Emporiblog - Spell Jars

Hello all!! Today's post is about Spell Jars!!

Spell Jars are a part of magic folklore, traditionally used to protect from and drive away bad sprits and harmful magicks from other magic users. The first mention of a Spell Jar or Witch Bottle appears in 17th century in England with continuing mentions in historical records from both England and the USA. There are also recorded uses in Hoodoo. Traditionally, the Jars where either buried at the farthest corner of the property, under the hearth or hidden in an out of the way spot in the house. These Bottles where either made from glass, stone or any receptacle that could be sealed. It was believed that the protection would hold as long as the receptacle remained intact and hidden.

There are some cases where the Bottle was prepared then cast into a fire where it would eventually explode. Apon explosion, the curse was supposedly broken or the caster responsible was supposedly killed. However, given the safety implications of this method, I would advise against this and suggest you stick to burying/hiding. 

How to prepare

Since traditional Spell Jars were made to protect against Magic users, the Jars had to contain part of the victim who believed they were cursed. This usually consisted of hair, nails or urine. Bits of string, either from a sprite trap or random clippings where then added along with rosemary, red wine, pins and needles. The Jar was then sealed and bound with twine and wax or a cork. Once buried, the evil was then captured in the Jar. The string acted as a maze while the pins and needles would impale the evil if it managed to escape the maze, the wine would then drown the evil and the rosemary would carry it away.

However, you don't have to use your own urine now. Vinegar is a good substitute!! You can also make a Spell Jar for other purposes like offerings, Sabbats, New/Full moons and ones to carry around with you like luck, anti-anxiety, prosperity and the like. 

What you put in your Jar depends on the size of your chosen receptacle, your path, the purpose of the Jar and what's available to you. 

Some ingredient ideas:

- Sea water

- Earth

- Sand

- Stones

- Crystals

- Knotted thread

- Rusty nails

- Plant parts

- Feathers

- Herbs

- Shells

- Specific flowers

- Salt

- Oil

- Essential Oils

- Coins

- Ashes

- Thorns

For extra potency, you can charge specific items with specific energies.

There's no limit to the amount of ingredients you can put in one Jar (apart from the size of the Jar!). If you're just starting out on your path you can follow recipes, or buy pre-made ones until you're ready to make your own. If you can't bury your Jar or hide it, you can always bury it in a plant pot or place it out in the open like the one pictured at the beginning of the post. 

To seal, either put the lid back on or replace the cork. You can then use twine or any kind or string, rope or wool, wax or ribbon to further seal your Jar.

It's a good idea to make or at least prepare a second one just incase your first should break. 

I hope you've enjoyed this post and keep your eyes peeled for our post tomorrow!!

Blessings,

C )0(

👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

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