Magic for the Resistance

by Michael M. Hughes

  So what might you include in your mojo bag? Essentially, items that are protective, enhance your natural power, and connect you to deities, your ancestors, family members, spiritual traditions, the earth, and its flora and fauna.

  • Rocks, gems, and crystals

  • Feathers, bones, hair, claws, teeth, and shells

  • Herbs, leaves, roots, and resins

  • Sacred writing, symbols, sigils, and photos

  • Symbolic objects, such as keys, jewelry, coins, and nails

  You get the idea. Your bag should be as individual as you, so take your time, do some research, and use your intuition as a guide. Quite often, objects will find you when you begin this project, so stay extra aware of your surroundings.

  Any sort of bag or pouch will work, whether it’s leather, flannel, felt, crocheted, one you purchased, or one you make yourself out of scrap material. You will most likely want to wear it under your clothing, so it should not be too large or bulky. Although you can carry it in a pocket or bag, most traditions suggest wearing it against your skin if possible. It should also be kept secret. It’s not for showing off, nor should you share its contents or let others handle it.

  Instead of creating bags for a variety of purposes (personal power, protection, love, prosperity), I suggest creating one bag that serves your highest goals (in other words, general good luck and probability enhancement) while also protecting you from harm and negativity. You can consult the correspondences and resources sections in the Appendix for ideas drawn from a number of traditions, but here are some components I have found to be effective, along with their associations and uses (many overlap).

  Herbs and Resins for Protection

  Angelica

  Asafoetida

  Basil

  Cinnamon

  Copal

  Dragon’s blood

  Frankincense

  Garlic

  High John the Conqueror

  Hyssop

  Mugwort

  Rosemary

  Rue

  Sage

  Saint John’s wort

  Solomon’s seal

  Herbs and Resins for Power and General Luck

  Abre camino

  Angelica (root)

  Bay leaf

  Copal

  Frankincense

  High John the Conqueror (root)

  Mint (all varieties)

  Rosemary

  Sage

  Tobacco

  Verbena

  Stones and Crystals

  Rocks and stones from power places you have visited or those that have special meaning for you (power and protection)

  Amethyst (protection)

  Black tourmaline (protection)

  Clear, smoky, or rose quartz (power and protection)

  Fire agate (protection)

  Lodestone (drawing positivity)

  Obsidian (protection)

  Salt (protection)

  Here are some theoretical mojo bags to spark your imagination.

  • Angelica root, High John the Conqueror root, a small rock from Machu Picchu, first child’s baby tooth, 1942 Mercury dime, mala bead

  • Sage, tobacco, cross from a rosary, lodestone, pinch of graveyard dirt from father’s grave, piece of paper torn from a Bible

  • Personal sigil on papyrus, four-leaf clover, snakeskin, smoky quartz, piece of antelope horn

  • Six-sided die, rosemary, candy heart, folded two-dollar bill, miniature Hierophant tarot card, cat whisker

  Look at the examples above. Don’t they all begin to tell a story about their owners? You can tell a lot about the person from what they carry, so strive to make your mojo bag truly yours.

  Once you have your ingredients together, it’s time to wake the bag up.

  Mojo Bag Wake-Up Ritual

  This ritual utilizes the Consecration Ritual (page 160) with a few additions. You will also need something to “dress” or “feed” your bag. Alcoholic beverages are traditional, especially whiskey, as are perfumes (in Hoodoo and Conjure, Florida Water and Hoyt’s Cologne are common). You can also use your saliva or consecrated Hyssop or Power Oil (see pages 143–144). It is best done under a waxing or full moon.

  Have the four elements represented on your altar (see the altars section in Chapter Four), along with your incense censer. Use copal or frankincense (loose incense is best, but sticks and cones are fine).

  Arrange three small white candles (tea lights are fine for this) in the center of your altar in an upward-pointing triangle. Light the candles to begin the ritual.

  Have the empty bag, string to tie it, and each ingredient on your altar. Have your feeding liquid or oil handy.

  Stand or sit before your altar and perform the Centering Ritual (see 152).

  Light your incense.

  Hold each object (that you will be placing in the bag), then say,

  Bless this (name of object), powers of earth (touch object to your earth symbol), water (touch water to your extended index and middle fingers and wet the object with them), fire (hold over your fire symbol), and air (hold in rising incense smoke or touch to feather); spirits of the heavens (lift toward sky) and of the underworld (lower toward altar or ground).

  Then hold it in both hands in front of you and say,

  Consecrate this (name of object) so that it may serve its purpose well for the highest good. So mote it be.

  Lift the object and blow into it. Feel your personal energy, the breath of life, moving into it and awakening it. Say,

  Awaken.

  When all the ingredients have been consecrated, put them in the bag. Consecrate the full bag, and when you breathe life into it, say,

  Awaken. Happy birthday.

  You may feel a distinct change when it is enlivened. From this moment on, treat it as a sentient being, a cohort who will protect and aid you. Mark its birthday on your calendar.

  Now tie it shut. You want to tie it tightly so there’s no chance it will accidentally open.

  Now that it’s awake, it’s time to feed it. Apply some of the liquid to your fingertips and rub it into the bag, concentrating on the opening (or mouth). Apply more, a little bit at a time, until it feels satiated. Do not drench the bag (especially if you’re using whiskey). You can also trace sigils on it, if appropriate.

  Place the bag inside the triangle of candles and let it rest for a while to bake or cook. When it’s ready, put it on (if using as a necklace) or place it in your clothing as close to your skin as possible. When you remove it at night, store it somewhere safe and private. If you have a pyramid, storing it underneath works to keep it charged longer.

  Again, treat it as a private personal accessory. Don’t show it to anyone (except a special partner or spouse—and even then, don’t let him or her handle it), don’t wear it outside of your clothing, and don’t open it. Treat it with respect and honor. Wear it daily, as often as possible.

  You may want to occasionally feed it, especially if it feels like it’s losing its mojo (bad joke—sorry). As your magical sensitivity increases, you will notice when a consecrated object begins to fade. At your altar, go through the previous blessing and consecration, skipping the “Awaken” bit (since it’s already awake). Feed it as before, and you’ll notice a marked change in its power.

  And always feed it on its birthday. You wouldn’t want to miss that, right? Talk about hurt feelings!

  Banishings

  Although I don’t believe in the need for the regular banishing rituals employed in many Western traditions, there may be times when it is necessary to dispel negative, lingering energies in a particular location. Perhaps you’ve been visited by someone in law enforcement (it happens to activists occasionally), and you can’t seem to dispel their aggressive energy from your home. A special city park you
frequently visited may have been trashed by vandals, and you want to clean it up energetically as well as remove their litter.

  You can also banish publicly, as a form of direct ritual action (as pioneered by the Yippie exorcism of the Pentagon in 1967). A particularly vile politician’s campaign headquarters, a hateful church, or a polluting corporation’s office building are all possible targets.

  Always purify yourself using the techniques in the section on getting clean (page 141) before undertaking a banishing, and it is advisable to take a purifying bath afterward as well, particularly if the area you’re working in is associated with violence or extreme energies.

  The key component for banishing is incense (sage, frankincense, or copal), consecrated salt water (use the Consecration Ritual on page 160).

  Here is the simple but effective technique:

  Walking clockwise, smudge the entire area with incense. A censer or cauldron with a handle is ideal, but you can use a shell or other flameproof container. Smudge each room if you are in a house.

  Walking around the perimeter of the area (if in a home, do each room), dip your fingers in the consecrated salt water and flick it every few steps, saying as you do so:

  I banish all evil influences and entities

  All demons, parasites, hungry ghosts,

  Curses, bindings, and malign influences

  In the name of the goddesses and gods

  (or insert your preferred deity or deities here)

  The angels and the saints

  And spirits of the ancestors, begone and do not return!

  When you have completed the above, scatter pinches of salt around the area. If in a home, leave a bowl of salt out for at least twenty-four hours. Afterward, scatter it outdoors.

  Binding

  If you find you are targeted or threatened because of your activism (by an individual, a group, an organization, or a corporation), binding is a useful method to restrain your opponent and protect yourself. When combined with other nonmagical methods of protection, a binding spell can be a lifesaver.

  Since binding spells are specific to target the individual, group, or entity, we’ll take a generic approach to spell creation. You will have to plug in the specifics and adjust to your needs. But a few components and techniques can serve as a template on which to build your own spell.

  Target Image: Include personal effects (fingernails, hair, a piece of clothing or jewelry, cigarette butt, toothpick), a photo, or a signature. Use a doll or poppet if the opponent is an individual or use a printed logo, promotional material, list of members, or group photo if a group.

  Binding Materials: Black thread or string can be used to literally bind the target image. You can also imprison it in a container (glass jars and bottles are common).

  Ritual: The ritual can utilize your personal energy, the aid of spirits, or both. It should be very specific about the behaviors or activities to be bound.

  Cleansing: When doing any form of maleficia, it is always prudent to pray to deity before the ritual and purify and cleanse yourself afterward to avoid any negative residue.

  For examples of binding spells you can use to construct your own, see A Spell to Bind Donald Trump and All Those Who Abet Him (page 47), #MeToo (page 198), and Fuck Fascists (page 211).

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  Chapter Six

  Magic Beyond the Altar

  There’s more to magic than just what you do in the privacy of your home at your altar. Resistance magic means doing magic in the streets, forests, courtrooms, corporate offices, retail stores, and other public locations. As noted earlier, the Yippies organized hundreds of protesters to levitate the Pentagon in 1967, and the anonymous members of WITCH, in their pointy hats and black cloaks, are regulars at protest marches in the Trump era. Dozens of witches sat on the sidewalks outside of Trump Towers in New York City and Chicago with their feathers, Tower tarot cards, and stubby orange candles taking part in the first binding spell on the forty-fifth president in 2017.

  Resistance magic comes alive in the streets.

  Guerrilla Magic

  Guerrilla magic also includes leaving charged magical objects in the places where they can be most effective—a corporate office, a courthouse, the site of a police shooting, or a forest threatened by development. In short, guerrilla resistance magic can, and should, be applied wherever it is needed.

  And it doesn’t have to be obvious or public. Consecrating normal-looking rocks and placing them on your target’s property is a way to hide magic from even the most sophisticated observers and security cameras. Magical oils, liquids, and powders have long been used on unaware targets, particularly in Hoodoo and Conjure, in which “foot track” powders and liquids are applied to the path on which the target walks. But please don’t send or carry unidentified powders or anything that could be construed as a chemical or biological weapon anywhere near an elected official or corporate executive … unless you are hankering to spend a lot of time in a federal prison!

  One of the most important uses for guerrilla magic is in defense of the earth. Seeds are compact, portable magic, are cheap, and have the capacity to dramatically transform a blighted strip of land. Crystals and stones imbued with healing energy can be buried in or strategically deployed at depleted or polluted sites.

  Here are some ideas for putting guerrilla resistance magic to work in your community:

  • Spread native wildflower seeds in vacant lots and in run-down areas to bring beauty to blighted neighborhoods.

  • Write chalk messages or sigils on roads and parking lots.

  • Leave Justice tarot cards with the names of unjustly convicted activists or police victims written on them on courthouse property or at police stations. You can also mail them to officials—they make quite an impression.

  • Cover your town or city with stickers and flyers with magical sigils, phrases, or images.

  • Create costumed protest rituals (à la WITCH).

  • Leave talismans of protection at schools, women’s health clinics, and offices of progressive organizations and candidates, or give them out to activists participating in direct action.

  • Perform exorcisms of a corporate headquarters, a church that preaches hate, or a corrupt politician’s campaign headquarters.

  • Organize flashmob-style rituals in public places.

  • Hold a mock funeral for the earth outside the office of a major polluter.

  The qualities that make guerrilla resistance-magic actions most effective are:

  Spectacle: The more unusual, unexpected, or shocking the better. Perhaps an army of people in rabbit costumes interrupts a Big Pharma trade show to protest the unnecessary use of lab animals. And spectacle doesn’t have to be loud and flashy: a silent protest can be incredibly unsettling and powerful.

  Humor: Try to avoid being too serious. Humor works to engage spectators and draw allies, and it is also a weapon against the powerful and the arrogant. Use it wisely against them. An audience breaking into nonstop laughter during a speech by a white supremacist is much more effective than scattered individual heckling. The Trump binding spell made fun of his small hands by incorporating a stubby orange candle or baby carrot as a component and ended with rousing laughter. Powerful egotists hate people laughing at them—so don’t miss any chance to do so.

  Creativity: One reason many protest or consciousness-raising actions fail to get media attention is because they’re unoriginal—everyone has seen and done it before. Don’t be boring. We’ve all seen sit-ins and die-ins. Stretch your boundaries beyond the normal activist playbook. A protest opposing construction of a strip mall on ecologically sensitive land is one thing, but the same protest accompanied by robed Druids casting protection magic on the trees is something people will never forget.

  Of course, much resistance magic you can, and should, do on your own. But use adequate caution. Even if you’re not doing
anything illegal or dangerous, you could get hassled or even arrested.

  Activism is never safe. Fighting for justice and equality and to protect the oppressed and the voiceless will never be free of risk. But that didn’t stop the African Americans who sat down at whites-only lunch counters, the Pagans who occupied land to oppose the construction of nuclear power plants, or the antiracist activists who linked arms to confront angry white supremacists in Charlottesville.

  It shouldn’t stop you.

  Magical Boosts to Practical Activism

  Magical resistance is not limited to doing spells and rituals. Magical techniques can be applied to conventional activism in a number of ways. The following guidelines should spark your creativity.

  For helping boost a candidate’s campaign, see the Candidate Boosting Spell on page 208.

  Sigils

  Sigil magic is especially useful. If you create a sigil for a campaign, cause, or candidate, you can do the following:

  • Make sigil stickers, posters, or flyers and strategically post or distribute them

  • Print them on postcards and mail them en masse to targeted opponents

  • Make t-shirts and wear them to protests, marches, rallies

  • Turn them into signs and banners for marches

  • Make bumper stickers

  • Trace the sigil in magical oils on letters, flyers, return envelopes, and other material to circulate

  • Have them 3D printed as necklaces

  • Use it as your avatar online

  • Post it on social media

  Keep in mind that the beauty of sigil magic is that those who view sigils don’t need to know what they represent or mean for them to be effective. The more eyeballs, the better they work. The more mystery you create, the better the results. The Trump binding sigil, for example, spread virally through social media. Even people who didn’t know what it meant were captivated by it and intrigued by how it kept popping up in their feeds.