Dead Sea Salt

On the shore of the Dead Sea stands a salt pillar on Mount Sodom that local tradition has long called Lot’s Wife.

Origin & Traditional Use

Dead Sea salt is evaporated from the water of the Dead Sea, the hypersaline lake between Israel, the West Bank and Jordan. Its minerals have been gathered since antiquity, for preserving, for trade and for bathing, and visitors still float in the dense water for its traditional reputation in skin care.

Uses by Tradition

Witchcraft & Folk Magick

• Cleansing bath: dissolve a handful in a ritual bath to strip away heavy or clinging energy.
• Protective circle: sprinkle a ring of salt around a working space or along windowsills.
• Tool cleansing: bury stones or tools in a dish of salt overnight to clear them.

Hoodoo & Rootwork

• Spiritual bath: salt is a standard base for cleansing and uncrossing baths, combined with herbs such as hyssop.
• Floor wash: added to washes scrubbed toward the door to drive out bad conditions.
• Keeping enemies away: salt is sprinkled where an unwanted person has stood or behind them as they leave.

Ceremonial & Occult Magick

• Consecrated salt: the grimoire tradition, following the older church rite, exorcises salt and mixes it with water to make holy water for sprinkling the circle and tools.
• Temple purification: salt and water are used together to purify the space before a ritual begins.

A Simple Working

• Draw a warm bath and light a white candle in the bathroom.
• Dissolve a handful of Dead Sea salt in the water.
• Add a small handful of hyssop or rosemary, tied in a muslin bag.
• Soak for at least ten minutes, pouring the water over your head seven times.
• State what you are washing away each time.
• Let yourself air dry and dress in clean clothes.
• Take a cup of the bathwater outside and throw it toward the west.

Pairs Well With

• Hyssop, the classic cleansing herb for baths.
• A white candle, for purification work.
• Rosemary, for protection and clearing.
• Camphor, for a sharper cleansing bath.

Lore & History

The Talmud speaks of melach sedomit, the salt of Sodom, a salt so sharp it was said to blind if it touched the eyes, which is one explanation given for washing the hands at the end of a meal. Genesis places the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in this region, and Lot’s wife turned to a pillar of salt nearby.

What You Receive

Dead Sea salt, available in 1 oz, 2 oz and 1 lb.