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.

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 ...

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...

Spiritual Use of Turpentine in Hoodoo and Witchcraft

I have posted in the past about the use of giving one's bedding a spiritual cleansing from time to time. I recently was laundering my pillows in the same load of laundry as some turpentine-soaked rags, with the result that the pillows emerged from the wash reeking of turpentine. From a magical perspective, this may not be a bad thing. Turpentine is used in old-time hoodoo rituals for purposes such as uncrossing, protection and sometimes as a feed for mojo bags. Its solvent powers and strong odor do indeed suggest a powerful spiritual cleansing agent, and it is still used in some modern day cleaning products on a purely practical level for these same reasons. Old time medicines sometimes included turpentine as a thing to drink, in small doses. A book from the 1850s, The Domestic Medicine Chest , recommends giving it to children in a dose of one teaspoon for killing tapeworm. Relatedly, in old time hoodoo cures for "live things" turpentine might be made into a tea...

Mother Bombie's Witch's Bottle for Curse Removal and Spell Reversing

The witch bottle is a very old spell device. Its purpose is to draw in and trap harmful intentions directed at its owner. Folk magic contends that the witch bottle protects against evil spirits and magical attack, and counteracts spells cast by witches. Mother Bombie's Book of Witchcraft contains the following recipe for constructing a witch's bottle: To Make the Witch’s Bottle Which shall cure of all sorceries done against ye You must have a bottle which sealeth with a cork or wooden plug, in which you shall place the following: A quart of your own water shall be taken and boiled with a paring from each toenail, and with some of your hair, for fire will burn away all evils, and as the water reduces so shall your trouble. Put thereto sulfur, XII nails made from iron, and VIII pins of brass. Add also a heart that has been shaped and cut from from leather or cloth, which you shall pierce with one more nail or pin, for that is the heart of the evil doer who m...

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...

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

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