Throughout my nine years of studying and practicing magick, I’ve found that the most common tool recommended is salt, and I trusted this information because it was generally agreed upon by the magickal community. I believed this until it was tested, and it failed. I guess that’s the way all things work.
So I did some research and I did some testing, and most of all, I did some thinking. Salt is normally used as the physical representation of the circle, it is used in cleansing solutions for tools, it’s used to protect against anything that goes bump in the night, but why is it used for all of these things?
Well, think about it. Salt is a natural dessicating agent (it sucks up the water), and it’s one of the strongest dessicants you have available to you. It’s why slugs die when they get salt on them, it’s why salt is used to preserve things, and it’s why salt kills all the bacteria around it. It is sucking up the water. On the other hand, it also sucks up oil or iron or pretty much anything else. It is a natural oxidizer as well, which means that it makes things rust or corrode.
The final scientific reason for its use in magick is because of its unique ability to transmit electricity. It is one of the strongest conductors known to man, and that is one of the main uses that the body has for various salts.
So, we put all of these together and what do we have? A substance that transmits energy easily, absorbs all types of energy from the environment, and can break down most metals (brings it to a more natural state). How does this affect the magick that we do?
Well, salt would be a great way to clean a new tool or cleanse someone after they’ve been covered in bad energy from a bad day at work or a bad experience, which is why salt baths are so recommended. It would also be a great way to ground yourself because it pulls energy from its surroundings, even good energy. It also would work very well as a battery of sorts because it pulls energy, but it is not all that difficult to pull the energy back out. Just beware not to ever be negative around your salt battery because it will soak up that negative energy.
On the other hand, it is horrible for a physical representation of the witch’s circle due to it’s natural affinity for loose energy. It will pull the energy from the circle and hold it. Unless you make sure to draw all of the energy out of the salt before your release, you will lose energy to the salt and will gain almost nothing from using it.
It’s also a horrible way to protect your house or self from negative entities. Unless the entities are simple parasites, they won’t be harmed in the least by the salt. Whatever you use, whether it’s lilac or iron nails, it must be something that makes the area extremely uncomfortable for that particular entity which means that there’s no end-all be-all for entity protection, and from my experience, salt is probably the least effective measure you could try. Think about it like this, vampires supposedly don’t like garlic, but werewolves have no problem eating a man covered in garlic. So garlic might be effective against a vampire problem but wouldn’t have any effect on the werewolf. It’s exactly the same thing when dealing with unknown entities. If you wanted to keep parasites out, salt would be great, but if you wanted to keep one of the fey out, you’d need some iron. Do some research and don’t assume that a salt circle will work. If you’ve got specific information on something and don’t know what to do, put a comment down and I’ll try to help as best I can.
And finally, please don’t keep salt near your altar unless you are using it as a battery and have a way to open it and close it from influencing any of your other workings because it will absolutely make your workings less effective.
This is really interesting. I like the way you’ve categorized the attributes that salt has and made a distinction between various materials that can act as a tool for protection. Just like everything else, whether that be gods and goddesses, herbs, gemstones, or symbols, tools for protection would obviously have specific actions that they could take and specific limitations based on the attributes they hold.
Thanks for a thought-provoking post.
Thanks for this post; very interesting.
I am curious though, when you write “Salt is normally used as the physical representation of the circle”, do you mean salt is sprinkled/placed around the physical edge of the circle? What tradition is this from?
The only time, in my traditions, salt would go around the edge of a circle would be for healings, protections etc. Then it functions as you describe; absorptive on the etheric layer alone.
What you describe here, the limits of salt and its functions energetically, is, pretty much how it is taught in most of the magical and pagan traditions I know. It functions very well, when used correctly on the etheric level alone. This is why it is always used in conjunction with other items/magical actions. Correct use of salt, for example, in exorcisms, will help prevent an etheric disturbance and this frees the exorcist to work on the higher levels where the problems lie.
So, bravo for salt, when used correctly
Great post.
I think I missed something. You talk about how salt absorbs water and transmits electricity, then you shift to talking about energy. Why would something that absorbs water also absorb energy? Why would something that transmits electricity also transmit energy?
I’m particularly interested in any testing you’ve done. Have you found other cases where absorption and transmission of energy correlate to how materials handle water or electricity? What sort of testing have you done?
Thanks!
years ago I was randomly given a metal bell & I randomly taped it up on my door to ring whenever I enter my room
short time later I was continuing my research of fey (I had seen a few around) & learned fey don’t like iron or the sound of bells – go figure – though I find the dislike of cats to be incorrect, at least for some fey at least
Sounds like salt, in general, has its uses, but it’s not the general be all catch all for any problem especially in the case of more complicated (for lack of a better word) beings. Plus isn’t contaminated salt supposed to be gotten rid of? And outside of something going horribly wrong how would you know if your salt had been contaminated? sorry for the newbie questions, but some of the things i’ve been learning need some clarification other than “that’s how we do it”.
Contaminated salt should be thrown out for sure. You know that salt is contaminated if you have used it for any magick or if it’s been out and around during any kind of “experience”. Salt’s cheap so it shouldn’t really be an issue.
I like your thoughts, but I think you have a major component backwards. Salt doesn’t suck up water. Water ‘sucks’ up salt. So, in your idea of killing a slug, it’s the extra-soluability of the liquid ‘water’ in the slug that is pulling the salt in and over-mineralizing and killing the slug.
You also go on to say that salt is a natural oxidizer. Again, water is the oxidizing agent, while salt and it’s chemical properties (depending if you mean salt as in sea salt or basic sodium) don’t suck things up. They may assist in deterioration but…. you also speak of how salt is used to preserve food and ‘kill’ bacteria, but that isn’t how that functions. This could be very long winded on how salt is a crystal and I could go on for days about water… but just something to consider.
Namaste
How can salt, or other items, be mystically used to bring one love back. Regards.
well, magickally i know a few concoctions that helps attract the opposite gender but this may not be the case
may I suggest seeking love advice? I’ll be willing to help
Do you have any adivse on identifying particular entities? I was planning on using a salt circle and hoping for the best as it should serve against ‘most’ negative entities. Maybe you could sugest for me a combination which would prevent problems from the most likely cause.
entity is a vague term – is it a simple wandering spirit, is it tied to the house, is it something human, non-human, poltergeist? what has it done to make you want it to leave your home? sometimes simply asking it to leave does the trick while other times you need to cleanse your home of the negativity
take dry sage (for cleansing) & dried lavender (for smoothing)
open every window & door in the house
burn the sage & lavender together like incense & say something like “all negative energy is not allow in this space – only positive energy is allowed in this space”
the words can be changed so to specify the issue
excuse me for saying but aren’t sodium chloride and sodium bicarbonate different? hence bicarbonate being a better electrolyte then table salt and jsut to let you know its not unique for salt to transmit electricity potassium does the same thing so does lye with is an even better electrolyte than salt.
“One of the most beautiful and entertaining uses of fire occurs in firework displays. Fireworks need a source of combustible material for energy such as black powder, a mixture of charcoal, sulfur, and saltpeter (an old name for potassium nitrate), or smokeless powder such as cellulose nitrate. In addition, fireworks contain substances that give off bright, colorful light when heated. A common example of such material is sodium in table salt. If salt is sprinkled into a flame, an orange color appears. The colored flame is a result of electrons in sodium ions absorbing energy and moving up to higher energy levels and then falling back to their ground state, emitting specific amounts of energy that correspond to colors of light. For centuries, this phenomenon has been the basis of flame tests in chemistry laboratories.”
http://www.chemistryexplained.com/Fe-Ge/Fireworks.html#b
simple table salt cannot be used in and of itself as an oxidizer and the moisture in the air isn’t enough to be used in electrolysis, plus you would need a high current to complete said process.
theory debunked! continue using salt!!!
best way to keep evil spirtis out of your house, go to the ocean collected some sand and fresh ocean water and leave it close to your front door.
Could salt, given its drawing properties, be useful for drawing nature spirits to a place of prayer and communion with the wild?
What about the book called New Salt Magick Rites by Jason Pikes
I haven’t read that one yet. Seems like a rather small subject to write a book about…
Thank you for your advice. One day one person said that salt around my house was for sure protected,it was awful after that I had to deal with alot of negative entities for 3yrs!! Now I cant get off entities not to followed me,when I pass close to cemetarys or funeral homes?
What about pepper?
I think I may have incurred the animosity of a spirit of some kind and I was told that salt in the doorways and on window sills would help, but after reading this I’m not so sure, what would you recomend?
Priests have used salt for centuries with excellent results. I myself have used it to get rid of evil entities and, in my experience, that can’t flee fast enough. I believe it is different to each individual and their preferences…so “To each his own” I say. I use salt in ritual throughout the house…though not outside as it destroys the root system of plants. Anyway, I think salt is invaluable for it’s magical properties, but a person’s unique preference(s) should always be the deciding factor, whether it be with salt, gemstones, herbs or whatever, etc. Thanks for listening…Blessed be.
Am being tormented by witcHes in my family please how do I get protection for eternity?