This blog post was originally posted on the old 'Thoth Witchcraft Shop' website on 7th Nov 2019 but I have updated it a bit.
When people think of Witch Bottles these days they often think of those New Age glitter and jewel encrusted spell bottles, you find at your local chintzy "Witch Shop" or "Metaphysical Store" but in reality a real witch bottle is much different and the real funny thing is that there not even made by Witches.
The original or should I say authentic witch bottle would be something which was made to ward against Witches and Witchcraft (baneful magic) and unlike the sparkly modern spell bottles, which some people try to pass as the same thing are actually made of, and contain some rather unsavory things.
The first mention of a witch bottle appears in the 17th century and one of the earliest descriptions of a witch bottle in Suffolk, England, appears in 1681 in Joseph Glanvill’s Saducismus Triumphatus (Evidence concerning Witches and Apparitions).
Some of the earliest documented witch bottles consist of salt glazed stoneware jugs known as Bartmann jugs, Bellarmines, or "Greybeards." Bellarmines were named after a particularly fearsome Catholic Inquisitor, Robert Bellarmine, who persecuted Protestants and was instrumental in the burning of Giordano Bruno. Greybeards and Bellarmines were made of brown or gray stoneware glazed with salt and embossed with a bearded face.
How do they work?
Magic of course is very often as much an art as a science, and much of it involves the creative use of specific magical techniques, that the magical practitioner adds there own flair too.
Sympathetic Magic
Sympathetic magic, also known as imitative magic, is a type of magic based on imitation or correspondence. This basically means using an ingredient that is symbolic of the thing we trying to do or perhaps what we are trying to achieve.
In my opinion It's extremely overrated and you'll find it mentioned a lot in academic texts. Don't get me wrong it not useless and there is some merit too it, however it is hardly the most important aspect of a spell.
If we take the Witches Bottle and break it down into it's physical component parts, then we can see the concept of sympathetic magic being applied. We can also potentially see it's weaknesses and limits. After all Witch Bottles are used as a means of magical protection and were not often created by people who are actual magical practitioners of a decent standard. They of more often simple folk magic spells used by non-magical folk (mundanes).
The Contents of a Witches Bottle
A salt-glazed witches bottle, which was discovered in Greenwich in 2004. Inside was a sample of human urine, bent nails and pins, a pierced leather heart, fingernail clippings, naval fluff and hair and sulphur and brimstone. The presence of these materials was illuminated by Joseph Blagrave’s ‘Astrological Practice of Physic’ which noted that the objects in the bottle would ‘endanger’ a witches life, ‘making their water with great difficulty.’
Urine is of course a popular ingredient you might find inside a witches bottle and for a specific reason, as the Urine acts as form of misdirection. Energy that attaches to a target or person (such as a Curse of Hex) instead of locking onto that person, it might instead attach to the DNA of the person or a part of the person (such as their urine).
It's not just energy in the form of spells and curses directed toward a specific person that the witches bottle also might be attract or take a magical hit for, but also spirits attempting to attach to a person might be confused and instead attach to the urine of the person within the bottle.
Finger nail clippings and naval fluff are also of course links to a person or what we often call 'biologicals' and can be used to both attach energy to a person, such as by using it for a Hex Poppet, in order to create a magical link to the target and send energy charged for a specific purpose through that link to affect the person. These 'biologicals' can also be used as decoys such as in the case of the witch bottle.
Nails and pins are often used due to them being sharp and unpleasant, so if you added these to you're witches bottle, then if a spirit or energy was to be attached to the DNA in the bottle thinking it's you, then it would be in for a nasty surprise.
Salt is a very popular spell ingredient for anything which is supposed to absorb any form of energy. So adding this to the witches bottle would be symbolic of adding an absorbing quality to the magic.
Creating my Witches Bottle
As already stated witches bottles aren't really something you would probably find actual witches of the past doing. They are more of a Superstitious form of Folk Magic protection used to protect yourself and your household from Witches or Bad Spirits.
That being said I thought I would make one for fun anyway, and take your through how I made it.
The above Witch Bottle is one of my own creation but is based of traditional versions. It contains my own Urine, Rosemary, Rusty Nails and Salt. I also used a one of the yellow marbled candles from the Thoth Witchcraft Shop.
The Vessel
I used glass rather than glazed stoneware because it's a lot easier to get my hands on for free, and I also like the idea of using glass, which wont break down any time soon. Glass is a great vessel for things where you want transparency, and I have had a lot of success using it for many different types of container spell
Piss
Well they say 'if your going to do something then do it properly.' I didn't bother adding any nail clippings or anything and if you really want to know, took the bottle into the shower with me and pissed in it there. I tend to attach my own energy to spittle and add that to any spell I'm wanting to add some of myself, so trying to add my energetic signature to urine mid-flow was interesting, and I did a bit of sloshing it around at the end after sealing and disinfecting the outside of the bottle in order to increase the energetic link.
Creating and widening energetic links is something which needs practicing and there are many techniques which may or may not work for everyone. Actually doing this is very important but outside the scope of this blog post.
Absorption
Of course salt is a very popular choice for absorption, however I don't simply just add a pinch to the bottle. Instead I sit down and work with the salt and bargain with the spirit aspect of it. That means working with the energetic part of the salt in the astral and fusing it's absorbing qualities with the other spell ingredients.
I understand that many witchcraft books only breeze over this (if they even mention it at all,) but again, if your not doing this part then all your really doing is sprinkling some salt in a bottle of piss and that isn't really magic, that's just weird.
The specific technique I use in order to work with the salt is that same one I teach people to use when working with 'Plant Spirit Allies.' I will write a blog post about this in more detail (eventually.)
Punishment
The nails were acquired at some point, years ago and I have now idea when or how I acquired them, but us witches just see to acquire things like that.
The spell requires either neutralizing of energy or a magical push back / punch of some form. Going with the concept of choosing something symbolic then I was reminded by the idea of 'Punji Sticks' and traps of a similar nature.
Of course spells require energy, but the best thing about powering a defensive type of spell is that it can utilize the energy sent by the attacker. In martial arts we are often familiar with the concept of redirecting energy from and attack such as a punch, and using it to our advantage. The same can be true with basic defensive magic (although it wont work against someone or something operating at a higher level.)
The urine is the Target (or decoy), the salt absorbs the energy, then this get transmuted into the nails, which then get forced back in the direction from where it originated.
Nails are of course made from metal and will rust but they will also remain for probably longer than i'll need the spell to work for.
Intelligence
We can create simple spells, but id you want to add an extra level to your spell casting then, we should enable them to learn and change as needed. One of the best and probably oldest ways of doing this is to get some form of sentient spirit to help.
Many people will call in or evoke deities, angels, demons or all sorts of things to help them with their spells, however going with the concept of Animism (the attribution of a living soul to plants, inanimate objects, and natural phenomena,) I tend to find it's best to stick with something simple. After all as the saying goes 'Keep it simple, Stupid.'
The intelligence component of my spell, much like the Nucleus of a cell is kind of like the brain. It would be petitioned and worked with in order to find out if it has anything to offer. I have used Rosemary for many different types of spells and Herbal Remedies and have gotten to know it rather well over the last few years. Many see it as harmless, however it does have a bit of a naughty side.
After all the contents have been worked with, programmed and then added to the glass bottle, we of course will want to seal the bottle. Wax is what I choose for my witches bottle, by just sticking a tapered candle in the top, lighting it and letting the candle wax drip down. Of course you would want blow the candle out when it gets near the bottle rim.
Other witch bottles of the past have been sealed with cork, or even lead plugs, just make sure it doesn't leak.
So just to sum-up the basics of how the spell works and giving you a simple formula:
Decoy + (Trap + Transmutation) + Counter Attack
Urine + (Glass Vessel + Salt) + (Nails + Rosemary)
Where should I put it?
Witch bottles were often buried outside a property, under the heart (fire place), or even in the walls. I have placed magical protection in the walls of modern houses, by removing the dry-lining boxes behind electrical switches and sockets, however given that the witch bottle contains urine, I don't want to take the chance that it will end up leaking and stinking lol.
Most modern houses in the UK often don't have proper hearths or fire places either and if you live in an apartment, then good luck burying it in the garden too lol.
I ended up placing the Witch Bottle in our 'Thoth Witchcraft Shop' offsite storeroom, not just to add a bit of protection but also so that I can take it to the next talk I do on the subject of Witch Bottles ... I wonder how many attendee will be willing to touch it lol?
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