How to Dispose of Ritual Ingredients for Enemy Work in Hoodoo Tradition
A Practical Guide to Crossroads Magick, Ancestor Reverence & Spiritual Disposal
In Hoodoo—a deeply rooted Black American spiritual tradition—how you dispose of ritual remains is just as important as the work itself. Every element and ingredient of a working is regarded as "live", even inanimate objects are imbued with energy. Therefore, what you do with ritual items once the active portion of your ritual is finished is a transition to the passive continuation of their energy and the working. From hexing and reversing spells to hot-footing an enemy or silencing gossip, properly disposing of ritual ingredients ensures the energy is sealed and sent exactly where it needs to go.
Whether you're using our Hexing & Crossing Candle, Hot Foot Candle, Reversing Candle & Oil, or Shut Up Spell Candle, this guide walks you through the traditional Hoodoo practices for disposal, rooted in ancestral wisdom and practical spellcraft.
Left-Handed Work in Hoodoo: What It Really Means
In Hoodoo, the terms "left-handed" or “left-hand path” don’t carry the sinister or demonized connotation often seen in mainstream occult discourse. Instead, left-handed work refers to justice, retribution, and protection through aggressive spiritual means. It's about restoring balance, not necessarily causing harm for harm’s sake.
Left-handed Hoodoo work is ancestral in nature—rooted in the survival mechanisms of enslaved and oppressed peoples who used these practices to protect themselves, resist oppression, or send back malice and violence.
This type of work is handled with serious intention, reverence, and responsibility, and proper disposal of your materials is a key component of that sacred process.
Sinister Origins of The Left-Handed Path
The term left-hand path comes from a mix of cultural bias and misunderstood spiritual practices.
In Christian Europe, the left side was seen as sinister—literally, since "sinistra" means left in Latin—and that shaped how people viewed magic that didn’t follow church-approved morals.
Later, Western occultists stole and distorted ideas from South Asian Tantra, where the "left path" was about breaking taboos to reach enlightenment. Over time, the phrase became shorthand for magic that’s rebellious, confrontational, or used for personal power—including hexing, cursing, and spirit justice. While it was once demonized, many today are reclaiming it as sacred, ancestral, and necessary.
✊ Reclaiming the Left Hand
For Black, Indigenous, and marginalized practitioners today, the term "left-handed magic" is being reclaimed as:
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A rejection of Eurocentric moral binaries
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A recognition of the power of shadow work, hexing, and spiritual justice
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An acknowledgment of ancestral power and righteous rage
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Hoodoo Symbolism of the Disposing at the Crossroads
The crossroads is a sacred liminal space in Black spiritual traditions and ATRs. In Hoodoo, it is believed to be a place where the spiritual and physical worlds meet, where spirits can be petitioned, and where power can be conjured.
Disposing of ritual remains at the crossroads has multiple symbolic layers:
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Confusion or diversion: Perfect for crossing, jinxing, or shutting someone up.
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Deliverance: Sending your spell energy "on its way" through the spirit world.
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Initiation and power: A place to command, conjure, or shift fate.
In early blues music—a cultural sibling to Hoodoo—you’ll find crossroads referenced in lyrics about deals with spirits, hexes, and heartbreak. Even Robert Johnson’s famed legend of meeting the devil at the crossroads is rooted in this very folklore.
When & Where to Dispose: Choosing Your Location with Intention
Here’s a breakdown of traditional disposal sites, what kinds of spells they align with, and how to carry out the ritual:
1. Crossroads Disposal (Jinxes, Crossings, Shut Up Spells)
Best for:
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Hexing & Crossing
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Shut Up or Stop Gossip spells
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Hot Foot spell remnants
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Confusion or domination spells
Why: Crossroads allow your spell to travel spiritually in all directions, confusing the target or dispersing energy.
How-To:
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Wrap remnants (ashes, leftover herbs, wax, etc.) in brown paper or a black cloth.
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Walk to a 4-way crossroads just before dawn or midnight.
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Stand at the center, say a statement of intention (“Let their words twist in confusion. May their tongue be still.”)
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Drop the bundle over your left shoulder or in the middle of the crossroads.
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Walk away without looking back.
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Recite Psalm 35 or Psalm 109 quietly for divine support.
2. Running Water (Send-Away or Cleansing Enemy Energy)
Best for:
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Hot Foot rituals
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Reversing rituals
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Banishings or removals
Why: Running water carries energy far from you—ideal for banishing, washing away negativity, or returning hexes to sender.
How-To:
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Gather remnants in biodegradable cloth or paper.
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Visit a stream or river that flows away from your home.
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Cast the bundle into the current while reciting Psalm 54 or Psalm 23.
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Thank the spirits of the water and walk away in silence.
3. Enemy’s Property (Direct Targeting Work)
Best for:
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Hexing & Crossing spell remnants
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Shut Up or Reversing rituals remnants
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Personal concern work
Why: Burying or tossing remnants near (or on) the target’s property is a direct spiritual delivery system.
How-To:
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Mix leftover candle wax, herbs, and personal concerns (hair, photos) if used.
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Place in a small cloth packet or paper bundle.
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Toss in their yard, bury near a fence, or sprinkle oils/powders on their doorstep.
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Leave immediately, don’t speak or look back.
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Recite Psalm 64 for secrecy and protection.
4. Trash Disposal (Cut-Off Work or Final Discards)
Best for:
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Final remains of completed work
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When target is no longer in your life
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Ending cycles with an enemy
Why: This signifies spiritual and emotional detachment and disposal.
How-To:
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Place remnants in a sealed black bag.
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Throw it away in a public trash bin far from your home.
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Wipe your hands clean with Florida Water or Rue water.
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Pray Psalm 121 or Psalm 91 for continued protection.
Working with Spirits During Disposal
In traditional Hoodoo, spirits are part of every step—especially during disposal. Before you discard anything:
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Light a candle for your ancestors and spirits. Like our Ancestor spell.
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Leave offerings such as coffee, rum, or coins.
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Ask your ancestors and the ancestors of the land, and land spirits to guide and protect the outcome of your spell.
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Always thank them when the work is done.
Folklore, Psalms & the Blues at the Crossroads
Many old-school practitioners sang or recited Psalms while walking to a crossroads or river. Some of the most common Psalms in enemy work include:
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Psalm 35: For justice and protection from enemies
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Psalm 109: To silence slanderers
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Psalm 94: When you feel betrayed or persecuted
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Psalm 54: For deliverance and spiritual support
Blues songs like “Cross Road Blues” by Robert Johnson, or “Hellhound on My Trail,” speak to the haunting power of crossroads work and spiritual retribution—lyrics infused with Hoodoo-coded language, often referencing curses, hot foot powder, or burning candles.
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They Can Catch These Magickal Hands. Both 'em.
In Hoodoo, power comes not just from your tools, but from your spirit, your ancestors, your intention, and yes, your hands. Always approach enemy work and its disposal with spiritual integrity, understanding the cultural roots of the practices you're engaging in.
And remember—our Hexing & Crossing Candle, Shut Up (Stop Gossip) Spell Candle, Reversing Candle & Oil, and Hot Foot Candle are created with traditional ingredients, reverence, and ancestral guidance. You’re not alone in this work.
Walk in strength. Walk in truth. And when needed—walk to the crossroads.
About the Author
Metztli Wolf is a trauma-informed psychic medium, evolutionary astrologer, and Hoodoo practitioner living on the sovereign land of the Kalispel people, where they co-steward Black Moon Wolfdog Sanctuary—a nonprofit rescue for red-tagged, high-risk wolfdogs. As the founder of Revolutionary Mystic, they create eco-friendly spell tools and spiritual resources for radical witches, ancestral workers, and animal advocates. Metztli’s work centers decolonial healing, spirit communication, and the reclamation of Black and Indigenous spiritual technologies rooted in resistance and sacred care.
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