What Is War Water & How Do You Use It As A Witch?

You might have noticed that this list seems a little contradictory. And you’d be right, war water is an unusual form of magic because it’s both an offensive form of magic and a defensive form of magic. Generally, magical protection and attacks happen separately. If you’re in an altercation with another magic worker, you’d usually want to use at least two forms of magic, one to cleanse anything they’ve thrown at you and defend against future negativity, and one to strike back if necessary. Even if you’re reversing a curse, you’d still usually use one spell to reverse the curse or baneful magic, and one to protect yourself after so they couldn’t harm you again.

War water, on the other hand, is like a complete all-in-one solution. It removes negative energy, protects against future hexes, and can act as a curse itself, all in a single spell. 

(Think you’ve been cursed with War Water? Read about how to break a war water curse here >>)

How To Make War Water

War Water is a powerful form of magic stemming from American witchcraft traditions in the South. Contrary to popular belief, war water is not rooted in Hoodoo but in European-influenced folk magic practices. Due to this, debates about which is the most “authentic” recipe for war water are unproductive. Folk magic practices in the early parts of white American history were not well documented, and the specifics of these practices were likely kept within close-knit family circles.

The result is that spells such as this one have always had quite a bit of variation. This lack of homogenization leaves us with many traditional recipes for spells such as war water, and most of them do contain the grain of authenticity that many modern witches crave in their practice.

The key here is not to get hung up on finding the “most traditional” recipe for war water. What matters is if the magic works. We’re witches, not historians. The point of our magic is to actually DO magic and create the desired changes to our reality. Pulling from history and tradition can help us find the threads of magic that have been proven to work, but these should be a starting point, not an impediment that prevents us from ever doing magic.

This recipe for war water does come from a Southern tradition, meaning that some of the ingredients may not be available in other areas. Spanish moss typically grows in the southern coastal areas in the US, so if Spanish Moss doesn’t grow where you live, it’s perfectly acceptable to replace it with ingredients that are more readily available for you. Cayenne pepper or wormwood would both make decent substitutes.

You Will Need:

• Cut iron nails
• Spanish Moss
• Water (swamp water or pond water is preferable)

War water is made by placing iron nails and Spanish moss into a glass bottle or jar of water. The jar is then allowed to sit for a period of several weeks, breathing it (opening it to allow oxygen in) occasionally to speed up the oxidation process during the first week only. The nails will rust, and the moss will decompose, leaving the water a red or black color and smelling very swampy. 

It’s important that you use cut iron nails and not galvanized iron nails. The suspension of iron rust is an essential component of the spell, you’re taking advantage of this corrosion and decay that you’ve created and harnessing it for your magic. Galvanized nails will eventually rust, but they will take a hell of a lot longer, and your magic will suffer for it. 

If we take a look at the actual magical forces at work in this spell, this starts to make a lot more sense. The planet Mars is one of the primary forces at play in this spell. This planet takes its name from the Roman god, Mars, god of war and agriculture. Right off the bat, we’re working with this intense war-like energy that is both defensive and offensive. After all, a good army needs to be able to both defend its borders and make a direct attack on its enemies. War water holds this same property as a magical tactician, both defensive and offensive, depending on need. Iron is also the symbolic metal of the planet Mars, tying this planet to the spell with physical materia as well as symbolism. If you want to enhance this Martial energy even more, I recommend making your war water on a Tuesday, the planetary day of Mars.

As you can see, finding the right kind of iron nails is one of the most important steps in this process. If you can’t get any from your local hardware store, I recommend checking out antique stores, especially the ones that are more eclectic and less curated. Think more junk shop than priceless furniture, you can often find old iron nails for very cheap in these sorts of stores. If all else fails, Etsy is a great alternative.

How To Use War Water

Traditionally, to use war water you would break the jar on the land, doorstep or at the feet of your enemy, and whoever walks through it will have the curse laid upon them. If breaking a glass jar on someone’s porch seems a bit much to you, however, there are other ways of using it. The spell works just as well if you simply pour the war water out on their land or, alternatively, you can sprinkle it around the outside perimeter of your own land as a preemptive protective measure. Here are a few ways to use your water.

1. Create wards

Warding your home and your property is an important part of magical protection, and war water makes an excellent ward. Using war water in this way creates a ward that is both defensive, keeping negative energies out, and offensive, attacking anyone who tries to attack you. This is like having a magical guard dog on your property. It’s a warning and a weapon all in one. To create a ward using war water, take some of the nails out of your war water jar once they’re good and rusty and use them to “nail down” your property by driving the nails into the dirt at the edges of your land. You can then sprinkle war water around the perimeter on a monthly basis to keep the ward fresh and active. If you live in an apartment, skip the nails and just sprinkle war water outside your doors and windows. 

2. Use it to reverse negativity

If you think you’ve been cursed, or you simply feel like there’s a lot of negativity clinging to you and your life, you can use war water as a simple “return to sender” spell. This is like cleansing taken up a level. Take a white candle and every day for a week, run the candle through your aura and over your entire body, envisioning the candle absorbing all the negativity clinging to you. As you do so, say:

“I command any negativity,

Any baneful magic,

And non-benevolent beings within this space

To leave and return to your maker.

You are not welcome here.

I command you to leave, And return from whence you came.” 

At the end of the week, dip the candle in war water (avoiding the wick) and burn the candle, thus burning away the negative energy and its ties to you.

3. Using it as a curse

If you want to be a little more forceful with this, you can always go with the tried and true “smash the jar on your enemies front porch” but sometimes that’s just not practical. Instead, you can use your war water to curse from a distance. There are many ways to accomplish this, from candle spells invoking Mars to poppets of your enemy, but I like a good, old-fashioned petition paper. Take a red candle, a piece of paper, and a pen. You can add some black arts oil if you’re feeling especially nasty. Write what you want to occur to your target on the petition paper, include any details as well as that you desire protection from retribution. Carve your enemies name on the candle. If you’re using oil, dress the petition paper and the candle with oil, then place the paper under the candle and burn the candle all the way down. Once you’re finished, take the leftover wax and the petition paper and stuff it in the jar of war water. Anytime your enemy needs a reminder of who they’re messing with, give the jar a good shake to stir up the energies again. If you ever want to reverse the curse, simply take the paper and wax out, let them dry fully, and burn them.

4. Add it to spiritual baths or floor washes

Finally, you can add a small amount of war water to a magical bath or a floor wash (the floor wash is particularly good for the outdoor area of your home). Ask the planet Mars to defend and protect you and your home. When you’re finished, take a jar of the remaining bath water or floor wash and sprinkle it around your property, if possible. This will extend the protection further.

War water is an incredibly useful magical tool to keep on hand. Even if you never intend to curse anyone, my recommendation is to make a jar just so you have it on hand. The best magical defense happens before a problem occurs. You do not want to find yourself embroiled in a witch war only to realize that it’s going to take you 3 to 5 weeks to rally your defenses. Make war water today, and you’ll be ready if and when a problem arises.

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Updated on November 19, 2024 by Avery Hart