A witch bottle is a jar spell. Simple, right? Typically, they’re protection spells, but sometimes they’re curses. There’s actually quite a history attached to them and many have been recovered during renovation and archaeological excavations. It’s a pretty neat topic to research, if you’re interested in such things.

This one is simple to make but will provide powerful protection to the property you live on. If you move, be sure to take it with you! This isn’t the kind of spell to be leaving around.

What you’ll need:

• A jar or bottle with lid, ideally glass or ceramic (see notes)
• Salt (your choice of what kind)
• Three pins or needles
• Three nails
• Three screws
• Three sticks or bark from one of the following: juniper, oak, rowan, hawthorn, hemlock, hazel, cedar, ash or birch (Alternatively, you can use one stick or piece of bark from three of the choices available)
• Three flowers from one of the following: rose, gardenia, hellebore, oleander, jasmine, iris, hyssop, cornflower, or geranium. (Alternatively, you can use one flower from three of the choices available)
• Three herb sprigs from one of the following: rosemary, rue, dill, nettle, angelica, vervain, lavender, garlic, or mugwort. (Alternatively, you can use one herb sprig from three of the choices available)
• Three parts of you: A lock of your hair, drop of your blood, fingernail cuttings, piece of your skin, your urine, etc.
• Sealing wax or candle (any color)

First, prep your jar and make sure it’s as clean and dry as possible.

Next, gather up your metal ingredients and plant ingredients and place them inside. While you do this, you should say, speak, or think about what you’re protecting and what you’re protecting it from.

Fill the jar the rest of the way with salt, leaving enough room for the last ingredients.

Place the chosen bits of yourself inside the jar and seal it with the sealing wax or drip enough wax to seal the jar entirely.

Now, bury next to your home, preferably the front door. You can alternatively store it in the basement, attic, or the back of a closet.

Notes:

• The jar or bottle is usually made with glass because that’s easy to acquire – just wash and air a pickle or jam jar. I personally prefer unglazed ceramic, but stone has also been used. Metal has been used but I don’t readily recommend it because it’s often painted with harmful chemicals. Plastic, silicon, or rubber is not recommended. People say this is because it’s a manmade material so it doesn’t possess the same energy or whatever. I don’t recommend it because it doesn’t break down easily or if it does, it released the innards of the jar to the world – which in this spell would be particularly harmful given the salt quantity.
• You can absolutely choose other herbs, flowers, or trees here. Pick whatever protection based flora works for you.
• When it comes to burying glass items or items with lots of salt in it, I can’t really recommend burying it in the ground. A good middle ground is to dig a large hole where you want to place the spell and bury a clay pot with a lid in that space. Place the witch bottle in that pot and you’ll have extra protection in case something goes wrong. You can also easily uncover the pot and replace or add additional protections down the road.

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