More Than Mercury Dimes

The custom of using Mercury dimes in hoodoo is well known, to the point that some folks even say that the Mercury dime is the most traditional thing to use for rites like buying grave dirt.

The Mercury dime was produced from 1916 to 1945, but dimes have been produced in the US since 1792. Until 1965, it was the smallest denomination of silver coin and so was popular for use in folk magic, where silver is generally held to be a valuable ingredient for removing jinxes and protecting from harm.

Data indicates that the tradition of using silver dimes in hoodoo goes back at least to the early 19th century. Archaeologists have found drilled dimes -- such as one would use for making a protective jewelry charm -- in the remains of old slave quarters. Before the Mercury dime, here were some of the other dime styles available:

The "Draped Bust" dime, 1796 - 1807.

old time silver dime for magic

"Capped Bust" dime, 1809 - 1837.

"Seated Liberty" dime, 1837 - 1891.

The "Barber Dime" used 1892 - 1916.

When the U.S. Mint shifted away from silver in 1965, the supply of “working” dimes began to dry up. Old-timers held onto their silver coins and passed them down, while younger workers had to make do with what they could find. Today, collectors and spiritual suppliers alike sell Mercury dimes at a premium, and many folks will accept a Barber or Seated Liberty dime as just as effective. The important part is the silver content, not the portrait stamped on the obverse. Still, nostalgia and tradition have a power of their own, and the Mercury dime keeps its place at the center of the lore.

Some of this may be because of the "Mercury" association -- although the so-called Mercury Dime does not really show a portrait of the ancient god Mercury, many people mistook the portrait of liberty for him (he is often depicted with wings, either on his head, his back or his ankles.)

It’s also worth remembering that a coin is money, and money is power in itself. A silver dime in a mojo hand isn’t just a shiny object—it’s currency, portable wealth, and a reminder of prosperity. In that sense, the dime has a double virtue: its material (silver) repels harm, and its form (money) attracts good. That may be why dimes, more than nickels or quarters, took on this strong role in hoodoo tradition.

Planetary Hours and How To Use Them for Magic Spells and Conjure Work

The Planetary Hours are a belief that sections of each day are ruled by certain heavenly bodies, and that these times of day can be utilized by those who understand their secrets to improve success in certain types of ventures. Folks like Jim Haskins and Tarostar have printed slightly incorrect versions of "Venus Hours" which have been popularly repeated: the claim that 2 AM, 9 AM, 4 PM and 11 PM on a Sunday, 6 AM, 1 PM and 8 PM on Monday, etc, are Venus Hours is wrong. This is a problem that goes back to the 18th century at least -- the Petit Albert itself mentions the mistake. The error stems from the notion that planetary hours align to hours on the clock -- they do not. As the Albert puts it: "In order that there be no mistakes about the hours that each planet rules [...] one needs to reckon the first hour from the sunrise, and not by midnight, as some people have erroneously claimed." In other words, the planetary hours are reckoned by a solar clock. T...

The Intranquil Spirit

(EDIT: Up to date information about the Intranquil Sprit can be found in my book The Intranquil Spirit , available on Amazon. This post has some incomplete information which is clarified in the book.) The Intranquility spell is, unfortunately, the first resort of many a rejected lover. In some ways it makes sense -- the more unhappy and forlorn one is about a breakup, the better this idea of making the other partner feel just as much so starts to sound. Unfortunately, this spell is often not well suited to a case. The purpose of the standard Intranquility spell is to have the person be tormented by the spirit until they make contact with you, or whomever the spell is being cast for. This means that if a person is already in good contact with their ex OR if they're one of those people who cannot restrain themselves from initiating contact, then this already is probably not the right spell for that case. If you've had an Intranquility spell cast and you make contac...

Paper-in-Shoe Spells

A popular and very traditional hoodoo spell, often used for any situation where you need to control someone with magic , is the namepaper-in-shoe spell. It's very easy: you write the target's name 3, 7, or 9 times on a paper (depending on intent and who's giving instruction) then fold it up, sometimes after dressing it with oils or powders, then put it in your shoe. This "keeps the person underfoot" or "stomps out the trouble" or "puts pressure on them" or any other number of metaphors. I have had this work several times over the years. In one instance, I was working for a very unpleasant boss, on a short-term job. It was the last day, and I only had about 3 hours of work left on the project; and I wanted him to up my pay for the day since it almost wasn't worth the trip across town for the amount he was paying me, for only 3 hours. He was very reluctant. So I wrote his name 3 times on a 5-dollar bill he'd given me, and dusted it...

Cut and Clear Purification Spell - White Witchcraft to Forget the Past

The time has come. You're over and done with that relationship. It could be a romance, a friendship, a business partnership -- any sort of connection really. But now you're done, and you want all ties severed. This spell helps clear up any lingering energies and makes people let go of past feelings. You need: 1 bottle Jinx Removing salt Lemon verbena leaves Purification oil or Cut and Clear oil Personal or representational items of the person(s) you are removing yourself from (names and photos are easy) Purification incense 4 white candles You will also need to make your own Cut and Clear bath salt. For this you'll need about 1/2 cup epsom salt to which you add 5 drops each lemongrass oil, lemon or melissa oil, and rue or rosemary oil. It's important to make this salt yourself with only oils (no herbs) because we want it to run clean down the drain with no residue left behind to be cleaned up. Many spiritual bath blends contain herbal matter and curio...

13 Herb Bath for Curse Removal

13 Herb Bath for curse removal can be made from from any 13 uncrossing and purification herbs. For example, if I needed to fix a batch of 13 herb bath right now based on what I've got in the house, I could mix bay leaves, rue, mint, rosemary, wood betony, sage, verbena, angelica root, white rose petals, lemongrass, lemon peel, agrimony and arnica, and it would suffice well. Other herbs like hyssop, pine needles, juniper leaves, boldo, eucalyptus leaves, mullein, basil, lavender, or marshmallow leaves would be good to use too. By no means complete, here is a list of just a few herbs said to remove a curse or jinx that you can use to make your own 13 Herbs bath: Agrimony Alkanet Angelica Arnica Basil Bay leaves Black Pepper Blessed Thistle Boldo Cayenne Pepper Chives Eucalyptus Garlic Hyssop John the Conqueror Juniper Lavender Lemon Lemongrass Lime Marshmallow leaves Mint Mullein Onion Pine Rosemary Rue Sage Sandalwood Verbena White Rose Petals ...

The Spellcaster's Source Hoodoo and Voodoo Witchcraft Blog of Talia Felix

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