How to Make a Spell Jar: Easy Recipes for Protection, Money and Love

In short: A spell jar is a small sealed container filled with ingredients chosen for an intention, like herbs, salt, crystals, and a written wish. To make one: cleanse the jar, write your intention, layer in your ingredients while stating what each one is for, seal it (often with candle wax), and keep it somewhere that matches its purpose. Spell jars descend from historical "witch bottles," protective bottles buried under homes in England from the 1600s.

Think of a spell jar as a tiny, very focused pantry. A little salt, some rosemary, a note to yourself. Everything you would grab for a spell, sealed up so it keeps working while you go do the dishes.

Where do spell jars come from?

Archaeologists have found hundreds of "witch bottles" in England, mostly from the 1600s and 1700s, buried under hearths, floors, and thresholds. Many were stoneware jugs containing pins, nails, hair, and urine, meant to protect a household from a witch's curse. (Yes, the original witch bottles were anti-witch. Witches reclaimed them. We do that.)

Modern spell jars are a gentler descendant: small glass jars of herbs, salts, and intentions, made for protection, love, money, sleep, and pretty much any goal.

What you need

• A small glass jar or bottle with a cork or lid
• A small piece of paper and pen
• Ingredients for your intention (recipes below)
• A candle in a matching color for sealing (optional)

How to make a spell jar: step by step

1. Cleanse the jar. Wash it, then pass it through incense smoke or rinse it with moon water. Dry it fully so nothing molds.
2. Write your intention. One clear, present-tense sentence. Fold the paper toward you for drawing in, away from you for sending away. Add a sigil if you like.
3. Layer your ingredients. Add each one with purpose and say what it is for. "Salt for protection. Rosemary to clear the air. Clove to stop the gossip."
4. Add the intention paper last, or in the middle, cradled by the herbs.
5. Seal it. Close the lid, then drip wax from a matching candle over it to seal. Keep a plate underneath and go slow. Hot wax burns.
6. Charge it. Hold it, shake it, or leave it under the full moon. Say your intention one last time.
7. Place it. By the front door for protection, on your desk for money, by your bed for sleep or love, or carry a tiny one in your bag.

Spell jar recipes

Protection spell jar

Sea salt or black salt, rosemary, a bay leaf, cloves, a few black peppercorns, and a small piece of black tourmaline or obsidian. Seal with black or white wax. Keep it by your front door.

Money spell jar

Rice, cinnamon, a bay leaf with your income goal written on it, basil, a coin, and a small citrine or green aventurine. Seal with green or gold wax. Keep it near where you work or pay bills.

Self-love spell jar

Pink salt, dried rose petals, lavender, a little honey on the paper (seal well), and a small rose quartz. Seal with pink wax. Keep it on your nightstand or bathroom counter.

Sleep spell jar

Lavender, chamomile, a pinch of salt, and an amethyst chip. Seal with light blue or white wax. Tuck it by your bed (not in the pillow, the glass is a bad pillow).

Banishing a bad habit

Black salt, black pepper, a small rusty nail, and a paper naming the habit. Seal with black wax. Bury it away from your home, or toss it in a trash can off your property, and walk away without looking back.

Spell jar tips

• Use dry ingredients so nothing rots. Fresh fruit or flowers in a sealed jar becomes a science project.
• Odd numbers of ingredients (3, 5, 7) are traditional in a lot of folk magic.
• Small is fine. A tiny vial works as well as a mason jar.
• Keep sharp objects and toxic plants out of anything a kid or pet might open.

Spell jar FAQ

How long does a spell jar last?

Until the goal is done, or until it feels finished. Many witches recharge protection jars every full moon and make new ones each year.

What do I do with a spell jar when I am done?

Thank it, open it, and dispose of the contents respectfully: herbs to compost or the earth, salt in the trash outside, crystals cleansed and reused. Wash the jar for next time.

What if my spell jar breaks?

Many witches see a broken protection jar as a sign it absorbed something big and did its job. Clean it up carefully and make a new one.

Do I have to seal it with wax?

No. A tight lid or cork is enough. Wax adds ritual and color magic.

Make magic monthly

Each Saged Ritual Box comes with herbs, crystals, candles, and a printed ritual. Start with the 3-month bundle, or find dozens of jar spells in the Spell Book for Modern Witches.