Protect yourself from Trump this Halloween
By Anonymous
Back in February, witches across the world came together to set a spell on President Trump. Since then, some dedicated resistance witches have been casting spells every month. Considering that none of my marching, protesting or donating to the ACLU has helped give this administration the boot, I thought some timely Halloween magic was worth a shot.
On the blog Gods & Radicals, Emma Kathryn writes the following:
Witchcraft is an act of resistance. Or it should be. To some, witchcraft is a religion; to others, a spiritual practice; to others, a way of life—or all three. But it is also a tool. Witchcraft has always been the tool of the poor, the repressed, the maligned, those who, without its protection and—oftentimes—solace, would have been powerless against those who would seek to hold them down, to make them comply, to oppress them and rule them without mercy and kindness.
My knowledge of witches while growing up was based solely on the Salem Witch Trials, annual viewings of Hocus Pocus and repeat episodes of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Unsurprisingly, the Bay Area has a strong community of people who identify as witches or who are part of magic-working traditions who know a lot more than I do about spells. There’s even a feminist form of witchcraft called “Reclaiming,” which was founded in the Bay Area in the late 1970s.
I reached out to the community to see if they could offer resources for any spells I could cast on the current administration.
[Writer’s note: This is not an effort to make witchcraft the butt of a joke; indeed, we have had Bold Italic staff writers who practice witchcraft, and I defer to them for more in-depth questions about joining the community. Despite the many stereotypes about witchcraft, doing spells on other humans for negative outcomes is in violation of the Wiccan Rede “An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will” (in other words, “do no harm”). But at a time when women’s health care, reproductive rights, safety from countries with nuclear power and equal pay are all at risk, I asked for anything that would help. I have been wrong about many things in my life, like Zumba, cacio e pepe and kombucha, so I’ll give anything I’m skeptical about a shot.]
Binding Spell
A binding spell is a tool for power removal. This suggestion came from Justin Quiric, an “Entered Thelemite” who has three years of experience in the practical magic of Thelema, a magical system. If you wish to see Trump step down from the presidency, change his mind about health care or stop egging on Kim Jong-un, this is a good spell to try.
A binding spell has been one of the popular spells used by witches this year against Trump. There’s even a Facebook page, “‘Bind Trump’ and #MagicResistance,” that offers “Bind Trump” pendants for sale.
Where to start: First, conduct a space cleansing, then an opening of the circle. Mark your space and walk it three times counterclockwise. You have some freedom to invoke the powers and use whatever feels like the spell will work for you, but to focus on removing Trump from his Cabinet, invoke the spirit of a political figure. Don’t forget to walk back around the circle clockwise and thank and dismiss spirits, or they might stick around.
Beware: One downfall to using the binding spell is that you are also bound to the fate of the recipient in some ways. Using your willpower to lessen the willpower of someone else can bring about bad karma and can be dangerous. Justin explained that anything you do with magic is also done to you, so you have to be careful not to wish anything on someone that you aren’t OK suffering yourself. The idea of having my fate tied to Trump’s is scary. I asked Justin if I could use this spell to make Trump disappear. He explained that it’s more preventative, unlike a curse or a hex—like if you have a neighbor who plays loud music a lot, you’d restrain their will or ability to do so.
(For something simpler, this freezer binding spell seems like an OK start.)
Banishing Spell
So what if you don’t want to control someone like Mike Pence but wanted him to just…go away…forever? Justin told me that a common ritual that is used for ridding your space of unwanted influence is a banishing ritual.
Where to start: To be most effective, find a group that can come together for a collective banishing. Face east and draw a banishing Earth pentagram in each direction along with some vocalizations “to cleanse your mind, your home and your intentions.” Justin theorized that the nation could coordinate a national banishing spell at a certain time while facing the White House, similar to how some religions chant in prayer together. “Instead of the deities or god names used in the evocation, you could use liberal counterparts to the Trump administration. ‘OH-BAH-MAH’ would make a great vibration.”
I also found this spell to banish an evil spirit. I changed the words a bit to make it more political:
If spirits Republicans threaten me in this place,
Fight water by water and fire by fire.
Banish their elected and appointed terms into nothingness, and remove their political powers until the last trace.
Let these evil beings flee, through time and space never to be voted in again.
Removing Anger
If you’ve checked out POTUS’s tweets, it’s no secret that he’s always pissed off about something. So this spell for removing anger might help. First, you’ll need a stone. Then, envision Trump’s anger moving through the stone as you say this spell (which I’ve also edited):
Great Guardians of the Western World
Who watch over the sea and the ocean (except not really, because you’re disbanding the EPA),
Let this anger disperse through space and time.
Make it disappear forever.
So mote it be (as much a mote as your tiny hands).
Voodoo
Justin reminded me that magic that’s intended to mess with someone’s will is considered dangerous and black magic. Those who practice white magic focus on attracting good things, so voodoo dolls are not useful to them. And he’s not a voodoo expert. But he did suggest adding Trump’s hair to a voodoo doll and “putting all the pins in his mouth so he shuts up.” If you need a quick fix, Donald Trump voodoo dolls can be found all over the Internet.
Casting Spells on Yourself
If harmful or dark magic feels uncomfortable, you can also cast a spell on yourself to survive the current administration. Some ideas that were offered to me were protection spells in case the president leads us into war. You can also cast prosperity spells or light a Money Draw candle so you can afford to donate to whoever runs against Trump in 2020. I’d also consider love spells so a nice Canadian will fall in love with you and get you Canadian citizenship. Protect yourself against the evil eye, especially as surveillance grows. And for good measure, try a healing spell in case health insurance is no longer available to those of us with preexisting conditions.
