Most witches have garlic in their kitchens, some have vervain, many have honey and some have the coveted mandrake, but every witch is sure to have salt. It is a main ingredient in working magic. For centuries salt has been sought out and guarded by those who know its value.
A witch uses salt for many purposes, the most common being to control spirit forces. A verse referring to salts power is found in an old English book of shadows: Sprinkle round about ye hearth, Keep ye spirits at their bay
Evil spirits and demons are said to be around when we accidentally spill salt. For this reason, we toss a pinch over our left, or sinister, shoulder with our right hand. The baneful spirit must then count each grain before being a nuisance to us again. Some traditions even say that evil resides over our left shoulder and that tossing of the salt will drive them away.
When placed in water salt releases its cleansing properties. In the household, a bit of salt in your cleaning solutions assures physically and spiritually cleansed living quarters.
Add salt to your bath. This is especially effective during the fourth quarter of the moon when spirit activity is at its peak and we are most sensitive.
A pinch of salt can be used to keep all manneer of evil in check, wether it is a pesky ghost or a bothersome relative. Salt forms a mystic barrier between the invasive and the defending forces. It can be sprinkled on property boarders to an annoying neighbor away. Placed between two people at a dinner table a saltcellar prevents harch conversation or bad wishes. A touch of salt on the tongue discourages nightmares.
Salt is a symbol of purity and the embodiment of the Earth element. As such salt is ideal for grounding. It is often used to bind a spell. When the working is finished, the object can be buried in salt or placed upon a bed of salt to assure success.
There are three times when the use of salt is forbidden: before or during a seance, at the Hallows Sabbit, or in the meal of a dying person. In all three cases the presence of spirits is desired.
--Theitic--
From The Witches Almanac
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