Cayenne Meaning and magickal uses

A hot red pepper for fiery protection, speedy action and breaking stuck energy.

• Intentions: Protection, Banishing, Confidence
• Element: Fire
• Planet: Mars
• Zodiac: Aries, Scorpio
• Day: Tuesday
• Moon phase: Last Quarter
• Parts used: Dried fruit (pods or powder)

Safety: Strong skin and eye irritant: wear gloves or wash your hands well, and never touch your eyes after handling. Never burn cayenne; the smoke is intensely irritating to the lungs. Keep away from pets, as it can cause painful irritation and stomach upset. Safe in normal cooking amounts.

How to use it

• Add some heat. Sprinkle a pinch of cayenne into a spell jar or around the base of a red candle to speed things along. Use only a little; a small amount carries a strong fiery charge.
• Hex-breaking circle. Draw a thin circle of cayenne around a black candle on a plate during the waning moon. As it burns, imagine stuck or heavy energy cracking and falling away from you.
• Hot dish with intent. Add cayenne to a meal you cook for yourself before a challenging day. As you stir, name the courage and drive you want to take with you.

Works well with: Red Candle, Black Candle, Carnelian, Obsidian, Tuesday, Thurisaz

Folklore

Chili peppers are native to the Americas, where people cultivated them for thousands of years before Spanish and Portuguese traders carried them around the world. The name cayenne is traditionally linked to the city of Cayenne in French Guiana. Once chilies reached European and folk magick, their heat made them a natural fit for Mars work. Practitioners traditionally use cayenne to add speed and intensity to a spell, to break hexes and to make protective boundaries that are hard to cross.