How to Reverse a Curse

Co-authored by Danielle Blinka, MA, MPA

Last Updated: January 26, 2023 Approved

You might suspect you’re cursed if you’ve been having nightmares, seeing omens, and dealing with illness or bad luck. Feeling cursed can be scary, but you may be able to protect yourself. Taking a salt bath or smudging yourself may cleanse away any negative energy directed toward you including a minor curse. As another option, do a simple candle spell to break the curse or create a mirror box to send the curse back to the person who cast it.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Taking a Salt Bath

1
Stir 1 c (273 g) of sea salt and .25 c (32 g) of baking soda into a hot bath. Run a bath that is comfortably hot to you. Then, pour the sea salt and baking soda into the water to act as purifiers. Use your hand to stir the water counterclockwise until the salt and baking soda dissolve.^{[1]
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- You don’t need to be exact with your salt and baking soda. It’s okay to just add 2-3 handfuls of salt and a sprinkling of baking soda.
- Use Epsom salt, sea salt, or Himalayan salt.
Tip: If you like, add a little essential oil to your water. Lavender, peppermint, tea tree, sandalwood, and rose are all great options for cleansing and purifying.
2
Visualize positive energy flowing into the bath. After you finish your spell or prayer, imagine that a white light of positive energy is filling the water. Then, imagine that the light is covering you and your ritual bath in cleansing energy.^{[2]
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- The light could be a solid beam of light or it might spread outwards.
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3
Recite a spell or pray before you get into the water. Close your eyes and hold your hands in prayer pose or over the water. Then, say your purification spell or say a prayer asking for the negative energy to be removed from you.^{[3]
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- You might use a spell like this one: “Salt and water make me pure, bring me now the perfect cure, let this water make me free, as I will so mote it be.”
- Your prayer might go like this: “Dear God/Goddess, Thank you for taking care of me. Tonight I ask that you cleanse me of the negative energy that has been plaguing me. Please reverse this curse and make me pure. Amen.”
4
Soak for at least 30-40 minutes to give the water time to cleanse you. Get into your bath and sink beneath the water. Close your eyes and relax for 30-40 minutes. During this time, imagine a white light surrounding you and think positive thoughts.^{[4]
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- You may recite your spell or prayer during the bath if you like. This might help you stay focused on the cleansing power of your bath.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Smudging Your Energy

1
Sweep a selenite wand down and away from your body. A selenite wand is a white rectangular crystal that’s known for its purifying and cleansing properties. Hold the wand about 6 to 12 in (15 to 30 cm) away from your body. Starting at your head, sweep the wand down your body to cleanse your aura. When you finish a sweep, bring your arm away from your body like you’re brushing the energy away from you.^{[5]
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- This process may help cleanse your aura of negative energies and attachments, like a minor curse.
- You can get a selenite wand at a store that sells crystals, a magickal supplies shop, or online.
2
Light a sage bundle, then use a feather to waft the smoke over you. Place your sage bundle in a heatproof container. Then, light the end of the sage and blow out the fire so that the sage is smoldering. Use a feather to sweep the smoke over your body. Start at your head and work down to your feet.^{[6]
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- Sage is commonly used for cleansing and purification and originated in Native American traditions. You can use it to cleanse yourself and your space of negative energy.
Variation: If you prefer, you can hold the sage bundle in your hand and make an outline around your body.
3
Recite a cleansing spell or say a prayer. As you smudge yourself, say a spell or prayer that states your intention to be rid of the curse or negative energy. In your spell or prayer, state that you know the curse will broken so your ritual has more power.^{[7]
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- Say, “Earth, Fire, Water, and Air, be the answer to my prayer, banish this curse and leave me pure, tonight I claim a blessed cure.”
- You could pray, “Dear God/Goddess, Please cleanse me of this negative energy and lift the curse. I know that you will make me free. Amen.”

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Casting a Simple Candle Spell

1
Put a candle in a bowl and add water up to 1 in (2.5 cm) from the tip. Get a medium-sized bowl and position a candle at the bottom of it. A taper candle works best, but any candle can work. Then, pour water into the bowl until the candle is almost covered. Leave about 1 in (2.5 cm) of candle sticking out of the water for the spell.^{[8]
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- It's best to use a black candle, if you have one. You can find a black taper candle at a department store, magickal supplies store, or online.
2
Sprinkle a handful of salt into the water around the candle. Pour salt into your hand, then slowly sprinkle it in a circle around the candle. Add as much salt as you like to provide extra purification to your spell.^{[9]
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- You can use table salt for this, but it’s best to use sea salt or Epsom salt if you have it. They haven’t been processed like table salt, so their properties are more intact.
3
Visualize a white light flowing into the water. Stare at the bowl of water and picture a beam of white light flowing into the bowl. Imagine that this light is a positive, cleansing light. Take several slow, deep breaths as you visualize the light.^{[10]
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- In Pagan traditions, the purpose of this practice is to imbue the water with positive energy to help your spell work.
4
Light the candle, then say your spell or prayer. Use a match or lighter to light the candle. As it burns, recite a spell or say a prayer to break your curse. Make sure you finish your spell before the candle goes out.^{[11]
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- You might say, “Earth, Fire, Water, and Air, be the answer to my prayer, banish this curse and leave me pure, tonight I claim a blessed cure.”
- You could pray, “Dear God/Goddess, Please cleanse me of this negative energy and lift the curse. I know that you will make me free. Amen.”
5
Let the candle burn down to the water and go out. Don’t blow out your candle because it’s best to let it go out on its own. Let the candle continue burning until the wick reaches the water. At that point, the water will extinguish the fire. Your spell is almost complete!^{[12]
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- In Pagan traditions, it's believed that letting a candle go out on its own strengthens the spell and keeps the magic in place.
6
Break the candle in half and bury it outside. Remove the candle from the water and bend it at the center. Keep bending until it breaks in half. Then, take the bowl and the candle outside. Dig a shallow hole and bury your candle.^{[13]
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- Burying the candle completes the spell to break the curse.
7
Pour the water in a circle around the buried candle. Slowly pour the water so that you’re able to complete an entire circle. If you still have water, make another pass. You do this to seal the spell.^{[14]
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- The salt may kill grass around the buried candle.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Making a Mirror Box

1
Get a small box, like an Altoids tin or a cardboard jewelry box. You want a small box because it will be easier to handle. Pick a box that you don’t want to use anymore. Candy tins, cardboard boxes from purchasing jewelry, and small wooden boxes are great options.
- Make sure the box is clean. You might want to wipe it down with a wet cloth.
- You can buy a small, unfinished wood box from a craft store.
- As another option, get creative and use an old cosmetic case or lotion jar.
2
Buy a new small mirror and don’t look at your reflection in it. Get a mirror that’s small enough to fit in your box. Ideally, your mirror will cover most or all of the inside of your box’s lid. Do your best not to reflect yourself in the mirror because you don’t want your energy in the box.
- You may prefer to use several tiny mirrors to cover the inside lid of the box.
- It’s not the end of the world if you accidentally see yourself in the mirror. If you do, burn white sage and pass the mirror through it to purify it.
3
Glue the mirror onto the inside of the lid of a small box or tin. Use hot glue, school glue, or super glue to attach the mirror to the inside of the lid. Hold the mirror in place as you do this so that it sticks. Make sure that you don’t look into the mirror.
- You might want to cover the mirror with a black cloth while you press it down so that you don’t look into it. However, make sure that you don’t glue down the cloth.
Variation: Some people break the mirror before they assemble their mirror box. To do this, wrap the mirror in a black cloth, then hit the mirror with a hard object, like a hammer. Then, glue the pieces into the box.
4
Put a representation of the person who cursed you inside the box. If you know who cursed you, place an item that represents that person. If not, use a small doll or a piece of paper that says, “The Hexer.” Place this item in the box so that it’s facing the mirror. Here are some great options for a representation:
- A photo of the person
- A small doll
- A piece of their hair
- An item that belonged to them
- Their name
Tip: If you’re using a photo, you might want to glue it to the bottom of the box so that it’s always facing the mirror.
5
Close the box and place a black candle on top of it. Put the lid on the box and seal it if possible. Then, set a black candle on top of the box to finish the spell. Any size candle will work.
- If the box is smaller than the candle, place the candle to the side of the box.
- You can find a black candle at a department store, magickal supplies store, or online.
6
Say a spell or prayer asking for the curse to be reversed. Once your box is complete, recite a spell or say a prayer that states your intention to reverse the curse. Send the person’s negative energy back to them.
- You might say, “Sender of evil, menacing foe, after this spell, you reap what you sow. This mirror reflects, the will that you send, my hands are clean, my spirit will mend. With this spell, my soul is free, as I will, so mote it be.”
- You could pray, “Dear God/Goddess, I pray that you reverse this curse back to the person who sent it. After this spell, any negative energy they send my way will be reflected back to them. Amen.”
7
Light the candle and let it burn out. Use a match or lighter to light the candle. Then, let the candle burn until it goes out on its own. This could take awhile, depending on the size of your candle.
- Don’t leave the candle unattended. If you must leave while the candle is burning, use a jar to extinguish the candle without blowing it out. You don’t want to blow your spell away.

Community Q&A

Question

How can I prevent a curse from someone else taking effect on someone?

Community Answer

You cannot stop a curse if it is not affecting you, but you can weaken the effect. Or, if the person is very close to your heart you can be a barrier. The curse would affect you and rebound three times back to its caster.
Question

Can I use a white candle to break down the curse or darkness?

Celine Robichaud

Community Answer

White candles are of universal intent. So there’s no problem using it for this situation.
Question

How can I get luck or get prosperous?

Community Answer

You can make or buy a mojo bag designed for money. Money mojo bags usually contain cinnamon, coins, pyrite, basil, thyme, and ginger (which makes it work faster). Those are just some basic thing to put in there, and you should also include a petition outlining what the mojo bag is for.