REVIEW: The Power of Hex: Spells, Incantations and Rituals

 

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It has been a long time since I sat down to write.

There is an odd comfort, like a warm embrace from a past lover, laced with a foreign feeling of no longer knowing who they are as intimately as you once did. The passion? Oh, the fierce passion is still there though.

My fire, my torch, my words are all still here, right where I set them down.

I have been forced into silence, hibernation, reflection.

Many of us have.

Admittedly, on my part, some of it is pure escapism.

Some of it is the sheer surrealism of our current reality.

This year, oy, this year! 2020 has seriously been a year for the record books.

Between everything that has been happening on the world stage; political, social, and economical and with how that has affected each of us individually

ALONG WITH

Everything that has happened to each of us individually in our personal lives/worlds (I do not know a single person having a “great” year),

we are burnt tf out.

It is like the collective is holding their breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

As an individual with CPTSD, this is such a familiar space and feeling for me; not that it makes it any better or easier for myself, or the rest of the world.

We are held up in our homes, and even though we may be understanding, it does not change how we may feel.

Like many of my readership I did not have to make many drastic life changes when the pandemic started because, well, introvert for life!

I was, however, infected with CoViD in March (as was my Mother) and have since been through the ringer regarding my health.

Currently, I have Lyme disease and a broken foot and toe from an accident at home.

The message from the universe has been clear—slow down, work smarter not harder, make your work work for you, and most importantly, turn to Witchcraft and your Spiritual practices NOW more than EVER.

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With all that said, here is the reason I am sitting down to write today:

I figured it is the perfect time to introduce a new feature to my blog: book reviews.

For transparency, some of the books on the roster to be reviewed have been because I was approached by Publicists.

I *do not get paid* to promote books, nor do I personally get anything out of it besides a copy of a book here or there.

The opinions expressed are my own.

If you have any books that you would like to be featured, please send me a message.

One of the main reasons that people reach out to me and seek advice is to ask for book recommendations.

I love to read, and I have been diving back into study since the Universe wants me to rest.

So, this is a happy medium, for me. I am still a Creative, after all, and create I must.

Today’s book is ‘The Power of Hex: Spells, Incantations and Rituals’ by Shawn Engel

You can find her on IG here 

You can find her Publisher here

You can purchase her book here

If you know my work, you know that I am not against Hexing, or any kinds of Baneful Magick.

I believe it should be done ethically (I know, this can be debated as being subjective but, I digress..)

I also know, you’re probably thinking, “what the fuck, Jac? You’re literally hexing someone. How can that be ethical?”

Well, my reply would be, we have all met “hex happy” Witches who think that every little thing requires some jinx, cross, curse, or hex and I am just like…

So, before I get into my review of content let me say that aesthetically, this book is otherworldly! It is hardcover, easy to read, with beautiful illustrations and text throughout.

I admit at first, I thought this book was going to be a hot mess; not because of Shawn personally, whom I have been following on IG for a while, but because of the topic.

How could this topic be approached from a non-colonial perspective, as so many Witchcraft topics often are laced with undertones of Patriarchy, Capitalism, Misogyny and White Supremacy? How could ALL forms of this Magick (hexing) be covered, or attempt to be covered? How could this Author ARM WITCHES with knowledge and practical methods without giving *too much*?

Yes, there is such a thing as too much, and that line must be crossed by the individual Practitioner through their practice, not through a book. The journey into the Void is the most personal journey we take as Occult Practitioners.

However, this book can, and will, aid you in knowing what to do when that leap into the Void happens and/or you are faced with adversity.

This is a book that should be in all Witches’ libraries

Shawn has covered every single base in these 128 pages.

She goes over history, from many traditions.

She covers ETHICAL HEXING; when, how, why.

She talks about HEXING AS ACTIVISM: fuck yes.

This book is rich with information, spells, and it is one of those that you can grab, and because it is written like a Grimoire, you can just open to the page you want, and your spell is right there.

I do not want to give away too much because, duh, I want to support Authors and I want you to go buy this!

But all of the boxes have been checked in this book.

I have read it three times through so that my review could be honest, and I mean *really honest* even if vague.

Image: Jaclyn Cherie

Here is an excerpt courtesy of Shawn Engel and Chicago Review Press, copyright 2020.

‘To Hex or Not?’

“Whether a hex is necessary is something that you will feel in your gut, but there should always be a cooling off period before you perform the hex. Taking an example from everyday life to illustrate this, consider some of the gun laws in the USA: a seven-day waiting period is imposed between the time you buy the gun and when you actually own it. This is intended to curb the potential for crimes of passion. Hexing calls for a similar self-imposed waiting period. I know it may seem dramatic to compare hexing to gun ownership, but I can’t stress enough how powerful the act of focused intention can be when it is backed up by rage. So, if you’re a lover scorned who was just cheated on by her ex, take a break before you hex.

To make issue as clear as possible: when you are deciding whether or not to hex, consider the environment in which a hex may be appropriate. The approach should help you distinguish between actual oppression and merely something bad that has happened to you. It will take some dedication and forethought, but this approach should help clear away any confusion around whether the subject of your hex deserves to be locked away or is just a human being who acted unfavorably.

When deciding to hex, it can be helpful to ask yourself some basic questions. Did this person hurt you or others? And, if so, did they do so with malicious intent? Did this person continuously harm you or others? And, if so, did they do so with malicious intent? The key here is to define intention and willingness to change, and then you should be able to decide if it is worth hexing that person.”

Image: Jaclyn Cherie

Within the pages of this book, Shawn empowers her readers to safely hex, and to use this taboo form of Magick as both defensive and offensive Magick which is an imperative lesson.

This is the perfect book for personal and collective change in these tumultuous times.

Magick is activism.

Hexing is activism.

Witchcraft is activism.

I’m here for it.

Go support a fellow Witch and buy this book.

You will not be disappointed.

Blessed Are The Witches.

 

LESSONS IN MAGICK: How We Block, Curse, and Jinx Ourselves

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“If you celebrate your differentness, the world will, too. It believes exactly what you tell it—through the words you use to describe yourself, the actions you take to care for yourself, and the choices you make to express yourself. Tell the world you are a one-of-a-kind creation who came here to experience wonder and spread joy. Expect to be accommodated.”

Victoria Moran

This blog is long overdue, and I have talked about the topic a few times here and there throughout the years, but I have never sat down to write a piece solely on what it means to block ourselves.

We can also curse and jinx ourselves.

“No, we can’t. That’s the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!”

I hear you saying it right now.

Hello, denial.

As you can imagine I get an array of messages and engage with all kinds of comments; I see a lot.

What I see the most of, especially lately, is people saying they hear nothing from the other side; they are saddened that their Spirits are silent, or that they disappear when needed most.

So, clearly this is a complex issue (ie. Our Spirits being silent) and too many variables come into play to write here in the blog.

AND

Our Spirits (Ancestors and deities alike) DO TEST US and yes, the lessons often are hard.

*HARD*

I have personally had certain Spirits go quiet, or step back to teach me something.

BUT

If *ALL* my Spirits went silent, if I could suddenly no longer even feel the other side, my Witchy senses would tell me something else is going on; something more than a lesson.

People will point fingers everywhere, everywhere and not for a second stop to think, “Did I cause this?”

Previously, I have talked about needing to Feed Our Spirits but this, this is something else entirely.

We are powerful beings; Witches are benders of reality.

Why do so many fellow Witches and Magickal folk think they can’t bend their own reality?

I mean, they believe in manifestation, right?

Bringing in the positive shit, right?

*looks at the good vibes only crew*

So, then why do they deny being able to bring in the negative shit?

Like attracts like.

We attract what and who we are and, what and who is needed in that moment.

Think about it.

You can curse someone else, you can curse yourself.

You can heal someone else, you can heal yourself.

You know that saying, “Your vibe attracts your tribe”?

Well, your vibe also attracts your life.

Here are some common ways we block ourselves and don’t even know it.

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NEGATIVE SELF TALK: This is something that every single person struggles with, and anyone who says they don’t are lying to you.

Negative Self-talk can be simple, like when you make a mistake and immediately say, “Oh, I should have caught that. How stupid of me.” Or, “I am so stupid for missing that. Sorry.”

This immediately becomes our reality.

We become victims.

We become prey.

We define ourselves as stupid, so “stupid” things will continue to happen.

How we talk to ourselves, and about ourselves are some of the most important words we speak.

We must be aware of what we are speaking into existence, and when we catch ourselves talking negatively ABOUT ourselves, we must ask, “Where is this coming from? What is the root?”

And, rip that shit out.

The world is quick to cast people out who show strength and are different.

Witches, Mystics, misfits in general exude strength by daring to be different; even if being different isn’t by choice.

Love your weirdness because the world will not.

Remember, negative Self-talk is casting spells on ourselves.

Be mindful of the words you speak.

Areas affected: Throat, Heart, Crown and Solar Plexus Chakras. These blockages can cause problems communicating, loving, connecting and doing (actions). Crystals to help: Lapis Lazuli (any blue stone), Rose Quartz, Unakite Jasper, Prehnite, Emerald, Herkimer Diamond, Clear Quartz, Optical Calcite, Citrine, Orange Calcite, and Peach Aventurine.

Follow through

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FAILING TO FOLLOW THROUGH: This is a lesson when I bring up to other people they are mind blown.

Okay, so, backstory, I can be a bit a people pleaser; I have struggled with it my whole life.

I am either “fuck off, get out of my face, get out of my space” or I am “yes, yes, yes, yes” to please everyone around me, only to leave myself depleted.

As with everything, I am one extreme or the other.

I have learned through experience, when I couldn’t follow through with something my Will, Magickally speaking, seemed to weaken.

If I said I would do something, even the tiniest thing like going to the store, or cleaning my room and Altars and didn’t follow through I noticed a tangible dip in the strength of my Will.

I didn’t understand that I was breaking vows.

When we say we are going to do something we are creating a contract of sorts, a vow.

And, when we don’t follow through with that vow, it ripples back.

This is not some threefold, karmic Law, it’s simple consequence of action.

We must be impeccable with our word (one of The Four Agreements).

And, yes, that means following through when we say we are going to do something.

Areas Affected: Root, Heart, Throat, Third Eye Chakras. This causes problems with feeling grounded/safe/secure, loving, communicating and living our truth, and intuition. Crystals to help: Garnet, Red Calcite, Mahogany Obsidian, Black Tourmaline, Moldavite, Green Aventurine, Angelite, Blue Calcite, Aqua Obsidian, Amethyst, Rainbow Moonstone, and Phantom Quartz.

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COMPARING YOURSELF TO SOMEONE ELSE: I think we are all guilty of this to one degree or another, and often it’s done on a subconscious level.

In Western culture particularly, from childhood we are forced to compare and/or compete with our peers.

In many ways this is healthy because the world is indeed a competitive place, but it can also be negative and have adverse, long lasting affects not known or shown until adulthood.

The majority neglects to see that each one of us are on our own journey, no matter how many similarities we may have with another person, we’re all different.

We’re all creating and forging our own path.

Our experiences, outcomes, journeys, will all be different; our methods, and techniques will be different as well.

This does not mean one is better than the other.

I see a lot of comparing and competing in the Magickal world, and often the comparing turns into an ego driven Witch War.

And, what for?

Because someone has better tools? Because they experienced a Spirit differently? Because their Altar looks better? Because they have a “cooler aesthetic”?

Because they didn’t have the same experience as yourself?

These questions are based on actual conflicts I have seen.

We can do better, we are better.

Stop comparing and competing; we are all subjectively experiencing our own reality, and you should compete with no one except yourself.

Areas Affected: All Chakras. This causes problems is every area of your life. Crystals to help: Jet, Labradorite, Selenite, Pink Tourmaline, Kambaba Jasper, Lepidolite, Herkimer Diamond, Black Moonstone, Garden Quartz, Hematite, Opal, Fire Agate, Blue Apatite, and Pietersite.

In a world of Spiritual gurus, and self-proclaimed teachers, nobody wants to talk about the negative aspects of spirituality and how that negativity affects us as Practitioners, and in our everyday lives.

Everything we do is Magick; it’s so very, very true.

That sentiment must be understood when dealing with ourselves, our needs, our desires, our dreams and our boundaries.

We create our reality.

So, when shit hits the fan, we really have no one to blame but ourselves.

LESSONS IN MAGICK: Justified Hexing

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“Juju is not enough to protect you. Everything you have I will turn against you. I’ll turn sugar bitter for you. I’ll take your very shield and crack it on your head.”

Helen Oyeyemi

Jinxes, Curses, Hexes, Crossings—these words are well known throughout our community and they invoke a certain level of curiosity in many practitioners; an irrational fear in other’s.

I walk my own path so for me there is no rede, threefold law, karma or any other form of retribution; I obviously believe in cause and effect, seeing how it’s Newton’s Third Law (every action has an opposite and equal reaction) and I believe it applies to everything, but I am not scared to act because of this Law.

I will defend what is mine with the tools that I have when I am attacked. This is where it gets tricky because what is deemed as an attack? What is worth letting go, and looking past and what is worth facing head on?

What is deemed as an attack will differ from person to person; it’s entirely subjective but I also believe there are some base lines.

Me? Regardless of Laws I will do what is required because I believe wholly that there is such a thing as justified hexing.

Much like justified rage, these justified hexes are our way to protect ourselves, defend what is Sacred and fight back against a system that wishes to bring us down and further oppress us.

Witches ARE feared; we always have been, and probably always will be (merit based or not).

Hex 2

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We are misunderstood, and with misunderstanding comes fear, ignorance and herd mentalities.

There are three kinds of people in our community when it comes to the topic of Hexing or Cursing: those who hands down, under no circumstance will hex (they either believe in a threefold law of some sort, or they believe that the light is the only way); those who are hex happy (the people who will hex you for just looking at them wrong. They are neglected, bullied children who grew into Magickal adults with bleeding wounds and now use their Magick to get back at everyone they perceive to be a “mean kid”).

Then there are those of us who understand that one cannot cure unless they can curse—they cannot heal unless they can harm.

We must know both sides of the coin to understand the power of gold; that is Magick.

That is Alchemy.

I don’t believe hexes are dark/black and healing is white/light—I don’t even equate dark to black and light to white.

I believe Magick is a spectrum and we must walk along all shades of the spectrum to be a well-balanced practitioner.

There is this idea that if someone hexes they cannot live an attitude of gratitude, or they are somehow lowering their vibrations and therefore cannot manifest the life they want.

I couldn’t disagree more.

Sure, there are practitioners who, as mentioned above, are hex happy and absolutely that affects their vibrations, moods, and how they maneuver through and handle life; there are also practitioners who hex when it is necessary, we know the power of baneful Magick and only draw from it when all other resources have been tapped out.

Not only does hexing take a lot out of the practitioner—it is quite alarming to see your hexes come to be. Anyone who says differently has never seen the full potential of a hex and stood in its shadow.

I am sure we all recall the first time we cursed, saw it coming to fruition, and sat back in awe, and horror at the greatness of it all.

Witches are powerful, powerful creatures.

The words we speak equally create and destroy.

Hex 3

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Just because Magick isn’t always instant people think it isn’t real, or potent.

Magick has its own rhythm and it follows its own drum; we simply step in, play instruments occasionally adding our tune, and eventually someone will hear our war song and suffer the fate of doing wrong by us.

While on this topic, lets address what is considered justified.

I am not in the business of telling other people what to do, how to practice, or fear mongering so I am just going to tell you what I believe.

I believe that if someone causes bodily harm to myself or my family, it’s justified.

I believe if someone is relentless with their evil eye and Magickal attempts to bring me down, it’s justified. I also believe blessing the person, silencing the person with a freeze spell, cloaking myself from them, and doing a cord cutting are necessary steps before I will full out hex someone.

There’s levels to this shit.

I don’t hex on a whim, I don’t like the idea of destroying someone’s life (but I am not above it if they come for me, either), and I know the power I wield.

I am cautious, careful, and calculating; I consult my Ancestors and Spirits before I do anything, and then I sit in long meditation and listen to my inner self because that is where the truth always dwells.

Never be afraid to protect what is yours.

Blessed Are the Witches.