COFFIN NAILS

by Dorothy Morrison. Well known author of books as the author of Lucinda's Web, Everyday Magic, The Craft, Utterly Wicked and many other books. A native Texan, she is  a Third Degree Wiccan High Priestess of the Georgian Tradition, founded the Coven of the Crystal Garden in 1986, and spent many years teaching the Craft to students in eight states and in Australia. Dorothy currently ensconced in studies of the RavenMyst Circle Tradition, and enjoys membership in the Coven of the Raven.

While coffin nails used to be plentiful and easy to come by, such is not the case anymore.  Of course, there are still many occult supply stores that offer them for sale, but the problem with obtaining those is clear:  There’s no way to know whether the nails you’ve bought are truly the real thing, or just regular nails that can be purchased at half the cost from any local hardware store.  This problem can be avoided, however, if you simply make your own.  And all it takes is a package of nails, some graveyard dirt, a zippered plastic bag, and the instructions below.

• Count out the number of nails you’ll need for the spell in question and charge them with your desire.

• Place the nails in the plastic bag and sprinkle them well with graveyard dirt appropriate to your desire.  [A few tablespoons will do it.]

• If the spell calls for rusty nails, sprinkle well with water.

• Seal the bag, allow the nails to rest in the dirt overnight, and they’ll be ready for use the next day.  [NOTE:  Do not wipe the nails clean before use.]

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While we’re on the subject of nails, you should probably know that those gathered them from particular sites can definitely add power to your magic.  For your convenience, a few collection sites along with their uses follow below:

• Court House: To bring justice or to cause the target to lose his or her legal battle

• Hospital:  To cause illness

• Jail:  To bring jail or prison time

• Mental Institution:  To cause insanity

• Police Station:  To bring about an arrest

• Workplace:  To cause trouble for a co-worker or employer

[Used by permission and excerpted from Utterly Wicked by Dorothy Morrison; published 2007 by WillowTree Press, St. Louis, MO]