by Najah Lightfoot
Salt is ancient, timeless, and essential. Without salt we simply could not exist. Our bodies need salt to function, as salt provides the electrical currents necessary for cellular function. In our magickal practices, we feel the power and sacredness of salt. We instinctively know salt is a powerful, magickal tool.
Humans first found salt in the form of salt licks by following the trails of our animal kin. We found salt in the sea, dried and waiting to be used, when the sun evaporated the water and left us sea salt. We found salt deep underground in the dark caverns of the earth.
Salt has been highly valued since ancient times. Salt has been used as currency and trade, a practice that continues to this day in some parts of the world. Roman soldiers were paid in salt, hence the word “salary,” which is a derivative of the word “salt.” Roman slaves were traded for salt, giving us the phrase “not worth his salt.”
The Many Uses of Salt
Our first practical use of salt was as a food preservative, which allowed us to travel to far and distant places. Preserving food also helped us get throught scarce times and harsh winters.
You would be surprised to know that most of the salt mined from the earth is not used for food. Only 4 percent of the salt mined in the United States is of food-grade level. The rest goes to the chemical industry for manufacturing purposes. And most mined salt is used for de-icing roads in winter!
In Poland exists one of the most mystical and wondrous salt mines in the world. The Wieliczka Salt Mine is located in the city of Wieliczka, Poland. Deep within its caverns lies one of the most beautiful chapels in the world, completely carved from salt! It took miners sixty-seven years to construct the chapel. The chapel is dedicated to their patroness of salt, St. Kinga. Legend has it that Hungarian Princess Kinga, upon receiving a marriage proposal from a young Polish prince, wanted to give a gift to the people of Poland. Instead of asking for gold and jewels for her dowry, she asked her father, the king, for salt. Upon visiting the salt mine of her country, she knelt at the entrance, prayed, and threw her engagement ring into the mine—as a symbol of faith. When Princess Kinga left Hungary and began her journey to Poland, she felt led to stop and dig for salt. When the miners traveling with her began to dig, they found her ring. It was buried in a piece of rock salt! On that spot the Wieliczka mine was dug. So revered was the salt mine and so arduous was the work, miners carved the Wieliczka Chapel in honor of St. Kinga. Daily they prayed at her altar for blessings and protection.1
As Pagans we recognize in St. Kinga the living manifestation of our Divine Mother Goddess. Unto the people of Wieliczka, Poland, she gave blessed salt for their industry and use in their daily lives.
Magickal Uses of Salt
Salt is used as an element of protection. It is also used as a cleansing tool and conductor of energy. But is salt truly an element? Scientifically speaking, salt is a compound sodium chloride, but for our purposes we refer to it as an essential element of our magickal practice.
In show business, it is said one is a triple threat if one can sing, act, and dance. Salt is a triple threat of the magickal world, crossing over all three areas of culinary, medicinal, and magickal realms.
Mix salt with water and you have a created an elixir. In essence you have created holy water, which is water mixed with a pinch of salt, then blessed by a priest. We are all priests and priestesses in our own right. When we mix salt and water and pray over it, followed by using it for the intention of casting a circle, or cleansing or protecting an object, we are performing priestly acts. Therefore, our salt water is holy water, infused with our higher thoughts of wellness, divine love, and prayers of intention. Use your holy water to consecrate your circle, crystals, and talismans.
Add some essential oils, herbs, and your intentions to salt and you’ve made a magickal salt scrub. Use your intuition and your nose to guide you to the oils that work best for you. Some essential oils and herbs that work well with salt are lavender, eucalyptus, rosemary, lemon, and hyssop, just to name a few. Grab a copy of Scott Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Herbs to cross reference herbs and their properties.
Cleansing Ritual with Salt
Here is a wonderful salt cleansing ritual, best performed during the cycle of the waning moon:
In the tradition of Conjure, we carry our troubles to the Crossroads. A crossroads is any place where two roads meet forming a T. Plan to perform this ritual in the early hour before sunrise. Gather these materials before you begin:
Salt
Olive oil
Two tealight candles
Eucalyptus oil
Warm water
Clean clothes
Bowl or basin to catch the water
Add a few drops of eucalyptus oil to the salt. Eucalyptus is a powerful essential oil for cleansing. On the tealights, inscribe your name and any symbols of power that are meaningful to you. Anoint the tealights with olive oil. Take the salt in your power hand and say:
Salt of old, salt of new, perform this task I have for you.
Melt away, wash away,
Carry away these troubles I now lay before you.
Add the salt to the water. Light the tealights and place them so you will step between them when you exit your bath. Step into your shower or bath. If taking a shower, stand in a basin so you can catch some of the water. If in a bathtub, plug the tub.
Now as you stand, call upon the Goddess to assist you in your “working.” Pour the salt water over your head, thanking it and envisioning it washing away your troubles. Feel the relief as the water cascades down your body. Wash yourself down from head to toe with the salt water.
Next, gather some of your bath water. Step out of the bath, stepping between the two tealights. Allow yourself to air-dry. Put on your clean clothes. You are now going to go to the Crossroads. Don’t worry about being seen. You are now in the realm of Spirit, and no one is going to pay any attention to you!
Step into the Crossroads, with your back facing the rising Sun. You are going to throw the water over your left shoulder. Bring up all your energy and cast that water over your shoulder, letting all your worries go! Return home by a different route than whence you came. You will feel refreshed and exhilarated!
Tribute to a Sorcerer
In 2011 I fulfilled a lifelong dream, which was to visit London, England. I hadn’t made up my mind if I would visit the Tower of London, knowing its brutal history. Being an empathic witch, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to keep my boundaries up, in such an overwhelming place.
However, on a bright and sunny day, from the Thames River taxi we saw the Tower of London and the infamous “Traitors Gate.” I knew without a doubt that I had to visit the Tower. In my pocket, I carried some sage. As I walked through the Tower, I used the sage to bless the walkways and holds where people had been imprisoned and tortured—and where some died. One can imagine my surprise when we came upon the infamous “Salt Tower.”
Upon entering the Salt Tower, I saw on a plaque on a stone wall. Next to the plaque, carved into the stone, was an astrological sphere. The plaque read:
Hew Draper of Brystow made thys spheere the 30 day of Maye anno 1561.
Draper had been imprisoned in the Tower for just over fourteen months—accused of sorcery—when he made the inscription. He was also reportedly very sick.
The signs of the zodiac surround the sphere. On its left is a grid showing the planetary influence over every hour of the day of the week.
My mouth hung open and goosebumps covered my skin. I knew I had been Goddess-led to the Salt Tower.
What happened to the sorcerer Hew Draper? His death or execution were never recorded in the Tower records. But we do know he was there and that he suffered. But even in his suffering, he left a stone record of knowledge that remains ’til this day.
Before leaving the tower, I placed my hand upon the stone and whispered “we are still here.” In my heart, I believe Hew felt my presence and I hope his spirit smiled.
Blessed be, Hew Draper, and blessed be thy element of salt.
1 History Channel; Modern Marvels: Salt