There has been a lot of media attention around curses recently. I would like to clear the air about what a curse is, and how you can respond if you feel that someone has cursed you.

Q: What is a curse?

At its most basic, a curse is a strong wish for someone to have bad luck. This can range from wishing for someone to misplace an item, all the way to wishing serious illness and death upon someone.  Some cultures have curses as part of their religious/spiritual beliefs however that is a very different thing and you would need to refer to a spiritual leader who understands the specifics in that group.

Q: What does cursing someone mean?

Curses are a deliberate and intense wish to do harm. They are not simple to do and require significant intention and energy to cause.  They required regular maintenance/energy so a genuine curse is very rare.

Q: Are curses real?

They are more real if you believe in them. The number one ingredient in any spell or curse is your belief that it will work. Your mind is a powerful thing, and we have the ability to convince ourselves that something is happening if we believe in it strongly enough. It is easier for a person to make you believe you are cursed, and let your mind do all the hard work in manifesting the bad luck. A genuine curse is not a simple thing to cause.

Q: Can I curse someone by accident?

No. The effectiveness of all spells, curses and rituals depends on your sincere belief that this thing should happen. A curse is not a careless, ‘throw away’ comment.  You cannot curse someone by making a careless comment.

Q: I wished for something bad to happen and it did. Does this mean I cursed someone?

A: As stated above, you do not cast a curse by making an off-hand negative comment. It is also important to note the difference between intuition, conscience, and curses. Intuition is the ability to have a premonition that something will happen before it does. Coincidence is when two or more things occur which seem to be related but are not. Neither of these things are curses.

Q: Do pagans curse people?

A: Although ‘pagan’ is a broad umbrella term which is used to describe a range of beliefs and practices, the most common answer is no, we do not curse people. Many pagans believe in the rule of three and/or in the Wiccan Rede.

The Rule of Three states that whatever energy a person puts out into the world, be it positive or negative, will be returned to that person three times.

The Wiccan Rede states ‘An it harm none, do what ye will‘.

As such, many pagans believe cursing others to be unethical and a sure way to attract negative energy into one’s own life.

Q: Will you curse people on my behalf?

A: The most common answer to this question is no. Many pagans believe in Karma. Every action has consequences and cursing someone is guaranteed to attract negative consequences into one’s own life. There are people who will do a curse for you, however they come cast a substantial cost, and as you can imagine there is no warranty period or refunds, so be wary. There are better ways to find balance when someone has harmed you.

Q: What can I do if I feel cursed?

• Take a swim in the ocean at dawn or at sunset, or take a salt bath – salt water is a great way to neutralise negative energies and is used in ritual to cleanse and consecrate the circle space.
• Smudge your house with white sage, or sacred gum to remove any negative energy.
• Place a mirror at your front door, facing outwards, along with a bowl of salt. Tell the mirror to reflect any negativity back to the person who sent it.
• There is a very old tradition of placing a rusty nail above your door to protect yourself from negative energy or for the “evil one” to tread on if they try to enter your house.
• You can salt your doorways or rub Bergamot oil on your door frames.

These are all very simple but effective ways to stop negative energy entering your house. Remember that it is very difficult to cast a curse – there is a very good chance that it might simply be a coincidence. Keeping up a positive attitude is a powerful weapon.