After the spell is cast and the magick is set, what do you do with all the left over “stuff”– the candle wax, herbs, ashes, pins, needles, dollies, spell bags, charms, talismans, personal effects, etc. etc.? Is how you dispose of the remnants left from magick spells or rituals important? You bet your sweet cauldron it is. I’m posting this because 1) I’ve just stumbled upon it in my great big ole’ black Book of Shadows; 2) I’ve gotten a few emails filled with questions on this issue; and 3) I think it’s important enough to review for anyone who hasn’t thought about it for a while. I do believe that this information, or at least some of it, might have come from luckymojo.com, but this has been buried in my BOS for so long, I don’t really remember anymore.

Note: One big difference in casting spells in the hoodoo tradition is the belief that the power attributed to certain items, herbs and such, is naturally a part of these things and it is not necessary to consecrate these items to charge them in order to activate the magick. I’m extraordinarily eclectic, and I love charging my spell candles, mojo bags, charms & talismans, jewelry, etc, in the Wiccan tradition, with the four elements– by earth, by air, by fire, by water.

When all is said and done, the last spell candle has burned itself out, and the final “So Mote it Be” has been spoken, here’s what you’re going to do with all the leftover tidbits…

1. If you want to keep something close, bury it in your backyard.

2. If you want to attract something, bury it under the front door step.

3. If you want to destroy its influence, burn it.

4. If you want it to move away and sink, throw it in running water.

5. If you want to disperse it far away from you, throw it to a crossroads.

6. If you want to fix its influence, bury the pieces in a a five spot pattern

7. If you want it to work by means of spirits, bury it in a graveyard.

8. If you want to hide its point of origin, conceal it in a tree.

9. If you want it to work in secret, give it food or drink.
(This is often an ongoing thing, done at regular intervals.)

10. If you want it to work in stealth, hide it in clothing or on objects.

11. If you want its influence to begin or strengthen, throw it to the East.

12. If you want its influence to weaken or end, throw it to the West.

13. Never bury the remains of a negative spell on your own property!

Spell Crafting at work on my back porch table!