Left Hand Magic: A Practical Discussion On Hexes, Cursing, and Jinxing

First, let me say that the New Age “love and light” movement has a lot of spiritualists fucked up in these streets. The basic concept of the ideology is for one to only focus on positive thoughts, words, and deeds. That all one has to do is vibrate on a frequency of love and light and they will attract love and light. Furthermore, it teaches that if one is experiencing hardship, bad luck, loss, and misfortune, it is because they are attracting it to them (Law of Attraction). 

This ideology is both true and false.

It is also dangerous. 

While it’s true that like attracts like, the love and light ideology does not consider the role of polarity in the spiritual realm or the fact that what is opposite is also a mirror. The other issue with the love and light movement is that it comes from a place of privilege. Many of those that preach this doctrine have never had to live through systematic oppression, racial inequality, sexism, classism, homophobia, harassment, and widespread violence against them. Let’s be honest, the biggest advocates of the love and light movement are upper class white spiritualists that can afford to turn the other cheek. Black and brown people, however, cannot. 

I’ll share my story. When I first came into my spirituality I subscribed to the love and light ideology. I meditated on uplifting mantras, wore my happy crystals, and dealt strictly with right hand (blessing, healing) magic. Don’t get me wrong, this practice definitely improved my mental and emotional well being. It also raised my vibration and put me in the proper place to receive blessings. The problem, though, was that just because I was all love and light didn’t mean the people around me were. My lifestyle invoked jealousy in some and others took issue with me for various reasons. Before I knew it, I had several people throwing curses at me. 

Two people in particular openly declared spiritual war on me. Me, being very naive and a bit self-righteous, choose not to address the negative energy being thrown at me. Whenever I would talk to my peers about what was happening, I was always advised to ignore it, to not ruin myself or lower my vibration by giving any attention to it, and that the conflict would eventually go away.  I was basically advised not to defend myself. And me, being naive, left myself vulnerable. Furthermore the situation certainly did not go away but rather got worse. While I maintained my high vibration, my life was turned upside down. What I learned from that experience is that no amount of love and light will save you from the hex of a person hell bent on destroying your life. It wasn’t until I took control and started fighting back with left hand work that I was able to neutralize the chaos that others threw into my life. As bad as the effects of the curses were I still consider myself very lucky. Many curses, if not addressed, can easily end in tragic loss or death or can haunt your family for generations.

Christianity has also made us passive. Especially for those of us that have traded church for spirituality. It’s the promise of good behavior in exchange for happiness in the afterlife and the overall fear of going to hell. The notion of “love thy neighbor”, “turn the other cheek”, and “do unto others” has programmed us into accepting toxic behaviors and blatant abuse that no self loving individual should ever allow themselves to tolerate. And, trust me, once you tap into your power and fully embody your sovereignty you will no longer tolerate such treatment. Besides, the reality is that those that wish to manipulate you will use the doctrine of passivity as a means to control you. This was evident when I started challenging these doctrines. The biggest pushback I got was from others in the spiritual community.  Whenever I would openly express anger or call someone out for ill treatment I was accused of being difficult, non-spiritual, and low vibrational. Even worse, I was accused of starting drama. This was nothing but gaslighting from those that did not want to take responsibility for their poor behavior as well as those that sought to hide their shady dealings. Sadly this is all too common in the spiritual community. 

And then there are those that experience police harassment, unfair legal proceedings, domestic violence, and hostile work environments. Should they not have the means to spiritually protect themselves? Is it realistic to tell someone that all they have to do is believe in love and light and their  partner will stop abusing them? The reality is that witchcraft, hoodoo, and rootwork have always been used as tools for resisting oppression.The reality is that there are some of us that are designed for left hand work and are gifted in it. Not everyone is meant to bless and heal. The reality is that there may come a time where someone may attempt to curse you and you should know how to defend yourself. The reality is that some of these so called spiritual teachers aren’t above spiritually attacking their students. The reality is that sometimes a hex is a justifiable solution to a problem. The fact of the matter is that no one has license threaten your life or livelihood and, if they do, you have every right to do whatever is necessary to protect yourself and your family. 

I write this as a means to spark an honest conversation around cursing, hexing, and jinxing that is absent of fear. I also write this to directly challenge the taboo around left hand works. If you feel called to left hand magic then I encourage you release the negative stigma- study and practice. If you’re being threatened, please learn how to defend yourself. And if you find yourself the victim of a curse don’t be afraid to handle it however it needs to be handled.