Salt Meaning and magickal uses
Also called Sea Salt, Black Salt, Rock Salt, Halite, Kosher Salt
The kitchen witch's everyday mineral for cleansing, protection and drawing a circle.
- Intentions
- Cleansing, Protection, Grounding
- Element
- Earth
- Planet
- Saturn
- Day
- Saturday
- Moon phase
- Waning Crescent
- Color
- White, gray or pink; black salt is mixed with ash or charcoal
- Hardness
- 2.5 (as the mineral halite)
- Found in
- Seawater and rock salt deposits worldwide
How to use it
- Salt water cleansing
Stir a pinch of salt into a bowl of water and dip your fingers in to sprinkle your altar or doorway. Say what you are clearing away. Check first that the surface and any crystals nearby can get wet.
- Protective line
Pour a thin line of salt across a windowsill or threshold inside your home to mark a boundary. Sweep it up after a few days and throw it away, taking stale energy with it.
- Black salt
Mix coarse salt with cooled ash from a ritual fire or incense and keep it in a jar. Sprinkle a little at your door or in a protection pouch to keep unwanted energy out.
Works well with
Substitutes
History and folklore
Salt was precious long before refrigeration because it kept food from spoiling, and Roman soldiers were sometimes said to be paid in it, a story behind the word salary. Many cultures share salt and bread as a sign of welcome and trust. Spilled salt was thought unlucky, so people tossed a pinch over the left shoulder. In Wicca a dish of salt stands for the element of Earth on the altar, and salt water is a classic tool for cleansing a circle.
The kitchen witch's everyday mineral for cleansing, protection and drawing a circle.
- Intentions: Cleansing, Protection, Grounding
- Element: Earth
- Planet: Saturn
- Day: Saturday
- Moon phase: Waning Crescent
- Color: White, gray or pink; black salt is mixed with ash or charcoal
- Hardness: 2.5 (as the mineral halite)
- Found in: Seawater and rock salt deposits worldwide
Safety: Do not scatter salt on soil, lawns or garden beds, because it harms plants and the ground for a long time; sweep it up and bin it instead. Salt water can damage wood, metal and water-sensitive crystals such as selenite, malachite and pyrite. Keep salt dough, salt lamps and rock salt away from pets, since eating or licking a lot of salt can poison cats and dogs.
How to use it
- Salt water cleansing. Stir a pinch of salt into a bowl of water and dip your fingers in to sprinkle your altar or doorway. Say what you are clearing away. Check first that the surface and any crystals nearby can get wet.
- Protective line. Pour a thin line of salt across a windowsill or threshold inside your home to mark a boundary. Sweep it up after a few days and throw it away, taking stale energy with it.
- Black salt. Mix coarse salt with cooled ash from a ritual fire or incense and keep it in a jar. Sprinkle a little at your door or in a protection pouch to keep unwanted energy out.
Works well with: Earth, White Candle, Rosemary, Saturday, Waning Crescent
Folklore
Salt was precious long before refrigeration because it kept food from spoiling, and Roman soldiers were sometimes said to be paid in it, a story behind the word salary. Many cultures share salt and bread as a sign of welcome and trust. Spilled salt was thought unlucky, so people tossed a pinch over the left shoulder. In Wicca a dish of salt stands for the element of Earth on the altar, and salt water is a classic tool for cleansing a circle.
The Witch's Cabinet is a free reference for your practice. Correspondences are traditional associations, not medical advice. Always follow the safety notes, especially with herbs and essential oils around children, pets and during pregnancy.