Magic is the word used to describe the process of influencing events and producing results using incantations, spells, rituals, charms, potions, visualization, or divination. Anthropologists have classified magic acts into productive, protective, and destructive.
Productive magic is called upon to ensure a successful result like good weather or harvest. Protective magic defends a person or group of people from illness, death, or bad fortune. Magic used to harm others is considered destructive magic.
Magic is often used to:
- Acquire knowledge, love, power or wealth
- Heal or prevent illnesses
- Protect against danger
- Guarantee success
- Harm enemies
- Reveal information
- Promote transformation
What is Dark Magic?
Although magic has no color or light spectrum, it’s become common to classify sorcery as either light or dark. Dark magic is often used for nefarious purposes, while light magic is thought to be only used for beneficial purposes. The distinction is often unclear, however. A spell meant to call the rain might have a destructive element to it. Does that make it dark or light magic?
Another way to look at dark magic is that it involves the manipulation of free will. So with this definition, a love spell, although thought to be a beneficial incantation, would be a dark spell since it manipulates the free will of the other person.
Some magic practitioners have proposed that the type of magic being used depends on the intention rather than the end result. Therefore, if the rain spell intended to water the crops, then it was done in white magic. However, if the intention was to cause destruction, then it is classified as a dark spell.
What are Spells?
Spells involve words and symbolic numbers believed to have power and ritual actions along with natural or human-made objects such as herbs or crystals. The incantation is designed to draw power from the magical world to perform specific tasks. The exact process is often kept secret by the practitioner.
Spell wording is considered the most critical aspect of the ceremony by many. The Trobriand Islanders of Papua New Guinea have traditionally used particular rhetoric to influence and control nature and life events. The correct word order and intonation are paramount to the effectiveness of the rite.
Even in non-magical settings, the belief in the power of words is still so important to the Maori of New Zealand that errors in public recitations are thought to cause misfortune to the individual and the community.
What are Dark Spells?
As mentioned earlier, dark magic involves the manipulation of free will. Therefore dark spells are the incantations used to control the behavior or thoughts of another person. Dark spells can also influence physical wellness, cause harm, or bad fortune. The most extreme dark spells are those that call for the death of the spell target.
Types of Dark Spells
Let’s take a few minutes and examine the most common types of dark spells.
Curse
The word curse is thought to have originated from the Old English word “curs”, which was a prayer that evil or harm befall one. A curse is diametrically opposed to a blessing. It is the expressed wish that something terrible happens through adversity or misfortune.
A spirit or deity can make the pronouncement of a curse as in the case where God cursed the serpent for its traitorous act, the earth so that it would not yield food easily and Cain for murdering his brother in the book of Genesis.
Curses can be made by those who hold power to do so. They have been granted their holiness or commission from a deity. Again, in the book of Genesis, Noah, a righteous man, curses Canaan, his grandson.
Moses and Aaron brought the ten plagues to Egypt by the power of the Israelite God. These plagues were curses meant to undermine the strength and will of the Egyptian Pharaoh, forcing him to allow the Israelites to leave his service. Each of the calamities was a direct challenge to an Egyptian god.
The ancient Romans and Greeks used defixiones or curse tablets to bring misfortune to their enemies. These tablets were hidden in wells, below door sills, at crossroads, in the cemetery, and on temple grounds. To date, more than 1,500 defixiones have been recovered.
The curses recovered in excavations were intended to cause oozing ulcers, sex without enjoyment, sleep deprivation, memory loss, muteness, physical weakness of specific gladiators, and cause the loss of speed of certain chariot horses. They were invoked against thieves who had stolen slaves or other personal property, rivals, and it seems contenders in events where betting occurred, such as races or gladiator combat.
The wording of the defixiones leads researchers to believe that there were those that both the wealthy and poor could visit to enlist their services in the creation of these curse tablets. Defixiones have been found throughout Europe, to the farthest reaches of the Roman Empire.
How to Curse
Those who dabble in dark spells may wish to curse a person or object. Curses involve directing negative energy towards a person. This negative energy might affect their health, romantic relationships, or work.
To curse someone, you can write his or her name on a piece of paper and burn it. Or you could write it on an undesirable location, like a toilet seat or the bottom of your shoe. Be sure to have the person clearly in mind so that you don’t accidentally curse someone with the same name.
If you have a possession belonging to the person you’d like to curse, so much the better. This taglock is an object that connects to the person, such as a lock of hair or a picture. When you devise the curse, be sure to focus on the taglock and have a clear idea of what you want the result to be so that the emotions you experience don’t take the curse too far.
Hex
The term hex originates from the German word hexe, which means to practice witchcraft. Over time, its usage has changed to refer to magic spells. The Pennsylvania Dutch painted what is now known as hex signs on their barns to protect their livestock and food stores from misfortune. Barn stars were also used on barns and homes as a talisman to ward off evil.
The symbols had precise meanings. Four and five-pointed stars brought luck. Stars with eight points were thought to foster fertility, while sixteen points was a sure way to bring prosperity. Two goldfinches would bring a happy marriage. The rosettes and stars found in a Daddy Hex were wards against famine. Acorns and oaks were signs of strength.
Among the Pennsylvania Dutch, the Braucher or Hexenmeister was the practitioner that was able to manipulate the elements in the community. The process combines traditional European folk magic and Christian prayers to manifest a specific result. Traditionally, most Brauchers were male. Braucherei is light magic, while Hexerei is a dark magic category.
A Braucher or Hexenmeister may practice both dark and light spells. It’s the intention of harm that determines whether the spell is dark or light. Dark magic is believed to draw its power from the Devil, while light magic gets its strength from God. Sometimes, however, light spells used to banish a witch invoked the Devil.
How to Hex
Hexing was taken very seriously, hence the prominent display of anti-hex symbols on homes and barns built in Pennsylvania. These were designed as wards against hexes. To cast a hex, a magical practitioner should gather a candle, a photo of the person you want to hex, and a black string for binding.
Then, write down the chant. Carve the person’s name into the candle wax. Light the candle. Tie the binding string around the photo. Finally, recite the mantra at least three times.
Jinx
Although often used interchangeably with the terms curse and hex, jinx has an entirely separate etymology. It comes from the Latin word jynx, which was a charm or a spell. It referred to a specific bird, in English known as the Eurasian wryneck (Jynx torquilla), which was considered a bad omen by the Romans.
This bird can turn its head nearly 180 degrees. If you disturb a wryneck in its nest, it will turn its head and hiss at you, a frightening display to be sure. The Eurasian wryneck itself was believed to be the product of a curse. Hera punished the nymph Inyx. She took revenge by causing Hera’s husband Zeus to fall in love with a human priestess. Hera then cursed Inyx and turned her into the wryneck (Jynx torquilla).
The ancient Romans believed in augury, the importance of birds in predicting the future, but the practice predates even Rome. The augur was in charge of observing the fowl behavior or listening for certain bird songs, which he would then interpret into positive or negative omens. However, the magistrate was responsible for making the final decision based on the indications.
An augury witch might interpret symbols and signs from the observation of birds or other animals to determine the potential outcome of an event or journey. He or she may supplement the reading with light or dark spells to either influence the result or provide protection for the person requesting the consultation.
How to Jinx
Despite the history of the word, jinxes are considered little more than bad luck spells. Perhaps it has something to do with the use of the term in baseball slang, which dates to 1911, meaning bad luck. Jinxes work best when you know about a specific event that the jinx can sabotage.
Draw a pentagram on a white piece of paper with a black marker. Then focus on the person and the event you wish to jinx. Place a dead leaf to the top point of the pentagram and speak the jinx, being as specific as possible. Move the leaf to the next clockwise point, repeat the jinx, and trace the pentagram with the marker again.
Repeat these actions for each of the five points. When the leaf is in the top position again, say the jinx a final time. Then fold the paper up with the dead foliage in the middle. Burning the leaf and paper may make the jinx stronger.
Anathema
The idea of anathema comes from the Latin anathema, referring to the curse of excommunication from the church. It has since taken on the connotation of a thing or person consigned to evil.
Historically, an anathema was an excommunication reserved for the gravest crimes. The Pope performed the ceremony. He would be dressed formally and be assisted by twelve priests with lighted candles. The ritual calls on the power of the trinity to excise the person from all communication with heaven. By being separated from the holy church, the person is condemned to the eternal fires of hell.
After the proclamation, the twelve priests would throw their candles to the ground. A written notice was then sent out to the bishops in the area naming the excommunicated person so that no contact would be made between a holy person and the shunned.
How to Evoke Anathema
There are a few differences between anathema and curse. The anathema must be pronounced by someone in authority, such as a priest or priestess, while a curse can be uttered by anyone with the proper power to cast it. As the main reason for anathema is excommunication, the idea is that a person is thrown out of society and shunned. A curse can have many results.
The group must be made up of 13 members, 12 assistants, and one priest or priestess to evoke anathema. The pronouncement should be written up in seriousness, detailing the extent of the excommunication. Candles are, of course, a necessary part of the ritual, as is proper clothing reflective of the solemnity of the rite.
Glamour
The idea of glamour came first from the Scots in the early 1700s. The phrase “to cast the glamour” referred to enchantment or spells. Glamour, as it is used today, is classified as a dark spell since it intends to deceive.
How to Glamour
In the casting of a glamour spell, either deities or demons can be called upon, depending on the intention of the glamour. To cast a spell that alters your appearance, first, cleanse the area with smudge sticks or incense.
Decorate the spell casting area with a mirror and crystals. Then, add a rose crystal to micellar water while intonating the spell to make the potion. Hold your mirror in the hand that you receive energy. If you are left-handed, it would be your right hand and visa versa.
Next, use a cotton ball to wipe the area you wish to glamour with the micellar water potion while spell chanting. Unfocus your eyes during this process. Visualize what you want the change to be and look into the mirror again. It takes some effort to keep the glamour up. So every time you pass a mirror, look into it with the visualization that you want others to see foremost in your mind.
What Types of Magic are Associated with Dark Spells?
Although there are many magical organizations in the world today, the two main groups that practice dark spells are the Left-Hand Path magic practitioners and those that practice Voodoo.
Left-Hand Path Magic
Left-Hand Path magic is often connected with dark spells and black shamanism, sometimes labeled Satanic. Although many practitioners of Left-Hand Path magic conduct animal sacrifices as part of their rituals, that is not true of every group that classifies itself this way.
Those that practice magic following the Left-Hand Path encourage taboo-breaking and the deviance from set morality. The ultimate goal is to obtain godhood through embracing the dark as well as the light.
Practitioners often call upon their own powers to cast dark spells rather than beseeching a higher power. Groups that are classified as Left-Hand Path include The Temple of Set, Dragon Rouge, and followers of Thelema.
Voodoo
Voodoo is a religious practice from Africa. In general, there are three main classifications of voodoo. The first is called Ghana voodoo and is practiced by about 30 million people in West Africa. Haitian voodoo is a hybrid religion in Haiti that mixes indigenous culture, African voodoo, and Christianity.
The third type is Louisiana voodoo, which is also known as New Orleans Voodoo or Mississippi Valley Voodoo. The voodoo practiced in these areas has been influenced by the French and Spanish settlers, specifically the Santeria religion from Spain.
Within the Voodoo religion, there are both light and dark spell casters. A bokor, male practitioner, or caplata, female practitioner, is capable of using both light and dark spells. The black magic that they can control includes the creation of ouangas, which are talismans that trap spirits and zombies. An ouanga that is used for evil purposes is called a wanga.
The creation and control of zombies are generally done through potions. A concoction made from Tetrodotoxin, a neurotoxin derived from the pufferfish, is used to subdue the victim. The poison simulates death, so often, the victim is buried. The bokor or caplata then dig up the individual and administers another potion made from Datura stramonium, jimson weed, which produces delirium.
A voodoo ritual has four phases, each with its own song. These are the preparation, invocation, possession, and farewell. The songs act as spells to open the door between the deity or saint and the human world. If you are not familiar with these very ritualist chants, then you will be unable to perform even the most basic dark spell using the powers of voodoo.
When Would You Use Dark Spells?
Dark spells are typically used to harm another person or for personal gain, although the two can be used together. Dark magic is a power that imposes your will on another person. Love spells, revenge spells, truth spells, curses, hexes, and jinxes are types of spells you’ll find in the dark category.
Spells might not work exactly as you imagined. For example, if you are in love with your best friend’s boyfriend and cast a covet spell, that doesn’t mean you will step into her place as the guy’s main squeeze. Instead, they may break up or be separated in another way, which allows you to make your presence known.
You might use a dark spell to increase your awareness of dark energy to harness it. Using a jinx to inflict a little orchestrated karma is another everyday use of dark spells.
How Can Dark Spells Be Countered?
If you find yourself the object of a dark spell, there are a few things you can do to counteract its effectiveness. It might not reverse the damage that has already been done, but it could prevent further harm.
You can use a mirror to reflect the hex to the sender. To create a magic mirror, consecrate the mirror and place it in a bowl of black salt. Then put something that represents the original spell caster, like a photo, business card, or even their name on a piece of paper. The negative energy will be returned to its maker.
You can also make a poppet, a doll that represents you. Once it is crafted, bestow the negative energy on it, to stand in your place. Put the poppet out of the way until you feel it has absorbed the curse. Then take it far from your home and dispose of it.
If you want to bind the spell caster, you can use a poppet as well. When you have a reasonable likeness in the form of a doll, wrap it with a cord that has a sigil or rune that binds them. In essence, it prohibits the person from causing more harm with dark spells.
Conclusion
As you can see, dark spells are commonplace among a variety of magic practitioners. Most are given this name because they influence the free will of another person if not causing actual harm. Many dark spells are self-serving.
If you are the victim of a dark spell, you can enlist the help of a white magic spell castor to negate the spell. Additionally, you can create a mirror to reflect the negativity to the person who wishes you harm or make a poppet to stand in your stead.