Curses

Maledicta

Take responsibility for the energy you send out. Every action causes a reaction. Can an issue be reconciled with love and understanding rather than with hatred and revenge? Someone may have cast negative energy upon you-or you may have within you a pattern you need to break.

Wormwood and rosemary,

Blood, garlic, and rue,

Reflect the harm that comes to me

And send it back to you.

The evil eye it watches.

The evil eye I turn.

Mirror it back whence it came,

And the evil will I burn.

Evidence of curses-or as they are referred to in Latin, maledictum-has been discovered as far back as the ancient Etruscans. However, whilst the witchcraft traditions of the Romans, Babylonians, Egyptians, and many primitive African societies included cursing, it is not universal to all craft traditions-and even where it is included, is not always used for negative purposes.

For instance, some curses are reflective in nature, used to mirror negative energy back to whence it came. Also, powerful negative energy can be raised and directed at an illness within someone’s body, not at the person afflicted with the illness. This technique is still used today amongst witches working with the very ill. And lates, ancestral spirits, or spirits unique to a place, are also still invoked today to assist with both positive and negative cursing.

Whilst cursing is not a part of most contemporary witchcraft traditions, particularly those with a “harm none” rede at center, a complete witchcraft education includes teachings about curses. For instance, one might learn what a curse is, how to cast a curse, and how to break one. However, cursing was a tool in the ancient strega’s armoury-and still is for her modern counterparts, by all accounts.

To the strega, both the existence of evil itself and the “evil eye,” the malocchio (mal=bad, occhio=eye, which is a means of directing negative energy at an individual) are considered very real indeed. The evil eye can be cast deliberately-or even accidentally. For example, when someone stares too long at or overzealously compliments a newborn child or a bride or someone who has gained much success-especially if the person giving the compliments is feeling jealous-they may inadvertently cast the evil eye.

The strega has many charms and spells at her disposal to ward off the evil eye-and to punish those who wield it. One of these, the hand gesture known as the cornicello is still used today. Charms featuring both the evil eye and the cornicello can be bought in almost any jewelry store in Italy, as the evil eye can also be used to protect the wearer. This use, it’s believed, is adapted from the protective Egyptian “Eye of Horus.”

When considering the use of curses, keep these two keys in mind: First, a curse is a powerful energy that can backfire on the caster. (Also, since effective casting requires that all the energy we cast pass through our bodies, over time, the energy associated with cursing must negatively effect the body, mind, or spirit of one who regularly casts curses.) Second, as witches-or those who utilize the guidance of witches-we must be extremely mindful of the power and consequences of magic of all kinds, especially curses. Take full responsibility for the outcome of such magic and seek ways other than cursing to influence situations, after all, interfering with free will is considered a kind of black magic.