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Magic has always been a tool of resistance, used by those who dared to imagine a world beyond oppression. Whether hidden in plain sight or practiced in secret, magic has been wielded to defy empires, challenge colonialism, and fight back against the grip of white supremacy and capitalism. Today, as we confront modern-day empires—whether they be political, social, or economic—it’s time to call upon unapologetic magic to dismantle them.
These powerful spells and rituals aren’t for the faint of heart. These workings call upon the deepest parts of yourself, the darkest corners of the collective shadows, and the spirits who are ready to wage war against oppressive systems. This is not light and fluffy magic—this is the magic of destruction, revolution, and rebirth.
Understanding the magic of destruction before diving into the spells, it’s important to understand why destruction is a necessary part of revolution. Empires are built on the backs of the oppressed. White supremacy, colonialism, and capitalism have entrenched themselves through systems of violence, exploitation, and dehumanization. In order to build something new, something just, these systems must be torn down.
Magic, especially dark magic, gives us the power to destroy what is rotten at its core. In this space, “dark magic” does not mean evil —it refers to the potent energy of the shadow, the void, the forces that break down what is no longer serving life, justice, or liberation.
Just as nature uses storms to cleanse and renew, so too must we summon the storms within our magic to dismantle oppressive systems.
Preparation: Cleansing and Protection
Before engaging in powerful spells aimed at dismantling the empire, it’s essential to cleanse and protect yourself. The forces we work against—white supremacy, capitalism, colonialism—are deeply entrenched, and engaging with them on a magical level requires a strong foundation.
Cleansing Ritual:
• Use herbs associated with protection and purification, such as rosemary, sage, rue, garlic, bay leaves, and mugwort. I work with my ancestral herbs and if you know yours, work with those.
• Create a smoke cleansing bundle and walk counterclockwise around your space, clearing out any residual energies from the system you’re working against. You can also boil water and add the herbs, set to simmer while you pray over them calling on their protective energies. Let cool, strain, and use as a spray.
• Wash your hands and face with saltwater to symbolically cleanse any impurities from the world’s systems that you’ve encountered.
• Leave at least one window open if you are indoors, if no window then turn on a fan.
Once you are cleansed, perform a protection ritual.
Light a black candle for protection and place a shield of light around yourself. Call on your ancestors, guides, and protective spirits to guard you as you move into this work.
To place a shield of light around yourself, follow these steps to create a powerful protective barrier using visualization and intention:
1. Find a quiet space- sit or stand in a comfortable position in a quiet space where you won’t be disturbed. Close your eyes and take a few deep, calming breaths.
2. Ground yourself- imagine roots growing from your feet or the base of your spine, connecting you deeply to the earth. Feel yourself anchored and supported by the earth’s energy.
3. Call in the light- visualize a warm, bright light above your head. This light can be white, gold, or any color that resonates with you. Imagine it as a powerful, protective energy from the universe or a divine source.
4. Envision the shield- see this light flowing down over your body, surrounding you completely. As the light encircles you, visualize it forming a protective bubble, or shield, around you. This shield extends at least an arm’s length in all directions.
5. Set your intention- As the light surrounds you, set a clear intention. For example, you can say to yourself: “This shield of light protects me from any harmful or negative energies, allowing only love, positivity, and peace to pass through. I am safe, I am protected, and I am grounded in my power.”
6. Strengthen the shield- see the shield growing stronger, denser, and more radiant with every breath. Imagine it pulsating with energy, deflecting any negativity, while keeping you enveloped in calm and protection.
7. Seal the shield- once you feel the shield is strong and complete, take a deep breath and imagine sealing it. You can visualize a golden thread stitching the edge of the shield or imagine it solidifying, becoming impenetrable.
8. Carry the shield with you- know that this shield will remain with you as long as you need it. Whenever you feel vulnerable or want to reinforce your protection, briefly imagine the light and your shield again to strengthen it.
9. Closing when you’re ready, take a final deep breath, thank the light, open your eyes, and carry the sensation of protection with you throughout your day.
Protection Incantation For Performing Magic:
Crafted to invoke strength, safety, and sacred boundaries during your work:
By the light of stars and flame of sun,
I call upon protection, my will be done.
Shield me now in sacred space,
Let no harm or i’ll find trace.
From earth to sky, and all between,
I weave this spell, unseen, serene.
No force may break this circle’s line,
For I am safe, in power divine.
By fire’s warmth and water’s flow,
By winds that whisper and earth below,
Guardians near and spirits old,
Stand with me, both fierce and bold.
This shield I cast, this ward I claim,
In magic’s work, I stand untamed.
As I will, so mote it be,
I’m safe within this spell’s decree.
Speak this incantation at the beginning of your magical practice while visualizing a protective barrier forming around you. You can also modify it to suit specific rituals or align with your personal energies.
For placing crystals in the four corners of a room to create a protective barrier, here are some powerful protection crystals you can use:
1. Black Tourmaline
2. Amethyst
3. Smoky Quartz
4. Selenite
5. Hematite
6. Obsidian
Instructions for Setting the Grid:
1. Cleanse your crystals before use (using smoke, moonlight, or sound).
2. Place one crystal in each of the four corners of the room, intending to create a protective grid. If outside create these corners by placing the crystals.
3. As you place each crystal, set the intention for protection and grounding, and visualize a barrier of light connecting each crystal to create a secure energetic boundary around the room. These stones will work together to form a powerful protective grid, keeping your space energetically clear and secure.
Crystal activation invocation- Speak this incantation aloud while standing in the center of the room, visualizing the protective energies of each crystal forming a strong, connected grid:
By earth and stone, by crystal’s might, I call upon your guarding light. In these corners you are placed, with love and power, this space embraced. Raise your shield, strong and sure. Ground me, clear the way, cleanse night and day. Crystals of protection, hear my call, create a fortress, strong for all. Let no ill will or harm pass through, only light and love imbue. In sacred trust, I cast this spell, with crystal’s power, all is well. By my will, and by this rite, I seal this space with crystal light. As I speak, so mote it be, protection flows all over me.
Spells and Rituals for Dismantling the Empire
These spells and rituals are designed to tap into the raw energy needed to dismantle the forces of oppression. These are not passive workings—they are spells of resistance and upheaval. Proceed with strength, clarity, and fierce intention.
The Severing: A Ritual to Cut the Root of White Supremacy
White supremacy is deeply embedded in the fabric of society. It draws power from centuries of violence, colonization, and exploitation. This ritual calls upon the spirit of the blade—sharp, unyielding, and final—to sever the roots of white supremacy, weakening its hold.
What You Need:
• A knife or athame (ritual blade)
• A black candle
• A piece of cloth or string (to represent the ties of white supremacy)
• Blood or saliva (optional, from a prick of your finger, as an offering to the ancestors)
Steps:
1. Begin by creating a sacred space. Light the black candle, invoking the spirits of your ancestors who fought against oppression.
2. Take the piece of cloth or string and hold it in your hands. Speak to it, saying: “This represents the ties that bind this world to white supremacy. The lies of superiority, the violence of oppression, the systemic injustice that flows through all things.”
3. Take your knife or athame, and as you cut the string, say: “With this blade, I sever the ties of white supremacy. I break its power. I render it weak. Let its roots wither and die. May it crumble and be forgotten.”
4. Drop the pieces of the string into the flame of the candle and let them burn. As they burn, visualize the entire structure of white supremacy—the laws, the violence, the systems of power—burning with it.
5. If you choose, offer a drop of your blood or saliva to the flame as a sign of your personal commitment to this work. Say: “With my blood, I vow to dismantle this system. I call upon my ancestors, my bloodline, and my Spirit to rise with me.”
6. Once the ritual is complete, bury the ashes from the candle in the earth, symbolizing the burial of white supremacy.
The Hex of Exploitation: A Spell Against Capitalism
Capitalism thrives on exploitation—of labor, of the environment, of marginalized people. To dismantle capitalism, we must strike at its core: its insatiable hunger for profit at any cost. This hex is designed to disrupt the flow of capitalist energy, sowing chaos in its systems and cutting off its power source.
What You Need:
• Black thread
• A large jar filled with water
• 9 nails
• A piece of pyrite (fool’s gold, to represent capitalism’s false promises)
• An image or symbol representing a major corporation, bank, or figurehead of capitalism (you can print or draw this yourself)
Steps:
1. Begin by tying the black thread around the image or symbol, binding it tight. As you do, say: “I bind the hands that exploit. I bind the forces that steal. I bind the hunger for more. No longer shall this empire feed off the backs of the people.”
2. Take the jar of water and drop the nails into it. Each nail represents the nails in the coffin of capitalism. Visualize its systems rusting and decaying, falling apart piece by piece.
3. Place the pyrite in the jar, and as you do, say: “False gold, false promises. You cannot sustain. Your wealth is an illusion, and your empire shall wane.”
4. Now, take the bound image and submerge it in the jar. As it sinks, visualize the collapse of capitalism, its influence weakening. Say: “I hex the heart of capitalism. I call upon the forces of destruction to bring it to its knees. Let chaos reign in its systems, let its power be drained.”
5. Close the jar tightly, shake it with force, and then hide it in a dark place where it will not be disturbed. Each time you feel the need to weaken capitalism, return to the jar, shake it, and reinforce your intention with the words: “Collapse. Decay. Break.”
The Colonizer’s Curse: A Banishing Spell Against Colonialism
Colonialism is a violent force that has sought to erase cultures, languages, and entire peoples from existence. This banishing spell calls upon the spirits of those who were colonized to rise and expel the lingering forces of colonialism from the Earth.
What You Need:
• Red earth or clay
• A bowl of salt water
• A piece of paper with the word “colonialism” written on it
• A black feather
• A symbol of your ancestors or the land before colonization (this could be a flag, cultural object, or sacred item)
Steps:
1. Draw a circle on the ground with the red earth or clay, symbolizing the blood of those who suffered under colonialism. Place the bowl of saltwater in the center of the circle.
2. Take the paper with the word “colonialism” written on it, and place it in the bowl of water. As the paper dissolves, visualize the erasure of colonialism’s power.
3. Take the black feather and dip it in the water. Use it to trace a banishing symbol in the air, saying: “I call upon the spirits of those colonized. Rise, and expel the colonizer’s influence from this land. No longer will their power linger here. I banish the shadow of colonialism. Let it be swept away by the winds of change.”
4. Hold the symbol of your ancestors or the pre-colonial land to your heart, and say: “I invoke the spirits of this land as it was before. May your strength return. May your voice rise. This land is yours once more.”
5. Once the paper has dissolved, pour the saltwater into the earth, symbolizing the cleansing of the land from the poison of colonialism.
The magic of revolution is fierce, raw, and unyielding. It is the magic of those who refuse to accept the world as it is and instead fight for what it could be. By working with powerful spells and rituals, we tap into the forces that have always driven change—the forces of destruction, of justice, and of collective liberation.
This is not easy magic. It is not for the faint of heart. It requires you to step into your power, to confront the darkest parts of the systems we are fighting against, and to commit to the work of dismantling them. But know this, you are not alone. The spirits of the ancestors, the elements, and the energies of resistance stand with you.
With love, Juliet
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Death to the patriarchy!
Wonderful piece. Crafting effective spells to de-construct oppressive systems is essential to move forward on a path to freedom. In my view, gradualism is the key. Raising the level of awareness of a critical mass of people to tip the balance doesn't happen overnight.