How to use salt in magic. Russian ritual “bread and salt” What does the sign that appears in a salty solution mean?

Surprisingly, a lot has been written about salt, there are many proverbs and sayings about it, everyone knows about Thursday salt and its healing properties, there are salt spells and other folk customs associated with salt. Why does salt have such a sacred meaning in all countries and at all times?

Salt has always personified something supernatural, going beyond everyday reality and was endowed with a special vitality. She was more than salt, being the carrier and substitute of what is called spirit, meaning, soul and life. It is no coincidence that one of the synonyms for salt is the word “sperm”: that which turns a cell into human life.

In the most divine of books, the Bible, salt is used more than fifty times, and the image of salt in it symbolizes entering into a special relationship with God. This could be the people of Israel (led by King David), or a man (Moses), or a priest (Aaron), but entering into such a relationship meant entering into a Covenant with God, which in the Bible is called the covenant of salt.

Salt became a symbol of the connection between man and God, which, if broken, means one thing - the loss of the inner strength that gives man life. As long as these relationships exist, salt remains in a person; as soon as they are destroyed, the person begins to die.

Therefore, Jewish law prescribes that sacrifices should always be made with salt, which means one thing - the restoration of a broken connection with God, restoring strength: “Do not leave your sacrifice without the salt of the covenant of your God: with every offering you offer salt.”

This is also where the tradition in Eastern countries originates of sealing friendship or an agreement between the parties with salt, which was a symbolic sign of inviolability. According to this custom, a jug of salt was placed between the parties, from which each took a pinch and ate. This agreement was called the agreement of salt. The Arabs have sayings: “I love you like salt” or “There is salt between us.” Salt was considered a noble substance even in antiquity. “There is nothing more beneficial than sun and salt,” the ancients said. It was called divine grace, a God-loving substance, and comparison with salt meant comparison with God.

Therefore, when the Lord in the Sermon on the Mount calls the disciples the salt of the earth, thereby He emphasizes their purpose and value - to salt the earth, and if they cease to be the salt of the earth, then the people will lose strength, and they themselves will be worthy of only one thing - to be thrown out to be trampled underfoot by people.

Elisha purified the water with salt, loyalty to the ruler was measured with salt, newly born babies were rubbed with salt, which, according to popular beliefs, gave them energy and strength, and also protected them from evil spirits.

Salt was sprinkled on enemy ruins and enemy lands. This was practiced by both the Romans and the Israelites to prevent anything else from growing there. In this case, the salt prevented the emergence of new life in this place, disinfecting it from the evil seed. Salt becomes a symbol of God's punishment.

So, in the place of Sodom and Gomorrah, the salty Dead Sea was formed, and Lot’s wife, who violated the divine requirement - not to look back at her fellow tribesmen - turned into a pillar of salt. Salt is a kind of disinfecting antiseptic, if we speak in medical terms.

Salt purifies and protects, prolongs life and rejuvenates, heals and strengthens, adds flavor to food and checks the quality of products, and finally, salt destroys and kills, and not only microbes, but also life. There are a thousand ways to use salt.

There are many legends about salt; salt miners in the old days were revered as noble, and salt making was a godly and holy work. And it's clear why.

Bread and salt have long been combined together in Russian speech, which is reflected in the proverb: “Without salt it is not tasty, and without bread it is not satisfying.” And the very expression “bread and salt” at first simply meant food, food, and later - a treat. This ancient custom has been preserved since time immemorial. In the traditional culture from which we come, which we continue so sluggishly and uncertainly, bread as a blessing, as an oath, was at the head of everything: if you don’t take the bread off the table and sweep away the crumbs, your home will have prosperity and completeness.

By breaking the bread and dipping it in salt, the guest establishes a special trusting relationship with the hosts and admits the purity of his intentions and thoughts. The duet of bread and salt is not accidental: a wheat or rye fragrant loaf symbolized prosperity and prosperity, and salt, a rare spice in those days, was credited with the ability to protect against evil spirits. When inviting you to a feast, in Rus' they said: “Come in for bread and salt.”

If guests were received in the house, the meal began and followed a certain scenario.

The table, as usual laden with dishes, was located in the “red corner” next to the benches. There was a belief that those sitting on these benches enjoyed the special protection of saints.

According to tradition, the hostess of the house appeared at the beginning of the meal, dressed in her best attire. She greeted the guests with a bow to the ground. The guests bowed in response and, at the owner’s suggestion, came up to kiss her. According to long-established custom, each guest was given a glass of vodka.

After the “kissing ritual,” the hostess went to a special women’s table, which served as a signal for the start of the meal. The host cut off a piece of bread for each guest and sprinkled it with salt.

Treating the guest with bread and salt established a friendly, trusting relationship between the guest and the host; refusing them was regarded as an offensive gesture. In the Novgorod province, if someone who came to the hut refused the treat, they would say to him with offense: “How can you leave an empty hut like that!”

In the 17th century large monasteries sent black rye bread to the royal feast, part of the bread of the spiritual fathers, thereby blessing the autocrat. This bread was the first thing that was placed on the table at the king's meal.

Also, at the beginning of the meal, the steward presented the king with large oblong loaves of bread, which were distributed to everyone present from senior to junior in rank. Anyone who accepted the bread and subsequently dared to betray the king was considered abandoned by God, cursed.

Actions performed with salt were given close attention. Salt will crumble - to trouble, quarrel, because salt is a symbol of fidelity, friendship, constancy. And if they passed salt to another across the table, it was necessary to laugh loudly, so that again there would be no quarrel. At the same time, laughter protects against evil spirits: laughter as a sign of a living person, not just alive, but cheerful, full of strength and energy, means there is no place for evil spirits here! Also, to avoid discord, they threw salt and spat over their left shoulder. With exactly the same actions and words: “It’s the ‘leftists’, let them fight, and Christ is with us!” drove away hostile forces.

Salt, like a magical talisman, protected from the “evil eye” and warded off otherworldly, “alien” influences that a person encountered both in everyday life and in ritual situations that were significant for him and the entire society. In the past, the owner of the house, as a rule, salted himself shared food, and you could sprinkle a little salt on the tablecloth. However, under no circumstances should one dip bread in a salt shaker, because “only Judas dipped bread in a salt shaker.”

According to ancient Russian custom, parents greet the newlyweds with bread and salt and invite all guests to the festive table.

The newlyweds always take a bite of the loaf, finding out which of them will be the “first” in the family, and accepting the blessing for their family.

Sayings about bread and salt

• Bread and salt to lead (to know, to be friends with someone)
• I remember your bread and salt
• Bread and salt is a mutual matter
• They don’t refuse bread and salt
• Bread and salt, and lunch is on!
• They can’t sit down to dinner without bread and salt.
• Eat bread and salt, and listen to good people
• Young: mother didn’t eat enough of her father’s bread and salt
• Without bread, without salt, a bad conversation (half a conversation)
• Bread and salt and a stone in your bosom
• Not for bread and salt said (bad word)
• After bread and salt, good people rest for seven hours
• Bread and salt payment is red
• Bread and salt on the table, and your hands
• Eat bread and salt, but cut the truth (or: cut the truth)
• To carry bread and salt is not to carry a steelyard (not to walk with a steelyard)
• Bread and salt does not scold (does not scold)
• Fight with bread and salt
• Bread and salt borrowed (mutual, repayable) business
• Throw bread and salt back and you'll find yourself ahead
• Bread to bread brother (about hospitality)
• The one who gives water and food is good; and he is not bad who remembers bread and salt
• For bread, for salt, for cabbage soup with kvass, for noodles, for porridge, for your mercy (thank you)!
• “Bread and salt!” or “bread and salt!” - wishes, greetings to those who entered the hut during lunch; answer: “we ask!” or humorous “Eat yours!”
• Bread and salt for you - sleep and slumber for me
• You can't imagine better bread and salt

From time immemorial in Rus' it was customary to greet guests at the doorstep with bread and salt. This tradition is still important today ritual, which is given the meaning of warm hospitality. However, the meaning of the ritual has been lost by many, because initially it was not hospitality, but something completely different.

There is a belief that all evil spirits are afraid of the energy of salt. That is why the long-standing custom arose of greeting dear guests with bread and salt, where symbol of well-being- bread, and salt as a talisman against evil spirits. Whoever tastes bread and salt with you cannot be your enemy! Salt is a symbol of eternity and immortality, because the word “salt” comes from the ancient Slavic name sun, which means salty. To walk in the sun means to walk on the sun. In addition, a large number of signs and superstitions are associated with salt, because many have heard this belief since childhood that spilling salt is a bad omen. But few people know where and why they say this.

You can learn about this by plunging into the history of ancient Rus' and many other countries, when salt was not yet mined on a large industrial scale, it was considered a symbol of prosperity and prosperity. In those distant times, salt was expensive, worth its weight in gold. That is why they treated it with care and only on major holidays and events did they place salt shakers on the table, welcoming the dear guest with bread and salt. In those days, salt was so expensive that not every house had it, and if it did, it was displayed only for dear guests. If a guest accidentally or intentionally spilled salt, it was considered disrespect for the owners of the house. Many spilled salt on purpose, thus expressing their contempt for the owners. This is where the sign came from, to scatter salt to the quarrel and enmity. In even more ancient times of the ancient world, spilled salt meant the end of friendly relations.

If your salt has spilled, in order to avoid trouble, you need to wipe the spilled salt with a dry cloth onto a clean white saucer and say the magic spell over the saucer with salt three times CONSPIRACY: “Salt is not Water, everything will go away without a trace!” There is also a belief that if you spill salt, laugh loudly or ask someone to hit yourself on the forehead. Nowadays, a popular and effective way to avoid causing trouble by spilling salt is to throw 3 pinches of salt over your left shoulder, in the direction where the devil is; if throwing salt is not possible, you can spit over your left shoulder three times. Spilling salt, laughter proves that you are laughing in the face of the devil, without fear of the evil one's tricks. You cannot show your fear and despondency to the evil spirits - you can incur a great loss. In addition, it has been proven that when a person laughs, his mood improves and helps avoid quarrels.

Salt has powerful powers, it never spoils, and moreover, salt protects food from spoilage. From the above we can conclude that salt is a symbol of immortality and eternity. It is not for nothing that pagans used it in their sacrificial rituals to protect against evil.

In France they say that salt is the only thing that witches are afraid of. They carry it with them as a talisman. And the shepherds sprinkled salt on the pastures to protect their livestock from evil spirits. In Greece, small children used to wear bags of salt around their necks as a talisman. In addition, salt was placed on the tongue of newborns. There was a belief that when the groom went to church, he took a pinch of salt and put it in his left pocket in order to protect himself from impotence, which could be caused by envious witches. Previously, there was a custom of adding salt to the water in which a newborn was bathed, and in Egypt three pinches of salt were thrown into the fire to drive away evil eye.

It is a good sign to give a newborn a salt shaker so that there is no need for it in the future. And the most amazing thing is that salt protects the newborn, if a witch comes, and before harming the child, she will have to count all the grains of salt, and this action will take a lot of time, the witch will not do this and will go to another place. Salt is the best remedy against the evil eye and damage. It is not for nothing that there is a belief that witches at the Sabbath do not eat salty food. That is why in many European countries they believe that it is necessary to carry salt with you, ensuring success in business. In addition, a pinch of salt, clenched into a fist with the right hand before going to bed, protects the sleeper at night. Under no circumstances should you put salt on someone else's plate when dining at the table; everyone sitting at the table must add salt to their own food. You can’t dip bread in salt—that’s what Judas did. There is a long-standing tradition of sprinkling salt on the porch of a new home to drive away evil spirits. When people move out of an apartment, they should leave bread and salt for the new residents. It is bad luck to borrow salt, but returning salt is even worse. It is best not to give or take salt from strangers.

In England they said prayers on salt; they were sure that their prayers would be heard. Salt will help predict the future divination on salt. To do this, you need to guess before Christmas, leave three pinches of salt on the table, in the morning you need to look at the salt, if it lies untouched, everything will be fine, and if the salt suddenly begins to melt, it means danger and even death. A girl can see the future in her dream if she eats a flatbread with a lot of salt. It is made from flour to which a lot of salt is added. The girl must eat a salty flatbread, must not drink water until the evening, and must not talk to anyone. Having gone to bed, the girl will see her fate in a dream. Everyone knows the belief that if a woman adds too much salt to her food, it means she has fallen in love. This belief is connected with one of the oldest love spells, where it was necessary to heavily salt food for a lover; the girl did not spare salt out of love. When bewitching a loved one, they cast a spell on salt: “Just as people love salt in food, so a husband would love his wife.” After what has been said, they salted the food of their beloved man as much as possible.

The tradition of offering bread and salt to newlyweds is very symbolic; since ancient times it has been considered the best way to protect a newborn family, since bread is a powerful amulet, a symbol of prosperity and family hearth. Salt is considered a universal remedy against evil spirits. The loaf is presented on a towel - an embroidered towel. It is believed that the life of young people should be as smooth as the surface of a towel.

What did it symbolize in the old days?

Since ancient times, the round shape of the loaf symbolized the Sun or the pagan sun god, who was considered the main patron of the Slavs. According to legend, the Sun God descended to earth to bestow his affection on newlyweds entering a happy family life. Since those distant times, the loaf has become a symbol of fertility and rich life.

In the old days, the loaf played an important role in the ceremony of presenting gifts to the young. The relative first accepted and tasted a piece of the loaf, and in gratitude he gave something to the newlyweds. The godparents divided the loaf, and the children carried the pieces to the guests. It was inappropriate to leave the wedding home without a piece of loaf. It was believed that those who tasted the wedding loaf would have good luck in all their endeavors.

What does a wedding loaf symbolize today?

Modern loaves are decorated with beautiful patterns made from thin dough: flowers, spikelets, berries, wicker hearts, rings, birds. Flowers on the loaf symbolize the purity of the bride, spikelets - the well-being and prosperity of the young family, berries - strong and strong love, wicker hearts, rings and birds - the fidelity and devotion of the newlyweds to each other.

The newlyweds eat the wedding bread from the middle; this tradition represents the birth of a new life and the imminent birth of children for the married couple. Dividing the wedding loaf into parts symbolizes the loss of virginity. Jewelry from the loaf is given to unmarried girls. It is believed that if a girl receives and tastes such jewelry, she will soon also get married. There was a belief that if an unmarried girl puts a piece of a wedding loaf under her pillow at night, she will see her betrothed in a dream.

Little-known facts about the wedding loaf

To bake a loaf of bread, loaves of bread were invited - married women who lived with their husbands in kindness and harmony, love and happiness, and who had responsive and hard-working children. It was believed that loaves of bread would bestow family well-being on a young family. While baking a loaf, women sang ritual songs, inviting happiness and good luck into the home of the newlyweds.

The tradition of baking ritual bread is inherent in all Slavic peoples. Ukrainians and Belarusians also have loaf traditions; for weddings they bake gubadia - a puff pastry pie, the ritual meaning of which is completely identical to the loaf.

Rock table salt is one of the most mysterious substances in nature. It is difficult to find such a substance, which is at the same time a mineral, a food product, a chemical raw material, and a medicine. Since very ancient times, the attitude towards salt has developed in two directions: “sacred” salt - a symbol of eternity, purity, purity, constancy and “cursed” salt - a symbol of evil, misfortune, misfortune. On the one hand, salt cleansed with its holiness, and on the other, it desecrated with its magical properties.
In biblical descriptions of various religious cults and rituals, salt is given great importance as a symbol of fidelity, a bearer of holiness and a magical cleanser.
In the rituals of most magical schools, salt is directly associated with the element of the Earth element. Salt can be used to design your ritual, for all kinds of hexes and spells, damage and love spells.

Salt is an excellent soil and cleaning material. To clean precious stones or inherited gold jewelry, cover them with a layer of salt and leave them there for a week, then rinse them with running water and place them in the sun to recharge with new energy.
Add a little salt to your bath water. This will create an alchemical change - you have transformed a solid into a liquid. Bathe in this mixture to create a similar change in yourself. Imagine that your doubts, worries, illnesses and all the negative energies that overcome you in life are washed away and neutralized by this water.
If you feel the need to focus your energy and attention in a narrow direction, carry some salt in a green bag. This is especially important for those who tend to focus exclusively on the spiritual, while neglecting the physical plane. Rock salt is added to talismans that attract money and is used in magical rituals.

Salt suitable for slander should not contain any food additives or spices. Iodized salt is also not suitable, since iodine changes the energy composition of salt and practically destroys its natural energy. For incantations and other rituals, only natural salt is used - rock or sea. But sea salt can only be used for baths, since its energy is well accumulated and transferred to a person when diluted in water. But for slander and cleansing procedures, ordinary coarse rock salt, which is sold in packs, is suitable. It is precisely the most powerful conductor and catalyst of energy.

Salt energy

Salt carries two opposite charges, symbolizing life and death at the same time. The energy of life is manifested in the nutritional value of salt, its properties to keep food fresh (canning), as well as in its healing power. In ancient times, salt was considered the strongest remedy against the poison of snakes and insects. But at the same time, salt carried death within itself. It is well known that in very salty water all living things die, and on salty soils neither greenery, nor flowers, nor trees grow. This means that salt can not only give life, but also destroy it. For centuries people have struggled with this riddle. But they couldn’t resolve it, so they expressed their fear and their observations in signs and beliefs.
However, through experience, they came to the conclusion that salt understands everything and transfers a huge charge of energy to the person who turns to it. What kind of energy it is - positive or negative - depends on many circumstances: on a person’s energy, his internal state, on the state of the environment, the position of the heavenly bodies, the direction of the wind, etc. And most importantly, on the words spoken and the desires that motivate them. Traditional healers and healers have come a long way before they found ways to use salt to obtain the necessary energy. Since those times, unique texts of incantations and rituals over salt have come down to us, allowing us to cure diseases and fulfill desires.

Ancient people called it divination and witchcraft, but today there is a real scientific explanation for the effect of hexes. Modern researchers have found that the effect of salt on a person is based on its ability to record, store, amplify and transmit energy information. Salt accumulated in the depths of the Earth carries a powerful positive charge that is capable of absorbing the harmful energy of those who come into contact with it. This explains the anti-inflammatory and soothing effect of salt. Remember how a saline solution helps with a sore tooth, throat, or boil. How a bath with sea or rock salt relieves irritation and soothes.
“Thursday” salt (calcined in the heat on Maundy Thursday before Easter) has cleansing and healing properties.

Where and how to store salt intended for slander
For slander, you need to use a new, just purchased pack of salt. When you arrive home, immediately pour the salt into a glass jar or ceramic pot and close it tightly, then put it in a dark place. Use salt from this dish only for slander; it is unacceptable to take it for food!
Clay and ceramic dishes are best suited for storing salt. It perfectly preserves the properties of salt and is very convenient for rituals.
Glass jars must be sterilely clean and not have the slightest smell of the products that were previously stored in them, otherwise the salt may absorb foreign energy and its natural magical properties will decrease. But the most dangerous thing is if these properties are distorted and the salt becomes uncontrollable. Then, instead of the desired result, you may get a completely different or directly opposite effect. Therefore, be very responsible when storing salt. The result of all your further actions with salt depends on this, and, consequently, the fulfillment of your desires, your health and well-being.

Where and when to perform rituals with salt
Salt rituals are best performed at home, in the eastern corner of the largest room. It is advisable to do this in the dark, preferably at midnight or closer to dawn - at 3-4 am. This is explained by the fact that, like everything secret, salt loves darkness and twilight. If you need to perform the ritual during the day, this is also possible, but the impact will be much weaker. For the results to be noticeable, choose a time closer to the evening. It is advisable that the weather on this day be cloudy and rainy. In very clear or sunny weather, salt spells will not have much power.
Pay attention to specific recommendations for each slander. If it requires the ritual to be performed at a specific time, for example, at midnight, strictly follow these requirements.
The best days for rituals are Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. But if you need to ask for health or fulfill another very important fateful wish, it is not forbidden to carry out the spell on another day of the week. However, your desire and your energy in this case should be a hundred times stronger than usual.
Before the ritual itself, you cannot eat anything; it is advisable not to eat food three hours before performing the salt spell. Remember that food carries a certain charge of energy, and most often, unfortunately, negative. This is not surprising, because modern products are saturated with substances that carry an extreme negative charge - preservatives, phosphates, nitrates and dyes. Therefore, before the ritual itself, you can drink only clean water.

When and how to use spoken salt
Ordinary hexes for the purpose of fulfilling desires are read using salt purchased a few hours before this action. The hexed salt should be used within 12 hours after the incantation, and in rare, special cases, within 6 hours.
Salt spoken at midnight or before dawn retains its information the longest - for 12 hours. If you slandered salt during the day or evening, then the duration of the spell is reduced to 8-10 hours, depending on the strength of your desire and your faith. There have been cases when spoken salt at inopportune times was effective for more than 20 hours! It’s just that the person’s desire was so great that the energy of salt turned out to be very strong.
But we take average values. The duration of the hex is also reduced if the hex is carried out with some inaccuracies, not quite according to the rules. However, deviations are also possible here, because faith and the power of desire create a powerful flow of positive energy that is transferred to the salt, and the salt no longer needs additional ways to protect its energy and outside help.
Spelled salt can be used in different ways. This is specifically discussed in each individual case. However, for example, when fulfilling a wish for health, salt is carried in a linen bag in a pocket or under clothing near the place where it hurts. Spelled salt is also added to food. For good luck, they also carry salt with them, but not in bags, but in a wallet or notebooks and notepads, sometimes in gloves or simply in pockets. To maintain peace in the house or cleanse the home, salt is thrown into the corners, placed under the pillow, sprinkled on flowers, and added to the ground.