Onion Magic: Safety Pin Hexes, Banishing Magic, & Protection Spells

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Learn how to use an onion to protect yourself from negative energy

Co-authored by Carmine Shannon Reviewed by Michelle Arbeau

Last Updated: May 25, 2024 Fact Checked

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Crossed Onion Hex

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Onion Protection Spell

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Onion Banishing Spell

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Other Magical Uses for Onions

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Things You'll Need

If you’ve seen those TikToks about the magical properties of onions, you may want to try out a spell or two for yourself. The onion is considered a versatile magical plant that you can use to suck up negative energy—and that’s just the start. In folklore, onions have been linked to banishing, binding, protecting, cleansing, and property spells. Keep reading to learn the best magical uses of this fragrant plant.

Things You Should Know

Cut an onion almost entirely in half, then put someone’s name, salt, and pepper into it. Seal the onion with pins and dispose of it to make the person leave you alone.
Stick black pins into a white onion and put it on your windowsill to protect your home from negative energy. Throw the onion away when it becomes shriveled.
Burn onion skins for prosperity, put onions under your pillow for prophetic dreams, and put cut onions in the corners of your home to cleanse the space.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Crossed Onion Hex

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1
Cut a large onion almost completely in half and take out the insides. Make a clam-shell container out of your onion by cutting it almost entirely in half (leaving a few layers intact) and taking out most of the insides. Onions are often used for “sympathetic magic”—they take on the form of whoever you want to affect.
- Only use baneful magic as an absolute last resort. Cultivating and sending negative energy out into the ether can invite negativity back your way. Magic is often best used when it’s constructive, and not destructive.
2
Put chili pepper, nightshade, sulfur, and the person’s name in the onion. Write the person’s name on a completely blank piece of paper, fold it up, and put it in the onion. Cover the paper with chili pepper, bittersweet nightshade berries , and sulfur powder . The name binds the spell to the person, and the ingredients cause discomfort. ^{[1]
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- Bittersweet nightshade is poisonous to humans and animals. Wear gloves and clean your altar/table after working with bittersweet nightshade.
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3
Wrap the onion with black thread and stick it with 12 needles in an “X.” Tie the onion with black twine so it can’t come open. Make a large “X” shape by sticking six needles around the onion in a circle, then make a slightly overlapping circle with the other six needles.
- Use needles with large eyes to make the spell easier to perform.
4
Thread one circle of needles with red thread and the other with black. String a red thread through the eyes of one of the circles, then tie the ends together. Use black thread to do the same on the other side.
- Black thread is for binding, and red thread is for energy. ^{[2]
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Put the onion in a container you can seal (a trash bag is fine) and say your intentions for the hex. Say something like: “You’ve crossed a line too many times, now your core burns, and spite returns. Needles pierced and threaded eyes, you’ve made your bed where now you lie.”
Once you say your incantation, tie up the bag or seal the box with tape, string, or wax. If you want the person to know, somehow, that you’re behind their misfortune, spit in the box before sealing it. ^{[3]
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Research source} Throw it away in the trash.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Black Pin Onion Protection Spell

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1
Stick black pins all over a white onion. This is a super simple spell that only takes two ingredients: a white onion and black pins. Take a white onion of any size, then stick in black pins perpendicular to the surface. Use several pins to make the inside really spikey.
- Onions are believed to have many magical properties, including the ability to draw negative energy out of an area. ^{[4]
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- Needles and pins are incredibly auspicious magical items, in part due to their connection to sewing. They’re sharp, discreet, and feminine. They can be a weapon, or they can unite things and hold them together.
2
Put the onion on a windowsill in your house. Energy comes into your house through the windows and doors, so place the onion at an entrance, like a window. ^{[5]
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Research source} It’s believed that the onion soaks up negativity and the pins create a hostile, unpleasant environment that the energy doesn’t want to stay in.
- People believe this spell keeps negative energies, people with bad intentions, and the evil eye out of your house.
- The onion’s strong smell is also considered a deterrent to anything trying to enter your home and harm you.
3
Dispose of the onion once it becomes shriveled. Throw the onion away once it starts looking and smelling bad—if the spell worked it’ll look dry and shriveled. Many witches say to bury the onion in the woods or throw it in running water, but leaving pins outside is detrimental to the environment. ^{[6]
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Research source} Throwing it away in the trash is perfectly fine.
- Magic is fundamentally linked to nature. Whenever you return a spell to nature, make sure all the items are biodegradable and not unsafe for animals.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Onion Banishing Spell

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1
Write the person’s name on a piece of paper and put it into a cut onion. Cut an onion almost completely in half so it can open and close. Write the name of the person you want out of your life on a blank piece of paper, then put it into the onion. Make the paper small enough to fit in easily. ^{[7]
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- For this spell to be performed correctly, the onion must stay intact (not fully cut in half) the entire time. If it does come in half, restart the spell with a new onion.
2
Press the paper between the onion sides and recite your intention. Spells are ways to manifest magical energy in the mundane world. For them to work, they need specific instructions, which are your intentions. Hold the onion and think about your wishes, or just pray however you so choose. ^{[8]
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- Something you could say to do a banishing spell is “[Person] will leave me alone after this. They’ll forget my name, not recognize me on the street, and never reenter my life.”
3
Put salt and pepper into the onion with the paper. Salt is a cleanser (it washes away your relationship with the person) and pepper is an irritant (it causes them to feel unpleasant when they think of you). Use a spoon or the end of a knife to gently put a little of each into the cut. ^{[9]
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- You can use red, black, or white pepper.
- After you put in the salt and pepper, don’t let the onion open again.
4
Squeeze the onion very tightly, then use safety pins to close it. Once you’re done with the salt and pepper, squeeze the onion tightly between your hands and repeat your intentions. ^{[10]
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Research source} Push large safety pins through the two halves of the opening to seal it, then put it in a plastic bag and throw it away.
- If you want to dispose of this spell in nature, wrap the onion tightly in black thread instead of using the pins.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Other Magical Uses for Onions

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1
Burn onion skins for prosperity. The next time you’re cutting up an onion, don’t just throw the skins away. It’s believed that burning onion skins brings prosperity to the household of the person burning them. Use tweezers to pick up the skins, then set them on fire and place them into a heat-proof bowl. ^{[11]
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- Before doing the spell, set your intention for it. The more focused you are, the more energy gets put into the spell. You can say something like “I will get this job,” or “I will come into unexpected wealth.”
2
Cut onions into quarters and place them in salt to absorb energy. Onions are energetically neutral, and therefore are great for soaking up energy. ^{[12]
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Research source} Put onion quarters into a small, salt-filled dish, then leave them in the corners of your house or highly trafficked areas. Replace them once a day for five days, and bury the remains.
- Onions can pull energy out of your body in a similar way to doing an egg cleanse . Cut an onion in half and run it over your body, starting at your face and moving down.
Onions have been related to dreams in folklore across cultures. ^{[13]
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Research source} Some believe that putting an onion under your pillow (maybe in a plastic bag, though..) encourages prophetic dreams.

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