In our last post, we used the elements of Water and Air combined with perennial herbs to help us let go and purify. But what about those of us who want to take the idea of renewal to a whole other level? Those of us who feel inextricably tied to old habits, people, places or things may need to perform an unbinding ritual. Unbinding spells focus on cutting ties between you and situations that no longer serve to benefit you. Particularly powerful when performed while the sun is in the sign of Aquarius, an unbinding spell is exactly what it appears to be. It is a ritual that helps you focus on liberating yourself from negativity by making positive change. This “change” will involve separating yourself from anything that acts against your own best interest while being considerate of the best interest of others.

An effective unbinding spell can be as simple as burning incense or meditating on letting go of negative influences. I prefer a series of small rituals that are easy to perform over a series of three nights (all of my readers know I am a HUGE fan of 3-day rituals).

Here is my favorite Unbinding ritual to use whenever ties need to be cut, and attachments need to be foregone:

The Three-Day Unbinding Ritual

 THE CLEANSING BATH: Day 1

Day 1 is a cleansing bath with an herbal bath wash. We make our bath wash by simmering equal parts basil, lemon peel, rosemary, angelica and mint in purified water for about 5 to 7 minutes. (We want about 3 inches of water over our herbs). After the simmering, separate the herbs from the herb infused water.  We keep the herbal water and, as we have simmered the life force from our herbs, we now discard them.  Add a small handful (about a heaping tablespoon) of Kosher salt to the infused water and set aside.

Next, get two small black votive candles or tea lights. At sundown, take your two candles and place one at the head of the tub and place the other at the foot of the tub (one by your feet and one by your head). Light the two candles and enter the tub. Get the prepared bath wash (make sure it is not too hot) and slowly pour it over your head and as it flows down your body, use your hands to push it down towards the bottom of the tub. As you do this, imagine washing away negative attachments and situations. Visualize gigantic scissors cutting those gnarly cords that tie you to unwanted people, places or things.  These huge scissors can and do cut through all obstacles. As you're visualizing, recite your intention or recite Psalm 23 or 91.

THE UNBINDING CANDLE RITUAL: Day 2

On Day 2 we look to St. Michael.  To do this, use either a St. Michael 7-day candle or use a red jumbo candle. (If you use the red candle print an image of St. Michael and place it on your altar). Next, anoint the candle with either Cut & Clear Oil, Uncrossing Oil or Spell Breaker Oil (For unbinding work, I like to mix Cut & Clear Oil with Uncrossing Oil). Don't fret if you do not have these mixed oils at hand! You can easily make an oil for the job by combining cinnamon, peppermint, lemon peel, a bit of salt and a dash of rosemary. Blend this mixture into either olive or almond oil. Once you have the oil you are going to use, anoint the candle by pushing the oil down the candle, from the wick to the base.

After the candle is anointed you will write down the situation you wish to be unbound from onto a piece of parchment paper or a piece of brown paper bag. Then fold the paper in half making sure your fold is done away from your physical body as if you are pushing the energy away. Turn it 90 degrees and fold it again. Place this under your candle (always make sure your candle is in an appropriate holder) and when ready, light you’re the candle and recite the following prayer:

“Saint Michael, the archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him humbly we pray; And do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.”

If you are uncomfortable with this prayer, come up with your own. Make it personal and always say “Thank-You”. When the candle spell is completed, take all the remains and throw into moving water such as a stream or river or leave it at a crossroads if moving water is not nearby.

HOUSE CLEANSING: Day 3

On day 3 your candle ritual may still be burning, but go ahead with the house cleansing. There are three ways to do this:

1. Burn some sage or church incense in every corner of your house while saying your intentions out loud. 

2. Make a floor wash by combining 1 tablespoon of ammonia, 1 tablespoon of powdered eggshell and 1 cup of the simmered herbal water you used for the cleansing bath into a gallon of purified water. Use this mixture to wash the floors of your home from the back of the house towards the front door, making sure your strokes “push” the energy away from the back towards, and then out the door. If you happen to have 2 or more floors, you are going to want start with the uppermost floor and work your way down.

3. Make Four Thieves Vinegar and spray your house. The mixture is easy: Add 1-2 tablespoons each of thyme, rosemary, mint, sage, and lavender along with 2-3 cloves of minced garlic to 32 oz. of apple cider vinegar. (My special touch is to add fresh lemon peel and basil to the blend which targets negative attachments).

 Fill a spray bottle with the Four Thieves Vinegar mix and as soon as the sun sets, spray each room with some Four Thieves Vinegar.  Just like the floor wash, start at the top of your house and work your way down finishing up at your front door. (If  making the Four Thieves Vinegar  seems too complicated or time-consuming you can replace the Four Thieves Vinegar with Holy  Water--it is equally effective).

After your three-day ritual is complete you need to make sure you give yourself and the ritual enough time to take effect. Unbinding work is not easy! The stronger the bind, the longer it takes to undo. Keep your eye on the prize of freedom and never give up. Energetically, the bind needs to unwind its connection to you. If you are feeling impatient, keep a bowl of fresh water with 1 teaspoon Kosher salt and 1 teaspoon lemon juice under your bed. Replace this mixture every week.

Even though you slow down in the cold winter months, your magical rituals do not need to come to a standstill. Winter offers a number of advantageous circumstances that align with the power of elemental magick, particularly those of Air and Water. Using the the forces of air and water, a profound shift, for your benefit, can happen.

 For thousands of years, protection and shielding rituals have served an important function in magical belief systems worldwide. They have been used to ensure safety, prosperity, good health and positive outcomes since the since the dawn of history. These deeply human concerns remain with us today and impact the choices we make throughout our lives.

Today, as in ancient times, the goal of protection magic is to protect people and property from the harmful intentions of others. A protection ritual not only creates a barrier to the negative energy around you, it also enhances other protective measures you may take to ward off malicious spells, the evil eye, or destructive intentions. In almost any situation, protection magic adds an extra layer of security.  It is important to note, however, that protective magic can only do so much. You still need to be vigilant, particularly when it comes to your physical well-being and the safety of your valuables. Remember that protective magic tends to be most effective on the spiritual rather than the physical plane.

• Take a piece of thread or string long enough to comfortably wrap it around your waist. Next, add some eucalyptus and basil to a pot of simmering distilled water.  Place your string into the pot. Simmer for 3 minutes and let cool.  After it cools, take the string and let it air dry for the next three day. When its dry, you are going to make three knots in it.  As you tie each knot recite the Hail Mary. Tie this around your waist or you can simply triple wrap it around your ankle.

• Take an iron railroad spike and hang it on the inside of your door. Or, bury a railroad spike on the outside of each corner of your home.

• A traditional northern European amulet can be used to ward off evil. Find a stone with a natural hole in it. Historically this is referred to as hag stones. Wear this as around your neck or simply carry it on you. Carnelian stones or beads can also serve as protection and are particularly powerful when worn against the skin such as in jewelry.

• Salt can also be a wonderful to provide a protective shield around a specific place or person. In may experience any salts can be used although some people claim that black salt is the most powerful. There are a number of ways you can utilize salts. You can simply throw some on the entrance way to your front door or you can mix some with some hyssop and rue and place this in a black flannel pouch to carry on you. Make a protective bath by mixing ½ cup of kosher salt with 5 drops of rosemary essential oil and 5 drops of cedar essential oil. Frankincense and myrrh essential oils can also be added. For a more in-depth ritual, get some dead sea salt and create a circle of salt around you. Get 4 small candles and place them inside the circle. Make sure you place each candle in one of the four directions (NWSE). When ready, light the candle and recite Psalm 35 or you may simply recite a prayer of your own.

• For herbs that are readily available and usually carried in most kitchens, get some dried bay leaves and sage. Pulverize them into a powder. Lighting a charcoal disc, carefully burn this mixture in every corner of your home and along your front door. You may also fumigate yourself by drawing the smoke up your body and over your head. Sandalwood also works well for this.

* For candle divination we suggest the following ritual. Create your own protection conjure oil by mixing bay, sage, caraway and clove into a 1/2 and oz of olive oil. You may also want to consider adding black cohosh and burdock root. Or, you can simply try one of ours. We recommend our Fiery Wall of Protection Oil. 

For those of you who are fans of St. Michael, this ritual can definitely be used as a petition for his protection. Carve a white or blue jumbo pillar candle with your name and birth date. Then you get a red jumbo pillar candle and carve all the things you wish to protect yourself from. On top of this, carve the name of St. Michael. Above these two candles place an image of St. Michael. You are then going to anoint the blue candle with some Fiery Wall of Protection Oil. If you are seeking protection, keep the candle turned towards you and draw the oil up the candle towards the wick. If you are attempting to dispel adverse energies, anoint the candle with oil pushing down the candle. Do the same with the Red candle. Finally, take some salt and cast a circle around both candles. When ready, light the red candle first and then follow with the blue candle. Say a prayer or recite Psalm 23.

You may also use a dab of Fiery Wall of Protection Oil to wash down your doors or windows with it.  Pour a few drops of Fiery Wall into your bath water. You may even dab a drop or two onto any object or possession of special importance or value to you. Anoint a cotton ball with Fiery Wall of Protection Oil and carry it on you. Finally, anoint a garlic bulb with some Fiery Wall of Protection Oil and leave it by your front door or rest it in your fireplace.

Below are spells taken from a variety of resources, some new and some very old. Please note we may have slightly altered the original spells to make them more accessible and up to date. If you would like more information, we have included the sources below each spell.

Walk Backwards in bare feet out of your house for a total of nine steps. Make sure you do not look back. Then walk forward in the exact same tracks you made walking backwards. When you reach your front door, take sugar , alcohol, red pepper, saltpeter and Sulphur; and place them in your tracks right at the entrance of your doorway.

* Source: Haskins, James. Voodoo & Hoodoo: Their Tradition and Craft as Revealed by Actual Practitioners. Original Publications, 2005.

On a small piece of leather carve the following words, “Abrasax Abraischo’ou”. Carry this on you. You may also write this on a piece of parchment paper and pin it to your front door.

* Source: Lecouteux, Claude. Dictionary of Ancient Magic Words and Spells: from Abraxas to Zoar. Inner Traditions, 2015.

To create a protective amulet against witchcraft targeting your health and well-being, take dried vervain and pulverize it into a powder. Stick this in a pouch and carry it on you.

For protections against bad luck and negative intentions get a piece of parchment paper and write the following:  “Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Trine, Saxtile, Dragon’s Head, Dragon’s Tale, I charge you all to guard this house from evil spirits whatever, and guard it from all disorders and thievery and give this family good health and wealth.” Pin or nail this above the inside of your front door.

* Source: Mercer, A.D. The Wicked Shall Decay, Charms, Spells & Witchcraft of Old Britain, Three Hand Press, 2018.

To restrain and protect oneself from another person’s anger get a small piece of linen and some myrrh essential oil. On the linen use the myrrh oil as an ink and write out this word, “KHNUM.” Take the piece of linen and hold it in your left hand. Recite the follow, “I am restraining the anger of all, especially of him NAME of PERSON, all is Khnum”

- Khnum was an early Egyptian creator God who was associated with abundance of the Nile.

* Source: Betz, Hans Dieter. The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation: Including the Demotic Spells. University of Chicago Press, 1996.

We often get questions on how to perform the most effective Banishing spell.  Of course, the best method for applying each spell depends largely on what or who you wish to banish. People, for example, can require a different approach than dispelling unwanted habits or negative energies. In this post, we are going to focus on techniques that are known to help rid yourself of the nasty neighbor, roommate or obnoxious person that simply will not give you any peace.

The first thing you may want to consider is timing. If you follow the cycles of the moon than the most applicable time to perform a banishing spell would be during a waning moon. What is a waning moon? A waning moon typically appears about 4 days after a full moon has completed its cycle. This is the most effective time for any type of issue you would like to dispel from your life. The time of the week also plays a role. We always suggest Tuesdays for banishing Work. Ruled, by mars, Tuesday lends itself to anything that relates to expelling things. If you tend to be avoidant, then Tuesdays can also give you the necessary power and energy to confront things that have been bothering you such as really annoying person!

Here’s the kicker. I always tell people that they really need to be ready to detach to whatever they wish to rid themselves of. Sometimes, even though there are no warm feelings between two people, there can still be a kind of emotional investment. So you may want to perform a cleansing  before you do attempt anything.  For a quick cleansing ritual, simply simmer some basil and dried lemon peel in water. Take a cup of this and throw it in a warm bath.

For our purposes I have decided to list a number of spells and rituals for you to review. Feel free to customize them in any way you feel speaks to you. Keep in mind that certain spells, like herbs, work more effectively for some then for others. The key is to find what works for you. The best approach is to try and work with a spell that speaks to you.  Try one or more one of these spells and see what which one works best for you.

SPELLS

One of my favorite banishing spells is to simply write out your target’s name on a 3 x 3 piece of brown paper bag. Wrap this around a walnut and then tie it with a black piece of yarn. Drop this in a bottle of vinegar or urine.  Place this near the home or an area the target will be exposed to it.

Another simple technique is the Lemon Spell. Get a lemon and make a slit in it. Do not cut it in half. Get a piece of parchment paper and write exactly what your intention is. Fold the paper in half, making sure you fold it away from you. Then fold it one more time. Slide it into the lemon. Put the lemon is a paper bag and place it in your freezer.

If candle divination is your thing, we recommend using some Banishing Oil . Put the oil onto the candle by rubbing the oil down the candle making sure your movement is going away from you. Write on a slip of paper the object of your petition (this is whatever you want to get rid of). Make the shape of a cross with some oil on the paper. Place it under the candle, and recite either Psalms 7 or 9 when you prepare to light your candle. After the candle has finished burning, take what is left of it and your petition somewhere at a crossroads.

Two relatively simple spells that are considered to be quite effective come straight out of Henry Middleton Hyatt’s book, Hoodoo Conjuration Witchcraft & Rootwork: Beliefs Accepted By Many Negroes and White Persons. These Being Orally Recorded Among Blacks and Whites, Vol. 3

Take red pepper and gun shell Powder and sprinkle it all over the floors and window sills.  Another method instructs to take red pepper and salt and sprinkle it behind the person who has left your home. Take your broom and sweep it out. Every time you sweep tell the person you want them to go.

In Papa Jim’s Herbal Magic Workbook, there are also several easy methods for ridding yourself of people

If you are dealing with jealous or spiteful people, simply place some horehound in a white flannel bag and carry it on you.

Sprinkle Cowslip on your front yard or doorway to prevent people from visiting you.

Write down your target’s name four times and then write their name 5 times backward. Melt a black candle and take the warm wax and paper with your targets name and roll it into a ball. The you are going to want to take 9 pins and stick it directly into the ball. Go to a river or running water and throw the ball away. Then, snap your fingers and recite the following, “St. Expedite, make him go quick.”  When your goal has been achieved, leave an offering to St. Expedite. (This particular ritual is sourced from Jim Haskins, Witchcraft, Mysticism and Magic. The original spell suggests you throw the ball of wax from a ferry boat in the middle of a river).

If the person you so wish to banish is considered an enemy and you wish them to lose interest in causing you harm, write their name out on a small piece of paper. Mix this with valerian root and warm wax to create a small amulet. Wear this on you or bury it near your front door. 

Sources

Hyatt, H.M. Hoodoo, Conjuration, Witchcraft, Rootwork: Beliefs Accepted by Many Negroes and White Persons These Being Orally Recorded Among Blacks and Whites, Volume 3, Western Publishing, 1974.

Jim, P. Papa Jim’s Herbal Magic Workbook: How to use herbs for magical purposes an A-Z guide, Old Bethpage, NY: Original Publications, 2001.

Haskins, J. Witchcraft, Mysticism and Magic in the Black World. New York: Dell, 1976.

Ryan, W. F. The Bathhouse at Midnight: An Historical Survey of Magic and Divination in Russia. Sutton, 1999.

Timing can be a key element in any type of magical spell work and working with the phases of the moon can often prove to be extremely fruitful, particularly when it comes to love drawing rituals. There is no question that moon magic serves a vital function in manifesting one’s intentions. In matters relating to love, there are three phases that can amplify the energy of a love spell: a new moon, a waxing moon and a full moon.

Generally, new moons lend themselves to all things that relate to new beginnings. This would be the ideal time to perform any type of spell that involves drawing in a new love interest or rekindling a relationship from the past. As the moon grows into the waxing phase, the emphasis is on growing things you have already begun. This is a great time to work on rituals that focus on deepening commitments and open up new levels of communication. The full moon is when the energy of moon reaches it peak, thus, is the most powerful. Although this phase of the moon can most always be effective for any type of love workings, I always suggest this phase when attempting to perform binding spells between two people.

Now to perform a full moon love binding spell we need to begin with the two most fundamental elements; a representation of you and a representation of your love interest. For this particular spell, you need to create two wax poppets. To create these, you will need to melt down a red or pink candle and form two figure molds from the wax. As a practioner, I would add a number of herbs, oils or even personal concerns to the wax, but this isn’t necessary. You can simply take two small pieces of brown paper bag with your names written on it and work it into your molds (your name would go into your representation and your love interest would be molded into the other one). You will also need to get a single red candle that is anointed with a bit of your favorite conjure oil. If you do not happen to have any conjure oil on you, simply mix some cinnamon, cloves and coriander in a bit of olive oil.  Finally, you will need a long piece of red or blue piece of thread.

To prepare for the ritual, take your two wax poppets and place the red candle between them. Take your string and gently wrap the two figures to the candle. Make sure they are secure enough where they won’t fall from the candle. Tie a knot.  Now here is the important part. Make sure there is plenty of string left. You are going to need this to complete the spell.

To perform your binding spell, wait for the first day of the full moon. Next, on the first night of the full moon, light your candle and visualize your intentions. Then take your extra string and wrap it around the candle and poppets 1 time and say the following:

“I am bound to thee and thee to I. In love to be, I bind you to me.”

Allow the candle to burn a total of 20 minutes.

You will want to perform this for 3 consecutive nights. On the final night, let the candle burn all the way down. Finally, you do not discard any of the leftover wax. You are going to want to keep this until you no longer wish to be bound to this person. Keep it in a safe place.