to increase your personal protections. If you can’t interrupt the flow of harm, you can build up your protections to at least make it less painful.
Runes: Elhaz (to protect and maintain dignity without a fight), Thurisaz (to resist/fight passively), Dagaz (to hold back darkness)
FOR THE NEXT THREE SECTIONS: I tend to work by feel on the fly, so I had a hard time finding written spells to accomplish these tasks. I encourage writing yourown, but linked spells to give you an idea of what you’re working toward.
3. Cast a spell of understanding/teaching
If you don’t feel right cursing them, making them understand what their actions have caused might be more your speed. It’s important to the healing process or creation of remorse.
Runes: Sowulo (stark illumination in the dark), Kenaz (the light shed upon new knowledge), Ansuz (the truth)
I especially like to have people who’ve harmed me consider their past, how much kinder they once were, and all of the good people they have left in the dust. I know such instances of rememberance make me more compassionate, and hope it has the same effect on them.
Runes: Gebo (gratitude/love for those that have helped you become who you are), Eihwaz (endings and beginnings, the doors of choice)
5. Cast a spell to call their better traits forward
This is what I go for when nothing gentler works, and there is no way I can remove them from my life.
Runes: Mannaz (support from shared experiences), Berkana (rebirth/revitalization). If they come from a tradition of service or goodwill, Othala (inherited cultural wealth) could also work.
That’d be a curse, yes. I’m currently doing spellwork for a client that involves that.
I call these “veil lifting” spells and have found mine to be quiet effective. Sorry though, I don’t share spells. I just thought the naming of it could be a good place to start.
Huh. Now I’m curious if a veil lifting could also be used to stop misgendering from happening.
You could try it, but that’s not how my magical system works. Your witching may vary. in my system a veil lifting is like breaking a glamor or the projection someone puts of themselves into the world.
Misgendering, to me, is a heavy topic because you are dealing with the weight of world’s gender baggage passively absorbed by cis people as we grow up. If someone is a rigid jerk, that’s a more difficult task. Part of building spells for me is finding the holes and ways to tweak perception or small things in the world around me.
If I were to build a spell to ward against misgendering I would build it more around me and make it specific like a glamour projecting your best version of yourself. I’d do this from multiple angles like the way you look when you have multiple mirrors. I’d cast a glamour on me, and I’d make a charm to carry and probably build in a system that is rechargeable on a schedule like a spell jar that you shake daily or a candle affixed to the top and burned on a day of the week or the month or on a point in the moon’s cycle. The more the charm is embedded the less attention it needs in my system.
My trans and nonbinary friends have described misgendering as feeling like tiny knives. I’ve often wondered how that could be incorporated into trans magic. Like, a little mirror with a knife drawn on it to throw back the insult?
I could be way off base as I’m a relatively cis white woman but a very important thing in my life is to meet people where they are, not to treat a group different from me as a having a monolithic experience, and to shut up and listen when someone who experiences this world differently is speaking to their experiences.
The feel when a post about how “newer spells are 95% fake bc spells only work for the creator, except when its “older spells” because they are more tested” has replies like great wisdom! Good post!
Yikes.
(In case you are wondering what the issue is:
1. If you are saying 95% of the spells available today (which includes older spells), only work for the creator, it doesnt matter how old the spell is. It just works for the creator, because the argument in the post is that spells work because it becomes highly personalized.
I personally think “highly personalized” spells are useful when it comes to being inclusive and making the spell easier for the practitioner to match to their specific environmental, mental, and physical needs (ie not having to remember a 50 word chant while standing for 20 minutes holding a lit candle in the middle of the woods, nude)
But that doesnt say anything to me about whether or not that spell is more successful beyond if a spell technique is easy to do for the spell caster the more likely that spell caster is going to choose to do it.
Simply put: people are likely to do things more frequently when it is easy and accessible for then to do those things.
Based on my experience my success rate is not on personalized spells verses other creatoes spells, its based on a myriad of other factors including whether or not the spell is actually achievable.
2. Age = quality, wrt spells argument has been made for years. Yes, newer spells have not been performed as much as older spells might have simply bc they are literally newer. In addition to that, newer spells dont have the people willing to test spells, the same way that others do. A lot of people turn up their noses and dont bother with it. So that means they are guessing that a newer spell doesnt work without actually performing it.
So how can a newer spell become rigorously tested if no one tests it but the creator?
3. In addition to that, how the heck do you know that a spell was rigorously tested by anyone else besides the creator? Just because it is old doesnt mean it was wide spread and in common practice. The argument that age equates to commonality makes me question exactly… how the op thinks spells were shared without the internet? And if the op is discussing say the New Age section? Then thats a very specific influence of magic out of the Wicca brand to Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, rather than the folk magic spells or culturally significant spells in other places. I MIGHT have missed this argument that they made because I noped out of the discussion too early. But the point I am making is valid, the equation of commonality with age is not true. Spell techniques across decades change. Regionally spell ingredients change.
So making it a “exception” to the rule seems strange and like they are trying desperately to cover their ass in a particular corner case that doesnt apply. Because if spells ONLY work for the creator, then what about all the experiences people have with a particular common spell such as some that come from buckland or cunningham. As well as the case that dont go looking into historic magic because the creator is dead and therefore the access to the creator’s ability to cast that spell is dead. It died with them.
Seems like we are trying to fit two beliefs that dont agree with each in a perfect bundle instead of spending time accessing and addressing why a particular subset of spells (ie: newer spells) arent working for you if you are actually performing them (bc if you arent, there is nothing I can help with there. I cant help the spell caster who refuses to cast) . Is it a mindset or a paradigm shift you need to get into? Is it a problem of ingredients? Is it an access issue? Adaption issue? Are the goals of the spells not something that applies to you?
But these questions aren’t limited to newer spells, but in fact all spells can be asked these questions.
This one’s for any witches with long(er) hair. If you’ve got close-cut hair, this won’t really work so well for you.
Ever heard of the witch’s ladder knot spell? If you don’t know, you’re more or less tying 9 knots in a rope, while spouting an incantation.
“By knot of one, the spell’s begun,
By knot of two, it cometh true,
By knot of three, thus shall it be,
By knot of four, tis strengthened more,
By knot of five, the spell’s alive,
By knot of six, this spell I fix,
By knot of seven, events I’ll leaven,
By knot of eight, it will be fate,
By knot of nine, what’s done is mine.”
Basically, you’re going to do this with your hair.
You don’t have to worry if your hair isn’t long enough for nine knots. I’ve found that you can even do one knot per curl, and just tie nine knots throughout your hair. It’ll be just as effective.
Now, keep in mind, a witch’s ladder knot spell is known to be extra powerful, because not only do you have a chant to follow, but a physical repeating pattern to help manifest it into reality. Because of this, I don’t suggest having any especially strong intentions (ie, weaving some sort of protection spell that sends a curse at offensive parties) because it’s basically a part of your body. And it’s on your head. You reallydon’t want anything to backfire.
So try a little glamour spell, blessing for body positivity, or good luck charm. Change the words around in the chant to suit your needs. I came up with the words as I knotted my hair, but if you need a little time to figure out what you want to say, go ahead and write it out.
In a traditional ladder knot spell, you go back and forth between ends trying knots, however, since your hair is attached to your head, just tie knots one after another, almost like a braid, then tie it at the end with an elastic to hold it in place.
You can spell one strand of hair (it looks really cool wrapped around the elastic of a ponytail), or you can weave your whole head up with spells!
If you put all your hair up in knot spells before bed, in the morning, when you take off the elastics and let the ladders come loose, you’ll be left with wildly witchy curls that resonate beautiful energy, and were literally formed with magick!
Idea for incantation:
“By knot of one, I’ll face the sun,
By knot of two, I’ll love me too,
By knot of three, I’m proud to be me,
By knot of four, I am worth more,
By knot of five, this day I’ll survive,
By knot of six, my heart I’ll fix,
By knot of seven, harsh thoughts I’ll lessen,
By knot of eight, I know I’m great,
By knot of nine, this life is mine.”
I’ve found this method to be very effective, give it a try and share with me how it worked for you!
Banishing is the act of forcefully removing something, or putting an end to something. Banishing generally involves three different parts: the actual banishment, cleansing to clear out any lingering negativity, and protection from further negative energy. Banishing and cleansing can sometimes be done in one swift motion.
Things you might want to banish:
Negative spirits or entities
Negative energy
Bad habits
Negative influences in your life
Methods of Banishment:
Sprinkling black salt or another kind of banishing powder around your home or property
Anointing doors and windows with blessed or charged water
Burning incense in your home
Creating a spray and spritzing it around your home
Drawing sigils or symbols on your doors and windows with blessed/charged water or oils
Physically cleaning your space to remove dust, grime, and negativity
Playing loud music – metal would be a good choice
Making other loud noises (slamming doors, banging pots and pans together, etc.)
Crafting a poppet or representation of said negative influence and burning it
Binding the negative influence to an object and disposing of it
Uncrossing is when a person removes a curse, hex, jinx, or other spell that was casted against them which brings them negative energy, bad luck, or catastrophic events. Remember to take care of yourself after performing an uncrossing spell by cleansing and protecting yourself and your home.
This is pretty straight forward. Donald Trump is once again putting his life above hundreds of thousands of people. Immigrant children in and coming to the U.S. are being separated from their parents and families while their families are being imprisoned. This is a spell specifically to help the children and their families.
What You Need:
Sage(can be replaced with rosemary/incense)
Lavender(Incense is fine)
Pictures of the detention centers/families
Salt
White Candle
A stone you associate as a protection stone(tigers eye, bloodstone, black tourmaline, etc).
A symbol of protection(watchful eye, animal totem(if that’s your culture), Thor’s hammer, etc. something that can be used to protect anyone).
Bonus: If you have a sigil to use that’s great if note Algiz,
Ansuz,
Tiwaz, and Fehu are great protection runes to carve into the candle.
Optional: You can add as much to this spell as you please but keep it around the original intents and purpose.
What To Do:
Hallow the ground your working on(I chose that because I work with Thor you could also cast a circle, bless that four cardinal directions, etc.)
Carve whatever sigil or runes into the white candle and light it.
Clear your mind and close your eyes. Picture a healing, protective, white light surrounding the children and their families in the detention centers and those who are on their way to cross the board/currently attempting.
Send them healing and safe energy.
Light the sage and lavender.
Call upon whatever spirits, deities, or ancestors you work with to help protect the children.
“With a heavy heart, I ask you to protect the immigrant children and ask that no more harm is done to them. I ask that you keep them under your gaze and keep them safe until they are reunited with their families. I ask that their families not be harmed while they are separated and that the children are strong enough to work through the fear.”
Sprinkle salt around all of your protection spell items.
“May the harmful and negative energy directed towards immigrant children and families in the U.S. be cleansed.”
fair--y backup 