Witchcraft Wednesdays - Curses, Hexes and Jinxes

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Today we'll be talking about the difference between a curse, a hex, and a jinx. For many pagan and witchy people these terms are highly interchangeable, but in reality they differ based on how they're performed, what they're bound to, and the severity in general.

Let's start at the end with a jinx. These are the least severe of the trio, and meant to be mildly disruptive or irritating to the target. The most popular example used almost every day is when one person wishes for something good and the other will say "Don't jinx it!", the idea that by wishing for a good thing you're somehow putting up a repellent against that good thing.

A hex traditionally has to be bound to a physical object and is slightly more disruptive than a jinx because of it. Common examples are the idea of hex bags - cloth baggies carrying the items and the negative energy of the hex placed in areas the target may frequent to cause the intent of the hex - and poppets meant to represent a target and bring the hex upon a specific person.

Finally are curses. Jinxes and hexes are meant to be temporary, and often end when the caster or target dies or after a set amount of time. But curses are big business and some can last for generations through a family line. There's a lot of examples of this in popular culture, so just look at your favorite media that includes magic and curses and you'll probably find something along these lines.

Now there may be some people who try to tell you that putting the kind of negative energy associated with these things into the world is bad and you shouldn't do it. More often than not these people are either Wiccan and are quoting part of the Rede at you, either the do no harm bit or the 3 fold law, or their personal craft is against cursing and the like. If you're not a follower of Wicca or another religious practice that forbids these kinds of actions and it's not part of your personal craft you can just ignore those people, however. Sadly they're no better than the Godist religions that think their way is the only way and if you don't follow their way you're wrong and they should be ignored in the same manner.

I'd also like to add that many people who curse especially do so to protect themselves. They do it to keep abusive people away from themselves or people they love, they do it so that people who committed wrongs get justice in some way or another. But no matter what a person's reason, however petty or insignificant it may seem from the outside looking in, it's not for others to judge.

As I said at the start, many people interchange these three terms and don't know there is a difference between them. I certainly did not when I started my path into witchcraft, and still use the term 'curse' as an umbrella for all three as I see many people doing. But hopefully this has been informative and helpful to people who are just as confused as I was at one point ^^

Please take everything I say with a grain of salt. A big part of witchcraft is essentially critical reading. That is, not blindly following what anyone says even if you consider them to be any kind of authority figure. Look at every bit of information you take in and decide for yourself if that is something you want to abide by.

If you like this content resteems, upvotes and comments are much appreciated <3