IDST

 You are the first one to figure out the obvious: Do not chase the cat. The cat is befriendable. Get the cat to trust you, to genuinely enjoy your company, and you can hang out with the cat. You may eventually be allowed to touch the cat. The cat will freely let you take the key.

Image credit: www.saltinstitute.org

In witchcraft, as in biology, you cannot survive without the use of salt. Salt is the ultimate purifying agent, and it has extensive ritual and spell usages that every single magick-using culture has come to recognise and use. Everything from Terry Pratchett to Supernatural has used salt in their work related to magic lore, and this is because it’s extremely common in real-world customs, traditions and rituals.

Important Witchy Facts About Salt!

Salt is a cleanser. Salt is used when we cast circles and bless items; it is used when Sumo wrestlers purify the ring before a fight; it is used when a kitchen witch scrubs down their tabletop; it is used when a Christian priest wishes to cast out demons; it is used when a butcher wants to kill germs. Salt is the ultimate cleansing agent, killing not just microbes but malicious or negative magicks, holding them at bay and driving them out. 

Salt is a barrier. Salt lines around doors, windows, beds and even houses have been used for thousands of years as methods of driving back dark forces and keeping bad spirits at bay. Negative magick and bad spirits cannot cross a line of salt, and often touching it is said to be enough to kill them (or at least burn them). Scattering salt grains before a fae will force the fae to stoop to count every single grain, because they’re a bit obsessive and can’t leave it alone.

Salt is cheap and safe. This is actually pretty important, because whilst some magickal items (like candles, pentagrams and athames) are kind of indisputably witchy, salt is not only cheap, safe and generally useful, it’s also something that you HAVE to have because humans NEED salt to survive. So, for those secret witches who might live at home with unaccepting parents, or in a country that does not permit witchcraft, it might be the only tool you can always have access to that won’t be questioned.

Salt is versatile. You can use salt in all kinds of different rituals and practices, everything from cleansing a circle to blessing a wand to calling down a curse. Salt is something that has many potent ritual properties, and it’s an essential part of almost all magic.

Mineral salts:

Look. I’m not gonna judge if you want to use fancy pink salt or whatever. That’s your call. All I’m saying is, it’s really expensive and it’s literally no different to the cheap table salt you get from the shops. Magickally speaking, salt is salt. Magick doesn’t care if it’s Himalayan mountain salt or if it’s Woolies Homebrand table salt. Don’t waste your money! Honestly, it’s not worth it unless there’s a very specific reason to do so.

So, keep a stash of salt in your house! It’s an awesome thing to have for magick, and boy is it good to eat too!