How to Put a Curse on Someone

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Last Updated: September 16, 2024 Fact Checked

Curses are magic spells placed upon people with the intention of harming them in some way. The intended harm can range from mere annoyance and psychological stress to physical illness and suffering, to even death. Curses are often associated with black magic and are thus not to be taken lightly.^{[1]
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Research source} The curse jar (a variation of the bottle spell) is a simple curse method whose users claim a high success rate.

Part 1

Part 1 of 5:

Preparing for the Curse

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Be aware of the possible outcomes. If your curse is successful, it could significantly affect your target's life — possibly even leading to death. Note, however, that many people do not believe in magic or the efficacy of curses, and there is little scientific evidence to suggest they work.
- Studies have shown that people who believe they're cursed and feel helpless against it may suffer from diastolic flaccidity, which causes a rapid drop in blood pressure and can lead to death.^{[2]
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Know that it could come back to you. It is a popular belief amongst witches that curses are unethical and, as a result, will return to the curser in the same form they have been given.^{[3]
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Research source} If you curse someone, be prepared for bad luck to visit you as well.
- A common Wiccan concept also abides by this reap-what-you-sow mentality: it says that whatever you do, whether it be positive or negative, will come back to you threefold.
- There is little known about the psychological impact the person placing the curse may suffer when they are successful in hurting their target. If you place a curse on someone, you might suffer psychological stresses that you can't even imagine at this point.^{[4]
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Consider forgiving and moving on. Think about why you want to take revenge, and if it's really worth your time and energy to do so. Chances are, your time and energy are better spent moving your life forward instead of dwelling on negative emotions that will only make you feel worse.
- When you take time out of your life to seek vengeance instead of moving on, you're wasting valuable moments in which you could be bettering your life. The person who hurt you might very well deserve to have something bad happen to them, but they certainly don't deserve to take up any more of your time.
- Studies have shown that getting revenge can actually make us feel worse. Experts believe this might be because taking vengeance can make the event seem bigger than it actually was, whereas the failure to take vengeance can make the event seem more trivial in the long run.^{[5]
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If you decide that you want to move forward with the curse, sit down and carefully think about what you want to happen. Having a clear sense of what you want to happen as you work through every stage of your curse will make it more effective.
Before putting a curse on anyone, make sure that you've protected yourself with a protection spell and/or amulet. If the person you're cursing also practices magic, it's possible that your curse will bounce back to you.^{[6]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 5:

Gathering Your Materials

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A large, wide pickle jar is excellent, but any other glass jar of a similar size will suffice.
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Obtain a poppet. A poppet is commonly understood as a doll that bears a resemblance to the target of the curse. In fact, it can be anything that symbolizes your target, including a photograph, some of his/her hair, or even a piece of paper with his/her name on it.
- If you collect hair or nail clippings from your target, be sure that you do this without being noticed — preferably by taking them from a trash receptacle — otherwise, you could risk getting into trouble not only with your target but the authorities.
- If you use a photograph of your target, write their name on it legibly in red or black ink. Also use red or black ink for writing your target's name on a piece of paper.
- If you choose to write your target's name down and include it in the jar, use the name that they identify with as opposed to their full name. For example, if you target's full name is Jonathan Smith, but he goes by John Smith, use “John Smith”. You can even use someone's online username if that's how you know them.
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Collect objects to use as mediums. The word has many definitions, but in this case, “medium” refers to the substance through which you'll transmit your bad energy (i.e. your curse). Any of the following items will serve as strong mediums:
- Rusty nails, thumb tacks, or other sharp items can be added to the jar to generally hurt your target.
- Red pepper flakes or whole red pepper pods will cause your target to become angry.
- Vinegar may be used to sour the life of an individual, or to sour the relationship between two people.
- Rose thorns may be used to cause your target harm through deception (as a beautiful rose looks deceptively soft until it pricks your finger) or to sour love.^{[7]
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- A match can be added to jars containing paper to fire up your curse whenever you shake or move the jar.
- Poisonous plants may be added to the jar to cause harm to your target. Just be sure to wear protective gear (e.g. gloves, goggles, face mask) whenever you're handling anything poisonous.
- Urine (your own) may be added to the jar to help you gain domination over your target. Avoid using urine and blood that are not your own, as these are biohazards and could cause you to become ill.
- Graveyard soil can be used to drive someone away or drive two people apart. Soil from a fresh grave is the most potent, but taking it may be considered defilement by authorities.
  - If you do decide to remove soil from a new grave, ask permission from the departed's soul and leave an offering — alcohol (e.g., wine poured into the ground), food (e.g., part of your last meal), or money (even a dollar) are standard.
- Note that you needn't use all of these items in your jar. One or two of them is fine!

Part 3

Part 3 of 5:

Putting Together the Curse Jar

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Do this with hot, soapy water, being sure to remove the label and any residual adhesive. To avoid streaks or debris moving from the drying cloth to the jar, you can let the jar air dry.
As you add things to your curse jar, stay focused on your target and what you want to happen to them.
If you are using a doll and have the victim's hair, you may choose to wind it around the neck of the doll.
Remember to focus on your intentions as you do this. If you do not have any specific desires, just think about how angry you are and what the target did to you to deserve your ire.
Seal the jar tightly. Before sealing the jar, make sure that there is nothing else you want to add to it. After it's closed, you should not reopen it as, at the very least, it will lose its power.
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Seal the lid with wax (optional). If you have a black or red candle, you may choose to light it and drip the wax all over the edge of the lid to ensure a fully air-tight seal.
- To make it extra powerful, you can use a pin or other sharp point to carve your target's name into the candle before melting it.
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Shake the jar. Do this while continuing to think angry thoughts about your target. Remember, you are infusing the jar with negative energy and power.
- If you are using nails or thumb tacks, be sure to shake the jar gently to avoid breaking it.
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Hide the jar in a dark place. You can hide the jar at your own home, but hiding it somewhere close to your target will be even more effective. If you do hide it close to your target, hide it extra well so that it will not be found.
- As an example, you might bury the jar in your target's yard. If you do this, make sure that no one sees you and that it's deep enough that no one can find it.
- Hide your jar well but make sure that it will be easy for you to retrieve if you need to. You never know, you might change your mind and want to break the curse at some point.
- Another reason to hide the jar well is that if someone finds it and breaks it, the evil intentions of your curse might come back to you.^{[8]
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Be patient. Your curse could take days or even months to take effect. If a lot of time goes by and you think it hasn't worked, it's also possible that your target is protected by a protection spell or amulet.
- If your target is protected by magic, consider whether it's worth your efforts to continue pursuing your curse, as it could take considerable time and energy to get past their defences.
- It's also possible that your curse affected someone close to your target instead of your target him/herself. Before deciding that your curse didn't work, consider whether this may be the case.^{[9]
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Part 4

Part 4 of 5:

Using Psychology to Strengthen Your Curse

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1
Skip the curse jar (optional). If you lack the time, resources, or interest in doing the curse jar, you can also use psychology to make your target believe they are cursed.
- Simply scaring your target with words or evil glares, or doing things to sabotage their everyday life, will yield the desired results.
- Again it must be said, however, that your energy is better spent focusing on improving your own situation, rather than on making someone else's life harder. The saying, “living well is the best revenge,” applies here.
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Scare your target. The more convinced your target is that they are cursed, the more effective your curse will be.^{[10]
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Research source} In addition to using the jar, get in your target's head by letting them catch you staring at them evilly or by saying unsettling things to them.
- If you're not confident that you can say anything truly frightening to your target, stick to the evil stare. It's important that they realize you have it in for them and that they're worried about it.
If your target is someone who physically bullies you, you might want to avoid speaking to and/or staring at them, as this could compromise your own safety.
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Use the “placebo” effect.^{[11]
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Research source} Studies have shown that taking placebos can help people think themselves better. You can harness this knowledge to achieve negative results, too.
- Popular things to say regard general body functions, including, but not limited to, sleeping (“You'll never have a restful sleep again”) and touch (“You will destroy everything you touch”).^{[12]
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Keep it general. When verbally cursing your target to their face, be general. That way, your target is more likely to see your curse as being fulfilled when something that remotely fits the description happens.
- For example, if you say “You will destroy everything you touch” and then a few days later the person drops a glass or even just stumbles while tying their shoe, your curse might pop into their head.
- From there, as your target's anxiety grows, the curse will become stronger. Your target will fulfill your curse for you, and all you did was put the thought into their head.^{[13]
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Check in with your target often. Studies have shown that people who are over-supervised tend to perform more poorly than those who are left alone. It will take time and dedication to pull this one off, as you'll need to constantly bother him/her.
- You don't even have to be mean to your target. You can literally just give them advice and ask what they're doing all the time, and this will be enough to ruin their focus and make them perform more poorly at whatever they're doing.^{[14]
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- This doesn't have to be done in person. Regular Facebook messages and emails are fine, too. Using all the channels available to you to offer your target continuous encouragement and advice will trip them up in no time.^{[15]
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Part 5

Part 5 of 5:

Breaking the Curse

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If you break the curse without protecting yourself, it might come back to you. Before breaking the jar (and as a result, the curse), make sure that you are protected with a protection spell, amulet, or at the very least, an incantation.^{[16]
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If you have hidden the jar somewhere outside of your own property, take care to ensure that no one sees you retrieving it — especially not the target of your curse.
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Smash the jar. The easiest way to do this safely is to place it in a paper shopping bag, fold the bag closed loosely, and then break the jar gently with a hammer.
- If you've placed fluids inside the jar put the jar in a paper bag and then a plastic bag before breaking it.
Once the jar is broken, seal the paper bag in a heavy plastic bag before placing it in the trash. Be sure to clean up any fluids or bits of glass that may have fallen out of the bag as you smashed the jar.

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Can I curse a person who is related to me?

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Yes, you can. But don't curse that person for a petty reason. Think it over carefully and decide whether they truly deserve it or not.

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Will this work if I am trying to break up a couple?

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It is possible.

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Where can I get an amulet or find a protection spell to use?

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Call into a shoppe that specializes in Magick for amulets. These are usually made by witches or similar persons who know the right spells to bind healing and protective magic to the amulet. If you want a protection spell, see How to Use a Binding Spell for the method to make a protection spell.

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Tips

Curses are believed to be most effectively laid and broken during the waning of the moon.^{[17]
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Never curse for a petty reason. Always consider the consequences carefully and decide whether your target really deserves to be cursed or not. More often than not, they won't deserve it.

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Instead of cursing someone, consider putting your time and energy into a spell that benefits you rather than hurting someone else. Try out a happiness spell or a success spell, for example.

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Some say that putting a curse jar in the sunlight actually makes it more effective, since the bad energies inside are tormented by the positive energies of the sun.
To make sure a curse doesn't come back to you, self-isolate for a day and cast a protection spell until the curse's effects are finished.

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Warnings

If you are in a dangerous situation, notify the appropriate authorities. There is no evidence to prove that curses work, so do not depend on a curse to remove a dangerous person from your life.

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Curses can backfire. If it seems to be ineffective but you are suffering more than seems normal, break the curse as detailed.

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Check the legality of all of your actions before taking them. Some of them may stray into the realm of desecration, trespassing, or stalking. If they do, do not take them.

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If the person you are cursing is also a practitioner of magic, it's possible that they'll find out what you've done and try to curse you back. Protect yourself ahead of time with a protection spell or amulet.^{[18]
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