There’s a reason why the beach feels so energetically clean and refreshing. For millennia, all over the world, salt has been considered a protective and cleansing agent, both physically and metaphysically. A salt bowl in your home can absorb water, emit ions, and kill bacteria. Some people like to buy fancy salt lamps for this purpose, but a simple bowl filled with salt can do the trick, too.

Ever since I watched the Netflix show Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, I’ve been fascinated by salt. I already knew that salt came from various locations around the world. However, I never dreamed that the crystals could be so different, or that the properties were so unique.

Recently, I’ve played with the concept of salt bowls, and have a system that works for me and my home.

1. Choose a Bowl

Choose a bowl to use for your salt bowl. You can go for something plain or fancy — whatever you prefer. I like to use a black soup bowl for the black-and-white contrast. You could use a smaller bowl if you’d like to take up less space.

If you’re going to leave the bowl out for more than a couple of days, I recommend using a non-porous bowl (i.e. not wood). However, if you’re okay with salt penetrating the porous material, and possibly ruining whatever protective cover it has, you can use whatever you wish.

2. Choose a Salt

You can use whatever salt you have in your cupboard, but I’ve found that industrially processed salt doesn’t feel “natural” enough for me. It feels mechanical and somewhat lifeless.

I like to use natural sun-evaporated sea salt for my salt bowls. If you’re feeling fancy, you can buy some black sea salt, pink Himalayan sea salt, kosher diamond crystal salt, Japanese big-flake salt, or any other kind. If you don’t want to set out a whole dish of that kind of salt, mix the fancy salt with some good old regular sea salt.

3. Add Herbs and Oils, If Desired

Here’s where you can get creative. Open your cupboards and peruse your spice rack and tea tins. You can add anything to the salt. It will add another aspect of cleansing to the dish.

I like to add juniper berries to my salt bowl because juniper is a protective herb. I also add cloves and peppercorns, as they are also protective and are known to banish negative energy. I also like to add a few drops of essential oils, like tea tree, lavender, or thieves blend.

Some people like to add garlic, rosemary, rue, bay leaves, and many other protective herbs. Other cultures have been known to cut lemons or limes and set them in the salt.

4. Spell Out Your Intentions

I like to mix everything together with my fingers and speak my intention out loud. I say something like, “May this salt cleanse the energy of my home and protect me from negativity.” If you can go into an altered state at this point, do so. Feel yourself become more cleansed, and align your energy with the purpose of the salt bowl.

5. Set It Out

Place your beautiful salt bowl somewhere in your home. Some people like to place it out near the hearth or in the kitchen. Other people like to put it near the door that’s used most often.

Be conscious of the salt bowl. When you pass by it, use it as a cleanser of your energy. You can push negative energy into the salt bowl, or touch the salt with your hands to ground any errant energy.

Other people like to place salt bowls in the corners of a room. This can create a very magical-feeling space! If you want to try this out, but don’t want to commit to four salt bowls, sprinkle salt from your main bowl into the corners of your room. You can also sprinkle salt on your windowsills, as long as a pet won’t jump up there, and as long as the windowsills are not metal, which is susceptible to rusting in salty conditions.

You can also sprinkle a little bit of your salt over the carpet and let it absorb for an hour or so before vacuuming it up. It really does change the energy of the room!

A few things to consider: don’t eat this salt. You charged it with absorbing negativity, so you don’t want to consume it. Don’t leave this out in a place where your pets will come into contact with it. When the energy of the bowl doesn’t feel cleansing anymore, it’s time to get rid of it. You can either tip it into the trash, or toss it outside someplace where you wish to prevent plants from sprouting (like the cracks between concrete).

There are many other ways to magically cleanse the energy of your home and belongings. If you notice the energy of your home has changed for the better after putting out a salt bowl, I encourage you to explore them all by reading that article.

If you liked this article, check out my other intuitive magic articles:

Bay Leaf Magic: Burn and Banish

Mirror Magic: Witchcraft Through The Looking Glass

6 Amazing Things About Owning Your Magic

Bright blessings to you and your home.

p.s. Salt bowls are one of the many easy magics I discuss in The Blessed Be Subscription Box. Each sabbat, we give you high quality products as well as low cost, common sense magics that can be used anytime. For more information, check out our website.