Effect of salt on evil spirits/black magic

[InChrist]

I am sure salt, sage, holy water, garlic, a gold cross or anything other than Jesus Christ have influence or power over evil spirits.

 

[Kapalika]

I don't see why it would. Can you elaborate on how the process of humans attaching value to things - which is a subjective attribution that doesn't change the properties of said object - would have any impact on efficacy? Aside from the obvious headgame reasons, that is?

You've already decided that "subjective attribution" "doesn't change properties of said object" so any explanation I could think of you probably wouldn't accept but I can try. I think you are more approaching it from an almost physical standpoint, when really it's not any physical property these things have that cause them to be that way. I'm not sure if I can totally explain why, but generally rare ingredients are more potent because common ones are used until their effectiveness wears off.

Maybe a good metaphor would be it's like using different kinds of antibiotics... the bacteria build up resistances. Spiritual stuff likewise builds up resistances to too much repeated stuff in the cases of warding off things. Likewise if using something is beneficial for the spiritual, It can make something more potent over time regardless of how rare or common it is used. That's why traditions are so powerful, they have had centuries to build up efficiency and energy around the rites, objects and practices. I would suppose then too that if something is more rare that is used in these traditions it would have a bit' of a head start, assuming it had the right connotative properties over something more common. This might overlap or go either way with traditons and more common substances, and might vary from spiritual ecosystem to spiritual ecosystem.

So ya, most of it is a "headgame" as you call it, but that doesn't make it any less real. The properties don't have to be physical at all to be real or effective. If they did we would call it a science. The spiritual isn't physical so why would the materials need specific special physical properties as well? I'd argue it's what's assigned to those properties, not really much out of choice, rarity being a powerful one, that decides how potent something may or may not be before traditional reinforcement and under or over use comes into play

Honestly this is the first time I've ever really thought about "why" so maybe my reasoning isn't perfect, but if you see what I'm saying in a Socratic way maybe it would make sense why rarity seems to matter to some.

Also historically from what I understand, when salt was used it was like a pinch or really small amount of sprinkling, not like salt everywhere. So it might of been a negligible amount considering how much you need to preserve stuff.

 

[Quintessence]

@Kapalika - it seems there's been some sort of miscommunication. I thought you were talking about humans saying "such and such has more value" and that somehow impacting the inherent (objective) properties of an object. A tree is a tree whether some human says it is "worth" $100 or priceless; I fail to see how a tree some human decides is $100 would be less effective in spellcraft than one some human decides is "priceless." But when you're talking about objectively existing rarity as your later example provides, that's a different beast entirely. Such rarity is a fact independent of human valuation processes.

To maybe clarify, I don't see how humans thinking salt is worth $1k a pound versus humans thinking salt is worth 50¢ a pound would impact efficacy. I do see how salt being inherently rare in nature might.

 

[Kelly of the Phoenix]

I am sure salt, sage, holy water, garlic, a gold cross or anything other than Jesus Christ have influence or power over evil spirits.

When I watch exorcism movies, I kind of find it funny that only in a parody movie, Repossessed, (unless someone can think of another one) did other religions get in on the exorcism too. It's almost like Hollywood thinks Catholics are the only people who banish demons or something.

 

[Kapalika]

@Kapalika - it seems there's been some sort of miscommunication. I thought you were talking about humans saying "such and such has more value" and that somehow impacting the inherent (objective) properties of an object. A tree is a tree whether some human says it is "worth" $100 or priceless; I fail to see how a tree some human decides is $100 would be less effective in spellcraft than one some human decides is "priceless." But when you're talking about objectively existing rarity as your later example provides, that's a different beast entirely. Such rarity is a fact independent of human valuation processes.

To maybe clarify, I don't see how humans thinking salt is worth $1k a pound versus humans thinking salt is worth 50¢ a pound would impact efficacy. I do see how salt being inherently rare in nature might.

Because if it costs more it's used much less since less people can afford it or afford it much less often. It becomes artificially rare due to the price. I don't think my explanation hinged on why it's rare, just that it being rare at all can sometimes make it more powerful to use.

 

[Quintessence]

Because if it costs more it's used much less since less people can afford it or afford it much less often. It becomes artificially rare due to the price. I don't think my explanation hinged on why it's rare, just that it being rare at all can sometimes make it more powerful to use.

Still seems pretty head-gamey to me. I suppose another reason I react badly to this line of thinking - aside from the anthropocentrism - is that it encourages some people to spend inordinate sums of money on shams when something else (that costs much less) would serve just as well. Fortunately that sort of sham is relatively rare, but it still happens. I've certainly seen conversations where various occult practitioners get hung up on who has the most expensive whatever tool, which is less a conversation about actual efficacy of the tools than who has the biggest wallet and socioeconomic status. I don't like to see this stuff degenerate into that.

 

[Kapalika]

Still seems pretty head-gamey to me. I suppose another reason I react badly to this line of thinking - aside from the anthropocentrism - is that it encourages some people to spend inordinate sums of money on shams when something else (that costs much less) would serve just as well. Fortunately that sort of sham is relatively rare, but it still happens. I've certainly seen conversations where various occult practitioners get hung up on who has the most expensive whatever tool, which is less a conversation about actual efficacy of the tools than who has the biggest wallet and socioeconomic status. I don't like to see this stuff degenerate into that.

Well, if it just costs a lot of money that isn't really gonna do it. I guess I was more getting at that... okay say a human skull... they are super common, but they are artificially rare because of laws and customs. That's a case where the artificial rarity makes it even more powerful.

Now a Diamond... it's jacked up in price and that price won't really make it more powerful. They are freaking everywhere in the ground, are just carbon and hey kazillions of people have them. So for things like that or other tinkets or things yes I agree. If the price is just jacked up for the sake of profit it's not going to affect the efficiency of it like it would if it's rare for more practical reasons.

I'm not sure why that is, just some kind of magic-logic I've learned the rules of. It doesn't make sense to me in the way that dream-logic doesn't make sense when I'm awake... that's just how it is in that realm.

 

[Kapalika]

Maybe it would be better to say that artificial rarity can make something already powerful more so. Salt was rare due to it's impracticality of transporting and/or getting out of the ground. Now days we solved that. But since its now underused and has had such a long tradition that's made up for how common it is now. But at one time, the rarity would of made it more valuable.

 

[Righteous one]

A spirit is the energy of a person. The "breathe" of life and what keeps everything going. When you are around people, depending on how empathetic you, can physicall sense their spirit-their energy. It can be like a light breeze or it could be stuffy or closed in feeling. When you pass away, your energy still exist. It doesnt disapear because you have no body.

In nature (we are part of nature)

"Salt absorbs dirt, grime, and toxins and cleanses your skin's pores deeply.Salt's mineral content helps restore the protective barrier in skin and helps it hold hydration. ... The magnesium in sea salt may also help reduce water retention (i.e., bloating) in the body." -to the Wiki

Many put salt in the corners of their home because salt obsorbs literally bad toxins in the environment. It cleans the energy thereby cleans spirits energies. Its the same energy you experience when around a person. Energy doesnt change just because it has no body.

My mother put salt in corners ofnher home. My grandmother, I think, put salt under the front door, doormat. All to literally obsorb negative energy (spirit) from a person or cleans the spirit so there wont be upset in our home.

Many neopagans use water becauae its part of the earth and we live off the spiritbof the earth. Salt is a huge factor in seawater which is something we need to survive in general.

The supersition or unexplained common connections to things we do is basically biblical. Christians see a person using salt, wearing a upsidedown pentacle, naked, drawing something in the sand, and I kid you not, most christians would call him devil worshiping of some sort.

The usage and purpose of salt in religion isnt supersitious if you understand why our body needs certain things to live. For example, we can live without the bible. No one can love without salt. So it makes sense to correlate our physical survival with that of our spirit becauae they go together. Hence why you have Chakras and people meditate etc.

Its all about energy. Using external means to cleanse energy around you. In this case, energy of people (all nature): spirits.

Ok so i recently noticed that after my neighbors would come hang out in my house i had a like heavy feeling like anxiety stress.. i never really paid it much mind but fast forward to about two weeks ago i had my back door open and heard a bunch of messed up things my neighbors were saying about myself and others. Although I’ve burned sage i also have what Hispanics call la manita de sabache which protects for the evil eye hung over my daughters room door and one on my door knob. I’m not religious per say i more believe in universal law . Now fast forward for the last week or two I’ve been having a really hard time sleeping. I’m tired but it’s like something is keeping me up my mind races for the dumbest things what i will cook the next day etc.. so i contacted a friend of mine i remember her my use to cleanse her home. Her mom said leave all the lights off make sure ur home is silent no music no tv make a bucket of mop water as usual only this time add salt to the water when u are done dump the water outside in the gutter i followed her instructions and also burned sage just for a back up. Can u believe in just hrs the “neighbors who were giving me bad vibes” were fighting and police were called not once but twice and ultimately someone was taken to jail. Coincidence i think not me doing that cleanse reversed all the bad energy they were leaving in my house. They had I’ll feelings towards me they were harboring but still coming around to keep track of what i was doing or how i was living. So i say the salt cleanse does work to free ur home of negative energy...