I don’t have any qualms about using curses, as you may have guessed. If I run a red light and get a ticket, that’s fair and I accept it. If someone breaks into my home and my dog attacks them — sorry, that’s just how your cookie crumbled, my friend.

I see curses the same way — what goes around comes around. If someone attacks me or tries to purposely add chaos to my life, guess what? I don’t sit idly by and let it happen. First, I’ll do everything in my power to get them gone in the more traditional ways but if that doesn’t work… fire up the candles, because it’s curse time.

Protection

One thing I do not do, especially if engaging in a witch war, is go into battle without armor. Suit up with talismans, salt, and friendly spirits. Carry tourmaline and labradorite with you. Sprinkle cascarilla powder around your home and make a witch bottle. Invest in an amulet to ward against the Evil Eye. Hang a mirror on your front door and put one on your altar to deflect negativity coming your way. Don’t give anyone a sample of your handwriting. Make protective sigils and paint them somewhere by your bed, in your car, or near your desk — anywhere you spend a lot of time. Cleanse and ground regularly.

Here’s the problem: Curses, especially when inflicted by inexperienced witches, can go awry. They may not hit you, but they could hit someone near you, someone you love. It happened to me. Instead of anything hurting me, my pets got sick within a week of each other with totally random, expensive problems. Everything turned out to be benign but the lesson was learned. Guard against ignorance, anger, and wild-ass witches who don’t think things through.   

Hex Your Ex

Ex-lover, ex-friend, ex-boss. Someone from your past who is sticking around, haunting your life like a ghoul. Whatever the reason for the split, some people just don’t take rejection well and when egos are bruised, rules go out the window. That’s usually when things get nasty.

This curse is complicated but uses no off-the-wall, exotic ingredients. Anyone can do it using items most witches already have in their homes. The key ingredient here is anger, which cannot be substituted. We’re going to filter this anger productively instead of letting it bounce around your mind like a useless, red-hot coal.

You Will Need:

• 3 black candles
• Salt
• Vinegar
• Black Pepper
• Pen & paper
• Poppet materials
• A taglock
• Sharp objects
• A knife

Gather three black candles in a circle and surround this circle with salt. Sprinkle a little salt in your hands and dust it on your shoulders, and if you wish, the top of your head. Just keep the salt handy. Mix vinegar and freshly ground black pepper together in a small bowl and on a piece of paper, write the person’s name you want cursed. Make sure to tear all the paper around the person’s name away so it’s as small as possible. Float the paper in the bowl of vinegar for a moment, then drown it. If you’d like, make sure the name stays at the bottom by putting a rock on top of it.  

Now, the fun part. Create a poppet from whatever you have on hand. There’s no reason to buy anything for this curse — do not spend a dime on them, even to curse them! Use candle wax, a cord, soap, clay, anything that can represent your target in the spell (using a soft material will make things easier on you later). Secure your taglock and finish your poppet. Remember, they don’t have to be big or the size of a regular doll. Small poppets are more convenient and save on materials. As long as the taglock fits inside, you’re good.

Set your bowl of vinegar in the center of the circle of black candles, and close the circle with sharp objects situated between each candle. Pins, needles, pocket knives, anything to imprison the name within the circle. Now that the name has had time to soak in the vinegar, remove it from the bowl and wrap this around your poppet (the waist or the neck is preferable).

Remove the bowl and set the poppet in the center of the ring of candles. Going counterclockwise, light each candle. Now, this is important. To perform this curse, you must be angry. Focus. Let your anger build to a fever pitch until you’re practically shaking with rage. If you find this part difficult, don’t continue. The spell simply won’t work unless you mean it and you’re in the right mindset. Think of everything this person has done to upset your life. Think of how badly they deserve what’s coming to them. Cry, yell, hit the pillows! Channel this anger so you can pour it into the spell and, more importantly, get it out of your system.

Take one of your pins and jab it through the name on the poppet so they are secured together. Think of this pin as a lightning rod to catch your intention and your anger. Then you can funnel it into the poppet and therefore your target.

Recite these words three times and in your mind’s eye, see your target’s face.  

All wicked things, they come in three,

Anger, ignorance, jealousy,

And no longer will these ghosts haunt me,

I send them to you, one, two, three.

All wicked things, you seem to be,

But I am more wicked by far than thee,

All wicked things to you from me,

Times one, times two, times one, two, three.

On the third recitation, slice your poppet into thirds using a knife. Blow out your candles and dip each piece into the black candle wax before it has a chance to re-solidify. Destroy these pieces in different ways: Burn one, drown one in the bowl of vinegar, and crush one. Then, return the pieces to the center of the circle. Let this arrangement sit for a full day without being disturbed, then dispose of everything.    

Enemy At Large

You Will Need:

• A photo of your target
• A red candle
• Frankincense oil
• Carrier oil
• Thumb tacks

This curse is a little less personal than Hex Your Ex, meant for someone who you just really hate. They could be interfering in your own life and you’d like to see them punished, or you may not even know them personally but you’re sick of their antics (online bullies, politicians, the list goes on). The great thing about this curse is that it requires no taglock. This can make the aim a little less precise, but the results are still effective.

Because we’re using no taglock, we have to create a target for the spell to focus on. I’ve gotten the best results by using a picture of the target. Stick your photo to the wall with tacks at all four corners and imagine that this person is standing in front of you. Think of their mannerisms, the sound of their voice, the way they smell, if that helps. Do anything to bring this picture to life so you can perfectly see your target and believe you are performing this curse face-to-face.

Light a red candle (power) to reinforce your own actions and give them some extra weight. Quickly run your index finger through the flame — not so you burn yourself, but just so you get a sense of the heat — then dab a little diluted Frankincense oil onto the same finger. Place your finger at the bottom of the photo or (if pictured) the feet of your target. Press firmly up the target’s body, and stop when you’re over their torso or heart.

Recite these words:

On dark roads, you’ll see no lights,

In deep holes, you’ll have no rope,

Instead of kisses, you’ll feel bites,

And when fear consumes, you’ll have no hope.

Repeat the incantation, however, this time after each line, take one of the tacks you used to affix the photo to the wall, and push it into the center of your target’s chest. Then spit into their face.

After performing this curse, remove the photo from your wall and wash your hands and face well.

Ruthless

This curse has an artistic element, which is why I like it. Below I’ve provided a template but you can, of course, use your own design if you prefer. What you’ll do is create a sigil curse with a sentence of intent directed toward your target — whatever you’d like to happen to them. Instead of putting your sigil in a circle, or letting it be more freeform, you build your sigil inside of the dagger and create your sigil on the blade. Daggers have a rich symbolism and, depending on where you are, can mean anything from immortality to sacrifice, betrayal or good luck. Fittingly, however, daggers most often represent a weapon, and that’s what you’re going to turn your sigil into, a weapon against those who have harmed you.

Once your sigil is complete, write your target’s name on the handle and fetch a knife. Go outside — day or night doesn’t matter, but performing this activation during a storm would be ideal — and set your sigil on the earth in front of you. Focus your anger and think of your line of intent (be sure to say it out loud!), then take your knife and drive it through the blade of the dagger sigil with force. Once the sigil is skewered on the knife, light a black candle, then complete the activation by burning the sigil while it is still on the knife, like you’re roasting a marshmallow. Dispose of the ashes in water, either by throwing them out into the rain or letting them wash down the drain.

I love this method because it incorporates all four elements and is very physical. Although there is no list of ingredients or complicated steps, the symbol of the dagger, the method of activation and the seriousness of the line of intention make this curse unusually powerful while being simple to perform.

While I would never get preachy or tell another witch how they should work their own magic, with curses I do suggest doing your research and making sure taking this step is right for you. I only use curses rarely and as a last resort because they can be dangerous, they can backfire, and they can miss your target entirely and hit someone who never hurt you. So, do your own thing, but do it thoughtfully, intelligently, and with respect for the magic you’re wielding.

With all that said, I hope whoever wrongs you only does it once.

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Updated on August 20, 2023 by Avery Hart