A banishing spell removes something from your life. There are many different situations that call for a banishing spell and many specific ways to do it. It all depends upon the nuances of your problem, how you see things, and your own unique way of practicing witchcraft. First you want to clarify your situation and desired outcome. Second, you must choose the type of banishing spell that best fits your needs. Third, you gather your correspondences as follows. You don’t have to work with everything listed here. It is up to you how many or how few correspondences to include in your banishing spells.
Actions and Motions for Banishing Spells
- Actions to perform on an object that symbolizes the thing you are banishing include burning in cauldron or candle flame, burying, cutting a cord, freezing in ice, and washing away.
- Your motion for sweeping, stirring, walking, and gesturing is counterclockwise.
Colors and Minerals For Banishing Spells
- Use black for altar cloths, candles, cords, and more.
- Stones and minerals can be charged to repel negativity and then carried as talismans. They can also be placed on the altar for amplification during a banishing spell. Use black minerals such as black onyx, black jasper (aka Apache tears), jet, and obsidian for protection against evil. Use hematite for grounding and protection. Use smoky quartz and black tourmaline to repel negativity. Cleanse all stones after you use them. See my article Four Ways to Do a Wiccan Cleansing. In addition, salt is often used for banishing spells.
Deities to Help with Banishing Spells
- The aspect of the Triple Goddess / God to approach is usually the Crone / Elder
- Female deities include Hel (Norse), Hecate (Greek), Kali (Indian), the Morrigan (Irish), and Santa Muerte (Mexican).
- Male deities include Anubis (Egyptian), Hades (Greek), and Odin (Norse).
Herbs for Banishing Spells
I am no botanist and I know many herbs have poisonous properties, so I almost never do advanced work with herbs (that is, turning them into tinctures, teas, poultices, and other things that can be absorbed by the body). I would advise handling herbs with care if you want to wrap them in cloth and carry them as talismans, or make them into oil with which to dress your candles. Use caution burning herbs for cleansing smoke, though sage is fine, as is commercially prepared incense. Mostly, I would advise using the following herbs only as cuttings or living plants placed on the altar for amplification during a banishing spell:
- herbs specifically used for banishing include cactus, cloves, dragon’s blood incense, ivy (hung near the door to discourage unwanted guests), morning glory (poisonous), sage, and thyme.
Timing for Banishing Spells
- Best time of day is sundown to midnight, followed by midnight to just before dawn
- Best day is Saturday, sacred to Saturn, and dedicated to cleansing, protection, and removal of obstacles and problems. Of course there are exceptions. If you’re working with the Norse god Odin, you may want to work on his day, Wednesday.
- Best phase of the moon is the waning phase, especially between the last quarter moon and the new moon. The January full Wolf Moon and the November full Snow Moon also offer opportunities for banishing.
- Best time of year is fall, especially Samhain, when one leaves behind the old year, and spring, which is when you do spring cleaning.
The correspondences that you choose from this list for your banishing spells are entirely up to you and what type of banishing spell you think you will need. The more you include, the more powerful your spell. Think of this list as a resource from which to put together what will best work for you. See also the subsection CORRESPONDENCES on this site.
