This morning, I heard a rumor from witch-adjacent friends that covens across the country plan to put a spell on Donald Trump, who lost the popular vote by 2,864,974 votes, tonight at midnight. I have good news: This tantalizing rumor appears to be true. "A Spell to Bind Donald Trump and All Those Who Abet Him" will happen tonight, as covens and individual practitioners take part in a mass ritual against Trump.
Writer and Tarot workshop-teacher Michael M. Hughes has written an exhaustive FAQ on the ritual. Here's the beginning of the ritual instructions:
A Spell to Bind Donald Trump and All Those Who Abet Him (version 2.0)
To be performed at midnight on every waning crescent moon until he is removed from office. The first ritual takes place Friday evening, February 24th, at the stroke of midnight. This binding spell is open source, and may be modified to fit your preferred spiritual practice or magical system — the critical elements are the simultaneity of the working (midnight, EST—DC, Mar-a-Lago, and Trump Tower NYC time) and the mass energy of participants.See below for the upcoming dates. Some lodges/covens are doing a variation of this as a group working, while a number of solitary practitioners are planning to connect and livestream via Facebook, Twitter, and other social media.
Components:
Unflattering photo of Trump (small); see below for one you can print
Tower tarot card (from any deck)
Tiny stub of an orange candle (cheap via Amazon)
Pin or small nail (to inscribe candle)
White candle (any size), representing the element of Fire
Small bowl of water, representing elemental Water
Small bowl of salt, representing elemental Earth
Feather (any), representing the element of Air
Matches or lighter
Ashtray or dish of sand
The rest of it is just as fascinating, and you can read it here. (One beautiful variant of the ritual suggests repeating the words "You're fired!" with growing intensity as you burn an unflattering photograph of Trump's face.)
I'm not a practicing witch (yet) but it looks like many outlets are describing this ritual as a hex or a curse. In fact, anyone who's seen The Craft could probably tell you that a binding spell is very different: While a hex or curse is meant to cause harm to someone, a binding spell is actually meant to prevent someone from causing harm*.
Witches have really been showing up for the resistance. In Portland, we've seen an intersectional revival of W.I.T.C.H., the 1960s-era feminist group whose activism included rituals and hexes. This time around, the witches obscure their faces behind black veils and carry signs that say things like "Witches for Black Lives," "Trans Women Are Women," and "White Silence is Violence." Their platform is decidedly third-wave, and good luck finding out who any of them really are. Their Women's March delegation was a true highlight of that remarkable day.
Hey, witches: Keep up the great work.
*I also confirmed this with one of my witch friends. I am not only getting my witch information from underrated movies of the '90s.
